Activities of Michal WIEZIK related to 2019/2824(RSP)
Plenary speeches (1)
COP15 to the Convention on Biological Diversity (Kunming 2020) (debate)
Amendments (15)
Amendment 23 #
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas the ambition of the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2019-2024 is for Europe to work with its global partners to curtail biodiversity loss within the next five years;
Amendment 77 #
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Reiterates that despite the importance of restoration, it remains virtually ignored by EU Member States in the context of the Bonn Challenge;
Amendment 78 #
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Believes that for the EU to appear credible both at international level and internally for its citizens, any future EU Strategy must set binding goals given that voluntary targets simply did not work in a majority of areas; considers deplorable that in particular areas (e.g forest biodiversity) ´´zero progress to target´´ was achieved;
Amendment 121 #
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Stresses that biodiversity mainstreaming needs to be accompanied with data collection; notes with concern that basic research, including taxonomy, which is crucial for this purpose, is heavily under-resourced and lacks support in policy and research funding; calls for adequate funding to be allocated from Horizon Europe for basic research projects and capacity building, and for also using the technical assistance axis of other EU funds for this purpose;
Amendment 122 #
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16 b. Underlines that according to the tracking exercise of biodiversity related expenditure, the Common Agricultural Policy provides aproximately 75% of total contribution of all the EU instruments2a; recalls, however that environmentally- harmful subsidies, which is called to phase out in its Resolution on the Mid- term Review of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, are still part of this policy; underlines the incoherence; calls therefore for an ambitious framework with specific, measureable indicators and ambitious targets with no financing for adverse policy instruments within the CAP; _________________ 2aDraft General Budget of the European Union for the financial year 2019; out of EUR85 billion, the CAP allegedly provides EUR68 billion, mentioned also here https://www.eca.europa.eu/lists/ecadocum ents/ap19_09/ap_biodiversity_en.pdf
Amendment 145 #
Paragraph 20
20. Underlines that agricultural activities, healthy soils, and the preservation of biodiversity are closely linked; emphasises that sustainable agricultraditional land use forms, extensive and close-to-nature mand forestryagement, contribute greatly to the variety of species, habitats and ecosystems, and reduces the effects of climate change;
Amendment 148 #
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Stresses that no substitution effect of forest based products can compensate for loss of old-growth and primary forests, which are recognised as irreplaceable3a and should be protected through legal and incentivising instruments targeting their complexity, connectivity and representativeness; _________________ 3aCommunication on Stepping up EU Action to Protect and Restore the World’s Forests (COM(2019) 352 final)
Amendment 154 #
Paragraph 21
21. Notes however the negative impact of intensive agriculture and forestry on biodiversity; calls on Parties to undertake strong commitments towards sustainable agriculture and forestry, including requirements for the sustainable use of plant protection products and organic and mineral fertilisers, and strategies to ensure the protection of soil and habitats; calls on the Commission, Member States and regional governments to increase support to the agriculture and forestry sectors in the transition to sustainable practices;
Amendment 163 #
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Recalls the scientific consensus5a behind the fact that the Common Agricultural Policy led to intensification of agricultural practices and catastrophic declines of wildlife, and the call on the European institutions to undertake a far- reaching reform of the Common Agricultural Policy without delay; _________________ 5aexpressed in the Open letter (approx 2500 scientists) jointly sent by European Ornithologists Union, European Mammal Foundation, Societas Europaea Herpetologica, Sociates Europaea Lepidopterologica, Butterfly Conservation Europe, European Bird Census Council.
Amendment 167 #
Paragraph 22
22. Points out that, according to the World Population Prospects of June 2019, the world’s population is expected to increase by 2 billion persons in the next 30 years, increasing the impacts of land use on biodiversity and carbon sequestration; calls on the Commission to urgently use the mitigation and adaptation potential of restoringconservation of forests, wetlands, peatlands and grasslands and of restoration of degraded forests, wetlands, peatlands, grasslands and coastal ecosystems and integrate nature conservation in all relevant EU policies and programs;
Amendment 172 #
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22 a. Calls for strict protection of primary, complex and old-growth forests, wetlands, species-rich grasslands, coastal ecosystems, biodiversity hotspots and high carbon reservoirs at a level of at least 5% of the EU territory as part of the EU Biodiversity Strategy;
Amendment 189 #
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. Calls on the Commission to live up to its commitment on zero tolerance to non-compliance in nature protection; points out that lengthy procedures and prolonged dialogues with Member States are an issue in the field of environmental infringements due to the risk of irreversible damage to the environment;
Amendment 192 #
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24 b. Notes that the nature conservation framework could, subject to weak implementation, potentially create a hostile environment for activists and conservationists and lead directly or indirectly to endangering their lives; underlines that murders of environmental activists and conservationists should be actively condemned by the EU and that also any bilateral or multilateral agreement should demand justice for transgressors and request objective investigation of environmental killings as a crime category of its own;
Amendment 195 #
Paragraph 25
25. Recalls the importance of innovation, research and development in order to achieve the objectives of the 2050 Vision; calls on the Commission and the Council to increase the budget allocation for Horizon Europe to 120 billion, to benefit in particular the cluster on natural resources, and including next to the applied also the basic research, for example in the field of taxonomy; calls on the Parties to focus in particular on the links between biodiversity preservation and benefits to human health and economic well-being, and to coordinate data collection measures;
Amendment 206 #
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28 a. Notes with concern that the leading Directorate-General for Environment still faces the challenge of staff reductions not proportionate to the Commission overall cut over the same period; recalls that the redeployment of staff to priority tasks flexibly happened inter alia for the migration crisis, Brexit, the Defence Action Plan4a, and it is time for the Commission to properly equip DG Environment for the Green Deal, including for work related to the Biodiversity Strategy; _________________ 4a Since 2014, it has lost 69 job quotas (from 466 to 397 representinga decrease of 15 %) and a similar reduction in terms of external staff (-12%), source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/ab out_the_european_commission/departme nts_and_executive_agencies/documents/g eneral-activity-report-2017-human- resources-and-security_en.pdf