Activities of Elisabetta GUALMINI related to 2020/2087(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the review of the European Union Solidarity Fund
Amendments (7)
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Underlines that rapid disbursement of funds via the introduction of advance payments, as part of the 2014 reform, has proven to have a beneficial impact on effectiveness of the EUSF, in particular in regions and municipalities with limited alternative funding sources;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Notes the enormous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economies and public health systems of the Member States; believes that the next MFF and Next Generation EU should entail a further increase in the amount allocated to the EUSF, which may not be sufficient to cover all the 2020 eligible applications, due to the COVID-19 crisis; therefore, requests the Commission to increase the maximum annual amount of the EUSF to EUR 2 billion (at 2018 prices); underlines that such an increase would be essential for rapidly assisting people affected by a major public health emergency, including by providing medical help, and preventing, monitoring or controlling the spread of disease;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Highlights that the use of the EUSF has encouraged policy learning in national and local authorities to assess their larger disaster risk management;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Requests the Commission to put into place mechanisms to implement EUSF interventions in line with the “Build Back Better” principle for disaster risk management, according to which the recovery phase is seen as a determinant opportunity to maximise resilience to natural disasters and upgrade infrastructure to contemporary standards, rather than simply restoring the conditions which were in place prior to the occurrence of the event;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5 d. Calls on the Commission to modify Article 3 of EUSF Regulation 2012/2002, as amended by Regulation 661/2014, to allow the reconstruction and rebuilding to newer and more robust standards, as well as to improve the functionality and resilience of the assets affected by the disaster;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6 c. Notes that the EUSF is the most concrete and tangible manifestation of the support that the EU can give to regions and local communities in case of natural disasters; nevertheless, points out that on the basis of the evidence elicited through Eurobarometer surveys, only 15% of the EU population is likely to be fully aware of the use of the Fund at country level; therefore, reiterates the importance of communicating to the public the tangible benefits brought about by the EUSF and calls on the concerned regional and local authorities to implement communication strategies or initiatives to clearly highlight to citizens the specific cases in which support against the effects of natural disasters is provided by the EUSF;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6 d. Asks the Commission, in the framework of the revision of the Regulation, to provide for an obligation for the beneficiary country to communicate on the EU support for the implemented operations;