Activities of Richard ASHWORTH related to 2014/2004(BUD)
Plenary speeches (2)
General guidelines for the 2015 budget - Section III (debate)
General guidelines for the 2015 budget - Section III (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on general guidelines for the preparation of the 2015 budget, Section III – Commission PDF (158 KB) DOC (73 KB)
Amendments (9)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1
Subheading 1
The EU budget – endowing citizens with the tools to find a way out of the crisibackground and general guidelines
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Believes that despite some remaining headwinds that the European economy is showing some signs of recovery and considers that the European budget canmust be a very strong tool to increase strategic investment with European added value andto help put the European economy back on track, generating sustainable growth and employment while aiming to foster competitiveness and increase economic and social cohesion throughout the EU;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Recalls in this light that many Member States remain engaged in long term fiscal rebalancing (for example France and Spain) and believes that Europe should continue to show not only solidarity, but budgetary responsibility and restraint in light of these ongoing national budgetary consolidation efforts;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Recognises that there is an acute shortage of funds in the EU, both at member state and European Union levels and the problems this may cause in the implementation of some programmes, stresses therefore the need to attach real importance to the concept of value for money that all programmes and expenditure should be carefully analysed for viability, efficiency and effectiveness;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights in particular the importance of the European Structural and Investment Funds, which form the biggest single block of expenditure in the EU budget; underlines the fact thatat the primary focus of these ESIFs are particularly important inshould be to helping Member States anddress regions to exit the current crisis and achieve the Europe 2020 targets; stresses the need to endow citizens with the tools to find a way out of the crisis;al disparities and believes the best way to do requires judicious selection of policy instruments and objectives, such as promoting trade, strengthening the single market and providing a supportive framework for innovation, stresses in this regard the special need to invest in areas such as ICT, cross border connectivity, education and mobility, research and innovation, SMEs and entrepreneurship, in order to boost the creation of employment – in particular youth employment;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. 3. Considers it also important to invest in other areas such as renewable energy, infrastructures, a stronger and enhanced use of ‘'innovative financial instruments’', particularly in respect of long term investments; underlines the importance of ensuring that sufficientappropriate resources are made available for EU external actions; recalls the EU’'s international commitments as regards the allocation of 0.7 % of GNP to the Millennium Development Goals Instruments by 2015;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls the recent agreement on the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework (MFF), which defines the main parameters for the annual budgets until 2020; underlines the fact that each annual budget must be in line with the MFF Regulation and the Interinstitutional Agreement and should not be considered an excuse to re-negotiate the MFFtresses the need for both arms of the budgetary authority to respect the provisions laid down there-in; points out, however, that this does not exclude the use of all means available to the budgetary authority within the framework of the annual budget procedure;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Underlines the importance of decentralised agencies, which are vital for the implementation of EU policies and programmes; stresses the need to assess all agencies individually and to provide them in the 2015 budget and in the following years with the appropriate financial means and staff so that they are able to properly fulfil the tasks assigned to them by the legislative authority; notes the joint statement on decentralised agencies annexed to the 2014 budget agreement, which underlines the need for a closer and more permanent scrutiny on the development of decentralised agencies to ensure a coherent approach, without prejudice to their respective prerogatives
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Insists on the use of all means available under the MFF Regulation, including recourse to the contingency margin and/or revision of the payment ceiling,Notes the existence of certain special mechanisms including the possible recourse to the contingency margin and/or revision of the payment ceiling, which may be used in under certain conditions subject to the provisions laid down in the MFF Regulation and IIA in order to meet the Union’s legal obligations pursuant to Article 323 TFEU and so as not to jeopardise or delay payments to all stakeholders, such as researchers, universities etc., and at the same time to decrease the amount of the outstanding year-end payments;