Activities of Hélène LAPORTE related to 2020/1998(BUD)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2021
Amendments (45)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that 2021 should be the first year of the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF); regrets that because of the delays in the MFF/Own Resources negotiations, for which Parliament stayed ready since November 2018 in its initial proposal but pending the trilogue provided for in the Treaties and which could not start before the European Council’s 21 July conclusions, as well as because of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the budgetary procedure for the year 2021 could not build so far on a solid and ambitious MFF agreement;
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that 2021 should be the first year of the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF); regrets that because of the delays in the MFF/Own Resources negotiations, for which Parliament stayed ready since November 2018 and which could not start before the European Council’s 21 July conclusions, as well as because of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the budgetary procedure for the year 2021 could not build so far on a solid and ambitious MFF agreement;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Takes note of the Council’s position on the DB in that it preserves the interest of the contributing States, including the importance it attaches to the Letter of amendment; concurs with the Council on the latter, while ambitioning to present a reading which follows its priorities on MFF/OR and budget 2021 in a coordinated manner; notes that this approach is also motivated by the limited time that will be left following the presentation of the Letter of amendment;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that in its resolution of 19 June 2020 on general guidelines for the preparation of the 2021 budget, Parliament stressed that the primary focus of the 2021 budget should be to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and support the recovery, built on the European Green Deal and digital transformation;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that in its resolution of 19 June 2020 on general guidelines for the preparation of the 2021 budget, Parliament stressed that the primary focus of the 2021 budget should be to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and support the recovery, built on the European Green Deal and digital transformation;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. WelcomesTakes note of the EU Recovery plan; agreed in principle by the Council, insists, however, on the need to clearly enshrine the role of the budgetary authority in authorising external assigned revenue, notably of the Next Generation EU (NGEU) recovery instrument, under the annual budgetary procedure;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls its position that the 2021- 2027 MFF climate and biodiversity mainstreaming targets must go beyond the levels of targeted spending shares as set out in its interim report; aims, therefore, to achieve a biodiversity spending level of 10 % and a climate mainstreaming spending level of 30 % for 2021;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Decides to increase to the levels set up in the MFF interim report of November 2018 the fifteen flagship programmes identified in its resolution of 23 July 2020 (Horizon Europe, InvestEU, Erasmus+, the Child Guarantee, the Just Transition Fund, Digital Europe, the Connecting Europe Facility, LIFE+, EU4health, the Integrated Border Management Fund, Creative Europe, the Right and Values programme, the European Defence Fund, the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) and humanitarian aid, as well as relevant EU agencies and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office); decides further to base its reading on the MFF ceilings proposed by the Commission in the DB; considers that any increase for the flagship programmes should be accompanied by the corresponding rise of the ceiling of the given MFF heading; decides to reinforce funding for Parliament’s priorities inter allia in the fields of security, migration, fundamental rights and external actionCreative Europe, humanitarian aid; decides further to base its reading on the MFF ceilings proposed by the Commission in the DB;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Reaffirms its previous commitmeConsiders importants to make fupay back all unuse of the possibility to re-used funds coming from de-commitments for research laid down in Article 15(3) of the Financial Regulationto the Member States;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Points to the importance of ensuring that sufficient financial resources and adequate human resources capacities are allocated to Union agencies enabling them to fulfil their mandate, execute their tasks and respond optimally to the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak; underlines the fact that proper coordination and synergies between agencies are needed to increase the effectiveness of their work, especially where there is convergence towards specific policy objectives, in order to allow for a fair and efficient use of public money;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. In order to finance this budget, reminds that, as expressed in its legislative resolution of 16 September 2020, the new categories of own resources should be introduced as of 2021 and that any amounts generated by new own resources beyond the level necessary to cover the repayment obligations of the NGEU in a given year should remain in the Union budget as general revenue notably to top- up the 15 EU flagship programmes as of 2021 accompanied by the corresponding rise of the MFF ceilings;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Highlights the importance of Horizon Europe in making the European Green Deal a success, and contributing to the transition towards a climate-neutral economy and society by 2050, and in supporting the digital transformation, which is vital for the Union’s future prosperity; stresses also that the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need to invest in health research; proposes therefore significantly to increase Horizon Europe, in line with its long-held position calling for an overall budget of EUR 120 billion; considers, furthermore, that the full amount of decommitments made over the whole of the current MFF should be made available, in accordance with Article 15(3) of the Financial Regulation, to support the climate and digital transitions and health research;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for the 2021 Union budget to ensure that the InvestEU Programme delivers on both its long term objective by providing more investment capacity aimed at supporting sustainable infrastructure through EUguarantee, research, SMEs, and social investments and its new short term mission to support the economic recovery via strategic investments;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Considers that it is also necessary to strengthen further important priorities in the heading; calls, inter alia, for a substantial increase in the amount dedicated to SME objectives; recalls the important role that Union agencies play in helping to achieve Union policy objectives; calls therefore for sufficient funding and staffing for all agencies in line with their tasks and responsibilities;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Emphasises the need to allocate additional resources to the EU4Health Programme, in complementarity with other EU programmes such as the ESF+ or Horizon Europe, in contributing in particular to address the significant structural needs identified during the COVID-19 crisis, setting out key action areas such as the improvement of national health systems, the availability and affordability of medicines and other crisis- relevant products and to ensure continued and timely provision of accessible and safe sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)health services;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Insists on the need for more transparency in the allocation of funds under the various programme components and sub-programmes of Erasmus+, by restoring its previous nomenclature, and of Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme by creating a new budget line for the Union values strand; reiterates its request to the Commission to increase transparency in its use of the budget assigned to multimedia activities, in particular by creating a series of new budget lines in connection with the measures;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Stresses the crucial role of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme to protect and promote the rights and values enshrined in the EU Treaties and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and insists that additional appropriations are required for each stand and notably for the Daphne strand to fight violence against women;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Deeply regrets that the Commission still has not responded to Parliament's call for a comprehensive review of the budget line for multimedia measures, particularly with regard to the framework contract with Euronews; recognised as a quality media and as neutral as possible, decides to put its budgetary allocation in reserve until the Commission has answered the concerns raised by the Court of Auditors;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Reminds that the European Council, in its position on the European Recovery Instrument, did not retain the level of support for the Just Transition Fund as foreseen by the Commission proposal; expresses its concerns that these cuts will seriously undermine the recovery efforts; re-iterates that the Just Transition Fund is a vital and indispensable building block in the architecture of the European Green Deal; proposes therefore an increase of EUR 500 million in commitment appropriations for this flagship programme in 2021;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Reminds that a number of agricultural sectors have been hard hit by the COVID-19 outbreak and drought and therefore supports targeted reinforcements on budget lines for market support measures under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) which aim at mitigating the effects of the crisis caused by that outbreak; expects the Letter of amendment to adjust further the level of appropriations of EAGF by taking into account the assigned revenue expected to be available in 2021 and other parameters such as the impact of the COVID pandemic on agricultural sectors;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Increases funding for Parliament’s priorities in the fieldFaced the failure in areas of migration and border management, must abolish funding for these areas of migration and border management, most prominentainly the Integrated Border Management Fund and the Asylum and Migration Fund; at the same time, aims to enhance budgetary transparency by reflecting both Funds’ specific objectives into the budget structure, so that the budgetary authority can track expenditure more closely;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 41 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Underlines the failure of European policies on preventing migration flows and human trafficking; reiterates its concerns about the role played by instruments such as the ISF and the AMIF in the management of the effects of the migration and refugee crisis;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Underlines that it is of paramount importance to invest in adequate funding and staffing levels for all agencies operating in the fields of migration, asylum and border management, as long as the investments is devolved to repatriation and border security;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. ReinforcesOpposes the strengthening of the Heading 5 overall by EUR 372 320 760 above DB (excluding pilot projects and preparatory actions), of which EUR 312 829 132 for flagship programmes; considers, that in the period of crisis the actions in this field are not a priority;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48
Paragraph 48
48. Emphasises that at a time when external challenges and matters of international relations are gaining importance and are dominating international politics, the external dimension of the Union budget must be appropriately funded and prepared to respond without delay to current, emerging, as well as future challenges; notes that the bulk of external action spending is concentrated in the new Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), on which inter-institutional legislative negotiations are still ongoingforeign policy should remain an exclusive competence of the Member States;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48
Paragraph 48
48. Emphasises that at a time when external challenges and matters of international relations are gaining importance and are dominating international politics, the external dimension of the Union budget must be appropriately funded and prepared to respond without delay to current, emerging, as well as future challenges; notes that the bulk of external action spending is concentrated in the new Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), on which inter-institution pragmatic and non- ideological chal legislative negotiations are still ongoing;nges
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50
Paragraph 50
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 51
Paragraph 51
51. Points to the persistent challenges in the Union’s Eastern and Southern neighbourhood, as well as the importance of endowing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East with adequate financial resources; recalls the importance of developing stable relations and strong cooperation between the EU and Africa and deems appropriate to dedicate sufficient financial resources to the development of this continent, which would contribute inter alia to mitigating the root causes of forced migration;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Paragraph 52
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 52 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Calls for an immediate stop to the Union’s accession negotiations with Turkey, as its government is openly threating to invade Europe with an unprecedented migratory flood and as it does not respect fundamental rights, in particular with regard to democracy and media freedom;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52 a (new)
Paragraph 52 a (new)
52 a. Calls for the prompt suspension of Union funds for Turkey, in particular those falling under the IPA and asks the European Investment Bank to end all the activities it has in place for the benefit of Turkey;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52 a (new)
Paragraph 52 a (new)
52 a. opposes any attempt to fund Turkey, a country that does not respect Human Rights and democratic values;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 54
Paragraph 54
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 11
Subheading 11
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58
Paragraph 58
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 63
Paragraph 63
63. Reiterates Parliament’s priorities for the forthcoming financial year, namely, focusing the Parliament’s budget on its core functions of legislating, acting as one arm of the budgetary authority, representing citizens and scrutinising the work of other institutions, as well as providing the resources for priority projects on engaging with citizens, green Parliament promoting the saving of resources, accessible Parliament, fully respecting gender issues, building security, cyber-security and IT development, and multiannual building projects;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 65
Paragraph 65
65. Notes that, in the main, the DB reflects the estimates of the various institutions falling within the other sections of the budget and therefore matches, with some exceptions, their financial requirements; considers that the horizontal and systematic cuts proposed by the Council would therefore have a deleterious effect on the working of the institutions concerned and consequently on the vital contribution they make to the functioning of the European Union; on that account, proposes to restore the levels of the DB in almost all cases, including with regard to the establishment plans of the Court of Justice, the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions, the Ombudsman and the European External Action Service; in line with the gentlemen’s agreement, does not modify the Council’s reading concerning the Council and the European Council;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66
Paragraph 66