Activities of Tsvetelina PENKOVA related to 2020/0380(COD)
Plenary speeches (1)
Brexit Adjustment Reserve - Draft amending budget No 1/2021: Brexit Adjustment Reserve (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Brexit Adjustment Reserve
Amendments (30)
Amendment 66 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) Following the end of the transition period, barriers to trade and to cross-border exchanges between the Union and the United Kingdom will be present. Bhave become a reality with broad and far-reaching consequences for businesses, citizens and public administrations are expected. Those consequences are unavoidable and stakeholders need to make sure that they are ready for them.
Amendment 68 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) Following tThe end of the transition period, has generated barriers to trade and to cross- border exchanges between the Union and the United Kingdom will be present. Bth broad and far- reaching consequences for businesses, workers, citizens and public administrations are expected. Those consequences are unavoidable and stakeholders need to make sure that they are ready for them.
Amendment 74 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) The Union is committed to mitigating the economicnegative economic and social impact of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union and to show solidarity with all Member States, especially the moworst affected ones, including their regions and local communities, if applicable, in such exceptional circumstances.
Amendment 76 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) The Union is committed to mitigating the economic, social and territorial impact of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union and to show solidarity with all Member States and regions, especially the most affected ones in such exceptional circumstances.
Amendment 82 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) A Brexit Adjustment Reserve (the ‘Reserve’) should be established to provide support to counter adverse consequences in Member States, regions and sectors, in particular those that are worst affected by the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union, and thus to mitigate the related negative impact on the economic, social and territorial cohesion. It should cover in whole or in part the additional public and private expenditure incurred by Member States for measures specifically taken to mitigate those consequences.
Amendment 84 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4 a (new)
Recital 4 a (new)
(4a) It is the opinion that Member States benefitting from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve have to provide all of the necessary public support evidence to maintain and create quality jobs where employment was negatively affected or lost due to the withdrawal of the UK from the EU.
Amendment 86 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) For the purposes of contributing to economic, social and territorial cohesion, it is appropriate that Member States, when designing support measures, focus in particular on the regions, areas and local communities, including those dependent on fishing activities in the United Kingdom waters, that are likely to be most negatively impacted by the withdrawal of the United Kingdom. Member States may have to take specific measures notably to support businesses and economic sectors adversely affected by the withdrawal. It is therefore appropriate to provide a non-exhaustive list of the type of measures that are most likely to achieve this objective. Relevant regional and local authorities, economic and social partners and civil society of the territories concerned shall be involved in the process of identification of the support measures in accordance with the partnership principle laid down in Article 6 of Regulation (EU) .../… [new CPR].
Amendment 94 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5 a (new)
Recital 5 a (new)
(5a) For the purpose of contributing to the Union’s social and environmental targets, the Reserve should be implemented in accordance with the principles set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights and the European Green Deal, in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Amendment 95 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5 a (new)
Recital 5 a (new)
(5a) Considers that special attention in the allocation of the means of this Reserve should be given by the Member States to small and medium-sized enterprise as, contrary to most large companies, they are less prepared and have fewer resources to tackle e.g. regulatory burdens and transportation difficulties.
Amendment 98 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5 b (new)
Recital 5 b (new)
(5b) Member States should rely on their regional public entities, if applicable, to select the adversely affected sectors and businesses while implementing the financial support from the Reserve.
Amendment 112 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7 a (new)
Recital 7 a (new)
(7a) Calls on the European Commission to provide the European Parliament with an impact assessment on the fluctuation of the British pound (GBP) in relation to the euro (EUR) in order to highlight the adverse consequences of the UK’s withdrawal on EU businesses and economic sectors, beginning 1 January 2019, the start of the reference period for financial contribution from the Reserve.
Amendment 117 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8 a (new)
Recital 8 a (new)
(8a) Member States, together with the European Commission, while implementing the Brexit Adjustment Reserve, have to seek to establish synergies with support received from the European Structural Funds, as well as to avoid overlaps between the use of this Reserve and Structural Funds.
Amendment 119 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) Horizontal financial rules adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on the basis of Article 322 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) apply to this Regulation. These rules are laid down in the Financial Regulation and determine in particular the procedure for establishing and implementing the budget, and provide for checks on the responsibility of financial actors. Rules adopted on the basis of Article 322 TFEU also concern the general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget in case of generalised deficiencies as regards the rule of law and the respect for fundamental rights in the Member States, which are essential preconditions for sound financial management and effective EU funding.
Amendment 140 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) To ensure equal treatment of all Member States and consistency in the evaluation of the applications, the Commission should assess the applications in a package. It should look in particular into the eligibility and the accuracy of the expenditure declared, the direct link of the expenditure with measures taken to address the adverse consequences of the withdrawal and the measures put in place by the Member State concerned to avoid double funding. Upon assessment of the applications for a financial contribution from the Reserve, the Commission should clear the pre- financing paid, and recover the unused amount. In order to concentrate the support on Member States moworst affected by the withdrawal, where the expenditure in the Member State concerned, accepted as eligible by the Commission, exceeds the amount paid as pre-financing and 0.06% of the nominal Gross National Income (GNI) for 2021 of the Member State concerned, it should be possible to allow for a further allocation from the Reserve to that Member State within the limits of the financial resources available. Given the extent of the expected economic shock, the possibility to use the amounts recovered from the pre-financing for the reimbursement of additional expenditure by Member States should be provided for.
Amendment 148 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 17
Recital 17
(17) In accordance with the Financial Regulation, Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/9514 , Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/9615 and Council Regulation (EU) 2017/193916 and Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2020/2092 on a general regime of Rule of Law conditionality for the protection of the Union budget, the financial interests of the Union are to be protected through proportionate measures, including the prevention, detection, correction and investigation of irregularities and fraud, the recovery of funds lost, wrongly paid or incorrectly used and, where appropriate, the imposition of administrative sanctions. In particular, in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council17 and Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) may carry out administrative investigations, including on- the-spot checks and inspections, with a view to establishing whether there has been fraud, corruption or any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of the Union. In accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) may investigate and prosecute fraud and other criminal offences affecting the financial interests of the Union as provided for in Directive (EU) 2017/1371 of the European Parliament and of the Council18 . In accordance with the Financial Regulation, any person or entity receiving Union funds is to fully cooperate in the protection of the Union’s financial interests, to grant the necessary rights and access to the Commission, OLAF, the EPPO and the European Court of Auditors and to ensure that any third parties involved in the implementation of Union funds grant equivalent rights. _________________ 14 Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 of 18 December 1995 on the protection of the European Communities financial interests (OJ L 312, 23.12.1995, p. 1). 15Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks and inspections carried out by the Commission in order to protect the European Communities' financial interests against fraud and other irregularities (OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2). 16Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 of 12 October 2017 implementing enhanced cooperation on the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (‘the EPPO’) (OJ L 283, 31.10.2017, p. 1). 17Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 September 2013 concerning investigations conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1073/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (Euratom) No 1074/1999 (OJ L 248, 18.9.2013, p. 1). 18 Directive (EU) 2017/1371 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2017 on the fight against fraud to the Union's financial interests by means of criminal law (OJ L 198, 28.7.2017, p. 29).
Amendment 152 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18 a (new)
Recital 18 a (new)
(18a) In their efforts to support their adversely affected sectors and regions, Member States should apply the principles laid down in the European Code of Conduct on Partnership.
Amendment 154 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 19
Recital 19
(19) In order to enhance transparency on the use of the Union contribution, the Commission should provide a final report to the European Parliament and the Council and the Committee of the Regions on the implementation of the Reserve.
Amendment 166 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1
The Reserve shall provide support to counter the adverse consequences of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union in Member States, regions and sectors, in particular thosmall and medium- sized enterprises that are worst affected by that withdrawal, and to mitigate the related impact on the economic, social and territorial cohesion.
Amendment 193 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) measures to assist in particular small and medium-sized businesses and local communities adversely affected by the withdrawal;
Amendment 208 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point d
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point d
(d) measures to support employment, job protection and creation, including through short-time work schemes, up- skilling, re-skilling and training in affected sectors;
Amendment 210 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
(da) measures to facilitate the integration of returning EU workers from the UK, by way of social programs for job searching;
Amendment 226 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2
Article 5 – paragraph 2
2. Expenditure shall be eligible if it is incurred and paid during the reference period for measures carried out in the Member State concerned or for the benefitmost affected regions of the Member State concerned.
Amendment 233 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 4
Article 5 – paragraph 4
4. The measures referred to in paragraph 1 shall comply with applicable law, subject to the exceptions referred to in Article [new Article 6] .
Amendment 250 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2
Article 7 – paragraph 2
2. Member States, in cooperation with regional and local authorities in the areas most heavily affected, shall use the contribution from the Reserve to implement the measures referred to in Article 5 to provide non-repayable forms of support. The Union contribution shall take the form of reimbursement of eligible costs actually incurred and paid by Member States in implementing the measures.
Amendment 251 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 7 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment 319 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) designating, at the appropriate level of governance, one or more bodyies responsible for the management of the financial contribution from the Reserve and an independent audit body in accordance with Article 63(3) of the Financial Regulation, and supervising such bodies;
Amendment 325 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 5 a (new)
Article 13 – paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. The European Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and Council a detailed report by June 2023 on the implementation process of this regulation; following such a report, the European Parliament and Council may ask the European Commission to fine- tune this implementation process of the Reserve.
Amendment 326 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 15 – paragraph 1
Article 15 – paragraph 1
Member States shall be responsible for informing and publicising to Union citizens the role, the results and impact of the Union contribution from the Reserve through information and communication actions. To alleviate the negative impact on businesses and economic sectors, and to avoid administrative bottlenecks, Member States should strengthen their information campaigns to raise awareness about the new rules in place after the withdrawal of the UK from the EU.
Amendment 377 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – table 1 – column 2 – row 8
Annex II – table 1 – column 2 – row 8
Amendment 378 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – table 1 – column 2 – row 15.4
Annex II – table 1 – column 2 – row 15.4
Measures to support employmentjob protection and creation through short-time work schemes, re-skilling and training in adversely affected sectors