41 Amendments of Nora MEBAREK related to 2022/2147(INI)
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the outermost regions (ORs) represent major assets, but also face permanent difficultiegeostrategic assets to the European Union (EU) and their Member States, but face also permanent structural constraints as a result of their insularity (except for French Guiana), geographical dispersion, remoteness, small size, rough terrain and harsh climate, and economic dependence on a few products;
Amendment 34 #
A a. whereas these structural constraints are a serious handicap for the development of the ORs and therefore specific measures need to be taken to establish the conditions for the harmonious application of the Treaties, including common policies, without undermining the coherence of the Union legal order;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas GDP per capita in the ORs is below the EU average, including below their own countries’ averages; whereas the ORs economies have suffered heavy consequences following the introduction of restrictive measures due to the pandemic in March 20201a; _________________ 1a https://op.europa.eu/en/publication- detail/-/publication/2216604f-7420-11ec- 9136-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas these regions have high levels of young people who are not in employment,in unemployment, low rates of education orand training (NEETs) and early school leavers,and a high dropout school rate; whereas those rates are higher than the EU and national averages7 ; _________________ 7 https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/source s/policy/themes/outermost-regions/pdf/rup- 2022/comm-rup-2022-glance_en.pdf
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed even more the fragilities of the ORs’ economies; whereas the Russian invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated the economic impact of the pandemic, in particular in the functioning of the supply and consumption circuits, as a consequence of their insularity and/or geographical situation; whereas the Russian invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated the economic impact of the pandemic, namely through the increase in the price of fuel and certain raw materials such as cereals for animal feed;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas it has been predictedesteemed by the European Commission that economic recovery from COVID-19 will be slower in the ORs when compared to national macroeconomic averages8 ; whereas the EU should support the ORs to help them to respond to the continuous rise of inflation that heavily affects the ORs’ primary economic sector; _________________ 8 https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/source s/policy/themes/outermost- regions/pdf/covid19_or_study_en.pdf
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas air and maritime transport are essential for connecting the ORs to the European mainland; whereas the ORs depend strongly on the good state of conservation and sustainable development of ports, as they play a crucial role on the connectivity, economy and cohesion of this regions;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the primary economic sector is very important for the ORs; whereas the programme of options specifically relating to remoteness and insularity (POSEI) agriculture scheme is therefore essential for the ORs, as was the former POSEIessential for the socio-economic development and territorial cohesion of the ORs, as was the former specific financial operational program for fisheries schemein the ORs;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
G a. whereas the ORs are heavily dependent on blue economy sectors, in particular fisheries and sustainable maritime tourism, for their socio- economic development; whereas sustainably developing the blue economy sectors in the outermost regions could boost job creation and economic growth;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
G b. whereas the continuous loss of marine biodiversity will cause major environmental, social and economic impacts in the EU fisheries sector and in particular in the outermost regions, and must be therefore urgently reversed;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)
Recital G c (new)
G c. whereas marine protected areas (MPAs) need to be established to comply with the implementation of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive; whereas the creation of those areas should be seen as a tool for reconciling the protection of habitats and ecosystems with the socio-economic sustainability of the blue economy;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G d (new)
Recital G d (new)
G d. whereas the creation of the MPAs have to take place, taking into account public consultation with local authorities and stakeholders, in particular fishers;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G e (new)
Recital G e (new)
G e. whereas the risks of major/regional natural disasters and health emergencies have become systemic and the least developed and most fragile territories, such as the ORs, are often the most affected by such catastrophes;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G f (new)
Recital G f (new)
G f. whereas the ORs are genuine natural laboratories, due to their unique biodiversity that makes them crucial to the promotion of research and conservation of marine resources;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reaffirms the need to maintain and strengthen coordinated action at EU, national, regional and local level; supports the greaterfull involvement of regional and local authorities in the design of EU policies;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Considers that the EU should be more ambitious in deepening integrated policies for the ORs, through a proactive and consistent EU approach and through a clear and robust support for the sustainable endogenous development of each of these regions;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to expand the POSEI model to other sectorcreate more specific measures based in the POSEI model to other economic sectors of the ORs, such as on transport, connectivity, energy and digital transition; stresses that these specific measures are fundamental to the promotion of the sustainable green and blue economies in the ORs;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines the importance of ensuring the continuity of all existing tax regimes in the ORs, given their impact on the local economies;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Stresses that in order to better tackle the ORs’ structural problems, it is necessary to analyse the specificities of each of them and to conceive measures within a specific plan, with specific and adequate financial allocations, that take into account the characteristics, assets and challenges of each OR;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Considers that for ORs to feel a true part of the EU, imbedded into EU’s political action, the EU should be more politically proactive and deliver specific measures to help the sustainable growth of the ORs;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Underlines the importance of young people for the revitalisation of traditional sectors in the ORs; calls for measureson the Commission and the Member States to promote measures that improve labour conditions, fair and adequate salaries, gender balance, personal and professional life balance, in order to attract young people into the primary economic sector;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Defends the creation of Blue Erasmus, based on the model of the Erasmus+, to enable young people to take advantage of the opportunities ofcreated within the blue economy sectors;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Stresses that it is crucial to increase the participation of the ORs in all Erasmus+ program actions, to promote strong cooperation, mobility and knowledge exchange between education, research and technological innovation institutions, companies and citizens;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Highlights that the promotion of training and certification in the ORs can create more highly qualified and skilled professionals that are normally more attentive and open to implementing behavioural changes, such as more openness to the use of new technologies; recalls that the digital transition and the use of new technologies should be duly accompanied by a proper training for all, local and regional authorities and civil society;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11 b. Stresses that specific training on blue economy activities would contribute to awareness raising for marine ecosystems and the need to protect them;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Points out that the call for proposals ‘Empowering youth in the EU Outermost Regions’ did not have the expected participation levels; defends an enlargement of the initiative to people up to the age of 30 and asks for the involvement of regional and local authorities in its promotion;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Stresses the need to continue investing in the modernization of the traditional small-scale fishing fleet especially in solutions meant to improve safety and working conditions for fishers, to reduce CO2 emissions, and to improve storage and conservation conditions of the captures; highlights that these measures are crucial for the fisheries’ sector to be able to keep safely and securely providing healthy food, with less negative environmental impact and without increasing the capacity to catch fish;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Recalls that the Commission has pledged to write an interim report on the EMFAF chapter on the ORs and to analyse the ORs’ need for an autonomous regulation for fisheries; reiterates its appeal for the re-establishment of the POSEI fisheries scheme in 2027calls on the Commission to establish a specific financial operational programme for the fisheries sector in the ORs in 2027, similar in functioning to the POSEI programme;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Stresses that the fishing and aquaculture sectors play a key role in the sustainable socio-economic development of the ORs, responsible for the creation of jobs and for the supply of a high nutritional value food;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Defends the importance of effectively compensating the ORs’ fishermens for their efforts to meet the Commission’s goal of protecting 30 % of the EU’s marine areas; considers that the marine protected areas should be a tool for reconciling the protection of habitats and ecosystems with the socio-economic viability of the fisheries' sector;
Amendment 200 #
19 a. Points out that defining protected marine areas has allowed local fishers to increase their income, leading to an increase in local employment in the fisheries’ sector and to an increase recreational activities, boosting opportunities for growth in sectors such as sustainable tourism; underlines that, if properly created, with due public consultation with local authorities and stakeholders, in particular fishers, the definition of these protected areas is fundamental for the protection and the recovery of species, as well as for the coastal sectors that depend on them1a; _________________ 1a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank /en/document/IPOL_STU(2022)733087
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses the role that the ORs could play in combating illegal fishing and ocean pollution; urges the Commission and the Member States, due to the impact of serious loss of marine biodiversity in the ORs, to take all necessary measures to address the causes of over-exploitation, pollution and climate change in the ORs, and to reform their sectoral policies accordingly;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Considers that due to their geographic position, the ORs have the ability to lead the blue economy in areas such as offshore renewable energy technologies, development of nature- based activities, like sustainable tourism, but also to help fisheries and aquaculture sectors become fully part of sustainable, resilient and safe food system;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20 b. Highlights the importance of collaborative, inclusive and cross-sectoral maritime spatial planning in the ORs that takes socioeconomic, environmental and biodiversity concerns into account;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Supports the creation of a POSEIspecific financial operational programme for the ORs transport, scheimilar to the POSEI programme, in order to tackle the rising costs resulting from insularity and remotenessremoteness and/or insularity; highlights that a derogation for the ORs regarding integrating maritime transport of goods and persons in the ETS system is fundamental; considers of an utmost importance the development of a EU strategy regarding mobility and transport in the ORs, taking into account the specificities of each OR;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Stresses the crucial role of sustainable tourism for the development of the ORs, which are highly exposed to externalitclimate change effects, natural disasters and health emergencies; urges the Commission to develop a truly European sustainable tourism policy and to launch further measures to promote the recovery of the sector;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Regrets the fact that the specificities of the ORs have not been systematically taken into account in the ‘Fit for 55’ package; stresses that the EU's environmental objectives and targets need always to take into account the remoteness, isolation and/or insularity of the ORs, particularly with regard to the objectives on transport to and from each OR;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Underlines the ORs’ vulnerability to climate change effects, in particular to extreme weather events; defends the position, therefore, that the EU Solidarity Fund should be revised to enable it to respond to smaller-scale disasters and to include the costs associated with prevention, evacuation and the disruption of local economies in the event ofdisasters such as extended seismic activity, fires or floods;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Calls on the Commission to support regional and local authorities in designing and funding plans to attract and retain health professionals;