15 Amendments of Sebastiaan STÖTELER related to 2024/0086(COD)
Amendment 1 #
Proposal for a decision
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
having regard to the annual report of the European Court of Auditors on the implementation of the EU budget for the 2023 financial year of 9 October 2024;
Amendment 5 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) Since 2011, Jordan has embarked on a number of political reforms to strengthen parliamentary democracy and the rule of law. A Constitutional Court and an Independent Electoral Commission have been set up and a number of major laws, including the Electoral Act and the Political Parties Act as well as laws on decentralisation and municipalities, have been passed by the Jordanian Parliament. Legislative improvements as regards the independence of the judiciary and women’s rights have been adopted. In the last parliamentary elections, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood, made significant electoral gains by winning 31 out of 138 seats.
Amendment 9 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) The Jordanian economy has suffered significantly from protracted conflicts in the region, notably in neighbouring Syria, and most recently in Israel/GazaIsrael, Palestinian territories and the Red Sea. Since the start of the war in Syria, the Jordanian economy has been impacted by a large inflow of Syrian refugees, which has increased pressure on its fiscal position, public services and infrastructure. In addition to regional instability, the macroeconomic and fiscal challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020/2021, commodity price developments following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, high exposure to trade fluctuations and the increase of borrowing costs for emerging markets globally continued to weigh on the Jordanian economy. As a result, Jordan experienced an economic contraction in 2020, followed by a slow economic recovery, as unemployment increased significantly in 2020 and remained high, and new fiscal and external financing needs emerged.
Amendment 12 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) The war inbetween Hamas and Israel-Gaza that started in October 2023with Hamas' brutal attack on 7 October 2023, has had far reaching implications on civilians in the region and for Jordan, and implies a very substantial downside risk to the economic outlook, in particular due to the increased level of uncertainty in the region and the possible impact on the important tourism sector and consumer sentiment. The ongoing Houthi attacks by the Houthis, an Iranian proxy, on cargo and energy vessels in the Red Sea have had a huge impact on regional stability, and trade, including hindering vessel traffic to Asia, impacting Jordan’s exports, in particular the mineral and chemicals exports, and imports. In January 2024, the Jordanian authorities and the IMF agreed on a new economic adjustment programme supported by a four-year Extended Fund Facility (EFF) in the amount of USD 1.2 billion, which followed a USD 1.7 billion four-year EFF, including a loan under the Rapid Financing Instrument, from 2020- 2023.
Amendment 17 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) Given that Jordan is a country covered by the ENP, it shouldmay be considered to be eligible to receive macro- financial assistance from the Union.
Amendment 18 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) The Union’s macro-financial assistance should bemay act as an exceptional financial instrument of untied and undesignated balance-of-payments support, which aims at addressing the beneficiary’s immediate external financing needs and should underpin the implementation of a policy programme containing strong immediate adjustment and structural reform measures designed to improve the balance-of-payments position in the short term.
Amendment 21 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) The Union’s macro-financial assistance should aim to support the restoration of a sustainable external financing situation for Jordan thereby supporting its economic and social development, while also ensuring the Union's stability and security.
Amendment 22 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 17
Recital 17
(17) The determination of the amount of the Union’s macro-financial assistance is based on a complete quantitative assessment of Jordan’s residual external financing needs, and takes into account its capacity to finance itself with its own resources, in particular the international reserves at its disposal. The Union’s macro-financial assistance should complement the programmes and resources provided by the IMF and the World Bank. The determination of the amount of the assistance also takes into account expected financial contributions from bilateral and multilateral donors and the need to ensure fair burden sharing between the Union and other donors, and actively prevents inefficiencies and duplication in aid efforts, including by better sharing of information and aligning strategies with other donors, as recommended by the European Court of Auditors, as well as the pre-existing deployment of the Union’s other external financing instruments in Jordan and the added value of the overall Union involvement.
Amendment 25 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 19
Recital 19
(19) The Union’s macro-financial assistance should support the Union’s external policy towards Jordan and the region. Commission services and the European External Action Service (EEAS) should work closely together throughout the macro-financial assistance operation in order to coordinate, and to ensure the consistency of, Union external policy.
Amendment 27 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) The Union’s macro-financial assistance should support Jordan’s commitment to values shared with the Union, including democracy, the rule of law, good governance, respect for human rights, combatting Antisemitism and extremism, sustainable development and poverty reduction, as well as its commitment to the principles of open, rule- based and fair trade.; highlights the criticism of the European Court of Auditors, that conditions tied to the MDA, such as economic reforms and good governance standards, are not always well-defined or enforced, which weakon accountability of recipient countries and undermindes the intended outcomes of the financial assitance;
Amendment 30 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) A pre-condition for granting the Union’s macro-financial assistance should be that Jordan plays a constructive regional role, respects effective democratic mechanisms – including a multi-party parliamentary system – and the rule of law, and guarantees respect for human rights. In addition, the specific objectives of the Union’s macro-financial assistance should strengthen the efficiency, transparency, financial solvency and accountability of the public finance management systems in Jordan and promote structural reforms aimed at supporting sustainable and inclusive growth, employment creation, sound budgetary policies based on prudence and double-entry accounting and fiscal consolidation. Both the fulfilment of the pre-conditions and the achievement of those objectives should be regularly monitored by the Commission and the EEAS, and, in case of contravention, reclaimed; highlights the criticism of the European Court of Auditors that there is limited follow-up on the results and long-term sustainability of the projects funded, which makes it difficult to assess whether the objectives of MFA are truly met.
Amendment 39 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 27 a (new)
Recital 27 a (new)
(27 a) Recalls that the European Court of Auditors has highlighted that the decision-making process behind the MFA is not always transparent, e.g. the criteria used to decide which countries receive assistance are not always clear, and there may be a lack of public reporting on how funds are allocated or spent; believes that this lack of transparency can raise questions about the political motivations behind MFA allocations;
Amendment 40 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 1 – paragraph 1
Article 1 – paragraph 1
1. The Union shall makeconsider making macro- financial assistance of a maximum amount of EUR 500 million available to Jordan (“the Union’s macro-financial assistance”), with a view to supporting Jordan’s economic stabilisation and a substantive reform agenda, if Jordan abides by its benchmarks as well as plays a positive role in the region, thereby not undermining regional and European security. The assistance shall contribute to covering Jordan’s balance of payments needs as identified in the IMF programme.
Amendment 44 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 1
Article 2 – paragraph 1
1. A pre-condition for granting the Union’s macro-financial assistance shall be that Jordan respects effective democratic mechanisms – including a multi-party parliamentary system – and the rule of law, and guarantees respect for human rights, including combatting Antisemitism and extremism, as well as respects the Union's interests in the region.
Amendment 62 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 8 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
Article 8 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
(c a) assess Jordan's alignment with the Union's external policies;