Activities of Luis GARICANO related to 2021/2251(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility
Amendments (26)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 a (new)
Citation 23 a (new)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A (new)
Recital A (new)
A. whereas Russia’s aggression in Ukraine on February 24 2022 has led the European Union to impose unprecedented economic sanctions; whereas the conflict generated by Russia has led a high number of Ukrainian citizens to leave Ukraine and to travel and settle in the EU; whereas the military invasion will generate economic and social consequences on the European continent, in particular on Eastern Europe countries;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B (new)
Recital B (new)
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C (new)
Recital C (new)
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D (new)
Recital D (new)
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that, according to the Commission, the real GDP of the EU-27 could be around 1.5 % higher in 2024 than without NGEU investments19 , when implemented effectively; notes, furthermore, that the Commission forecasts that RRF grants will fund 24 % of total recovery support measures in 2022; highlights that Russia’s aggression in Ukraine will have economic and social consequences over the continent, particularly in Eastern Europe, that might influence the forecasts; __________________ 19 European Commission discussion paper 144, Quantifying Spillovers of Next Generation EU Investment, July 2021. https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/ economy-finance/dp144_en.pdf
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reiterates the importance of the successful implementation by the Member States of national recovery and resilience plans (NRRPs) in order to ensure a long- term impact on the EU economy and society; recalls that the RRF is a performance-based mechanism, whereby funding is disbursed upon completion of milestones and targets related to measures; urges the Commission to use all lessons learned from the creation and implementation of the RRF to shape the new EU economic governance framework;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Reminds all Member States and the Commission that the current war in Ukraine poses a serious threat to the EU recovery and resilience strategy; urges the European Commission to explore ways in which unused loans could be requested to tackle the economic, social and energy consequences following Russia’s aggression in Ukraine on February 24 2022;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Tasks the Commission with analysing the reasons why the Member States have not requested loans to the full extent of their allocation; calls on the Commission, where relevant, to come forward with targeted measures to incentive the optimal use of the resources available under the RRF, taking into account the new financial needs caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the side-effects of sanctions on Russia;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10 b. Recalls that, under Article 21 of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, objective circumstances allow a Member State to make a reasoned request to the Commission to make a proposal to amend or replace the approved plan; recalls that objective circumstances do not include political developments in Member States and insists that the Commission should apply a strict definition of the objective circumstances that justify such an amendment;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Looks forward to more granular and disaggregated data allowing for a better understanding of the additionality impacts of the RRF; urges the Member States to provide detailed, transparent and timely information information to the Commission in order to ensure effective reporting of the impact of the RRF;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Notes that all approved NRRPs expect to achieve the digital target of at least 20 % set out in the RRF Regulation and that the overall digital expenditure of all approved NRRPs reaches almost 29 % or EUR 130 billion; notes that countries have taken different approaches to supporting SMEs and highlights different initiatives such as measures for tax relief, voucher schemes and R&D incentives, digitalisation and aggregators for available technologies and services to SMEs, or speeding of fund distribution to companies;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Underlines the importance that the NRRPs dedicate almost 50 % of total expenditure or EUR 203 billion to measures to benefit the well-functioning of the single market, improving the business environment and promoting private investments; calls on the Member States to lift all unnecessary obstacles that would prevent SMEs from accessing the relevant RRF funding; asks Member States to implement the NRRPS according to a transparent schedule to allow the private sector to plan their activities and projects according to the relevant reforms and funding;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Notes that approved NRRPs envisage expenditure on healthcare-related measures of EUR 37 billion, which corresponds to 8 % of total NRRP expenditure; expects these healthcare- related measures to contribute to increasing the resilience of healthcare systems and their preparedness for future crises; is concerned that many Member States did not include sufficient measures to make mental health care accessible and affordable for all age groups, especially in early ages and highlights that mental health should represent an integral part of the EU’s socio-economic recovery from the pandemic and an occupational health priority, in particular in educational and workplace environments;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24 b. Highlights that the pandemic led the Union to prioritize reforms and investments to improve the resilience of public institutions to shocks; stresses that plans also aim to increase the capacity of public administrations to manage European funds effectively at national, regional and local levels; regrets that progress in this area is too slow, especially at regional and local levels, risking the effective and timely use of the funds assigned to each Member State in the context of the RRF;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 c (new)
Paragraph 25 c (new)
25 c. Notes that in total so far, Member States have put forward 228 measures with a focus on supporting children and youth; notes that 74% of the measures focus on general, vocational and higher education and training capacity, as well as accessibility; affordability, quality and inclusiveness; including digitisation and infrastructure; further notes that 14% of the measures are dealing with early childhood education and care, early school leaving and child poverty; notes that 12% of the measures focus on tackling youth unemployment through job creation, hiring, job transition incentives and support for self-employment;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 d (new)
Paragraph 29 d (new)
29 d. Recalls that the EU objective to have 5G connectivity in all populated areas of the EU by 2030 is of utmost importance but at the same time particularly challenging to achieve; recalls that scattered and inconsistent approaches between Member States risk countries being left behind and the digital gap between them being exacerbated; notes that several RRPs contain investment proposals in 5G connectivity and recalls that Member States should complement these investments with measures for mobile broadband and infrastructure expansion;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 e (new)
Paragraph 29 e (new)
29 e. Highlights that synergies between RRF and other Union funding programmes are essential in order to ensure a proper recovery and consolidated resilience of the Union; regrets that some Member States have postponed the presentation of their Operational Programmes for the implementation of the EU structural funds for the period 2021-2027; calls on the Commission to assess the causes of these delays and to address them;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 f (new)
Paragraph 29 f (new)
29 f. Underlines the need for complementarity with other EU sources of finance to ensure synergies in EU spending efforts, in particular with cohesion policy funds which cover similar objectives to the RRF but with a focus on more long-term structural actions; calls on Member States and cohesion managing authorities to ensure that the Partnership Agreements are linked to and in complementarity with the RRPs.
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Notes the Commission assessment that all NRRPs address at least a significant subset of challenges identified in the relevant European Semester recommendations but that not all challenges are addressed, such as sustainability of public finances, tax evasion, tax administration and tax avoidance ensuring stability on the housing market and tackling homelessness, equal access to childcare, structural policies that consolidate competition, public administration red tape and malfunctions of state-owned enterprises, ensuring access to independent civil justice and tackling shadow economy and corruption;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 d (new)
Paragraph 32 d (new)
32 d. Urges the Commission to ensure that the evaluation of the milestones and targets achieved by the Member States as part of their NRRP will be based on rigurous quantitative and qualitative assessment; is concerned that a simple quantitative evaluation of the milestones and targets achieved would lead to a box ticking dynamic in Member States, which would then miss a historical opportunity for long-term structural reforms;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 e (new)
Paragraph 32 e (new)
32 e. Urges Member States to publish periodically up-to-date data on the funds transfered to final recipients, thereby enabling the accurate monitoring of the NRRP implementation;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 e (new)
Paragraph 34 e (new)
34 e. Encourages the Commission to explore ways to include local and regional governments, as well as civil society organisations in the monitoring of the RRF implementation;
Amendment 373 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36 a. Calls on the Commission to explore and present different scenarios on how to use the RRF experience to improve the EU economic governance framework; emphasises that, in order to ensure proper democratic legitimacy, such framework needs to overcome shortcomings in parliamentary accountability and lack of democratic oversight;
Amendment 375 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 b (new)
Paragraph 36 b (new)
36 b. Highlights that the revision of EU economic governance framework will be the opportunity to draw lessons from successes but also failures of the RFF; encourages the Commission to properly think about involvement of local and regional authorities and civil society organisations in any future economic coordination mechanism that will guide investments in EU Member States;
Amendment 380 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 f (new)
Paragraph 36 f (new)
36 f. Considers an immediate and temporary ban of all fossil fuel imports from Russia a strategic and moral obligation and clear signal towards Putin's regime to stop the war in Ukraine; points out that such action carries significant costs, which will affect Member States to different degrees, depending on their fiscal space, energy dependence, and trade balance with Russia; holds that, even while the Next Generation EU funds have not yet been fully exhausted, the protection of the fiscal space of severely affected Member States requires a new EU Unity Fund, financed by raising grants and loans at the EU-level; suggests an allocation proportionally to the effects of the war, sanctions and energy supply disruptions on Member States’ economy with the aim of investing in energy efficiency and independence and of shielding people and businesses from severe socio-economic impacts;