Activities of Francesco VENTOLA
Plenary speeches (1)
Challenges facing EU farmers and agricultural workers: improving working conditions, including their mental well-being (debate)
Written questions (10)
Urgent strengthening of the EU’s aerial fire-fighting fleet and development of a European partnership
Presence of dangerous substances in fast fashion clothing from third countries and the safety of European consumers
Doubts about Temu’s economic and financial situation and its failure to comply with the Digital Services Act (DSA)
Commission taking action in response to Afghanistan’s Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Law
Placing Ryplazim on the market in Europe
Bringing natural silicon under the scope of EU Regulation 2024/1252 as a critical raw material
Brenner and road transport restrictions
‘Men Having Babies’ surrogacy conference
Territorial continuity and island transport: achieving transparency and sustainability
‘Do you know the ingredients in your alcoholic drink?’ campaign against alcoholic drinks
Amendments (87)
Amendment 7 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) supports, complements and adds value to the policies of the Member States in order to achieve high employment levels, develop a skilled and resilient workforce while ensureing equal opportunities, equal and access to the labour market, fair and high-quality working conditions, social protection and inclusion;
Amendment 25 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas different vulnerable groups have different needs, such as women in poverty, labour migrants, children, people with disabilities and elderly peopleparticular groups, such as people in vulnerable situations, have different needs; whereas the digital and green transition is much needed but alsos brings challenges for all people and all workers, and whereas to succeed in this endeavour, the EU must ensure a just transition that does not lose sight of workereave anyone behind and re- empower as mand vulnerable peopy people as possible;
Amendment 36 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the availability and affordability of decent housing is decreasing because of over-liberalisation of the marketas supply does not meet increasing demand; whereas the EU will have its first ever Commissioner for tackling the housing crises, and the first ever European affordable housing plan, expected in 2025;
Amendment 51 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Insists that the ESF+ must continue to be the key and primara key instrument for supporting the Member States, people and regions in regions and local authorities in investing in people and strengthening the social dimencohesion of the Union while reducing territorial disparities;
Amendment 60 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Insists that the objectives of the ESF+ should be to achieve high employment levels with adequate wages, decent working conditions, healthy working environments and social security coverage, in order to develop a skilled, competitive and resilient workforce, ready for the twin transition and the future world of work,underlying industrial transformation and to build fair social protections and inclusive and cohesive societies, with the aims of eradicating poverty and delivering on the principles and the headline targets set out in the EPSR;
Amendment 70 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for a strong, reinforced, stand- alone ESF+ with significantly increased public support for existing instruments aimed at providing for the poorest in our societies;achieving economic, social and territorial cohesion insists, therefore, on doublincreasing the funding for the ESF+ post- 2027;
Amendment 72 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
Amendment 76 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Urges the European Commission to introduce further simplification measures both for managing authorities and for beneficiaries in order to reduce administrative burden and costly requirements and enhance the funds' effectiveness;
Amendment 81 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Believes that a different ESF+ governance wshould lead to the loss of priority given to social aspects, includingmaintain the focus on employment, skills and social inclusion projects, and to the funding not reaching local levels and those most in need, while increasing the risk ofincluding access to services in urban and rural areas, while ensuring that funding realch location of funds for other purposesl levels and those most in need;
Amendment 89 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensurefully abide by the partnership principle with regions and local authorities while ensuring the participation of social partners, civil society organisations (CSOs) and representatives of the target groups in all design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation stages of the ESF+, to allocate adequate funding for this purpose and to prevent the exclusion of smaller actors;
Amendment 92 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes that the current ESF+ programme was adopted before the emergence of crises that have caused high inflation and increased costs of living, and therefore require higher public and social investment such that the existing ESF+ cannot meet current needs; calls on the Commission to ensure that a comprehensive, stable and large-scale needs- and rights-based budget is guaranteed fortake into proper consideration the ESF+ in the next multiannual financial framework;
Amendment 96 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines that the ESF+ post-2027 should invest in tackling enduring social challengeand demographic challenges, mitigating the socio-economic impact of the industrial transformation, while addressing the issue of depopulation in inner areas and stay close to the general and specific objectives set out in the current ESF+; emphasises the importance of the fund’s principles of shared management with regional and local authorities, clear objectives and thematic concentrations, and that most of thethe allocation of funds should be spetake into as close as possible to those using the fundccount the nomenclature of territorial units for statistics and final recipients;
Amendment 107 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Underlines that horizontal principles, such as gender equality, anti- discrimination, and freedom of movement, should be integral to the ESF+; stresses the importance of an intersectional approach throughout the entire development and implementation of the fund;
Amendment 111 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Insists that the ESF+ should target the most disadvantaged people in our societies, regardless of their sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief, or racial or ethnic origin – in particular marginalised communities such as Roma people, people with disabilities or chronic diseases, homeless people, children and elderly people; underlines that the ESF+ must be inclusive, with special attention given to all kinds of families, including single-parent families, families with more than two parents and rainbow families;
Amendment 122 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Emphasises the importance of addressing the needs of the EU's ageing population; Calls for the ESF+ to allocate dedicated funding to support quality elder care services;
Amendment 123 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11 b. Recognises the demographic challenges facing the EU and calls for targeted investments in family policies that support population growth. The ESF+ should include specific measures aimed at promoting birth rates and alleviating economic pressures on families with multiple dependents;
Amendment 126 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Commission, in the light of current challenges, to include in the just transition specific objectives of the ESF+ the promotion of the justin order to support regions and requalification of workers more heavily affected by the negative impacts of the twin transition, as well as the socio- economic integration of migrants, including labour migrants, the social inclusion of women who are victims of gender-based violence and the integration of older people;
Amendment 136 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses that reaching the EPSR’s targets on poverty becomes challenging, unless specific support is dedicated to alleviating the pressure on social protection systems and mitigating the social impact of crises; insists on dedicating support to ensure decent living conditions for all, with access to high-quality essential services; calls for the EU anti-poverty strategy, outlined in Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s political guidelines for the 2024- 2029 term, to be implemented via the ESF+, with its binding poverty-reduction targets, national living wage indices and reference budgets used as benchmarks, applying a multidimensional approach;
Amendment 139 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses that addressing child poverty requires appropriately funded, comprehensive and integrated measures, together with the implementation of the European Child Guarantee at national level, and insists that it constitute a central pillar of the EU anti-poverty strategy; repeats its previous demands for the ESF+ post-2027 to include a dedicated budget of at least EUR 20 billion for the European Child Guarantee; insists that all the Member States should allocate at least 5 % of their ESF+ resources to the European Child Guarantee and at least higher percentage of up to 10 % for those Member States withat request it and have a higher portionnumber of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion;
Amendment 144 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Shares the ambition to prioritise the tackling of the housing crises, and insists that the ESF+ post-2027 should enhance timely and equal access to affordable, decent, sustainable and high-quality services promoting access to housing; believes that all the Member States must invest at least 5 % of their ESF+ resources into tackling homelessnessspecifically to initiatives aimed at supporting disadvantaged individuals facing housing insecurity;
Amendment 148 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Welcomes the European Commission’s intention to ensure that citizens have an effective right to stay in their local communities by improving access to services, including education, health, transport and digital connectivity; calls for additional support for measures to retain talent in the European territories while at the same time creating jobs;
Amendment 165 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines the importance of the ESF+ in focusing on different groups with different needs; stresses, therefore, the importance of allocating support to projects on the socio-economic position of migrants, including labour migrants, the social inclusion of people with disabilities, the ageing population in society, women and children, and female-headedsingle-parent households; insists that the ESF+ post- 2027 incorporate other aspects of social inclusion, such as housing, health and family circumstances and the support of community-based services;
Amendment 169 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Stresses that the Employment and Social Innovation strand of the ESF+ provides support regarding the precarious situation of mobile workers and secures funding for trade union-related counselling; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure permanent funding for national and transnational trade union counselling services for such workers;
Amendment 171 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls for the ESF+ to boost the implementation of the European care strategy by increasing the support for families and investing in quality early childhood education and care through community-based, person-centred, high- quality, affordable and accessible care systems thus contributing to improve work-life balance and participation in the labour market;
Amendment 179 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Commission to allocate consistent financial resources to capacity- building, with the aims of empowering local and regional authorities and social partners to play a relevant role in areas of their competence, of strengthening their capacity to engage in social dialogue both at EU and national level and of enhancing social partners’ actions – and include technical assistance for these three purposes – with an adequate minimum percentage investment obligation from the Member States; further insists that social partners and CSOs should be guaranteed access to funding for social policy objectives in all the Member States on an equal basis;
Amendment 183 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Underlines that it is of the utmost importance that small social enterprises and CSOs have access to all aspects of the ESF+; calls for anflexibility for Member States to increased the co-financing rate of at leastup to 90 % for measures targeting the most deprived implemented by CSOs, and at leastcivil society organizations and up to 70 % for those implemented by social enterprises;
Amendment 190 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the Member States to ensure thatEfficient and effective implementation of the ESF+ depends on good governance and partnership between EU institutions and local, regional and locnational authorities, and organisations have a sayt the respective relevant territorial levels, so to take into projects financed from national budgper account all specific needs. Member States can also encourage the participation of both social partners and civil societsy;
Amendment 200 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Insists that the rules governing the use of the ESF+ must ensure and enhance compliance with the rule of law, the EU acquis, the partnership principle the highest EU social standards, social rights and democratic principles, and be aligned with the EPSR, the UN’s sustainable development goals and fundamental human and workers’ rightthe European Charter of Fundamental Rights, while aiming at implementing the EPSR and promoting the UN’s sustainable development goals;
Amendment 203 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls for strong and more effective social conditionaliclear guidelines and incentives in rules on public procurement and concessions, with effective sanctions; encourages the Commission to create a comprehensive database, supplementing the Eurostat data, to allow for timely and reliable monitoring of the developments in employment, living conditions and industrial relations to ensure that employment standards and living conditions are upheld;
Amendment 218 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Warns that not all people are prepared for digitalisation, and that certain groups of people, especially Underlines that the digital divide is growing alongside the territorial divide, and the digital access challenges remain high for many Europeans, such as people in vulnerable situations, elderly or other most vulnerable,re disadvantaged categories, who could miss out on funding opportunities as a result;
Amendment 224 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Setresses that more work needs to be done for organisations and people to know aboutto enable local and regional authorities and other stakeholders to reap the benefits of all the opportunities that the ESF+ can bring; insists that the Commission and the Member States raise awareness of, inform and advise organisations about the opportunities presented by the ESF+;
Amendment 36 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the role of the ECB in safeguarding monetary stability; underlines that the ECB is the institution responsible for maintaining price stability in the euro area, while also considering the broader economic wellbeing of the EU, including economic growth where compatible with its mandate;
Amendment 142 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses that the ECB was late to act when inflation started rising in January 2021 and surpassed the 2 % target level in July 2021; recalls in this regardnotes that the ECB’s early assessment thatof inflation was expected to be only transitorytransitory overlooked supply-side shocks, particularly from energy price surges, which contributed significantly to inflationary pressures; highlights that a more balanced focus on both demand- driven and supply-side factors could have provided a clearer basis for timely interventions;
Amendment 144 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Stresses the importance of diversifying funding instruments in light of the conclusion of reinvestments under the asset purchase programme (APP) and the expected end of reinvestments under the pandemic emergency purchase programme (PEPP). To address this, a revised securitisation framework aimed at enhancing the European market's appeal to originators and investors, along with the introduction of a dual-recourse long- term funding instrument called as European Secured Notes for SME financing, could be pivotal;
Amendment 148 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Invites the ECB to fundamentally review and improve its models and their role in its policymaking in light of the subpar performance of the models in recent years, particularly to better distinguish between demand-driven and supply-side sources of inflation; recommends that the ECB adopt a flexible, data-driven approach that aligns with evolving economic conditions and avoids unnecessary strain on sectors sensitive to financing costs, such as manufacturing;
Amendment 159 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. SupportNotes the ECB’s decision to scale back its asset purchase programmes, in view of the excess liquidity in the market an; urges the ECB to apply a measured and gradual approach in adjusting its asset purchases to safeguard decreased levels of inflationonomic resilience across the euro area;
Amendment 168 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Stresses that the ECB’s purchase programmes are unconventional policies that amount, in economic terms, to, if not carefully managed, risk contravening the prohibition, on monetary financing, which is prohibited under Article 123(1) TFEU,; ifnvites the ECB does not shrink back its balance sheet; calls on the ECB to therefore gradually reduce the size of its balance sheetto continue monitoring its balance sheet reduction in a gradual and prudent manner, to limit prolonged potential destabilizing effects in the euro area;
Amendment 184 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. RegretAckowledges the establishment of the transmission protection instrument (TPI) in July 2022 as a tool to address sudden market fragmentation; calls on the ECB to respect not justcontinue upholding the legal prohibition ofn monetary financing but also its economic meaning; stresses in this regard that selectively purchasing government debt amounts to monetarily financing an EU Member Stateand ensure its operations maintain market neutrality;
Amendment 194 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Stresses that diverging interest rates in the euro area are generally the result of different risk premia on government bonds; stressnotes that purchases under the TPI would merely conceal the symptoms of loose fiscal policyTPI interventions may conceal underlying fiscal challenges; calls on Member States to conduct responsible fiscal policies and ensure sustainable debt levels;
Amendment 207 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Welcomes the ECB’s progress on the digital euro project and its ongoing dialogue with Parliament; highlights the expected benefits, such asunderscores that the digital euro should deliver clear added value to the European citizens, including enhanced strategic autonomy, improved financial inclusion, and the availability of ana reliable offline back-up payment system, calls on the ECB to clearly communicate these benefits to foster public trust and awareness;
Amendment 217 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Reiterates that the digital euro should serve as a complement to physical cash, that it should not replace cash entirely and that cash should remain availawidely available and accessible at all times;
Amendment 230 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the ECB to take due account of privacy concerns around the digital euro and stresses that its development should becomeprioritize robust privacy safeguards for the digital euro, establishing it as a gold standard in terms offor privacy for oacross ther financial institsector, to secure public confidence and address citizens’ concerns regarding data protection and autionsomy;
Amendment 240 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls on the ECB to refrain from taking politically motivated decisions and to stick to its mandate of maintaining price stability; stresses that overstepping this mandate touches on the central bank’s political independenceacknowledges that, when appropriate, the ECB may consider the impact of its decisions on economic growth and employment within the EU, while avoiding encroachment on the fiscal domain reserved for Member States;
Amendment 257 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. Encourages the ECB to pursue measures within its remit that foster a stable macroeconomic environment conducive to sustainable economic growth, employment, and enhanced EU competitiveness, while avoiding interference with Member States’ fiscal policies and respecting the principle of subsidiarity;
Amendment 263 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26 a. Urges the ECB to review its climate-related policies, such as decarbonisation of its corporate bond holdings, to ensure that these measures do not undermine EU competitiveness or depart from the principle of market neutrality; underscores the need to avoid disadvantaging energy-intensive industries that may face disproportionate compliance costs compared to global counterparts;
Amendment 268 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Insists that the ECB respectadhere strictly to the market neutrality principle in all of its monetary operations; regrets that the ECB’s actions to decarbonise its corporate bond holdings have not followed a market neutral approach by its very definition and signal selective support for particular sectors over others, distorting competition;
Amendment 279 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on the ECB to use all its available tools to ensure that banks take climate risk seriously in order to mitigate therelated financial risks resulting from climate chang, provided these measures do not compromise market neutrality or extend beyond the ECB’s core mandate;
Amendment 286 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29 a. Stresses the need for collaborative efforts to reduce structural and regulatory barriers, including high compliance costs and bureaucratic hurdles, to attract investments, enhance the EU’s global competitiveness, and improve the euro area’s position in international markets;
Amendment 287 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 b (new)
Paragraph 29 b (new)
29 b. Calls the European Central Bank to explore and evaluate alternative tools to traditional mechanisms, like the monetary policy decisions on interest rate, in order to strengthen its capacity to manage inflation while limiting economic disruption;
Amendment 291 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30 a. Ecourages the ECB to support EU initiatives that facilitate SMEs’ access to financial markets through the Capital Markets Union, thereby diversifying funding sources, reducing reliance on bank loans sensitive to interest rate fluctuations, and increasing SMEs’ resilience to monetary adjustments;
Amendment 294 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 b (new)
Paragraph 30 b (new)
30 b. Encourages collaboration with national central banks on financial literacy programs to empower individuals and businesses to make informed financial decisions;
Amendment 295 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31 a. Calls on the ECB to advocate for the completion of the Banking Union and Capital Markets Union as critical frameworks for enhancing financial stability, supporting economic growth, and creating a more resilient financial system in the euro area;
Amendment 305 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32 a. Recommends that, following the recent interest rate reductions, the ECB continue with further rate cuts as part of a broader strategy to support economic resilience for households and businesses facing financial pressures. Emphasizes that additional reductions should be pursued to meaningfully lower borrowing costs, encourage investment, and enhance access to credit, thereby fostering stability and economic recovery across the Euro area;
Amendment 308 #
2024/2054(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 b (new)
Paragraph 32 b (new)
32 b. Welcomes the finalisation of the Basel III framework, as it will strengthen the resilience of the banking sector. Underlines that, since other jurisdictions have not adopted the framework, it will be fundamental to consider the potential impact on the competitiveness of EU banks, in particular due to the implementation of the FRTB;
Amendment 18 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reminds that farmers and rural communities are key actors in food quality and, affordability and safety and the preservation of rural areas, as well as having a strategic role in areas characterized by high seismic and hydrogeological risk that need a special support from the CAP;
Amendment 45 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Deplores the CAP budget cut in the MFF revision, in particular the halving to the programs dedicated to the promotion of EU agricultural products, and calls for a CAP budget increase in the next MFF to ensure food security and a fair income for farmers; this is linked to the growing interest in promotion programmes in 2024, which has seen an increase in project submissions;
Amendment 48 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls for maintaining an inclusive and strong promotion policy budget of at least EUR 185,9 million to ensure that the policy continues to support all agricultural sectors proportionately, guarantee the competitiveness of agriculture and our food sovereignty and allow the creation of new international markets for European agricultural products;
Amendment 59 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the recent CAP simplification package and notes it has no budgetary impact; calls for the prosecution of this package until the end of this programming period and additional measures and resources to address the causes of farmers’ discontent across the EU with a focus to strengthen their position in the agri-food value chain;
Amendment 72 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for the strengthening of support measures for young farmers and asks for investments on generational change and a greater involvement of women through aimed funding programs;
Amendment 88 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Commission to providallocate sufficient and solid funding for the agricultural reserve to safeguard food security and in future the crisis reserve funding should come from outside the CAP budget;
Amendment 96 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses the need for a fair distribution of CAP support between Member States, including direct payments, considering the differences in production and living costs in different Member States;
Amendment 111 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Recalls that the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is key to boosting investment in high-performance, sustainable trans-European networks and to decarbonising the Union economy, thereby accelerating the green transition and promoting interconnectivity; proposes, to increase appropriations for CEF Transport by EUR 40 million above the DB in 2025; further proposes to top-up CEF Energy with an additional EUR 30 million, emphasizes the need to address the specific challenges of island regions and, to this end, proposes an additional allocation of EUR 20 million within the CEF Transport specifically dedicated to improving connectivity in island regions; this allocation will prioritise projects in these regions, ensuring they are better integrated into the EU transport network and are able to address the specific geographical and environmental challenges they face;
Amendment 116 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Reaffirms the need to invest in resources dedicated to research and development of new technologies for underwater exploration and the creation of advanced technological infrastructures, such as transatlantic submarine cables, which are essential to ensure greater interconnectivity; encourages targeted investment in scientific and technological research in the marine sector, with particular attention to deep-sea technologies, in order to support Europe's progress and competitiveness in the international context, while simultaneously strengthening the strategic position of the Mediterranean as a hub of innovation and development;
Amendment 119 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses that a well-functioning Single Market is critical for the Union’s competitiveness and to enhance access to markets for EU businesses; emphasises that SMEs in particular have been hit hard by high inflation and energy prices and proposes, e importance of supporting SMEs as the main drivers of the European economy; notes that SMEs in particular have been hit hard by high inflation and energy prices; highlights the importance of considering insularity when reinforcing economic cohesion to ensure that policies effectively support island communities and address their specific challenges; proposes to increase a result,llocations for the COSME programme and other initiatives aimed at facilitating access to credit, internationalisation, and innovation of SMEs, including an increase of EUR 520 million above the DB for the SME strand of the Single Market programme, also calls for the promotion of administrative simplification and the reduction of bureaucratic burdens for businesses;
Amendment 124 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses the need to better address the impact of floods, droughts and wildfires on primary production, food security and farmers’ income through an agricultural reserve that reflects the needs of farmers to cope with adverse climatic events.
Amendment 124 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23 a. Opposes the proposed reduction of close to EUR 35 million in funding for the EU Space Programme; underscores the strategic importance of the EU Space Programme in enhancing the Union's technological autonomy, competitiveness, security and defence;
Amendment 130 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Asks the Commission that any environmental fund in the future shall not involve financial resources shifted from the CAP.
Amendment 133 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26 a. Recognizes the unique challenges faced by island regions within the Union, including geographic isolation, higher transport costs, and limited economic diversification; calls for targeted measures and increased funding under the cohesion policy to address the specific needs of these regions, promoting their sustainable development, improving connectivity, and fostering full integration into the internal market;
Amendment 152 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Recalls that programmes under Heading 2b play a key role in ensuring resilience and values by providing support and opportunities for young people through Erasmus+, including the Special Olympics World Games (SOWG) 2025, and through the European Solidarity Corps; reinforcing support for the Union Civil Protection Mechanism and the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme; investing in preventing cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancer diseases affecting children and improving mental health by increasing EU4Health; investing in skills development; ensuring social security coordination in order to facilitate labour mobility and easier transfer of social security benefits; supporting vulnerable communities, as well as rural, isolated, insular and mountainous areas, social dialogue and trade unions, cultural and creative industries;
Amendment 160 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Is alarmed by the growing impact of natural disasters in Europe and its neighbourhood including earthquakes, floods, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, droughts, heatwaves, and severe storms and the drying up of lakes and rivers, and concerned about the Union’s ability to respond effectively; underlines that these disasters are often linked to climate change and are therefore likely to occur with greater frequency and intensity in the future; wishes to protect human lives and to augment the Commission’s crisis response capacity; increases, therefore, appropriations for the Union Civil Protection Mechanism by EUR 42 million above DB; calls for a prioritisation of investments that help reduce the impact of natural disasters; stresses that the Union, being based on solidarity, will find the resources for the citizens affected by the recent floodclimate-related events;
Amendment 163 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33 a. Emphasizes the need to establish a Prevention and Rapid Alert Fund aimed at reducing the risk of natural disasters such as fires, landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, droughts, and the drying up of lakes and rivers. Highlights that islands and coastal regions, particularly in the Mediterranean, are especially vulnerable due to climate change. Encourages the Commission and Member States to integrate risk assessments with post-event interventions and immediate alert plans within the framework of disaster prevention strategies. Stresses the importance of acting swiftly to strengthen resilience in the most at-risk areas, ensuring that the Prevention Fund complements existing programs and addresses gaps not covered by the current cohesion policy cycles.
Amendment 165 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 b (new)
Paragraph 33 b (new)
33 b. Emphasizes the need to provide specific support to regions affected by earthquakes or characterized by high seismic risk; proposes to establish a dedicated fund for prevention, risk mitigation, and reconstruction in the affected areas, while simultaneously promoting the dissemination of anti- seismic technologies in construction;
Amendment 166 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 c (new)
Paragraph 33 c (new)
33 c. Emphasizes the crucial role of the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) in providing rapid financial assistance to Member States affected by major natural disasters; calls for an increase in the resources allocated to the EUSF to ensure a swift and effective response to emergencies; emphasizes that this increase must be accompanied by a revision of the evaluation and approval procedures to accelerate response times and ensure that funds reach the affected regions promptly; proposes to streamline the application and disbursement processes to facilitate quicker access to funds for affected regions, thereby supporting timely reconstruction and recovery efforts; additionally, calls for ensuring that, in the event of natural calamities, there is extraordinary flexibility in the use of Cohesion Policy funds, allowing for the full utilization and interchange of resources between different funds—namely, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), and the Cohesion Fund—to maximize support for affected areas;
Amendment 169 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Underlines the importance of a stronger Health Union and enhanced preparedness; highlights the vital role that the EU4Health programme plays in this respect; proposes, therefore, to increase the programme’s appropriations by EUR 5170 million above DB to strengthen health resilience and preparedness for future health crises and in support of investments in preventing cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancer, diseases affecting children and improving mental health;
Amendment 172 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34 a. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the fragility of national healthcare systems and the challenges related to the production and supply of medicines and medical devices. In light of these challenges, it is essential to ensure adequate support for the EU4Health program in order to enhance the availability of medicines, medical devices, improving mental health and to strengthen the resilience of national healthcare systems in the face of serious cross-border threats;
Amendment 174 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Reiterates its unwavering support for promoting the learning mobility of young people; proposes to reinforce, against this background, the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps (ESC) programmes, which play a vital role in supporting learning mobility opportunities, improving people’s skills and employability and promoting social inclusion; emphasises that both programmes aim to boost participation rates among people with fewer opportunities with particular attention to those from regions facing insularity, who may have reduced access to mobility opportunities due to their geographic isolation - an objective that is challenged by soaring inflation and the increased cost of living; is committed to ensuring that Erasmus+ does not become a de facto selective programme open only to those who can afford to participate and recalls that the Commission is required to put in place financial support measures for people with fewer opportunities; proposes, therefore, an increase of EUR 70 million for Erasmus+ (57 million EUR for Promoting learning mobility of individuals and groups, and cooperation, inclusion and equity, excellence, creativity and innovation at the level of organisations and policies in the field of education and training — Indirect management; 5 million EUR for Promoting non-formal and informal learning mobility and active participation among young people, and cooperation, inclusion, creativity and innovation at the level of organisations and policies in the field of youth; 8 million EUR for Promoting learning mobility of sport staff, and cooperation, inclusion, creativity and innovation at the level of sport organisations and sport policies); insists that the top-up be used to contribute in particular to the programme’s over- arching aim of becoming more accessible, including by providing the necessary increased financial support per participant with fewer opportunities; proposes, moreover, a reinforcement of EUR 1 million for the ESC above DB, specifically to ensure the programme is accessible for all;
Amendment 180 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Underscores the continued socio- economic challenges in the cultural and creative sectors, which are often made up of small organisations and individual artists; underlines the importance of protecting and promoting European cultural heritage as a key element of the Union's identity and values; proposes, therefore, to increase financing for programmes dedicated to the conservation, restoration, and enhancement of cultural and historical sites, as well as for the promotion of regional traditions and languages; additionally, proposes, therefore, to increase financing for the various strands of the Creative Europe programme by a total of EUR 8 million above the DB;
Amendment 208 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Reiterates its concern about the negative impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on global food security and affordability and about farmers’ ability to withstand inflationary pressure and increased input prices; emphasises the need to help new and young farmers and asks for investments on generational change through aimed funding programs as well as small and medium-sized farmers with additional means and thereby ensure the sustainability of the sector and generational renewal; proposes, therefore, to increase income support to young farmers by EUR 40 million above the DB;
Amendment 209 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)
Paragraph 43 a (new)
43 a. Emphasizes that farmers and rural communities are vital contributors to quality, food security, and the safeguarding of European food sovereignty, and they play a key role in the preservation of rural areas and in countering the depopulation of the most remote areas; it further underscores that they also have a strategic role in zones characterized by high seismic and hydrogeological, and drought risk, and therefore require special support from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP);
Amendment 213 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Underscores the negative impact of droughts and other extreme, climate change induced, weather patterns on the agricultural sectorprimary production, food security and farmers’ income through an agricultural reserve that reflects the needs of the farmers to cope with the adverse climatic events; underlines the importance of the fruit and vegetables sector, of school schemes as well as promotional measures of agricultural products under the Common Agricultural Policy; decides, therefore, to increase the allocation of these budget lines under the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund by a total of EUR 56 million above the DB; emphasises equally the importance of investing in the digitalisation of small and medium-sized farms and the acquisition of equipment to implement good environmental practices in farming and to contribute to environmental sustainability in Union agriculture;
Amendment 217 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Paragraph 44 a (new)
44 a. Calls for maintaining an inclusive and strong promotion policy budget of at least 185,9 million to ensure that the policy continues to support all agricultural sectors proportionately, guarantee the competitiveness of agriculture and our food sovereignty and allow the creation of new international markets for the European agricultural products;
Amendment 218 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 b (new)
Paragraph 44 b (new)
44 b. Welcomes the recent CAP simplification package and notes it has no budgetary impact; calls for the prosecution of this package until the end of this programming period and additional measures and resources to address the causes of farmers' discontent throughout the EU in future programming, with the aim of strengthening their position in the agri- food value chain;
Amendment 219 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 c (new)
Paragraph 44 c (new)
44 c. Asks the European Commission that any environmental fund in the future shall not involve financial resources shifted from the CAP;
Amendment 274 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61
Paragraph 61
61. Stresses the importance of the Southern Neighbourhood line in supporting political, economic and social reforms in the region; taking into consideration the increasing humanitarian needs in the region as well as other purposes of regional cooperation in providing assistance to refugees, in particular Syrian and Palestinian refugees, and in enabling support along the southern migration routes; proposes to increase appropriations for the line by EUR 60 million above the DB, including to reinforce funding for UNRWA based on EU regulations and values;
Amendment 275 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61 a (new)
Paragraph 61 a (new)
61 a. Emphasizes the importance of strengthening cooperation with African countries, particularly in the areas of sustainable development, migration management, and economic partnership, in line with the existing instruments of enhanced cooperation between EU Member States and African countries, such as the 'Mattei Plan';
Amendment 276 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61 b (new)
Paragraph 61 b (new)
61 b. Calls for increased funding and strategic investments in targeted development initiatives for African countries. These investments, in line with the existing instruments of enhanced cooperation between EU Member States and African countries, such as the 'Mattei Plan,' should focus on strengthening infrastructure, education, and economic opportunities, thereby addressing the root causes of irregular migration, combating human trafficking networks, and promoting legal migration pathways, ultimately contributing to a safer and more prosperous Europe and Africa;
Amendment 277 #
2024/0176(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61 c (new)
Paragraph 61 c (new)
61 c. Insists that the Commission must guarantee that EU funds are not allocated or linked to any form of terrorism and/or religious and political radicalisation; reiterates its position that all schoolbooks and school materials supported by Union funds must be in line with UNESCO standards of peace, tolerance, coexistence, and non-violence; is concerned about the antisemitism, hate speech and incitement to jihad and violence taught in Palestinian school textbooks, indirectly funded by the EU; underlines the importance of EU funds to be directed towards the proper training of Palestinian teachers in line with UNESCO education standards; stresses that conditionality of EU financial assistance in the educational sector needs to be duly considered;