Activities of Cristina MAESTRE MARTÍN DE ALMAGRO related to 2020/0100(COD)
Opinions (1)
OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the public sector loan facility under the Just Transition Mechanism
Amendments (21)
Amendment 2 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) The Commission adopted a Communication on the European Green Deal on 11 December 20199, drawing its roadmap towards a new growth policy for Europe and setting ambitious objectives to counter climate change and for environmental protection. In line with the energy and climate objectives for 2030 and the objective to achieve climate neutrality in the Union by 2050 in an effective and fair manner, the European Green Deal announced a Just Transition Mechanism to provide means for facing the climate challenge while leaving no one behind. The most vulnerable regions and people are the most exposed to the harmful effects of climate change and environmental degradation. At the same time, managing the transition requires significant structural changes, which will call for ambitious funding by the Union. _________________ 9 COM(2019) 640 final.
Amendment 9 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) The proposal for establishing the Just Transition Fund was adopted by the Commission on 14 January 202011. For the better programming and implementation of the Fund, territorial just transition plans are to be adopted, setting out the key steps and timeline of the transition process and identifying the territories most negatively affected by the transition towards a climate neutral economy and with less capacity to deal with the transition challengessocial and environmental challenges inherent in the transition. _________________ 11 COM(2020) 22 final
Amendment 11 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) A public sector loan facility (the ‘Facility’) should be provided. It constitutes the third pillar of the Just Transition Mechanism, supporting public sector entities in their investments. Such investments should meet the development needs resulting from the transition challenges described in the territorial just transition plans as adopted by the Commission. The activities envisaged for support should be consistent with and complement those supported under the other two pillars of the Just Transition Mechanism, meaning that they should be consistent with the goal of reducing emissions by 2030 and oriented towards achieving a climate-neutral Union by 2050.
Amendment 15 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) In order to enhance the economic diversification of territories impacted by the transition, the Facility should cover a wide range of investments, on condition that they contribute to meet the development needs in the transition towards a climate neutral economy, as described in the territorial just transition plans. The investments supported may cover energy and sustainable transport infrastructure, district heating networks, green mobility, smart waste management, clean energy and energy efficiency measures including renovations and conversions of buildings, support to transition to a circular economy, the fight against depopulation, land restoration and decontamination, as well as up- and re- skilling, training and social infrastructure, including social housing, in addition to digital coverage for regions and better broadband connections. All financed projects should be in line with the climate objectives set for 2030, meaning that the Commission should ensure that all projects are consistent with the goal of reducing emissions. Infrastructure developments may also include solutions leading to their enhanced resilience to withstand disasters, especially in those regions which have been heavily affected by extreme meteorological phenomena in recent years. Comprehensive investment approach should be favoured in particular for territories with important transition needs. Investments in other sectors could also be supported if they are consistent with the adopted territorial just transition plans, and which although having been affected by the climate transition, have not been able to benefit under the First Pillar of the Just Transition Mechanism, namely the Just Transition Fund. By supporting investments that do not generate sufficient revenues, the Facility aims at providing public sector entities with additional resources necessary to address the social, economic and environmental challenges resulting from the adjustment to climate transition. In order to help identify investments with a high positive environmental impact eligible under the Facility, the EU taxonomy on environmentally sustainable economic activities may be used. The Facility must take account of the devastating consequences which the COVID-19 crisis has had in numerous European regions, as well as of the uneven impact of the virus, in order to ensure cohesion and that aid reaches those regions and communities which need it the most.
Amendment 29 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) In order to ensure that all Member States are granted the possibility to benefit from the grant component, a mechanism should be set up to establish earmarked national shares to be respected during a first stage, based on the distribution key proposed in the Just Transition Fund Regulation. However, in order to reconcile that objective with the need to optimise the economic impact of the Facility and its implementation, such national allocations should not be earmarked after 31 December 2024. Thereafter, the remaining resources available for the grant component should be provided without any pre-allocated national share and on a competitive basis at Union level, while ensuring predictability for investment and following a needs-based and regional convergence approach, prioritising less developed regions which suffer from lower public investment capacity.
Amendment 33 #
(14) Specific eligibility conditions and award criteria should be set out in the work programme and the call for proposals. Those eligibility conditions and award criteria should take into account the relevance of the project in the context of the development needs described in the territorial just transition plans, the overall objective of promoting regional and territorial convergence and the significance of the grant component for the viability of the project, as well as the committment of the Member States to the climate objectives forming part of the European Green Deal. Union Support established by this Regulation should thus only be made available to Member States with at least one territorial just transition plan adopted. The work programme and calls for proposals will also take into account the territorial just transition plans submitted by Member States to ensure that coherence and consistency across the different pillars of the mechanism is ensured.
Amendment 35 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) Since the grant component should reflect the divergent development needs of regions across Member States, and the committment of each Member State to reducing greenhouse gases, such support should be modulated. Taking into account that public sector entities in less developed regions, as defined in Article 102(2) of Regulation [new CPR], generally experience lower public investment capacity, the grant rates applied to loans provided to such entities should be comparatively higher.
Amendment 38 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) In order to speed up implementation and ensure that resources are used in a timely fashion, this Regulation should lay down specific safeguards to be included in the grant agreements. In view of that objective, the Commission, in line with the principle of proportionality, should be able to reduce or terminate any Union support in case of serious lack of progress in the implementation of the project, or in case of a failure to comply with the established objectives with regard to emissions reductions. The Financial Regulation lays down rules on the implementation of the Union budget. In order to ensure coherence in the implementation of Union funding programmes, the Financial Regulation should apply to the grant component and to resources for advisory support provided under this Facility.
Amendment 42 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) In order to set out an appropriate financial framework for the grant component of this Facility until 31 December 2024, implementing powers should be conferrdelegated ton the Commission to set out the available national allocations expressed as shares of the overall financial envelope of the Facility for each Member State in accordance with the methodology set out in Annex I of Regulation [the JTF Regulation]. The implementing powers should be conferred without comitology procedures given that the shares derive directly from the application of a pre- defined calculation methodology.
Amendment 47 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 2
Article 1 – paragraph 2
The Facility shall provide support benefitting Union territories facing serious social, environmental and economic challenges deriving from the transition process towards a climate-neutral economy of the Union by 2050 at the latest, and from the 2030 climate targets.
Amendment 59 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2
Article 3 – paragraph 2
2. The Facility shall have the specific objective of increasing public sector investments, which address the development needs of regions identified in the territorial just transition plans, by facilitating the financing of environmentally sustainable projects that do not generate a sufficient stream of own revenues and would not be financed without the element of grant support from the Union budget.
Amendment 61 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. The Facility shall also promote the transition towards an economy which is climate neutral, environmentally sustainable and economically and socially just, and which guarantees social cohesion between territories of the Union.
Amendment 63 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 3
Article 3 – paragraph 3
3. In pursuing the achievement of the specific objectives referred to in paragraphs 2 and 2 a, this Regulation also aims at providing advisory support for the preparation, development, and implementation of eligible projects where necessary. That advisory support shall be provided in accordance with the rules and implementation methods for the InvestEU Advisory Hub established by Article [20] of Regulation [InvestEU Regulation].
Amendment 71 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3
Article 6 – paragraph 3
3. For grants awarded pursuant to calls for proposals launched as from 1 January 2025, Union support awarded to eligible projects shall be provided without any pre-allocated national share and on a competitive basis at Union level until exhaustion of remaining resources. The award of such grants shall take into account the need to ensure predictability of investment and the promotion of regional convergence, priority being given to territories belonging to less developed regions.
Amendment 75 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 4
Article 6 – paragraph 4
4. The Commission shall adopt a decision by means of an implementing delegated act setting out the respective shares for each Member State resulting from the application of the methodology set out in Annex I of Regulation [JTF Regulation] in the form of percentages of the total available resources.
Amendment 80 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 8 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) the projects achieve measurable impact in addressing serious social, economic, demographic or environmental challenges deriving from the transition process towards a climate-neutral economy and benefit territories identified in a territorial just transition plan, even if they are not located in those territories;
Amendment 89 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
Article 8 – paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
(d a) the projects guarantee that they will not involve any jobs, capital or production processes being transferred from one Member State to another.
Amendment 101 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
Subsidies may be reduced or terminated if, following the mid-term review, it is found that there has been a failure to comply with the objectives established in Article 3 of this Regulation.
Amendment 105 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 15 – title
Article 15 – title
Evaluation and Review
Amendment 106 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 15 – paragraph 2
Article 15 – paragraph 2
2. The interim evaluation of the Facility shall be performed by 30 June 2025, when sufficient information is expected to be available about the implementation of the Facility. The evaluation shall in particular demonstrate how the Union support provided under the Facility shall have contributed in addressing the needs of territories implementing the territorial just transition plans and show whether, on the basis of information pertaining to the impact on the Union's climate objectives and the objectives pursued by the European Green Deal, the Union support has contributed to reducing emissions. At the latest by the end of mid-term review of the next multi-annual financial framework, the Commission shall review the implementation of the credit line assigned to the public sector in the context of the Just Transition Mechanism and assess whether it is appropriate to amend its scope in line with possible changes in Regulation 2020/... [Taxonomy Regulation], the Union’s climate objectives set out in Regulation (EU) 2020/… [European Climate Law] and the evolution in the implementation of the Sustainable Finance Action Plan. On that basis, the Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament and to the Council, which may be accompanied by legislative proposals.
Amendment 107 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 15 – paragraph 3
Article 15 – paragraph 3
3. At the end of the implementation period and no later than 31 December 2031, a final evaluation report on the results and long-term impact of the Facility shall be establishedsubmitted to the European Parliament and to the Council to ascertain whether the financed projects have contributed to addressing the economic, social, demographic and environmental challenges in the regions in which they have been carried out.