24 Amendments of Vlad-Marius BOTOŞ related to 2021/2101(INI)
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 a (new)
Citation 38 a (new)
— having regard to the 2018 Commission study, ‘The Geography of EU Discontent’1a, _________________ 1aRodriguez-Pose, A., Poelman, H. and Dijkstra, L., 2018. The Geography of EU Discontent. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the EU’s ambition is to pursue digital policies that empower people and businesses to achieve a sustainable and prosperous digital future in all regions;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas in 2020 only 59% of households in rural regions had access to next-generation access (NGA) broadband (>30Mbps), compared to 87% of the households in the rest of the EU1a; _________________ 1aCommission Staff Working Document Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2020
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas there is still a digital divide in the EU in terms of geography, age, gender, educational attainment, socio- economic status and income, which prevents some individuals and businesses from reaping the benefits of the digital transformation; whereas the digital divide plays an undeniable role in further alienating the so-called "places that don't matter" thus reinforcing the Union's territorial imbalances and contributing to the economic and political instability that derives from it;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas, in spite of the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a massive expansion of telework and ICT- based mobile work (TICTM)14 , jobs tend to be more concentrated in cities and urban centres than in smaller towns, suburbs andwhich offers a great potential to decentralize working places from urban to rural areas; whereas there aremain marked differences in the ability to telework between high- and low-paid workers, white- and blue-collar workers and between genders15 ; whereas TICTM and the digitalisation of services can facilitate a more balanced geographical distribution of employment and the population; _________________ 14Draft Council conclusions on telework in the context of remote work, paragraph 17. 15Commission working paper of May 2020 entitled ‘Teleworkability and the COVID-19 crisis: a new digital divide?’.
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
F a. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened many of the already existing problems in rural areas and has emphasized the vulnerability of these regions, notably in terms of digital capacity, quality and delivery of health services, education, access to broadband, resilience of value chains, and digital skill competences;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights the role that the new cohesion policy can play in advancing the twin digital and green transitions; underlines that the digital and innovation components of the new cohesion policy will be key in enabling a sustainable transformation of society and the economy and reaching the goals of the European Green Deal and Europe´s Digital Decade targets set for 2030;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Considers that major public and private investments are still needed to bridge Europe’s digital investment gap given that the European Commission estimated the digital transformation investment gap to be at EUR 125 billion per year1a; is very concerned by the fact that the total EUR 127 billion allocated to digital spending in the Recovery and Resilience Facility (2021-2026) barely exceeds the required funding for a single year1b; _________________ 1aCommission Staff Working Document Identifying Europe's recovery needs Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. Europe's moment: Repair and Prepare for the Next Generation 1bDarvas, Z., J. Scott and A. Tzaras (2021) ‘Will European Union recovery spending be enough to fill digital investment gaps?’ Bruegel Blog, 20 July
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the future rural observatory gathers comprehensive and up-to-date data on the digital divide in order to help Member States identify the needs of their regions; considers it fundamental to have up-to- date information on the progress of digitalization in all European regions and calls on the Commission to provide the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) data at a NUTS 2 level;
Amendment 74 #
7. CallsHighlights the need to overcome the persisting digital divide between rural and urban areas, and to develop the potential offered by connectivity and digitalisation in rural areas through the development of a horizontal strategy; calls therefore on the Member States to use cohesion policy resources to roll out smart villages post-2020, which will contribute to the digitalisation of rural areas and the empowerment of rural communities;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Calls upon regions and Member States to increase funding for available and affordable high-quality network infrastructure, such as fibre and 5G, in areas where the market conditions are such that private investments will not be able to deliver such networks on their own; recalls the importance of having an adequate competition and State Aid framework that enables the deployment of high-speed broadband and 5G infrastructure in all cities regardless of their size;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Urges the Member States to usemake full use of the financial resources available to them through both the ERDF-CFuropean Structural and Investment funds and the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument to the fullest extent possible to give regions that arin order to provide lagging -behind regions the targeted support that they needrequire to overcome the digital divide; supports efforts to promote digitalization by strengthening thematic concentration in cohesion policy, while simultaneously promoting the use of financial instruments in cooperation with the EIB or other development banks;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Calls also for the full implementation of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), as the new CEF digital financing instrument along with greater cross-border digital connectivity, will play a vital role in closing economic, social, and territorial divides, offering many new opportunities to Europe's regions, including rural areas;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses the need for a socially fair and inclusive digitalisation process that leaves no one behind; underlines that support under the ERDF-CFuropean Structural and Investment funds should contribute to an inclusive digital society and to fostering the economic, social and territorial cohesion in all EU regions with a focus on less developed regions;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls for a follow-up to the eGovernment action plan that will ensure the efficient digital transformation of public administrations and services in all Member States and establish measures to increase digital skills for public sector workers; underlines that this follow-up should incorporate the many lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, where public administration services moved almost exclusively online;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Notes that the COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated that the increase of telework and ICT-based mobile work (TICTM) – in both the private and the public sector – has made our society more vulnerable to cyber-attacks; recalls that remote access to private or public sector networks requires new cybersecurity solutions; therefore considers that addressing the underinvestment in cybersecurity must be a top priority for the EU and the Member States and encourages all investments in this regard to include appropriate security measures that are integrated across all cloud, endpoint, and traditional network environments;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Underlines the crucial role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in creating decent jobs, sustainable growth and rural development and believes that public investments through cohesion policy and other instruments will contribute to better social, economic and territorial cohesion in all EU regions; highlights that different types of SMEs require different types of support and incentives at the EU, national, regional and local levels, depending on their circumstances and level of technology adoption; urges regions to establish "SME-oriented innovation strategies" that are aligned with their "RIS3 Smart Specialization Strategies";
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Notes that e-Commerce has a great potential for rural SMEs and local producers as it increases their outreach and reduces barriers associated to being located in regions that face severe and permanent geographical or demographic challenges; calls upon regions and Member States to establish pilot projects and digitalization strategies to integrate e- Commerce in rural SME´s business models;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. Recognizes the potential of digitalization to connect companies, especially SMEs, and highlights the positive impact of digitalization in the provision of social services such as smart transport solutions, eHealth, online banking services and tailored learning solutions for vulnerable students; recalls the importance of establishing digital skills education in parallel to ensure we don´t leave anyone behind;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes with concern that both start- ups and established SMEs struggle with a lack of skilled employees and highlights that the skills shortage is particularly acute for skills relating to digitalisation and new technologies, as 35 % of the labour force have low or no digital skills; believes that initiatives should be launched to support the SMEs facing specific challenges in training their workforces and attracting and retaining digital talent; considers important to establish hybrid learning models to render upskilling accessible to those with basic to none digital skills;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses the need to fill the digital skills gaps across the EU so that all individuals and businesses can make the most of the digital transformation; calls for the progressive implementation of the Commission’s Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 for promoting better digitalisation skills, which would guarantee relevant education, training and job opportunities for everyone; highlights the crucial role of Member States and regional governments in supporting rural authorities in their efforts to shape and ensure digital inclusion, by protecting citizens’ data and empowering people and local businesses via access to data;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Welcomes the recommendation in the reinforced Youth Guarantee that people not in education, employment or training undergo a digital skills assessment, and where gaps are identified, receive training to enhance their digital skills;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Reiterates that demographic change is a fundamental challenge for the EU, and that addressing it should be prioritised in the design and implementation of programmes; recalls in this regard that one of the main objectives stipulated in the ERDF and Cohesion Fund Regulation for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027) is to support urban and rural areas with geographical or demographic handicaps, with Member States having to allocate EU financial support for projects that promote digital development in the regions concerned and ICT connectivity; recalls, in this regard, that particular support should be given to NUTS level 3 areas or clusters of local administrative units with a population density of below 12.5 inhabitants per square kilometre or with an average annual population decrease of more than 1% between 2007 and 2017, which should be subject to specific regional and national assessment; welcomes the new article of the ERDF and Cohesion Fund Regulation which calls for national plans to support regional and local areas facing continuous demographic decline;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19 b. Calls on Member States and Managing Authorities to facilitate and simplify access of rural areas to NextGenerationEU funds and European Structural and Investment Funds; considers it necessary to ensure that all relevant institutional actors are carefully monitored in the use of Next Generation EU funds and European Structural and Investment Funds at the territorial level to ensure that funds are distributed fairly between regions;