Activities of Susana SOLÍS PÉREZ related to 2023/2061(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Reshaping the future framework of EU structural funds to support regions particularly affected by challenges related to the automotive, green and digital transitions (A9-0326/2023 - Susana Solís Pérez) (vote)
Reports (1)
REPORT on reshaping the future framework of EU structural funds to support regions particularly affected by challenges related to the automotive, green and digital transitions
Amendments (25)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas Cohesion Policy of the 2014-2020 period already paved the way for the transitions of coal regions by incorporating a multitude of transition- relevant specific objectives into their programmes and eventually also investing considerable funds into the respective fields, and other transition also require the same level of support to reduce the negative economic impact of the deep transition process they are undergoing;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas the Just Transition Fund has been specifically designed to ensure that no one is left behind as the EU advances towards climate neutrality; whereas this includes providing targeted support to the regions most affected by this transition in order to avoid an increase in regional inequalities across the Union;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the STEP proposal has put the focus on the EU's strategic priority of reindustrializing the EU and achieving its Strategic Autonomy by creating a new Policy Objective within ESI Funds and allowing for a 100% co financing of STEP projects in less developed and transitioning regions and in any category of region of the Member States with a GDP per capita below the EU average;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas Europe’s automotive sector remains a powerhouse for industrial employment. It accounts for more than 6% of European employment overall and 8.5% of European manufacturing jobs, which, in certain regions, amounts to up to 25% of the regional GDP; whereas this sector is composed of an estimated 3000 companies, of which 2500 are SMEs, are independent suppliers to car manufacturers and face additional hurdles in the green and digital transformation;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas passenger cars and vans alone represent 15% of the total GHG emissions in Europe and transport is the only sector where the level of GHGs has not decreased compared to 1990 levels;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the implementation of the proposed rRegulation on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure15 should ensure the viability of the transition towards decarbonised transport systems; whereas there are considerable national and regional disparities in terms of preparedness for the transition towards decarbonized transport; whereas the number of passenger cars older than 20 years ranges from over 40% in Poland to less than 5% in Luxembourg and the quota of new electric vehicle registrations ranges from 46% in Sweden to 1% in Poland, while the same applies to the number of electric vehicle charging stations with the Netherlands having almost 1,600 times more charging points than Cyprus; _________________ 15 Proposal for a Regulation on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, and repealing Directive 2014/94/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (COM(2021)559).
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas EU policies must not be territorially blind in order to avoid the aggravation of the geography of discontent phenomenon and to create acceptance of the main common goals on decarbonisation of the economy by the industry, the local authorities and the affected people; whereas it is fundamental to adapt the policies to the state of the post-industrial regions to make them territorially attractive again, especially considering the tendency of heavily affected regions to suffer from depopulation, brain drain and economic stagnation; whereas effective strategies to implement this include improving quality of life, investing in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and local entrepreneurship as well as facilitating access to affordable housing and creating incentives for young professionals and families to remain in or move to these areas;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
Gb. whereas the automotive sector is the most integrated ecosystem in intra-EU value chains whereby over 45% of its production depends upon cross-border value chains. This intra-EU value chain brings together vehicle manufacturing, automotive suppliers, manufacturers of motor batteries, electrical equipment, tyres, suppliers of raw materials and car use services;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Recalls the specific situation of the Outermost Regions in the transition towards a Union that is greener, more digitalized and less dependant on combustion engine transport, due to their remoteness from the continental network;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Acknowledges that the green and digital transitions present significant challenges to the objective of economic, social, and territorial cohesion, which is enshrined in the treaties; is aware of the risk of widening regional disparities and a rising ‘geography of discontent’, as the necessary adjustments required by and the potential benefits of the twin transition vary greatly from one European region to another and will heighten regional disparities in the years ahead; considers that Cohesion Policy must overcome the economic forces that favour a growing agglomeration of high-value economic activities in urban and industrial centres if the Union wants to maintain its goal of economic, social and territorial cohesion as enshrined in the Treaty;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Underlines that the plans to reduce GHG emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and the achievement of full climate neutrality by 2050 will have considerable impacts on the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the EU;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Underlines the importance of paying additional attention to the territories with geographical specificities, such as rural regions, the islands, the outermost regions, mountainous regions and less densely populated regions, especially those which are isolated and highly dependent on fossil fuel or specific industries that are phasing out;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Strongly recommends the inclusion of a newpermanent policy objective on industrial transition within the EU cohesion policy beyond 2027; stresses that this objective should promote European strategic autonomy and address the adverse effects of the green and digital transitions, particularly focusing on mitigating the negative repercussions on employment through support and diversification of local and regional economies;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Reaffirms the need for a new "Just Transition Fund 2.0" to be established within the upcoming programing period beyond 2027 on a NUTS 3 level and fully integrated in the Common Provisions Regulation, based on the principles of partnership, multilevel governance and the place based approach oriented at supporting regions highly dependant on sectors which are undergoing a deep transformation such as the automotive sector;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Understands that in order to determine whether a region should be considered to be highly dependent on the automotive industry, the following indicators should be taken into account; the contribution of the automotive industry to their regional GDP; the contribution of automotive products to regional exports; the contribution of the automotive industry to regional employment and the contribution of the automotive industry to R&D total investments in the region;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to expand the ‘financing not linked to costs’ approach in order to reduce reporting exercises, strengthen the focus on outcomes and impacts rather on expenditure and achieve a more efficient implementation and use of the funds; Considers that the “simplified cost option” has proved to be a very positive measure and calls on the Commission and Managing authorities to expand its application to industrial, green and digital projects;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the need to ensure the fair treatment of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the distribution of the ESIF by drastically simplifying the administrative steps required to access these funds, by adapting the requirements to the size of the company and by making progress towards full implementation of the ‘only once principle’, which means that citizens and businesses are only required to provide certain standard information to the authorities once; furthermore, acknowledges the fundamental role of SMEs in the industrial transition, and, considers as such, there should be robust mechanisms in place to ensure their active participation in projects, and to guarantee they secure adequate financing through mechanisms such as consortiums or alternative instruments;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Believes that public-private partnerships are a suitable way to support the development of these critical skills and of improving job prospects the adaptability of labour markets as well as their performance in terms of productivity and efficiency thus being key factors for any successful to any transition;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Recalls that less developed regions are likely to face a disproportionate burden during the green transition, especially concerning the transport sector's shift to decarbonized solutions;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8c. Notes that manufacturing sectors exposed to global competition, and the regions specialised therein, may face challenges during the green transition, particularly if international competitors benefit from lower energy prices and utilise fewer renewable energy sources; stresses that the costs of renewable energy will also play a significant role in these dynamics;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Upholds that the Just Transition Fund 2.0 should dedicate at least €20.3 billion to regions highly dependent on the automotive sector considering the estimated net employment loss1a due to the automotive transition; this amount would be the minimum required to provide at least the same level of support to automotive regions as that received by coal-dependent regions during their decarbonisation via the Just Transition Fund, taking into account the differences in employment levels of both sectors and fossil-fuel dependent regions1b; _________________ 1a https://clepa.eu/mediaroom/an-electric- vehicle-only-approach-would-lead-to-the- loss-of-half-a-million-jobs-in-the-eu- study-finds/ 1b https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal- content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52020 PC0022
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Calls on Eurostat to estimate the net employment loss in the automotive sector deriving from the green and digital transitions;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Recalls that any strategic decision taken by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to shift toward electric mobility, and other technical developments such as autonomous driving, digitalisation and additional safety functions in cars, will inevitably have a trickle down effect and an impact on lower tiers in the local and regional value chain;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Suggests considering the option of implementing the transition plans using a results-based approach, comprising a group of projects to be carried out by a beneficiary to contribute to the objectives of the plans; considers that in order to simplify and reinforce the result-based orientation, the management could be exclusively based on jointly agreed milestones, outputs and results previously agreed upon between the European Commission and the Managing Authorities; takes the view that control and audit of a transition plan should also be limited to whether it achieves its milestones and targets;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Asks the European Commission to enlarge the “exchangeEU” and “TARGET” programmes to the automotive regions in transition, in order to promote the exchange of experiences and results between declining sector regions, such as coal or pet and the regions with transforming sectors such as automotive and suppliers; is convinced that the experience with the implemention of the transitions plans with Structural Funds could help automotive and supplier regions to achieve a smooth transition towards neutral-climate activity;