Activities of Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU related to 2021/2254(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
A long-term vision for the EU's rural areas (debate)
Amendments (41)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)
Citation 14 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 8 March 2022 on the role of cohesion policy in promoting innovative and smart transformation and regional ICT connectivity (2021/2101(INI));
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)
Citation 18 a (new)
— having regard to the "Venhorst Declaration", adopted by the parties to the third European Rural Parliament held in Venhorst, the Netherlands in October 2017,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 b (new)
Citation 18 b (new)
— having regard to the "Rural People’s Declaration of Candás, Asturias", adopted by the parties to the fourth European Rural Parliament held in Candás, Spain in November 2019,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 19 a (new)
Citation 19 a (new)
— having regard to the "Bled Declaration for a Smarter Future of the Rural Areas in EU", signed on 13 April 2018 in Bled, Slovenia;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24 a (new)
Citation 24 a (new)
— having regard to the report of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development on an EU action plan for organic agriculture (A9-0126/2022),
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas rural areas represent around 83 % of the total European territory and are home to around 137 million people (30 % of the European population); whereas rural areas, in particular remotewhich are key to reaching the EU targets for 2030 and beyond, and less developed rural regions, face specific unresolved challengeential for delivering the European Green Deal, still face specific unresolved challenges, in particular remote and less developed rural regions;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights the diversity of rural areas across the EU; recalls that rural areas close to urban centres, in remote areas, coastal areas, cross-border areas or mountainous zones, and in outermost regions face different challenges requiring targeted solutions;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that policies and actions at EU level combined with national and regional ones are key to securing the prosperity and well-being of rural European citizens, as well as tackling the challenges they face, namely population decline and ageing, fewer quality job opportunities, a lack of access to high- quality services of general interest, climate and environmental pressures, lower connectivity, particularly lack of high- speed broadband, and limited access to innovation;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the central role rural areas can play in addressing societal challenges, by providing ecosystem services to mitigate climate change and environmental deterioration, ensuring sustainable food production, preserving rural heritage, andproviding unique cultural landscapes, rich in diversity and biodiversity, for traditional, leisure and recreation purposes, as well as contributing to a just, green and digital transition;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the central role rural areas can play in addressing societal challenges, by providing ecosystem services to mitigate climate change and environmental deterioration, ensuring sustainable food production, preserving rural heritage, andproviding unique cultural landscapes for leisure and recreation purposes, as well as contributing to a just, green and digital transition;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that rural areas are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of crisis, such as the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine but are also capable of offering new opportunities in response to such crisis; emphasises that rural areas have a key role in ensuring food security as well as independence from fossil fuels or energy imports;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Emphasizes the emerging prospects for rural areas through the development of bio-districts, eco-regions, or smart villages, and recognizes the opportunity for diversifying the rural economy through organic farming, shorter food supply chains, carbon farming, eco-tourism in unique cultural landscapes, and payment for ecosystem services;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses the importance of implementing a rural proofing mechanism for EU initiatives so as to assess their potential impact on rural areas; urges the Member States to promote the development and implementation of effective mechanisms for rural proofing at national level and calls on the Commission to assist them; emphasises that the rural proofing mechanism should be made mandatory, so that regional, national and EU authorities and institutions would be obliged to take into account the impacts of proposed legislation, which is particularly impacting rural areas, on such areas;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Encourages the Commission to put forward an updated version of the "EU action for Smart Villages" document published on 11 April 2017, which should outline current concrete actions and funding opportunities linked to the development of Smart Villages
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Welcomes the RePowerEUPlan, the Biomethane Action Plan and the EU Solar Energy Strategy; notes the crucial role rural areas can play in achieving the new energy targets, and urges the Commission to develop an EU strategy for energy transition in rural areas as a tool to support the implementation of integrated energy solutions in rural areas, taking advantage of the vast potential of agrophotovoltaics, biomethane production and the existing decentralized small biogas plants already operating in the EU, and integrating them in the overall renewable energy mix, by also addressing related environmental and social aspects;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Underlines the need to support young people in order for them to remain in rural areas; stresses that particular attention should be paid to overcoming the challenges of young people in their access to capital, higher education, lack of business skills and insufficient succession plans; points our that encouraging farm succession, including young farmers in a policy mix, from housing, social security, health services to education should be a priority; stresses the need to maintain a high-quality agricultural education system, including vocational training;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Underlines the central role agriculture plays in rural areas; insists that sustainable agriculture in ensuring high-quality, diverse and sufficient food and biomass resources in a sustainable manner, in providing jobs and cultural landscape for recreational use; insists that sustainable agriculture, in its three pillars (economic, environmental, social), providing fair income to farmers, is crucial for the vitality of these territories;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses that diversification of and innovation in the rural economy based on local potential are crucial to drawing opportunities from the digital and green transition; calls on the Member States to put in place measures to support the fair transition and diversification of the rural economy, as well as to support job creation in rural areas;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Regrets that the work of rural women is still not properly recognised nor adapted to their needs, such as heavy or large farm tools and equipment; calls on the Commission and the Member States to take action to design and implement measures to fightclose gender gaps;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Regrets thatUrges the work of rural women is still not properlyto be better recognised; calls on the Commission and the Member States to take action to design and implement measures to fightclose gender gaps;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Highlights the central role of rural areas in the transition to a low-carbon and digital economy; stresses that initiatives in rural areas, such as renewable energy infrastructure,, investments in high-speed broadband infrastructure and bioeconomy must contribute effectively to the economic and social vitality of such areas;
Amendment 329 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Highlights that rural areas suffer higher risks of social exclusion and energy poverty owing to longer distances to be covered and mobility constraints; points out that new rural mobility solutions and investments are needed to achieve equitable growth, in harmony with a sustainable green, digital and energy transitions;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Highlights that rural areas suffer higher risks of social exclusion and energy poverty owing to longer distances to be covered and mobility constraints; points out that new and innovative rural mobility solutions and investments are needed to achieve equitable growth, in harmony with a sustainable energy transition;
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Highlights the importance of access to basic services in rural areas; emphasises the need for innovative approaches in the field of mobility, education, child care and elderly care as well as by tackling the healthcare challenges;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Stresses that the digital transition brings about new opportunities for rural areas, which are only accessible if there is adequate, stable and accessible broadband coverage; highlights that the development of digital capacities in rural areas is, among other things, linked to an increase in their attractiveness; warns of the risks of the widening of the rural digital gap as a result of the lack of 5G coverage, and calls on Member States to mobilise all available instruments to prevent it; stresses the importance of the timely revision of the state aid guidelines for broadband which should allow for incentivising the roll-out of 5G networks in rural areas which are not served by the market;
Amendment 352 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Welcomes the objective of the 2030 Digital Policy Programme that by the end of the decade all populated areas in the EU should be covered by 5G; calls on the Commission to promote, as part of upcoming legislation, measures that ease the roll-out of 5G networks in rural areas in particular through reducing or removing burdensome and lengthy administrative procedures;
Amendment 363 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Draws attention to the fact that the comparative lack of e-literacy and digital skills in rural areas can preclude rural communities from benefiting from the opportunities of digitalisation; calls for measures that ensure digital inclusion and support an enabling environment for rural digital innovation;
Amendment 364 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Underlines that acquiring digital skills and ensuring broadband coverage is essential in rural areas for using e-health and e-administration platforms, as well as to encourage innovation, to facilitate knowledge and best practices exchanges, to enable access to online studies or specialisation courses, including for upskilling or reskilling, and to ensure participation and inclusion in online or hybrid events; reminds that sustainable agriculture, farm or land management can be implemented more efficiently with digital tools, which are already available such as the EU’s Farm Sustainability Tool (FaST) or those for precision farming;
Amendment 365 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Draws the attention to the situation of livestock producers who live in regions recently repopulated and colonised by large carnivore species and who are under constant attack and at risk of attack by large carnivores, in protecting their livelihoods and homes from Europe's ever increasing population of large carnivores; emphasises that effective population management measures are urgently needed in order to guarantee the economic vitality of affected regions, ensure biodiversity and prevent rural abandonment;
Amendment 388 #
21. Regrets the late publication of the Commission’s communication, which has precluded its full integration into the current programming framework; calls on the Commission to ensure that the rural territorial dimension is properly addressed by all Member States and to assess its implementation and impact in the common agricultural policy strategic plans, the cohesion policy programmes, the programmes funded through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, and the Recovery and Resilience Plans;
Amendment 391 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Emphasises the swift implementation of the Connecting Europe Facility as a key enabler of cross-border network deployment, which will in turn have a positive impact on connectivity in rural areas;
Amendment 392 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Urges Member States to address the specific challenges of rural areas during the implementation of the current multiannual financial framework programmes and to provide the investments needed for social inclusion and job creation, in order to foster competitiveness and enable a just digital and green transition; calls to focus in particular on the roll-out of smart villages post-2020 and rural innovation hubs to contribute to the digitalisation of rural areas;
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Calls for smart villages to be mentioned as a flagship project, rather than action under the “research and innovation for rural areas” flagship; underlines the importance of public - private partnerships within the smart villages ecosystem, as key opportunities for job creation, innovation, depopulation and rural attractiveness; believes that the Smart Cities Marketplace* digital platform, established by the Commission, could serve as a blueprint for further development of the smart villages ecosystem, therefore encourages the Commission to coordinate further development of smart villages in the same manner as was the case of the initiatives for smart cities; *https://smart-cities- marketplace.ec.europa.eu/
Amendment 407 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Amendment 411 #
23. Regrets the persistent obstacles to the multi-fund approach, which hamper the deployment of integrative approaches in rural areas; calls on the Commission to improve synergies and coordination between EU funding instruments, such as the regional and cohesion policy, the Common Agricultural Policy, and the Next Generation EU recovery instrument, and with national instruments, and to pursue simplification, in particular for smaller projects, which are key for rural areas;
Amendment 428 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Highlights the Commission study’s conclusions on LEADER’s effectiveness in delivering solutions for sustainable rural development; calls on Member States to support LEADER/Community-Led Local Development (CLLD), thereby facilitating and promoting multi-fund approaches; stresses that the LEADER/CLLD funding tools should also be used for further development of smart villages; considers that the meaningful earmarking of assistance for CLLD under all relevant funds at EU level, including the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), would contribute to stronger and more sustainable territorial development; suggests that 35 % of the European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund should be earmarked for rural areas, as well as 10 % of the EAFRD for CLLD in the post-2027 CAP reform;
Amendment 437 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Calls for an improved support of smart, community-friendly initiatives and programmes in rural areas such as LEADER/CLLD and ERASMUS+;
Amendment 441 #
26. Stresses that empowering rural communities, which requires capacity building, particularly in the most remote and less populated areas, will promote greater social cohesion and a stronger sense of belonging; emphasises that strong and vital rural communities, as well as municipalities and regions that mainly cover rural areas, are crucial for the cohesion within the EU, therefore they should be supported in any way possible;
Amendment 444 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Stresses that empowering rural communities, which requires capacity building, particularly in the most remote and less populated areas, will promote greater social cohesion and a stronger sense of belonging and identity;
Amendment 456 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Calls on authorities to strengthen the recognition and acceptance of rural people, communities, entrepreneurs and municipalities as partners, and to place a higher value on rural volunteering, community life, entrepreneurship, ecosystem services, cultural landscape and natural resources;
Amendment 505 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Believes that the EU has a strong interest in building not only cross-border partnerships but also beyond its borders to promote more prosperous rural societies and economies with long-term mutual benefits;