15 Amendments of Vincenzo SOFO related to 2020/0108(COD)
Amendment 7 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) The CovidOVID-19 pandemic is a major shock to the global and Union economy. Due to the necessary containment measures, economic activity in the EU dropped significantly. The contraction in EUMember States' GDP in 2020 is expected to be around 7.5%the worst since the Great Depression, far deeper than during the financial crisis in 2009. The outbreak of the pandemic has shown the interconnectivity of global supply chains and exposed some vulnerabilities such as the over-reliance of strategic industries on non-diversified external supply sources. Such vulnerabilities need to be addressed, to improve the Union’s emergency response as well as the resilience of the entire economy, while maintaining its openness to competition and trade in line with its rules. Investment activity is expected to have dropped significantly. Even before the pandemic, while a recovery in investment-to-GDP ratios in the Union could be observed, it remained below what might be expected in a strong recovery and was insufficient to compensate for years of underinvestment following the 2009 crisis. More importantly, the current investment levels and forecasts do not cover the Union’s needs for structural investment to restart and sustain long-term growth in the face of technological change and global competitiveness, including for innovation, skills, infrastructure, small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) and the need to address key societal challenges such as sustainability or population ageing. Consequently, in order to achieve the Union's policy objectives and to support a swift, inclusive and healthy economic recovery, support is necessary to address market failures and sub-optimal investment situations and to reduce the investment gap in targeted sectors.
Amendment 12 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) In the last years, the Union has adopted ambitious strategies to complete the Single Mternal market and to stimulate sustainable and inclusive growth and jobs, such as 'Europe 2020 - A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth' of 3 March 2010, 'Action Plan on Building a Capital Markets Union' of 30 September 2015, 'A new European Agenda for Culture' of 22 May 2018, 'Clean Energy for all Europeans' of 30 November 2016, 'Closing the loop - An EU action plan for the Circular Economy' of 2 December 2015, 'A European Strategy for Low- Emission Mobility' of 20 July 2016, ‘European Defence Action Plan’ of 30 November 2016, 'Launching the European Defence Fund' of 7 June 2017, 'Space Strategy for Europe' of 26 October 2016, the Interinstitutional Proclamation on the European Pillar of Social Rights of 13 December 2017, the ‘European Green Deal’ of 11 December 2019, the ‘European Green Deal Investment Plan’ of 14 January 2020, the ‘Strong Social Europe for Just Transitions’ of 14 January 2020, the ‘Strategy for shaping Europe’s digital future’, the ‘Data Strategy’ and the ‘Artificial Intelligence Communication’ of 19 February 2020, ‘A New Industrial Strategy for Europe’ of 10 March 2020 and ‘SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe’ of 10 March 2020. The InvestEU Fund should exploit and reinforce synergies between those mutually reinforcing strategies through providing support to investment and access to financing. (This amendment applies throughout the text.)
Amendment 13 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) At Union level, the European Semester of economic policy coordination is the framework to identify national reform priorities and monitor their implementation. Member States, where appropriate in cooperation with local and regional authorities, develop their own national multiannual investment strategies in support of those reform priorities. Those strategies should be presented alongside the yearly national reform programmes as a way of outlining and coordinating priority investment projects that are to be supported by national funding, Union funding, or both. Those strategies should also use Union funding in a coherent manner and maximise the added value of the financial support to be received notably from the European structural and investment funds, the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the InvestEU Programme. However, country-specific recommendations have often had counterproductive macro- economic effects; notably, in the field of public health they have recommended the weakening of public health systems in several Member States, which therefore found themselves less equipped to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak.
Amendment 16 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
Amendment 21 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
Amendment 23 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
Amendment 33 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) The contribution of the InvestEU Fund to the achievement of the climate target will be tracked through a Union climate tracking system to be developed by the Commission in cooperation with potential implementing partners, appropriately using the criteria established by [Regulation on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment25 ] for determining whether an economic activity is environmentally sustainable. The InvestEU Programme should also contribute to the implementation of other dimensions of the SDGs. _________________ 25. COM(2018)353.
Amendment 41 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) Investment projects that receive substantial Union support, in particular in the area of infrastructure, should be screened by the implementing partner to determine whether they have an environmental, climate or social impact. Investment projects that have such an impact should be subject to sustainability proofing in accordance with guidance that should be developed by the Commission in close cooperation with potential implementing partners under the InvestEU Programme. This guidance should appropriately use the criteria established by [Regulation on establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment] for determining whether an economic activity is environmentally sustainable and consistent with the guidance developed for other programmes of the Union. Consistent with the principle of proportionality, such guidance should include adequate provisions for avoiding undue administrative burdens, and projects below a certain size as to be defined in the guidance should be excluded from the sustainability proofing. Where the implementing partner concludes that no sustainability proofing is to be carried out, it should provide a justification to the Investment Committee established for the InvestEU Fund. Operations that are inconsistent with the achievement of the climate objectives should not be eligible for support under this Regulation.
Amendment 96 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) growth and employment in the Union economy, the sustainability of the Union economy and its environmental and climate dimension contributing to the achievement of the SDGs and the objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and to the creation of high-quality jobs;
Amendment 167 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 6 – introductory part
Article 7 – paragraph 6 – introductory part
6. Implementing partners shall apply a target of at least 60 % of the investment under the sustainable infrastructure policy window contributing to meeting the Union objectives on climate and environment.deleted
Amendment 194 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 1 – introductory part
Annex II – point 1 – introductory part
1. The development of the energy sector in accordance with the Energy Union priorities, including security of energy supply, clean energy transition and the commitments taken under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, in particular through:
Amendment 206 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 3 – point f
Annex II – point 3 – point f
(f) climate change actions, climate adaptation and mitigadaptation, including natural hazard disaster risk reduction;
Amendment 209 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 3 – point j
Annex II – point 3 – point j
(j) projects that promote sustainable culturalcultural and landscape heritage.
Amendment 236 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex V – part 2 – paragraph 1 – point 12 – point c
Annex V – part 2 – paragraph 1 – point 12 – point c
(c) projects equipped with carbon capture and storage or carbon capture and utilisation installations; industrial or research projects that lead to substantial reductions of greenhouse gas emissions as compared with the applicable EU Emission Trading System benchmarks
Amendment 238 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex V – part 2 – paragraph 1 – point 15 – point b
Annex V – part 2 – paragraph 1 – point 15 – point b
(b) existing plants, where the investment is for the purpose of increasing energy efficiency, capturing exhaust gases for storage or use or recovering materials from incineration ashes, provided such investments do not result in an increase of the plants' waste processing capacity.