BETA

26 Amendments of Marine LE PEN related to 2015/0005(COD)

Proposal for a decision
Recital 1

(1) Relations between the European Union and Ukraine are developing within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and the Eastern Partnership. An Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, on the one part, and Ukraine, on the other part (‘the Association Agreement’), including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), was negotiated from 2007 to 2011 and was initialled in 2012. The Association Agreement was signed by Ukraine and the Union on 21 March and 27 June 2014. Since 1 November 2014 important parts of the Association Agreement have been provisionally applied in the areas of the respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and rule of law, political dialogue and reform, justice, freedom and security, economic and financial cooperation.deleted

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Recital 2

(2) Following ~~the reinstatement of the Ukrainian constitution of 2004~~a coup d'état, presidential as well as parliamentary elections were successfully held on 25 May 2014 and 26 October 2014, respectively, in a civil war context. Following the formation on 2 December 2014 of a new government reflecting the outcome of the parliamentary elections, Ukraine has reconfirmed its commitment to political and economic reforms in line with the framework provided by the Association Agreement and presented an Action Plan outlining the intended reforms.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Recital 3

(3) The ~~violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and~~ territorial ~~integrity~~conflict and the resulting military conflict have had damaging effects on Ukraine's already precarious economic and financial stability. Ukraine is facing a difficult balance of payments and liquidity position linked to receding confidence and concomitant capital flight, as well as a worsening fiscal situation as a result of the direct budgetary cost of the conflict, a deeper than expected recession and the loss of fiscal revenues from the ~~areas controlled by the separatist~~Russian- speaking regions. At the same time, pre- existing structural weaknesses and budgetary and external-financial vulnerabilities have also contributed to the deterioration of the economic situation.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Recital 4

(4) In this context, Ukraine’s external financing needs are substantially larger than initially identified, which might requir~~ing~~e additional financial assistance by international creditors and donors. In its most recent programme review mission, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has identified a significant financing need over and above the funding committed so far by the international community, which includes Union macro-financial assistance under Council Decision 2002/639/EC, Decision No 388/2010/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Decision 2014/215/EU.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Recital 5

(5) The Union has, on various occasions, declared its commitment to support the new Ukrainian authorities in their aims to stabilise the situation and pursue the course of reforms. The Union has also declared its readiness fully to support efforts of the international community and international financial institutions, especially the IMF, with regard to an international assistance package designed to address the urgent needs of Ukraine, conditional on Ukraine's clear commitment to ~~reforms. Financial support from the Union to Ukraine is consistent with the Union’s policy as set out in the ENP and in the Eastern Partnership. In its conclus~~curbing the uncontrolled distributions of 18 December 2014, the European Council states that, following the Commission’s second disbursement in December 2014 of EUR 500 million in macro-financial assistance, the Union and its Member States stand ready to further facilitate and support Ukraine’s reform process, together with other donors and in line with IMF conditionalityfunds allocated and to combating the corruption furthered by that assistance.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Recital 6

(6) The Union’s macro-financial assistance should be 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 termfor ad hoc financial support so as to ease the fiscal strain on Ukraine's public finances.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Recital 10

~~(10) Given that Ukraine is a country covered by the ENP, it should be considered to be eligible to receive the Union's macro-financial assistance.~~deleted

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Recital 12

(12) The Union's macro-financial assistance should aim to support the restoration of a sustainable external financing situation for Ukraine, thereby supporting its economic and social development ~~in line with the Association Agreement~~.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Recital 14

(14) The Commission should ensure that the Union's macro-financial assistance is ~~legally and substantially in line with the key principles, objectives and mea~~subject to prior assessment of the level of general-government corruption in Ukraine in order to make sures t~~aken within the different areas of external action and other relevant Union policies~~hat the funds allocated and financed by the Member States are put to the best possible use.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Recital 15

(15) The Union's macro-financial assistance should support the Union's external policy towards Ukraine. Commission services and the European External Action Service should work closely together throughout the macro- financial assistance operation in order to coordinate, and to ensure the consistency of, Union external policy.deleted

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Recital 16

(16) The Union's macro-financial assistance should support Ukraine's commitment to values shared with the Union, including democracy, the rule of law, good governance, respect for human rights, sustainable development and poverty reduction, as well as its commitment to the principles of open, rule-based and fair trade.deleted

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Recital 17

(17) A pre-condition for granting the Union's macro-financial assistance should be that Ukraine respects ~~effective democratic mechanisms – including~~mechanisms based on a multi-party parliamentary system – and the rule of law, and guarantees respect for human rights and the right of peoples to self-determination. In addition, the specific objectives of the Union's macro- financial assistance should strengthen the efficiency, transparency and accountability of the public finance management systems in Ukraine and to promote structural reforms aimed at supporting sustainable ~~and inclusive~~ growth, employment creation and fiscal consolidation. Both fulfilment of the preconditions and the achievement of those objectives should be regularly monitored by the Commission ~~and the European External Action Service~~.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Recital 23

(23) The Union's macro-financial assistance should be subject to ~~economic policy~~financial management conditions, to be laid down in a Memorandum of Understanding. In order to ensure uniform conditions of implementation and for reasons of efficiency, the Commission should be empowered to negotiate such conditions with the Ukrainian authorities under the supervision of the committee of representatives of the Member States in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011. Under that Regulation, the advisory procedure should, as a general rule, apply in all cases other than as provided for in that Regulation. Considering the potentially important impact of assistance of more than EUR 90 million, it is appropriate that the examination procedure be used for operations above that threshold. Considering the amount of the Union's macro-financial assistance to Ukraine, the examination procedure should apply to the adoption of the Memorandum of Understanding, and to any reduction, suspension or cancellation of the assistance,

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Article 1 – paragraph 3

3. The release of the Union's macro- financial assistance shall be managed by the Commission in a manner consistent with the agreements or understandings reached between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Ukraine, and with the key principles and objectives of economic reforms set out in the EU- Ukraine Association Agreement and the EU-Ukraine Association Agenda agreed under the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)requirements of financial transparency. The Commission shall regularly inform the European Parliament and the Council of developments regarding the Union's macro-financial assistance, including disbursements thereof, and shall provide those institutions with the relevant documents in due time.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 1

1. A pre-condition for granting the Union's macro financial assistance shall be that Ukraine respects ~~effective democratic mechanisms – including a multi-party parliamentary system – and the rule of law, and guarantees respect for human rights.~~all of the following:

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – indent 1 (new)

- mechanisms to combat corruption within general-government departments and corruption involving general-government departments and private-sector businesses which are in receipt of grants or which have service provider links or partnership arrangements with general-government departments;

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – indent 2 (new)

- mechanisms based on a multi-party parliamentary system;

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – indent 3 (new)

- human rights and the right of peoples to self-determination.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. No later than six months after publication of this Decision, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and to the Council an assessment of the level of corruption in the instances referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 2

~~2. The Commission and the European External Action Service shall monitor the fulfilment of this pre-condition throughout the life-cycle of the Union's macro-financial assistance.~~deleted

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 3

~~3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 of his Article shall be applied in accordance with Council Decision 2010/427/EU.~~deleted

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1

1. The Commission, in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 7(2), shall agree with the Ukrainian authorities on clearly defined economic policy and financial conditions, focusing on ~~structural reforms and sound~~the sound management of public finances, to which the Union's macro- financial assistance is to be subject, to be laid down in a Memorandum of Understanding ("the Memorandum of Understanding") which shall include a timeframe for the fulfilment of those conditions. The economic policy and financial conditions set out in the Memorandum of Understanding shall be consistent with the agreements or understandings referred to in Article 1(3), including the macroeconomic adjustment and structural reform programmes implemented by Ukraine, with the support of the IMF.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 2

2. The conditions referred to in Paragraph 1 shall aim, in particular, to enhance the efficiency, transparency and accountability of the public finance management systems in Ukraine, including for the use of the Union's macro-financial assistance. Progress in mutual market opening, the development of rules-based and fair trade and other priorities in the context of the Union's external policy shall also be duly taken into account when designing the policy measures. Progress in attaining those objectives shall be regularly monitored by the Commission.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 4

4. The Commission shall verify at regular intervals that the conditions in Article 4(3) continue to be met, including whether the economic policies of Ukraine are in accordance with the objectives of the Union's macro-financial assistance. In so doing, the Commission shall coordinate closely with the ~~IMF and the World Bank, and, where necessary, with the European Parliament and the Council~~European Parliament and the Council, and, where necessary, with the IMF and the World Bank.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Article 4 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1 – point b

(b) a continuous satisfactory track record of implementing a policy programme ~~that contains strong adjustment and structural reform measures supported by a non- precautionary IMF credit arrangement~~making use of the funds allocated in a transparent manner and demonstrating that those funds have been soundly managed and are traceable within the public-finances set-up; and

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA

Proposal for a decision
Article 4 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1 – point c

(c) the implementation, within a specific time-frame, of ~~the~~ economic policy ~~and financial conditions agreed in the Memorandum of Understanding~~measures the impact of which on the public finances and the domestic economy can be assessed.

2015/02/26
Committee: INTA