Activities of Stéphane BIJOUX related to 2022/2147(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Assessment of the new Commission communication on outermost regions (short presentation)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the assessment of the new Commission communication on outermost regions
Amendments (44)
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
— having regard to the final declaration of the 27th Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions of the European Union, held in Brussels from 15 to 17 November 2022,
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas these regions have high levels of young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs) and early school leavers, higher than the EU and national averages7; whereas the youth unemployment rate is above 50% in Mayotte and the Canary Islands, almost 40% in Réunion, Guadeloupe and Martinique, and almost 30% in French Guiana; _________________ 7 https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/source s/policy/themes/outermost-regions/pdf/rup- 2022/comm-rup-2022-glance_en.pdf
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine are having a destructive impact on the outermost regions through rising prices of energy, maritime freight, food, fertilisers and raw materials;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas air and maritime transport are essential for ensuring territorial continuity and connecting the ORs both to the European mainland and with each other;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the primary sector, in particular arable and livestock farming and fishing, is very important for the ORs; whereas the programme of options specifically relating to remoteness and insularity (POSEI) agriculture scheme is therefore essential for the ORs, as was the former POSEI fisheries scheme; scheme to compensate certain ORs for additional fisheries costs, which has since been incorporated into the EMFF and then into the EMFAF;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas the ORs are home to around 80% of the EU’s biodiversity and are characterised by their wealth of natural heritage and ecosystems that are unique in the EU;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
Gb. whereas the ORs are in the front line when it comes to the effects of climate change and are particularly vulnerable in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events such as cyclones and floods, as well as volcanic eruptions;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)
Recital G c (new)
Gc. whereas the ORs provide the EU with geostrategic locations in the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean and the Amazon basin, and whereas they help make the EU the second-largest maritime area in the world;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses the need to attract young people into fishery, forestry, and agriculture sectors, which are a major economic driver in these regions. Calls on the Commission to launch a pilot project that will aim to increase the attractiveness of those sectors as they contribute to food security in these regions;
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Recalls the aging of the fishing fleets in the Outermost regions and urges the Commission to allow as soon as possible the renewal of these fleets in order to ensure the safety of fishermen in the workplace;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the visible progress achieved by the EU strategies for the ORs, which is a sign of the fruitful cooperation between the Commission, Parliament and the Council, the ORs’ regional and local authorities, and civil society; regrets, nevertheless, the lack of commitment shown by the Commission in this new strategy in essential areas for the ORs, ignoring successive demands from both regional authorities and Parliamentn particular as regards boosting their competitiveness so that the EU can be seen as a major oceanic player;
Amendment 89 #
2. Reaffirms the need to maintain and strengthen coordinated action at EU, national, regional and local level; supports the greater involvement of regional and local authorities in the design of EU policies; with that in mind, proposes that an executive vice-president be designated within the College of Commissioners who would work closely with the Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms and the Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights to monitor the sustainable and inclusive development of the EU’s territories, and would have special responsibility for ensuring that account is taken across all EU public policies of the problems affecting the ORs;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Regrets the fact that Article 349 is still not being automatically applied in every legislative initiative from the Commission, while recognising that some progress has been made; reiterates the call that Parliament made in its resolution of 14 September 2021 for the Commission and the Council to adopt an ‘OR reflex’, i.e. for the ORs’ specific characteristics to be systematically taken into account in EU legislative proposals and during interinstitutional negotiations, with a view to ensuring that EU legislation is able to cope with the specific challenges and local realities of the ORs;
Amendment 104 #
4. Calls on the Commission to expand the POSEI model to other sectors, with fisheries, connectivity and transport being priority areas; points out that these new programmes should under no circumstances undermine existing programmes for the ORs, such as the POSEI agricultural scheme;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the Commission’s commitment to stepping up dialogue with the ORs and providing them with individualised support; calls on the Commission to adopt a tailor-made approach, working with the Member States, the local and regional authorities and the populations concerned, in particular by means of public consultations, to defininge an individual action plan for each OR in the context of a multi- level governance framework, with a timetable and common and specific measures and targets; calls on the Commission to publish an action plan for each OR before the proposals for the new post-2027 programming period are brought forward;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Underlines the need to protect the ORs' interests in the international agreements (FTAs, EPAs, ODA) concluded by the European Union; calls on the Commission to systematically include in its impact studies an evaluation of the impact of a draft agreement on the ORs and to give due consideration to the ORs' interests in international negotiations;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. URecalls that young people make up a high proportion of the ORs' population and that, on average, half of the population of the six French ORs is under the age of 30; underlines the importance of young people for the revitalisation of traditional sectors in the ORs; calls for measures to attract young people into the primary sector;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Defends the creation of BlueCalls for enhanced opportunities for mobility through blue and green Erasmus+ to enable young people to take advantage of the opportunities of the blue economy, in terms of training and new professions, of the blue economy, the circular economy and the green transition more generally; underlines that the Commission and the national agencies must pay special attention to the ORs' potential to host young people on mobility schemes in these sectors, notably through targeted communication and specific support campaigns when receiving and sending participants;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission to work with the Member States and the Erasmus+ national agencies to ensure better protection and support for young people from the ORs taking part in the Erasmus mobility programme in other parts of the European Union, in accordance with the inclusion chapter of the Regulation establishing Erasmus+, especially through pre-financing for mobility, additional specific subsidies and enhanced support;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission to launch a pilot project, as soon as possible, aimed at combating early school leaving in the ORs; emphasises the 'second-chance school' model, supported by the ESF, which has proven effective in getting early school-leavers back into training and employment;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Points outRegrets that the call for proposals ‘Empowering youth in the EU Outermost Regions’ did not have the expected participation levels; defends an enlargement of the initiative to people up to the age of 30, and asks for the involvement of regional authorities in its promoturges local and regional authorities to provide more information on the specific initiatives for the ORs, and for young people in particular, supported by the European Union;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Emphasises the importance of having a well-coordinated, humanitarian, effective and safe EU Migration Policy, which takes into account the specific realities of the ORs, particularly those dealing with high migration flows; underlines the importance of helping the ORs to combat illegal migration; calls on the European Union and the Member States to work to expand the scope of the European Border and Coastguard Agency to include the French ORs;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Recalls that it is essential to renew the fishing fleets in order to ensure the safety of fishermen in the ORs, guarantee food security in the ORs and attract new people, particularly young people, to the fishing profession;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Urges the Commission and Member States to work together more closely to unlock funds to renew fishing fleets in the outermost regions; calls on the Commission to adjust the ecological, economic and technical indicators set to demonstrate the balance between fleet capacity and fishing opportunities, taking into account the particular characteristics of the ORs when revising its guidelines on State aid for the fisheries and aquaculture sector; also stresses the need to speed up the collection of the scientific data needed in the ORs;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Calls on the Commission to revise its guidelines on State aid in the fisheries and aquaculture sector in order to allow support for the fish aggregation devices anchored in the outermost regions;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Recalls that the Commission has pledged to write an interim report on the EMFAF chapter on the ORs and to analyse the ORs’ need for an autonomous regulation for fisheries; reiterates its appeal for the re-establishment of the POSEI fisheries scheme in 2027; a stand-alone programme for fisheries and aquaculture for the ORs in 2027; points out that such a scheme would seek to offset the extra costs and structural difficulties faced by fishers in the ORs while financing structural investments to help develop the sector;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses the role that the ORs could play in combating illegal fishing and ocean pollution; Points out that the ORs are particularly affected by the effects of climate change, marine pollution and illegal fishing; Stresses the role that the ORs could play in combating illegal fishing and ocean pollution, in conserving marine biodiversity and in the transition towards a sustainable blue economy; welcomes the Commission's suggestion to issue a call for proposals on strategies for promoting a blue economy in the ORs in 2022-2023 and calls on the Commission to put this call into action as soon as possible;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Recalls that the budget allocation for the POSEI agriculture scheme has neither been increased since 2009, nor has it been updated for inflation, which has resulted in chronic underfunding; advocates a fairsignificant increase in the current allocations for the POSEI agriculture scheme to better support farmers, breeders and planters in the ORs in the face of rising extra costs, but also to support agricultural diversification efforts, champion local production and help the ORs achieve food autonomy;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to urgently increase aid supplied under the specific supply arrangements (SSA) to take account of the continuous rise in agricultural input prices and import costs, particularly following Russia's invasion of Ukraine;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Supports the creation of a POSEI transport scheme in order to tackle the rising costs resulting from insularity and remotenessCalls on the Commission to propose the creation of a POSEI connectivity and transport scheme to help the outermost regions offset the extra costs resulting from insularity and remoteness, give the ORs territorial continuity and remedy the structural challenges they face in terms of transport infrastructure, mobility and digital connectivity;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Highlights the benefits associated with the trans-European transport network (TEN-T), particularly in terms of connectivity and access to funding; calls on the Commission and Member States to encourage the integration of more airports and ports located in the outermost regions into the TEN-T comprehensive network;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Highlights the difficulties faced by the outermost regions in accessing the opportunities offered by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF); asks that the Commission give an account in the context of a mid-term evaluation of the projects that have applied for CEF funding in the ORs and consider the possibility of creating a specific budget line for the ORs within the CEF;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Stresses the crucial role of tourism for the development of the ORs, which are highly exposed to externalities; urges the Commission to develop a truly European tourism policy, in particular by creating a single label for sustainable tourism, and to launch further measures to promote the recovery of the sector; calls on the Commission to launch a pilot project aimed at harnessing the potential of the outermost regions to develop and create new professions linked to blue and green tourism;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Regrets the fact that the specificities of the ORs have not been systematicallybeen taken into account only to a limited degree in the 'Fit for 55' package proposed by the Commission; urges the Commission and the Council to support, in the context of the ongoing interinstitutional negotiations, Parliament's proposals for the specific characteristics of the ORs to be better taken into account in the ‘texts of the 'Fit for 55’' package; insists, in particular, on the need to exclude all flights between the ORs and the rest of the European Economic Area in the context of the revision of the Emissions Trading System (ETS);
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Insists that the opportunities for carbon retention offered by the ORs be considered, particularly blue carbon related to marine and coastal biodiversity and green carbon from forest carbon capture;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Underlines the ORs’ vulnerability to climate change effects, in particular to extreme weather events; defends the position, therefore, that the EU Solidarity Fund should be revised to enable it to respond to smaller-scale disasters, including in the ORs, and to include the costs associated with prevention, evacuation and the disruption of local economies in the event of cyclones, floods, forest fires or extended seismic activity;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Calls on the Commission to propose an EU Climate Change Adaptation Fund in the next multiannual financial framework to help regions, including the ORs, adapt their infrastructure and implement preventative actions to improve their resilience to climate shocks;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Reiterates the potential of the ORs for the development of innovative pilot projects on renewable energies; calls on the Commission to build on the ORs' potential and support the development and expansion of solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and salinity gradient energies, low-carbon hydrogen and biomass energy; stresses the need to support the ORs in transitioning to carbon-free energy autonomy tailored to local realities;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Proposes the creation of a research centre for tropical infectious diseases and medical conditions that are particularly common in the ORs, such as diabetes, obesity and certain cancers;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 a (new)
Paragraph 42 a (new)
42a. Emphasises that the ORs represent European Union outposts and enhance the Union's outreach into neighbouring countries in their regional areas; calls on the Commission and Member States to work with the ORs' local and regional authorities to implement development strategies that include enhanced regional integration and cooperation; calls, in particular, on the Commission and local and regional authorities to promote synergies between actions supported by the NDICI-Global Europe international cooperation instrument and Interreg funds intended for the ORs;
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Welcomes the Commission’s announcement of the creation of a portal on all available EU funds, programmes and policy initiatives for the ORs, which responds to a request made by Parliament in its resolution of 14 September 2021; urges the Commission to create this portal without delay;
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)
Paragraph 43 a (new)
43a. Calls on the Commission's services and national and regional authorities to strike a balance between essential controls on the use of EU funds and the simpler, more flexible administrative rules needed to optimise them in order to encourage local initiatives, particularly in the ORs;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 b (new)
Paragraph 43 b (new)
43b. Emphasises that the ORs enrich the European Union's cultural and linguistic heritage; calls on the Commission to further enhance the ORs' cultural wealth and promote exchanges with culture professionals in the ORs, especially by launching new pilot projects along the lines of Archipel.eu;