215 Amendments of Gisela KALLENBACH
Amendment 53 #
2009/2009(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Calls on the Member States and the regions to guarantee that the partnership principle laid down in Article 11 of the General Regulation on the Structural Funds (Regulation (EC) No. 1083/2006) is fully applied and that the requirement of full involvement of partners is complied with;
Amendment 56 #
2009/2009(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers that measures, such as acceleration of payments, the use of lump sum payments and flat rates will stimulate the implementation of projects especially in infrastructure and the energy and environmental sectors; calls on the Member States and the regions to reinforce their sustainable development path and to invest in climate-friendly infrastructures and innovations;
Amendment 60 #
2009/2009(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Welcomes the proposal that investments in energy efficiency and renewable energies in the housing sector should be eligible for ERDF funding throughout the EU; urges the Member States and the regions to make comprehensive use of this new possibility and to adapt their operational programmes accordingly;
Amendment 1 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) An important part of the Recovery Plan was the proposal to increase Community spending in defined strategic sectors, addressing lack of confidence among investors and helping develop the path to a stronger economy for the future. The European Council asked the Commission to present a list of concrete projects, taking into account an adequate geographical balance, to reinforce investments for the development of, in particular, infrastructure projects, including renewable energy and investments in the field of energy efficiency, in particular in cities and buildings.
Amendment 2 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6 – subparagraph 2
Recital 6 – subparagraph 2
The sectors of gas and electricity interconnections; offshore wind, notably EU super grid, renewable energy; and carbon capture and storageenergy efficiency and eco-industries fulfil these criteria.
Amendment 3 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9 a (new)
Recital 9 a (new)
(9a) In the field of energy efficiency, there is a huge potential, will and capacity among cities to deliver sustainable development that will lead to both short- term stimulation and longer-term restructuring of the EU’s economy, as demonstrated by the success of the Covenant of Mayors initiative. Cities are able to call on existing close cross- sectoral partnerships, expertise in ‘on the ground’ project management and responsibility as planning authorities, and their roles as large-scale employers and infrastructure managers. Innovative and sustainable projects at city level should take advantage of local capacity to train workers, adapt infrastructure and support businesses. Cities should be further supported in order to achieve and exceed EU energy and climate targets. The EERP should therefore place cities, and especially energy efficiency and renewable energy of buildings at its centre, through the reallocation of funding to‘smart projects’ which are coordinated and widely implemented at the city level.
Amendment 4 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9 b (new)
Recital 9 b (new)
(9b) 40% of the energy consumed in the EU is in the building sector. The necessary means for renovating and constructing buildings in the most energy- efficient way while using all the renewable energy sources available on site are of key importance for reducing climate change impacts, increase energy security of supply, as well as immediately boosting employment in the EU. The recovery plan should provide assistance for upfront investment in energy-smart buildings.
Amendment 5 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 2
Article 1 – paragraph 2
It establishes sub-programmes to advance those objectives in the fields of: (a) gas and electricity interconnections; (b) offshore wind, notably EU supergrid; (b) offshore wind and other renewable sources of energy; and (c) carbon capture and storageenergy efficiency, notably through "smart cities" projects; (d) eco-industries, notably higher resource productivity.
Amendment 6 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – point g a (new)
Article 2 – point g a (new)
(ga) "smart cities" shall mean cities which commit themselves to energy efficiency and renewable energy in the building and housing sectors and to climate-friendly public transport projects, and which coordinate at EU level, notably through networks like the Covenant of Majors, URBACT, ICLEI, Eurocities;
Amendment 7 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1
1. The financial envelope for the implementation of the EEPR for 2009 and 2010 shall be EUR 3,7500 million, allocated as follows:.
Amendment 8 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. An amount equal to 50% of the total financial envelope referred to in paragraph 1 shall be awarded to projects falling within the scope of paragraph 1c in the form of direct grants, that is EUR 1,875 million, while the remaining 50% of the total financial envelope shall be awarded in the form of innovative finance instruments. Funds not spend on grants in 2009 and 2010 shall be used to help strengthen the innovative financing instruments.
Amendment 9 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 b (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. The contribution from the budget of the European Union to the EIB, EIF and other public banks towards the innovative finance instruments referred in paragraph 1a shall be equal to EUR 1,875 million. The relevant financial institutions shall contribute an equal amount, that is an additional EUR 1,875 million, raising the innovative finance instruments to a total of EUR 3,750 million, with a further significant leverage effect on public and private investments of between 5 and 15 depending on the nature of the innovative financing instrument.
Amendment 10 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 c (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 1 c (new)
Amendment 11 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Chapter II – Title and articles 4 to 22
Chapter II – Title and articles 4 to 22
Chapter II - title and Articles 4 to 22 are deleted
Amendment 12 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 a (new)
Article 22 a (new)
Article 22a Eligibility 1. Proposals shall be eligible for EEPR assistance only if they implement projects in the fields covered by Article 1. 2. Depending on the project, proposals may be submitted: (a) by one or several Member States or EU cities acting jointly; (b) with the agreement of the Member State(s) directly and/or competent authorities (cities, provinces or regions) concerned by the project in question, by one or several public or private undertakings or bodies acting jointly; or (c) with the agreement of all Member States and/or competent authorities (cities, provinces or regions) directly concerned by the project in question, by one or several international organisations acting jointly; or (d) with the agreement of all Member States and/or competent authorities (cities, provinces or regions) directly concerned by the project in question, by a joint undertaking; or (e) by one or several undertakings, acting jointly. 3. Proposals submitted by natural persons shall not be eligible.
Amendment 13 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 b (new)
Article 22 b (new)
Article 22b Selection and award criteria 1. In assessing the proposals received under the call for proposals, the Commission shall apply the own merit principle, which shall be based on the following criteria: - maturity, notably by reference to the ability to start work early and the commitment to carrying out a significant proportion of the associated spending by the end of 2010, as well as demonstrable ability to carry out feasibility assessments, preparatory and technical studies and obtain licences and authorisations by June 2010; - the potential for long-term social returns with respect to energy security and climate change objectives, notably by promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency; - the application of an integrated approach and the extent to which public and private partners are involved in all phases of project preparation, implementation and assessment; - the soundness and technical adequacy of the approach and the soundness of the financial package for the full investment phase of the project, in particular by reference to the likely extent of job creation and size of the domestic fiscal multiplier and the use of under-utilised human and natural resources.
Amendment 14 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 c (new)
Article 22 c (new)
Article 22c Funding conditions 1. EEPR assistance shall contribute to the costs associated with the technical assistance and construction of projects, taking account of possible operating benefits, where appropriate. 2. In the case of projects included in the indicative list of projects set out in the Annex, EEPR assistance, calculated as the sum of direct grants and innovative finance instruments awarded for each project, shall not exceed the maximum amounts of EEPR assistance laid down there. 3. EEPR direct grant assistance shall not exceed 50% of the eligible investment costs per project.
Amendment 15 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 d (new)
Article 22 d (new)
Article 22d Instruments 1. Following the call for proposals the Commission, as applicable, shall select the proposals, taking the indicative list in the Annex as a basis, to receive EEPR assistance after assessing the compliance of those proposals with the eligibility criteria laid down in Article 22a and the selection and award criteria down in Article 22b and determine the amount of EEPR funding to be granted. The conditions and methods for their implementation shall be specified in a co- operation agreement between the Commission and the beneficiaries. The Commission shall inform the beneficiaries of any EEPR funding to be granted. 2. EEPR assistance shall be granted on the basis of direct grant agreements or innovative finance instruments as prescribed in Article 23.
Amendment 16 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Chapter III – Title
Chapter III – Title
CHAPTER III COMMON PROVISIONS DIRECT GRANTS AND INNOVATIVE FINANCE INSTRUMENTS
Amendment 17 #
2009/0010(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 28 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
Article 28 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
(ca) for energy efficiency projects, the committee established by Article 16 of Directive 2006/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and by Article 14 of the Directive 2002/91/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.
Amendment 5 #
2008/2236(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Laments the limited application of the subsidiarity principle indicated in the first reports on programme implementation; calls, therefore, on the Commission, to promote greater involvement on the part of regional and local bodies, under a more decentralised approach both in programme management and in project implementation; observes that establishing decentralised structures which work is an essential precondition for the successful implementation of ENP projects;
Amendment 8 #
2008/2236(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Considers that an integrated approach should be applied which ensures the requisite coordination between levels (from the local to the European), sectoral policies and subsidy programmes;
Amendment 11 #
2008/2236(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Considers that easier contacts between people and personal experiences of democracy and the rule of law are the precondition for optimal implementation of ENP projects; calls on the EU Member States and the ENP partners therefore to pursue visa facilitation projects both between EU and ENP partners and between the individual neighbouring States themselves;
Amendment 15 #
2008/2236(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Considers, in order to fulfil the objectives of the main programming documents afferent to the ENP, that ENPI should focus upon a balanced strategy between the East and South, with specific approaches for both areas, thus, helping certain regions to approachdopt innovative development concepts with common finalities.
Amendment 17 #
2008/2236(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses that action against climate change and promotion of energy efficiency are key areas for enhanced cooperation between the EU and all ENP partners; takes the view that only projects which comply with the principles of sustainable development should receive assistance;
Amendment 1 #
2008/2224(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers the regions to be the most appropriate centres for promoting the European ideal and local and regional authorities and NGOs to be the most competent bodies for promoting dialogue with citizens since they observe their daily lives at close range; expresses its satisfaction in that regard that the EU has taken measures to decentralise communication policy;
Amendment 6 #
2008/2224(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses that the involvement of partners, as laid out in Article 16 of the General Regulation on the Structural Funds, makes a particular contribution to the local and regional communication of cohesion policy and bringing it closer to citizens; agrees with the Commission’s assessment that capacity-building is indispensable in such participatory procedures; calls on the Member States and regions to exploit the opportunities for financing afforded by the ESF for education and training for partners;
Amendment 8 #
2008/2224(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. SupportsTakes note of the efforts of the Committee of the Regions to strengthen consultation at regional level and to include regional networks and key local and regional players in that process in order to encourage debate at grass-roots level;
Amendment 12 #
2008/2224(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Proposes the creation of a two-way communication system between top and bottom with frequent, small-scale campaigns of a local and regional nature by the EU, with the assistance of the regional mediapartners and media, including those media which use regional and minority languages, and the active participation of civil society, NGOs, chambers of commerce, trade union and professionand economic, social and environmental organisations;
Amendment 2 #
2008/2218(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. maintains that TEN-T projects have to be oriented towards the cohesion policy goal of balanced development and help to even out territorial disparities; is of the opinion that this cannot succeed unless the requirements entailed in the European guiding principle of polycentric development are taken into account and spatial concentration, whether of resources or of projects, is avoided;
Amendment 7 #
2008/2218(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. points out that the simplification of procedures and introduction of financial guarantees to reduce entrepreneurial risk, especially for SMEs, are essential in order to attract private capital and set up sound public-private partnerships, which are essential to project implementation; maintains, as regards public private partnerships, that clear and transparent rules of conduct are needed to govern the activities of public institutions and enterprises;
Amendment 8 #
2008/2218(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. maintains that simplification of procedures – for instance for the purposes of the European Economic Recovery Plan – must not lead to a situation in which the enforcement of Community environmental and climate protection legislation would be neglected or watered down;
Amendment 21 #
2008/2218(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to refrain from supporting any inland waterway projects that would destroy the natural courses of rivers and would not be demonstrably useful or sustainable;
Amendment 22 #
2008/2218(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. is of the opinion that a real bottom-up approach fully involving regional and local authorities, stakeholders of civil society and local populations in the decision- making process is a prerequisite to ensuring fast implementation of TEN-T projects and their durability in the long term; calls for the above conditions to apply equally to the entire range of financing arrangements and sources of funding used for TEN-T;
Amendment 24 #
2008/2218(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. considers that information on the use of TEN-T funding and on the benefits deriving from it is often not visible enough to citizens; therefore calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop actions increasing transparency as regards the allocation of these funds and on the results achieved, and to ensure that Community and national environmental and climate protection legislation is observed fully and in a comprehensible way.
Amendment 1 #
2008/2217(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Recalls that traffic in cities is responsible for approximately 70% of all greenhouse gases; takes the view that a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions can only be achieved through a change of direction in transport policy;
Amendment 2 #
2008/2217(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Stresses that in order to make urban transport climate-compatible, mobility must be avoided, more use must be made of environmentally acceptable means of transport (in particular walking or cycling) and the provision of public transport must be extended;
Amendment 3 #
2008/2217(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Takes the view that the urban planning model of the 'short journey city' is the best means of ensuring environmentally acceptable and climate- compatible mobility in cities;
Amendment 8 #
2008/2217(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Regrets the fact that during the current aid programming period 2007- 2013, only 9% (equivalent to EUR 8 billion) of all Structural Fund spending on transport (equivalent to EUR 82 billion) is earmarked for urban transport; considers this proportion too small to be able to meet the challenges of devising appropriate mobility in European cities and the environmental and climate protection;
Amendment 1 #
2008/2216(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Points out that while Intelligent Transport Systems (ITSs) can help to deal with ever-increasing traffic flows, they are not in themselves enough to provide sustainable solutions to urgent transport problems; takes the view that efforts to prevent and reduce traffic must continue to be the highest priority;
Amendment 9 #
2008/2216(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
Amendment 13 #
2008/2216(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to give greater weight tosupport those regional areas which are involved to a greater extent s in exploiting the opportunpossibilities for inter-regional waterway and maritime transportuse of ITSs by different transport operators;
Amendment 40 #
2008/2200(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Notes, in this respect, the decision by certain Western Balkan countries to lodge complaints or seek advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice on bilateral disputes; takes the view that the EU should make every effort to assist and facilitate the negotiations between the parties with a view to reaching a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the pending issues, thus enhancing the European perspective of the whole region;
Amendment 58 #
2008/2200(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Further urges the Commission to devote greater attention to the promotion of small to medium-sized and non-urban CSOs in the region, notably by allocating a greater share of its assistance to such organisations, by facilitating the procedures for applying for EU funding, and by reviewing the rules regarding co- financing of projects for small and medium-sized CSOs;
Amendment 59 #
2008/2200(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. In this regard, urges the Commission to focus very much more on regional initiatives, to foster regional cooperation between CSOs and people-to-people exchanges in the region and to advance reconciliation, mutual understanding and peace-building measures in order to support stability and inter-ethnic peace;
Amendment 68 #
2008/2200(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls on the countries of the Western Balkans to adhere to the principles and targets of the Energy Community of South-East Europe and to implement the acquis communautaire in the fields of renewable energy, the environment, competition and sustainable development; warns therefore against contravening EU legislation by planning exclusively large- scale fuel and hydro-electric power plants which pose threats to the environment, human health and livelihoods in the local community; urges the Commission in this regard strictly to supervise the actions undertaken by the countries concerned in cooperation with west European companies;
Amendment 87 #
2008/2200(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Points out that greater efforts are needed on the part of the governments of the region in order to guarantee the sustainable return of refugees and internally displaced persons including the return of property and restitution of temporarily occupied houses, in line with the Sarajevo Declaration issued by the Regional Ministerial Conference on Refugee Returns on 31 January 2005; urges the Commission and the Council to insist that the governments of the region develop and implement programmes for access to housing and social services for returnees, and to strengthen their efforts at combating discrimination against returning minorities;
Amendment 91 #
2008/2200(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Expresses its concern at the political interference suffered by the media in all Western Balkan states and the intermingling of business, political and media interests as well as the climate of threats and harassment against investigative journalists; calls on the Western Balkan states to fully respect the rights of journalists and independent media as a legitimate power in a democratic European state;
Amendment 92 #
2008/2200(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Calls on the Western Balkan states to improve the quality of civic and history education by including civic, human and democratic rights as European values in their curricula; encourages the adoption of a regional textbook on recent history; calls for the abolition of segregation in schools, which still exists to a certain extent;
Amendment 7 #
2008/2198(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Council to appoint a European Envoy for Women's Rights who would strengthen the EU's commitment to the empowerment of women in foreign and development policy;
Amendment 17 #
2008/2198(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Notes that a great deal of effort is currently being made to mainstream a gender-sensitive approach into the security and defence culture of the ESDP, inter alia by developing the quantitative dimension of gender mainstreaming in that policy (e.g. through questionnaires, the development of check-lists, counting the number of men and women in ESDP operations, etc); however, stresses the need to develop the qualitative conceptual framework required in order to understand the socio-economic context in which ESDP missions are deployed (i.e. areas of conflict) and gender-sensitive concerns in the implementation of operations/programmes;
Amendment 18 #
2008/2198(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Is convinced that ESDP mission planning should take account of the inclusion of local women's organisations in the peace process, so as to build on the specific contribution which they can make and to recognise the particular ways in which women are affected by conflicts;
Amendment 19 #
2008/2198(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Stresses that, currently, quotas are an indispensable means of ensuring gender equality in peace and security missions, in decision-making in national and international reconstruction processes, and of guaranteeing the political presence of women at the negotiating table; calls for measures to ensure that at least 40% of the people involved in the whole peace process are women, and considers that this ratio should apply to mediation, peace-keeping, peace-making, peace-building and conflict prevention, including information and observation tasks, and peace negotiation;
Amendment 20 #
2008/2198(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines the importance of gender- sensitive budgeting; points out that gender should be developed as a thematic issue in major funding instruments, and that specific activity targets should be identified, e.g. early warning, peace negotiations, aid distribution, support to victims, health provision, access to justice, political empowerment, reconstruction, elections, access to trade, governance, land ownership, reproductive rights and health care;
Amendment 4 #
2008/2183(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas, according to Article 158 of the Treaty, in order to strengthen its economic and social cohesion, the Community aims at reducing disparities between the levels of development of the various regions and the backwardness of the least favoured regions or islands, including rural areas,
Amendment 6 #
2008/2183(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas translating these priorities into operational programmes should enable regions to face the challenges of globalisation, sustainable development, structural, demographic and climate change and to strengthen sustainable development,
Amendment 9 #
2008/2183(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas sustainability, equality between men and women and the prevention of discrimination on the basis of gender, race or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, good governance and application of the partnership principle, together with a strong institutional and administrative capacity, are essential to the successful implementation of cohesion policy,
Amendment 11 #
2008/2183(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Regrets that the principles of sustainability, equality of opportunity and non-discrimination, as well as partnership, have been insufficiently applied and documented in many National Strategic Reference Frameworks and Operational Programmes; is critical of the fact that the Commission has nonetheless approved Operational Programmes with such deficits and has not insisted on improvements by Member States or regions;
Amendment 15 #
2008/2183(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. AppreciatesTakes note of the efforts made by the national authorities to ensure that the average allocation of expenditure for the achievement of the Lisbon agenda constitutes 65% of the available funds in the convergence regions and 82% in the regional competitiveness and employment regions, which is in fact more than was initially requested; challenges however, whether the Lisbon earmarking contributes to reducing regional disparities;
Amendment 17 #
2008/2183(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Regrets that, of all the Structural Fund resources earmarked for transport (approx. € 82 bn), only about 31% (approx. € 24 bn) is allocated to rail transport; regards this share as too small to meet the challenges of environmental protection and combating climate change; recalls that, in its resolution on the First Railway Package, the European Parliament called for a share of at least 40% for rail transport;
Amendment 24 #
2008/2183(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Considers that measures aimed at protecting the environment, combating climate change and promoting energy efficiency should be incorpobetter integrated into all operational programmes and appreciates the commitments made byurges Member States in order address these issues, by allocating approximately one third of the total cohesion policy budget to themto ensure that these are fully integrated in project development, appraisal, implementation and monitoring; considers however that the specific allocations for combating climate change and promoting energy efficiency and renewable energies are insufficient to meet real needs; therefore urges Member States and regions to revise their Operational Programmes accordingly;
Amendment 25 #
2008/2183(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that there is a substantial difference between the way EU-15 and EU-12 Member States allocated resources for this field and recognises the need of the new Member States to devote significantly more resources to achieving the EU's average environmental protection level, which, climate and biodiversity objectives as laid down isn the minimum required to ensure sustainable developmentCommunity acquis;
Amendment 27 #
2008/2183(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Considers that in time of economic crisis Member States should capitalize on the notion of achieving synergies between environmental protection and job creation stipulated in the Community Strategic Guidelines on Cohesion and allocate more resources into projects that promote green economy, green jobs and green innovation;
Amendment 28 #
2008/2183(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Considers that multi-level governance and the partnership principle are key elements of the legitimacy of operational programmes, their transparency, and their effectiveness during the programming phase and especially during the implementing process; welcomes, therefore, the efforts made by all Member States, in accordance with their specific institutional frameworks and traditions, to strengthen the partnership principle in their programmes for the current period, in accordance with Article 11 of the General Regulation on the ERDF, the ESF and the Cohesion Fund; recommends especially to the new Members States which have little experience in building up effective partnerships to consistently reinforce the partnership and transparency principle while implementing the operational programmes;
Amendment 32 #
2008/2183(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Regrets the inadequate assessment of the application of the partnership principle and the lack of attention devoted by the Commission to assessing whether Member States and regions have complied with their obligations in this respect; considers that the submission of guidelines on the application of the partnership principle would provide a necessary frame of reference both for the administrative authorities and for the Commission; calls on the Commission once again, therefore, in view of the urgency of the matter due to the ongoing monitoring and the adjustment phases of Operational Programmes, to submit these guidelines immediately and provide the Member States and regions with the necessary support in implementing them;
Amendment 33 #
2008/2183(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Misses an assessment of the coordination and complementarity of Structural Fund programmes with rural development programmes; notes that experience on the ground indicates that synergies between the two programmes are not being exploited sufficiently;
Amendment 1 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
- having regard to the Commission staff working document Regions 2020 - an assessment of future challenges for EU regions (SEC(2008)2868),
Amendment 8 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the French Council Presidency put forward a proposal for the definition of territorial cohesion during the informal meeting of the Council of Ministers in Marseille on 26 November 2008;
Amendment 16 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the Gothenburg strategy for sustainable development is particularly suited to fostering the link between economic efficiency, social cohesion and ecological balance;
Amendment 17 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas, as is noted in the Commission working document ‘Regions 2020’, the three interconnected crises of climate change, demographic change and the financial sector, combined with the risk of poverty and unemployment, represent a particular problem for economic, social and territorial cohesion and the Commission does not give adequate consideration to the results of this analysis either in its Fifth Progress Report or in its Green Paper, in particular with regard to the negative, long-term effects of climate change on European regions and the pressing requirement to reorient European structural policy in order to curb climate change;
Amendment 26 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Regrets that the Commission has not presented any analysis of the existing cohesion policy as regards its impact on geographical concentration or equalisation processes or on the negative effects of climate change and demographic change in certain regions; calls on the Commission to incorporate the findings from its working document ‘Regions 2020’ in the next interim report on the Cohesion Report in connection with the description of economic, social and territorial cohesion and, in so doing, to undertake a critical analysis of the effects of European policies, as well as of incorrect prioritisation and errors made in the deployment of the Structural Funds;
Amendment 27 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Shares the view expressed in the contributions to the public consultation that the aim of cohesion can be achieved only if the policy is concentrated on the less-favoured regions; observes, however, that the analyses in the working document ‘Regions 2020’ indicate that the parameters for less-favoured areas must be redefined;
Amendment 29 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Observes that the view expressed in its above-mentioned resolution of 21 February 2008 includes the rejection of any attempt for re-nationalisation and the commitment to a single Community policy, which should also be in a position to address common challenges like globalisation and poverty, climate and demographic change, migration, energy efficiency; the strong belief that this policy should cover all EU regions, by representing an added value for everyone; the need to set priorities in the spending of EU structural policies and actions and the endorsement of the "earmarking" exercise; as well as the need for synergies on the ground and an integrated approach between the different sectoral policies in order to achieve the optimal result for growth and development on the ground;
Amendment 37 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Renews its call on the Commission made in the abovementioned resolution of 21 February 2008 regarding a critical evaluation of earmarking; points out that earmarking can be maintained only if it is geared to the pressing challenges of climate change and reinforces the synergies with new employment opportunities in green sectors of the economy;
Amendment 38 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Strongly rejects the Commission’s conclusion that support for the low-wage sector and the unilateral focus on industrial development in convergence regions could help to reduce regional disparities in development; stresses that the disparity between winning and losing regions which is thus reinforced is not consistent with the principles of cohesion policy; considers that regions must define their development priorities themselves and link sustainable development above all with the competences existing at regional level;
Amendment 49 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Strongly wWelcomes the adoption of the Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion by the European Commission, which responds to a long-standing demand of the European Parliament; fully endorses the decision to proceed with the analysis of “territorial cohesion”, which has long been at the forefront of any debate on regional policy, despite the fact that the Lisbon Treaty has not yet been ratified;
Amendment 54 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers that the Green Paper lacks ambition to the extent that it does not provide for a clear definition ofand objective for territorial cohesion, and does not, therefore, advance significantly the understanding of this new concept; regrets, moreover, that the Green Paper does not explain how territorial cohesion will be integrated in the existing framework of cohesion policy and be made operational for the next programming period;
Amendment 57 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the analysis contained in the Green PaperObserves that the Green Paper contains an analysis which defines three key concepts that should be central to the development of territorial cohesion: concentration, connection and cooperation; considers that these concepts can providecontribute to the solution to some basic obstacles that hinder the harmonious development of the Unionbalanced and sustainable development desired by the Union in Article 2 of the Treaty, like the negative effects associated with the concentration of economic activity, the inequalities in terms of access to markets and services that result from distance, and the divisions that are imposed by boundaries between Member States but also regions; points out that the potential for the independent development of regions as a contribution towards cohesion is not be highlighted in the Green Paper;
Amendment 74 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Endorses the position of the Green Paper that territorial cohesion is about ensuring the harmoniousbalanced and sustainable development of places with different characteristics and specificities, and about making sure that their citizens are able to make the most of inherent features of different territorie and the polycentric development of the Union as a whole, and about making sure that their citizens are able to develop the potentials of different territories on a sustainable basis in accordance with their needs; places emphasis on the fact that territorial cohesion is a horizontal concept that underpins the development of the Union as a whole by turning diversity into an asset of all its regions; strongly believes that territorial cohesion should prevent the prospect of an asymmetric Union;
Amendment 78 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Considers that territorial cohesion can be defined in terms of three dimensions: - equalisation of territorial imbalances through structural assistance and development of endogenous regional potential, - horizontal and vertical integration of specialist policies with relevance to regional planning, - partnership between public, private and civil-society actors in their regional planning cooperation;
Amendment 80 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Notes the proposal for a definition put forward by the French Council Presidency; reaffirms its objective that citizens must be offered equal opportunities for development and quality of life and undertakings must be offered fair prospects for development based on their specific geographic competences;
Amendment 81 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Believes that territorial cohesion is a distinct concept that should provide tangible added value tofacilitate the sustainable development of EU territories, where the economic and, social cohesion; stresses that the three component pand environmental goals are the pillarts of cohesion (economic, social anda single integrated concept, and that therritorial) should be complementary and mutually reinforcing, albeit maintaining theire should therefore be no hierarchy nor “trade off” between these objectives; stresses that, in the light of the debate own separate mission in a single integrthe future of cohesion policy, territorial cohesion should also take account of climated concept; considers, therefore, that there should be no hierarchy between these objectivhange objectives and therefore stimulate carbon free and resource efficient development patterns in EU territories;
Amendment 89 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Emphasizes that one of the main objectives of territorial cohesion is to ensure that progress and growth generated in one specific territory should provide benefits for the whole region and across the EU territory; considers, in this respect, that excellence centres and clusters of research and innovation are vital to economic success, scientific discovery, technological innovation and jobs and that more interaction and knowledge transfer should be stimulated between those centres and their surroundingcitizens and local economic actors have equal access to services of general interest and equal prospects for development, irrespective of the area in which they are resident (Article 16 of the Treaty); calls for the environment for the performance of those functions to be adapted to local needs and local actors and for their adaptability to be improved; calls on the Commission to examine whether unilateral support for so-called clusters or broad-based support for small and medium-sized enterprises is of fundamental importance for the economic success of regions;
Amendment 95 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Emphasises the single market's vital contribution toat liberalisation of the single market can also have negative side- effects on economic, social and territorial cohesion; stresses the importance of public services in relation to sustainable economic and social development as well as the need for socially and regionally equitable access to services of general interest; takes the view that in light of the subsidiarity principle and of EU competition law, responsibility for defining, organising, financing and monitoring services of general interest should rest with the national, regional and local authorities; considers however that a reflection on the fairan appropriate standard which guarantees equal access for citizens to services should be included in the debate on the territorial cohesion;
Amendment 101 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Notes that the Green Paper acknowledges the particular development challenges of regions with specific geographical features, such as mountainous regions, island regions and sparsely populated regions; also notes that border regions face specific policy challenges in terms of accessibility, quality and efficiency; rejects the view that territorial cohesion should be a policy exclusively dedicated to address; considers that arbitrarily selected geographical factors without any socioeconomic link should not be used in cohesion policy and cannot ing the problems of those regions; considers, however, that special consideration should be given to the development of those regions in order to offset their handicaps and enable them to effectively contribute to the harmonious development of the Union as a wholmselves constitute a suitable criterion for the eligibility of regions for assistance;
Amendment 147 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Stresses the need to elaborate, in the context of territorial cohesion, additional qualitative indicators with the purpose of better designing and implementing the corresponding policies on the ground, taking into account the different territorial specificities and safeguarding natural resources; underlines, however, that the GDP remains the only eligibility criterion for receiving financial assistance from the Structural Fundcentral criterion for defining assisted areas; reiterates its call to examine which additional criteria should be used to describe the situation of the regions;
Amendment 158 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Calls on the Commission to examine the extent to which the problem of the erosion of the internal development differentials of NUTS II areas can be countered in future by defining assisted areas at NUTS III level;
Amendment 165 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for the introduction of a territorial component in the Strategic Environmental Assessment in order to take due account of the regional planning effects of programmes, plans and projects;
Amendment 167 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Reiterates its long-standing request for the development of a comprehensive EU strategy for regions with specific geographical features, which will enable them to better address problems and challenges they are facing; believes that an EU strategy should also be concerned on how to adapt Community policies to the specific needs and assets of these territorieEmphasises that regional planning cooperation between areas which share a common natural habitat, such as coastal regions, riparian regions and mountainous regions, is a targeted and promising territorial cohesion strategy which must be developed and encouraged, as it gives the necessary economic and ecological incentives for the individual regions;
Amendment 173 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Stresses that in addition to regional planning cooperation the implementation of Natura 2000, including the networking of natural habitats, is the main European activity which influences the Member States’ spatial planning; calls on the Member States above all to enshrine the European principles of polycentric development and urban-rural partnership in their regional planning;
Amendment 190 #
2008/2174(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Considers that taking an integrated approach will have a greater chance of success if the regional and local authorities and the partners under Article 11 of the General Regulation on the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund, as well as stakeholders who can provide an overall view and understanding of the needs and specificities of a given territory, are involved from the beginning in the designing and, implementation of the development strategies of each territory, monitoring, evaluation and project selection of the development strategies and Operational Programmes of each territory; insists that the integrated approach must be a mandatory requirement for the receipt of assistance;
Amendment 1 #
2008/2149(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the progress made in the Stabilisation and Association Process and, in particular, the recent signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreements with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia; calls on the Member States to conclude the ratification process for all the SAAs as soon as possible; welcomes the progress made in the implementation of the Interim Agreements and calls on the Western Balkan countries to continue their efforts in this field; stresses the importance of enhancing further the multilateral dimension of the Stabilisation and Association Process with a view to fully resuming regional cooperation in all fields;
Amendment 2 #
2008/2149(INI)
Draft opinion
Indent 1 a (new)
Indent 1 a (new)
- Points out that there are significant differences in the EU’s economic and trade relations with the individual countries of the Western Balkans; calls, therefore, in the light of the experience gained with the enlargement process thus far, for the requisite conclusions to be drawn and for the various components of the IPA instrument to be made more flexible, to be tailored more closely to actual needs and to focus more specifically on the sustainable development of the regions concerned;
Amendment 3 #
2008/2149(INI)
Draft opinion
Indent 1 b (new)
Indent 1 b (new)
- Calls for support to be given, as a matter of priority, to national development plans which take account of the economic development of both urban centres and rural areas; in that connection, emphasises the particular importance of providing support for corresponding training, further training and in-service training programmes;
Amendment 4 #
2008/2149(INI)
Draft opinion
Indent 2 (new)
Indent 2 (new)
– Calls on the Commission and the Member States to endow the IPA instrument with the additional financial resources needed to develop more ambitious projects and to provide real assistance at local and regional levelsprojects tailored to real needs and to provide effective and focused assistance at local and regional levels; emphasises the importance of people-to-people projects, which can be particularly effective in making local people aware of European added value;
Amendment 6 #
2008/2149(INI)
Draft opinion
Indent 4
Indent 4
– Welcomes the fact that one of the priorities of the IPA is to contribute to developing institutional and administrative capacities in the Western Balkans, at both the national and the regional level, and; urges the Commission to reinforce this type of activity in order to stimulate the development of governance and to prepare these countries and regions for the proper take-up of the structural funds in the future; calls on the Commission to guarantee a high level of transparency in connection with the development of institutions and to take suitable measures to prevent corruption;
Amendment 8 #
2008/2149(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the vital role that regional organisations, and in particular the Regional Cooperation Council, can play in facilitating economic and trade cooperation in the region; calls on the Commission to continue to support their activities; takes the view that the development and strengthening of the regional markets can help to prepare the Western Balkans countries better by counterbalancing the effects of the opening of their markets to the European one;
Amendment 9 #
2008/2149(INI)
Draft opinion
Indent 6
Indent 6
– Encourages EU regions to take the initiative in implementing cross-border projects with the Western Balkan region in order to establish close and long-term cooperation at regional level, and in promoting exchanges of experience and good practice in the framework of the European regional cooperation networks; takes the view that cooperation in the region can be fostered by strengthening the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC);
Amendment 12 #
2008/2149(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on all authorities of the region to continue to make the necessary efforts to create a business-friendly environment while respecting all rules aimed at promoting sustainable development; underlines in that respect the need to step up the fight against corruption at all levels and to improve transparency;
Amendment 14 #
2008/2149(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Is worried about the poor social cohesion in the Western Balkan region with regard, in particular, to the social impact caused by the possible closure of certain local economic activities which are unable to cope with the European competition; highlights the fact that stability and sustainable economic growth canmust be achieved by addressing both economic and social reforms as well as establishing high standards for environmental protection;
Amendment 24 #
2008/2149(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Points out that there are significant differences in the EU’s economic and trade relations with the individual countries of the Western Balkans; calls, therefore, in the light of the experience gained with the enlargement process thus far, for the requisite conclusions to be drawn and for the various components of the IPA instrument to be made more flexible, to be tailored more closely to actual needs and to focus more specifically on the sustainable development of the regions concerned;
Amendment 2 #
2008/2130(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Citation 21 a (new)
- having regard to the Covenant of Mayors of 29 January 2008,
Amendment 9 #
2008/2130(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas urban areas are responsible for generating 70 to 80 percent of EU GDP and cities are recognised as centres of innovation and motors of regional, national and EU development; whereas, however, cities are also responsible for over 75% of world energy consumption and produce 80% of greenhouse gases as a result of energy production, traffic, industry and heating,
Amendment 29 #
2008/2130(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Highlights the positive experience of the URBAN Community initiative concerning partnership, the integrated approach and the bottom-up principle, which contributed significantly to the effectiveness and ‘accuracy of fit’ of the projects supported; calls for these achievements in the urban dimension of structural funding to be taken into account and for similar mechanisms to be introduced into the mainstream funding for sustainable urban development, thereby enabling a larger number of cities to benefit from these achievements;
Amendment 31 #
2008/2130(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Expresses the view that it would be inappropriCalls on the Commission and the Member States to adoptexamine whether a common definition of "‘urban areas" as this would not adequately take account of the variety of situations in Member States and regions and hence takes the view that any obligatory definition and designation of urban areas should be left to Member States in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity’ can be formulated; asks the Commission to support the procedure through constructive proposals;
Amendment 42 #
2008/2130(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Argues that it has been proven that sustainable urban development requires a holistic, integrated approach, and that this can be implemented only if there is cooperation between stakeholders at all political and administrative levels; calls for the integrated approach to be made a binding condition for implementation of the Structural Funds as soon as possible, but no later than the funding period after 2013;
Amendment 46 #
2008/2130(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Considers that cities have a special responsibility in terms of achieving the Community climate change objectives, as they are in the unique position of being able to provide potential solutions as a contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions; calls on the Member States to firmly anchor climate protection as a horizontal objective in urban development as a priority;
Amendment 54 #
2008/2130(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recognises the difficulty for urban authorities in reconciling the domains of ESF whilst pursuing economic and sConsiders that the opportunity to concentrate assistance geographically and thematically enabled important experience in coordinating ERDF and ESF funding at locial dlevelopment and ERDF whilst planning physical infrastructure investments, believes that the single fund principle should be abandoned and calls on the Commission to study the possibility of merging the two to be obtained; calls on local and regional authorities to make better use of the synergies of ERDF and ESF funding and reinforce integrated fundsing;
Amendment 64 #
2008/2130(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes the urban development potential of the private sector and believes that the use of Public Private Partnerships should be systematicallyalso be envisaged and encouraged for the establishment of innovative financing schemes and projects; notes that this requires a clear, transparent code of conduct, particularly regarding the activities of public bodies and enterprises;
Amendment 75 #
2008/2130(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Points out that a sustainable territorial development strategy is an essential condition for the targeted, effective implementation of funding for urban and rural areas; calls on the Member States and regions to use the urban-rural partnership instrument in order to achieve the goal of balanced spatial development;
Amendment 76 #
2008/2130(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Finds that challenges such as demographic change, migration and shrinking cities lead to new challenges in the job market, access to social and health services, housing and spatial planning; calls on the Commission, in its guidelines for the application of the framework rules on services of general interest and the award of public contracts, to enable local authorities to take greater account of the local context and local stakeholders and to improve their adaptability;
Amendment 78 #
2008/2130(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Calls on the Commission and the Council, taking special account of the work of the Urban Audit, to formulate indicators for comparing the sustainability performance of cities, as set out in the Leipzig Charter, for example by comparing energy consumption per person, the use of local public transport as a proportion of total traffic volume or greenhouse gas emissions per person;
Amendment 6 #
2008/2074(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Urges the Council, without further delay, to adopt the proposed EU Solidarity Fund regulation in order to provide a better definition of the criteria and eligible operations, including droughts, and hence enable damage caused by natural disasters to be countered more effectively, flexibly, and swiftly, bearing in mind also that Parliament adopted its position as long ago as May 2006; points out however that water scarcity and droughts are often consequences of failed water policy and thus calls on the Commission to define as eligibility criteria for the EUSF evidence of risk prevention and water saving measures in the Member States and regions and the absence of any infringement of the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC);
Amendment 8 #
2008/2074(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1a (new)
Paragraph 1a (new)
1a. Welcomes the fact that water saving is the Commission's first priority in reply to water scarcity and droughts and that additional water supply infrastructures shall only be considered as an option when other options have been exhausted; calls on the Commission and the Member States to verify and ensure that the use of Structural Funds does not contradict this strategy and to make evidence of full utilisation of water savings and other options as well as full compliance with the requirements of the Water Framework Directive a condition for receiving funds;
Amendment 12 #
2008/2074(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on regional and local authorities to take advantage of the great opportunities offered by the Structural Funds by opting for investment in improvement or renewal of existing infrastructure investment linked to water management, in particular to address the challenge of water efficiency; in regions where water resources are wasted due to leakage in the water pipes; stresses that investment in new infrastructure should only be co-financed by Structural Funds when improvement and substantial progress in water saving has been proven;
Amendment 17 #
2008/2074(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3a (new)
Paragraph 3a (new)
3a. Stresses that worldwide experience has shown that river diversion leads to irreparable damage of the ecological and hydromorphological conditions and may entail population removal and business relocation which disturb social and economic cohesion; calls on the Member States to prevent any deterioration of their river basins and observe scrupulously the requirements set out in Articles 1 and 4 of the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC), and calls on the Commission to refuse any EU funding for projects that do not comply with these requirements;
Amendment 27 #
2008/2074(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Member States and the authorities concerned to pay heed to water- related considerations in their land-use planning, especially in connection with the development of economic activities in sensitive river basins; stresses that any consumption of water regardless of its purpose must be subject to the water tariff regime in force and that no exemption from payment is acceptable;
Amendment 31 #
2008/2074(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5a (new)
Paragraph 5a (new)
5a. Condemns the authorisation of urban developments and tourist resorts being built on territories that cannot meet the water demand for maintenance of these projects; points out that such projects lead to an increasing demand for desalination plants which contribute substantially to climate change; calls on the Commission to approve EU funding only for desalination plants that provide water for urban developments or tourist resorts built before 2006;
Amendment 32 #
2008/2074(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5b (new)
Paragraph 5b (new)
5b. Emphasises that water is a public asset and an essential part of services of general interest; refuses any attempt to interpret water as an economic asset;
Amendment 36 #
2008/2074(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6a (new)
Paragraph 6a (new)
6a. Calls on the Commission to analyse in more detail the man-made causes of water scarcity in order to better tackle their impacts and devise the necessary measures;
Amendment 2 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3a (new)
Citation 3a (new)
- having regard to Article 11 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 of 11 July 2006 laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund1(hereinafter the ‘Structural Fund Regulation’), 1 OJ. L 210, 31.7.2006, p. 25.
Amendment 4 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the practical solutions which our fellow citizens expect to see devised for problems affecting public services (such as public transport, drinking water, social housing, etc.) can be achieved only by means of good governance, involving two complementary systems: firstly, the institutional system, which provides for the allocation of powers and budgets between the State and regional and local authorities; and, secondly, the partnership system, which brings together all as regulated in Article 11 of the Structural Fund Regulation which, however, does not prevent any Member State from extending this system in order actively to involve other public and private bodies concerned by a given topic which are important for regional development in planning a given territorynd implementing the Structural Fund programmes and the sustainable development of a region,
Amendment 11 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the extensive participation of the partners mentioned in the Structural Fund Regulation and closer cooperation among the bodies involved in implementing programmes and projects financed from the Structural and Cohesion Funds would serve to make cohesion policy more effective and to increase the leverage effect,
Amendment 14 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas an integrated approach must not only take account not only of the economic, social and environmental aspects of territorial development, but must also seek to reconcile the interests of the various actors involved, in the light ofalso of the role of local and regional authorities in the Partnership laid down in the Structural Fund Regulation in order to address a territory's specific characteristics, with a view to meetingand local and regional challenges,
Amendment 17 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas arrangements should be made for closer cooperation and transparency for all among the various authorities and public and private bodies involved, without necessarily transferring legal powers and without creating new authorities, thereby enabling each body to work more effectively as a result of that cooperation,
Amendment 25 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas governance can only be improved and facilitated if the individuals involved in implementing cohesion policy have project management skills and if the procedure and decision-taking by the authorities is transparent,
Amendment 28 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the results of successful experiments involving new methods of governance should be drawn on in the future, including those which have already been successfully tested in European Fund programmes, such as the LEADER method and the global grant (pursuant to Articles 42 and 43 of the Structural Fund Regulation),
Amendment 37 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission, the Council, the Member States and regional and local authorities to coordinate more effectivelyexploit the potential of the various Community funds (Structural Funds, Community programme for research and development, European Regional Development Fund, etc.) whose purpose is to promote regional and urban developmentin order to ensure integrated promotion;
Amendment 43 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on regional and local authorities to step up their use of the integrated approach during the current programming perioddemand that the national authorities responsible for the operational programmes during the current programming period commit themselves to exposing the integrated approach;
Amendment 52 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Proposes, for the sake of simplification and effectiveness, that a study should be carried out into the feasibility of merging the various European funds, in particular the ERDF, the ESF and the Cohesion Fund, under the future cohesion policy for the period 2014-2020;
Amendment 61 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the European Commission to draw up and submit to the European Parliament an assessment of the implementation of the partnership principle by the Member States in the context of the drafting of the National Strategic Reference Frameworks (NSRFs) and the Operational Programmes, identifying the factors behind successful and unsuccessful governance and to examine in particular to what extent account has been taken of opinions and proposals put forward by the partners in drawing up the operational programmes;
Amendment 66 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the European Commission to draw up a guide designed to facilitate the implementation of effective partnerships, in accordance with Article 11 of the Structural Fund Regulation,, in keeping with the institutional framework specific to each Member State;
Amendment 70 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that the partnership process can work only with partners which have the necessary capabilities and resources, and calls on the managing authorities to contribute to the strengthening of those capabilities by providing the partners in accordance with Article 11 of the Structural Fund Regulation, with the same information in good time as is available to the authorities and making available to them a clearly defined sum from technical assistance for training measures, for capacity building and for professionalising their partnership activities;
Amendment 78 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Draws attention to the requirement to hold public consultations on the issue of programming and notes that the efforts to involve the public in the preparations for the operational programmes for the period 2007-2013 were not entirely successful; notes that in some cases this has occurred only technically, without any professional management or any serious efforts by the authorities to take on board suggestions made by participants; calls on the Commission, therefore, to identify good practices with a view to improving public involvement ahead of the next programming period;
Amendment 92 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Member States and managing authorities to involve the partners more closely and at an early stage in all the phases of Structural Fund programming and implementation, including assessment and at meetings of the monitoring committees for the Operational Programmes;
Amendment 93 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Title after paragraph 10 (new) and paragraph 10a (new)
Title after paragraph 10 (new) and paragraph 10a (new)
Tools for a successful partnership 10a. Calls on all Member State authorities responsible for implementing the Structural Fund programmes to implement partnership in accordance with Article 11 of the Structural Fund Regulation at least according to the following rules: - all partners to be selected by means of a transparent procedure, - at least those partners whose participation is laid down in Article 11 of the Structural Fund Regulation to be involved in the implementation of all Structural Fund programmes, - all partners to have the same status and voting rights in the monitoring committee, - all partners to receive all relevant documents in good time before the meeting of the monitoring committee, - the authorities to establish with the partners a transparent mechanism for responding to remarks and suggestions by the partners, - all partners to be involved in determining the criteria according to which projects are selected within the framework of operational programme measures, - all partners to be issued with the full minutes of the meetings of the monitoring committee, - all partners to receive travel expenses for participation in the meetings of the monitoring committee;
Amendment 100 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13., Urges the Member States to decentralise the implementation of cohesion policy by making full use of the possibilities offered by the global grant, so that the system of multi-level governance can work effectively and in keeping with the subsidiarity principle, and calls on them to take the decentralisation measures required;
Amendment 109 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Urges the Member States within the framework of the global grant to delegate responsibility for managing the Structural Funds to regional and local authorities with a view to involving them more closely in the work of drafting and implementing the operational programmes, or, at the very least, to award them grants which enable them to play a full role in the multi-level governance arrangements;
Amendment 112 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on those Member States which have not yet amended their national law to make provision for the establishment of the European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) to do so as soon as possible; calls on Member States to ensure that the joint administrative authority for the ECTC is a decentralised agency which is also available to advise project developers on the ground;
Amendment 128 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the elected representatives and the national, regional and local civil servants and partners in accordance with Article 11 of the Structural Fund Regulation involved in managing operational programmes in the context of cohesion policy to use the financial resources available under these programmes for technical assistance to arrange training in the forms of government linked to these programmes, in particular project management;
Amendment 136 #
2008/2064(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Proposes the creation of an ERASMUS programme for local elected officials and for the partners in accordance with Article 11 of the Structural Fund Regulation;
Amendment 4 #
2008/2063(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Council and Commission to define more precisely, together with Parliament, the objective of territorial cohesion and, bearing in mind that that definition in mind when considefrinition, take better account ofg European spatial planning, the establishment of a polycentric and balanced urban system and the creation of a new urban-rural relationship and the territorial impact of all EU policies having a strong territorial dimension; notes the important role that the Committee on Regional Development will play in defining this objective;
Amendment 9 #
2008/2063(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3a (new)
Paragraph 3a (new)
3a. Urges the Member States to demonstrate the necessary political will to incorporate the objective of territorial cohesion in national legislation;
Amendment 18 #
2008/2063(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7a (new)
Paragraph 7a (new)
7a. Notes positively that the shared values of the Union as regards services of general economic interest laid down in the Protocol on services of general interest, include in particular: – the essential role and the wide discretion of national, regional and local authorities in providing, commissioning and organising services of general economic interest as closely as possible to the needs of the users; – the diversity between various services of general economic interest and the differences in the needs and preferences of users that may result from different geographical, social or cultural situations; – a high level of quality, safety and affordability, equal treatment and the promotion of universal access and of user rights.
Amendment 6 #
2008/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the regions of the European Union are confronted with broadly similar challenges: - globalisation and the accelerated economic restructuring that goes with it, the opening up of trade relations, the consequences of the technological revolution, climate change, the development of the knowledge-based economy, demographic change and the rise in immigration - though their impact will differ greatly from region to region,
Amendment 18 #
2008/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C − indents 3 and 3 a (new)
Recital C − indents 3 and 3 a (new)
- lack of transparency on co-financing schemesdecision-taking processes and co-financing schemes - inadequate decentralised administrative capacity
Amendment 23 #
2008/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas manya number of the current shortcomings in the field of cohesion policy can be traced back to the existing obstacles,
Amendment 29 #
2008/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission, with a view to removing the above obstacles, inter alia: - to gear the evaluation criteria for projects co-financed by the structural funds of the European Union to the long term, - not to assess innovative projects using the same evaluation criteria as apply to other types of projects, but to develop specific evaluation criteria - tailored to the innovative nature of the projects - that in essence allow for a higher failure rate,deleted - to reduce the maximum period for which project documents must be stored, for the purposes of monitoring by the European Commission, from the current ten years to three years,
Amendment 40 #
2008/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Points out expressly that identifying best practices must not lead to additional reed tape for applicants and project promoters;
Amendment 44 #
2008/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. CriticisesPoints to the lack of transparency in. and comprehensibility of, the European Commission's objective bases for identifying best practices;
Amendment 45 #
2008/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Insists that the bases for identifying best practices must be geared to the EU's strategy for sustainable development (Göteborg strategy);
Amendment 47 #
2008/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recommends the Commission to take account of the following points in identifying best practices: - project quality - assurance of partnership principle, which go beyond project eligibility criteria such as, for example, ensuring the partnership principle and equal opportunities compliance: - project quality - public stakeholding - sustainability of the measure - respect forpositive contribution to equal opportunities - innovativeness of the project - integrated approach - effective use of resources
Amendment 79 #
2008/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 – indents 4a and 4b (new)
Paragraph 12 – indents 4a and 4b (new)
- reduction in land use - priority for internal development over external development;
Amendment 85 #
2008/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 − indents 3a and 3 b (new)
Paragraph 13 − indents 3a and 3 b (new)
- provision of training course places for young people - provision of further and continuing education for all age groups in support of lifelong learning;
Amendment 93 #
2008/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 − indent 2 a (new)
Paragraph 15 − indent 2 a (new)
- clear and transparent rules on conduct with regard to the activities of public- sector bodies and enterprises;
Amendment 2 #
2008/2041(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1a (new)
Paragraph 1a (new)
1a. Stresses that in order to improve the quality of life in cities, there needs to be a consistent change of direction with the aim of avoiding traffic, giving priority to the development of public transport and making all forms of transport cleaner and more efficient;
Amendment 9 #
2008/2041(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that urban mobility plays a significant role in ensuring internal cohesion in urban centres and that urban transport development strategies must therefore be closely linked to wider strategies for spatial development and the development of urban areas; considers that such strategies must lead to local distribution facilities being decentralised as far as possible;
Amendment 13 #
2008/2041(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4a (new)
Paragraph 4a (new)
4a. Regrets that many disadvantaged urban areas are also burdened with traffic noise and air pollution, thus impairing their quality as living areas; stresses that traffic management in these areas should increasingly aim to reduce the negative impact of traffic on the environment; calls for traffic planning which seeks to improve the integration of these urban areas into the urban and regional structure, including public transport networks and safe traffic structures for pedestrians and cyclists;
Amendment 14 #
2008/2041(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5.Calls on the Commission, Member States and regional and local authorities to adoptmake an integrated approach to investment planning for urban areas a mandatory precondition;
Amendment 27 #
2008/2041(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Firmly believes that access to assistance from the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund should be conditional on the drawing up of a long term plan for balanced urban developmentn integrated strategy for sustainable development of urban and surrounding areas;
Amendment 28 #
2008/2041(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8a (new)
Paragraph 8a (new)
8a. Calls on the Commission, using examples from the Member States, to illustrate the benefits of good practice in integrated mobility planning when carrying out major projects; calls on the Commission to consider how the submission of an integrated mobility plan can be made a pre-condition for the award of appropriations from the structural funds for such projects;
Amendment 30 #
2008/2041(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses the importance of cooperation between cities and regions for the framing of optimum development strategies and calls on the Commission to include urban mobility in exchanges of experiences and good practice and in the implementation of climate protection obligations, in particular under the URBACT programme and the 'Regions for Economic Change' initiative.
Amendment 31 #
2008/2041(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9a (new)
Paragraph 9a (new)
9a. Stresses that the inclusion of target groups and the public is a major factor in the success of sustainable traffic planning;
Amendment 2 #
2008/2010(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Azores, the Canaries, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Madeira, Martinique and Reunion are characterised by a combination of permanent and severe handicaps, including their remoteness from the European mainland, their insularity or inaccessibility, their difficult topography and climate and the smallness of their markets,
Amendment 8 #
2008/2010(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas, during the last three years, the ORs have been directly affected by major Community reforms, including the financial perspective, regional policy 2007- 2013, the EFF, the EAFRD, State aids, the COM in sugar and bananas and the POSEI schemes for agriculture and fisheries, and whereas these changes have frequently had serious effects on these regions,
Amendment 12 #
2008/2010(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls for the ORs unit at the Commission to be maintained and its staff considerably strengthened in order to provide it with the resources necessary to fulfil its tasks, given the wide range of sectors involved and the complexity of the policies concerned;
Amendment 13 #
2008/2010(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that Structural Fund intervention continues to play a major role in the development of the ORs; nevertheless, would like to see cohesion policy better coordinated with other Community policies so as to enhance synergies; calls on the Commission to display greater flexibility and adapt more effectively to and better to reflect the realities of the situation of the ORs;
Amendment 22 #
2008/2010(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
Amendment 28 #
2008/2010(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
Amendment 33 #
2008/2010(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
Amendment 40 #
2008/2010(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Requests that the questions of future Community funding for the Union's strategy to assist ORs and the compensation of handicaps linked to outermost status should not be side- stepped and should be discussed, with no taboos;
Amendment 31 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas this strategy cannot therefore be reduced to a simple negotiating methodology but should involve a debate on the Union's objectives, covering both the Union's own future and its role in the neighbourhood and on the world stage,
Amendment 60 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas these policies should be complementary and mutually permeable, that is to say, should allow a given country to move from one type of contractual relationship with the EU to another, if the necessary internal and external conditions of that country are fulfilled,
Amendment 76 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Reaffirms its firm commitment to the countries with which it has started membership negotiations and to the countries which have been given clear membership prospects, with the understanding that candidate countries should fully compliancey with the Copenhagen criteria and compatibility with the Union's integration capacity must be fulfilledthat the Union should ensure that its integration capacity allows for further enlargement before these countries can join the Union;
Amendment 99 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Takes the view that the Union's Enlargement Strategy should strike a balance between the Union's geo-strategic interests, and the impact of political developments outside its borders together with the resulting expectations of its neighbouring countries, andincluding the Union's integration capacity including its ability to cope with future internal and external challenges and to realise its political integration project;
Amendment 110 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recalls that integration capacity reflects the Union's ability at a given point in time to decide and thus to achieve its political objectives, in particular the aim of promoting economic and social progress, territorial cohesion and a high level of employment in its Member States, of asserting its identity and its ability to act on the international scene, of promoting the rights and interests of Member States' nationals, of developing an area of freedom, security and justice, of fully maintaining and building on its acquis communautaire and of upholding fundamental rights and freedoms, as laid down in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;
Amendment 111 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recalls that integration capacity reflects the Union's ability at a given point in time to decide and thus to achieve its political objectives, in particular the aim of promoting economic and social progress and a high level of employment in its Member States, of asserting its identity and its ability to act on the international scene, of promoting the rights and interests of Member States' nationals, of developing an area of freedom, security and justice, of fully maintaining and building on its acquis communautaire and of upholding fundamental rights and freedoms, as laid down in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;
Amendment 112 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses that, in order to enhance the credibility and the effectiveness of the enlargement strategy, the Copenhagen criteria must be fully respected and complied with by Member States as well, in order to avoid requiring of applicant countries higher standards than those applied in some parts of the Union;
Amendment 135 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls, furthermore, that the economic structure and interests of each new Member State could – as was the case with previous enlargements – have an impact on the direction which the Union's policies and budget take and could therefore affect the nature of the Union itself;
Amendment 140 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
Amendment 154 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Therefore takes the view that every enlargement must be followed by adequate consolidation andt both the political concentrationand institutional level, that is to say, by a serious reassessment of the Union's policies and means in order to ensure consensus around such policies and to focus on objectives which respond to the expectations of our citizens and which guarantee the viability of the Union as a political project;
Amendment 180 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Believes, moreover, that further enlargements should be accompanied by a concerted communication policy involving all EU Institutions and Member States' Governments, designed to explain to our citizens the political, economic, territorial and social benefits of enlargement;
Amendment 181 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Takes the view that countries with European prospects should make every effort to explain, involve and prepare their public opinion for integration into the Union, involving civil society in this process from the outset;
Amendment 209 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Suggests, therefore, that, as regards those eastern neighbours which, in view of their political, economic and social situation and of the Union's current integration capacity, at present do not enjoy membership prospects but at the same time fulfil certain democratic and economic conditions, the Union should establish an area based on common policies covering, in particular, economic and financial issues, trade, energy, transport, infrastructures, environmental issues, the rule of law, justice, security, migration and education; takes the view that these common policies, whilst striving gradually to achieve EU standards and opening the way for closer integration of these countries, should be shaped jointly with the participating countries on the basis of specific decision-making mechanisms, and should be underpinned by adequate financial assistance;
Amendment 220 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes in this respect the launch, within the framework of the EU, of the Union for the Mediterranean as a positive step in our relations with the southern neighbours; believes that this new development strengthens the argument in favour of specific contractual multilateral relations with our eastern neighbours, which, compared to their southern partners, have clear European ambitions and perspectives; recalls that, as a first step, these relations should translate themselves into the establishment of a Free Trade Area along with the strengthening of political relations which include the consolidation of democracy, respect for human rights and visa-facilitation regimes, to be followed by closer relations along the lines of a European Economic Area Plus (EEA +), of a European Commonwealth or of specific regional cooperation frameworks, for example in the Black Sea area;
Amendment 231 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Believes at the same time that countries which enjoy clear membership prospects but still have considerable ground to cover before they can attain the political, economic, territorial and social conditions necessary to achieve candidate status, could usefully benefit from an incremental approach in their EU integration process and that this approach could involve, besides increased assistance and cooperation measures, voluntary participation in arrangements similar to the above bilateral or multilateral framework as an intermediate step towards full membership;
Amendment 238 #
2007/2271(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes in this context the Commission Communication on the Western Balkans of 5 March 2008 (COM(2008)0127), which outlines a range of measures for supporting the countries in the region in their efforts towards EU integration and for deepening our relations with them, whether in the areas of trade, energy, education and/or research; stresses, in this respect, that visa liberalisation is an indispensable step in order to make this process more effective; believes that such measures should include also the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Serbia and calls on all Member States to overcome their reservations in this respect;
Amendment 18 #
2007/2268(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that the 2005 Law on the Use of Community Flags allows communities’ national symbols be placed on and near local government offices; notes that disquiet arose followinga minority community which is in a majority within a municipality to use its flag; notes that the Constitutional Court judgment of 24 October 2007 con the use of national community symbols by local authorities, which gave the impressiofirmed the right of a community to fly its flag alongside the state flag and that it also extended the right to fly an ethat, contrary to the Ohrid Framework Agreement, use of the flag depicting the Albanian eagle would no longer be allowed, and welcomes the government’s interpretation that the Constitutional Court judgment on national symbols does not mean that flags at local government offices, including Albanian symbols, must be removednic flag to all ethnic communities in a municipality and affirmed the right of ethnic Albanians to use the Albanian state flag as their ethnic symbol; stresses that the Court also sought to clarify the limits to this right because it considered that the state and community flags have different meanings, and concluded that community flags may not be flown permanently, for example during official state visits, or on state buildings; calls on all parties to discuss this issue in the spirit of the Ohrid Framework Agreement and international standards;
Amendment 29 #
2007/2268(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Supports the initiative of the Thessaloniki-based Center for Democracy and Reconciliation in Southeast Europe and the Soros Foundation to publish textbooks on Balkan history, in both the Albanian and the Macedonian language, intended for history teachers and secondary school students and aimed at incorporating different views on the common past, providing a balanced perspective and promoting reconciliation;
Amendment 32 #
2007/2268(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that the draft Law on Revision of the Electoral Code, which was given a reading on 27 September 2007 and would provide for the parliament to be enlarged by 13 seats in the interests of both representation of small ethnic minorities and representation of nationals living abroad, could help bring about a relative weakening of representation for the Albanian speaking community, and regards the factwas given a reading on 27 September 2007; expresses its concern at the fact that the proposed Law would have the effect of bypassing the use of the Badinter majority rule as intended by the Ohrid Framework Agreement, and trusts that the reading has been suspended as a contribution towards domestic stability will be further consultations in order to achieve a consensus;
Amendment 44 #
2007/2268(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Takes the view that, despite the adoption of the visa-facilitation agreement, access to EU countries still represents a big problem for Macedonian citizens and in general for citizens of the countries of the Western Balkans; welcomes, in this regard, the intention of the Commission to launch a visa dialogue with all the countries of the region, aimed at gradual visa liberalisation, and calls on the Commission to make every effort to finalise this dialogue quickly and transform it into an agreement;
Amendment 68 #
2007/2268(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Draws attention to the call by AmneNotes that on 7 November, a large police operation took place around the village of Brodec, north of Tetovo, with the aim of apprehending a number of alleged criminals, in which six members of the so-called "Brodec gang" were killed and a further 13 individuals from the village detained by the Ministry of International to set up an inquiry into the events on 7 November 2007, north of Tetovo, during which at least six possible intruders from Kosovo died; ior; points out that, according to the EU Monitoring Mission and the OSCE, the operation was carried out in a professional and effective manner resulting in no police or civilian casualties; welcomes the fact that the government has publicly stated that it will rebuild the mosque and other damaged infrastructure; expresses its concern about some reports that detainees may have been subjected to maltreatment on being arrested; calls in this regard on the Ombudsman to fully investigate the events and stresses that any outstanding questions relating to the police operation in Brodec should be addressed in an open, transparent and legally consistent manner;
Amendment 106 #
2007/2268(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. RecCalls that, at world level, most other states have in fact recognised this state under the constitutional name of 'Republika Makedonija', but that the European Union and the United Nations take as their starting point the 1993 interim agreement with Greece, which, for international use, lays down the temporary designation 'former Yugoslavon both sides to make every effort to overcome the name issue; points out that despite bilateral talks held under the auspices of the United Nations and assisted by Special Envoy Matthew Nimitz to find a mutually acceptable solution to the differences that have arisen over the name of the country no progress could be achieved since the adoption of the resolution of 12 July 2007; acknowledges the increased bilateral cooperation as well as people-to-people-contacts between the Republic of Macedonia', and calls on both parties to reach a final agreement as soon as possible with the help of ongoing mediation by the United Nations, under the direction of Mr Matthew Nimetz, and expresses the hope that this name issue will play no role in any decision on relations with NATO; Greece; stresses once again that the name issue is not part of the Copenhagen criteria and should become in no circumstances an obstacle to the membership of the state in international organisations as provided in the Interim Accord of 1995 and therefore urges the Athens’ authorities to stop threatening Skopje’s authorities to use their veto both for EU and NATO negotiations in case the name dispute is not solved;
Amendment 116 #
2007/2268(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
Amendment 128 #
2007/2268(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
Amendment 140 #
2007/2268(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
Amendment 161 #
2007/2268(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a (new). Regrets the signing and the ratification by Macedonia of the Bilateral Immunity Agreement with the US authorities; stresses that such act contradicts EU standards and policies all aimed at supporting the International Criminal Court; calls on Macedonia, in this regard, to bring its legislation in line with the ones in the EU Member States;
Amendment 164 #
2007/2268(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes that, of the three countries which have been European Union candidate Member States since 2005, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is the onlyAcknowledges the recent progress made by the country won iths which noay to EU accession negotiations have taken place to date, considers it desirable that this exceptional sand welcomes, in this regard, the inituiation should end, and callsve onf the European Commission to develop a roadmap leading to commencement of those negotiations, after which, if there are no new domestic conflicts, the Council can take a decision in 2008 on a starpresent to the Skopje authorities a document with a set of benchmarks whose fulfilment would result in setting a date for theaccession negotiations;
Amendment 176 #
2007/2268(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A (new)
Recital A (new)
A (new). whereas the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was granted since 2005 the status of EU candidate but as of today no date for the start of accession negotiations has yet been set; whereas this prolonged situation is adding frustration and uncertainty taking into account of the sustained pace of reforms undertaken lately by the Skopje authorities,
Amendment 28 #
2007/2267(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the fact that Croatia has satisfied the benchmark for opening the chapter on Justice, Freedom and Security, and urges the newly formed government to redouble its efforts to meet the benchmarks for the remaining chapters with regard, in particular, to the judicial system , the fundamental human rights and the environment;
Amendment 30 #
2007/2267(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is pleased to record that much of Croatia's body of law has been aligned with EU standards, but reminds the Croatian authorities that it is now crucial to develop the administrative capacity required in order to implement the new legislation; calls, in this regard, on the Croatian authorities to open up this process and involve the civil society in the monitoring of the implementation;
Amendment 33 #
2007/2267(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Congratulates the Croatian authorities on their continued efforts towards an impartial prosecution of domestic war crimes, and urges them to exercise continuous vigilance and depoliticise its judiciary in order to avert the risk of ethnically biased rulings and to ensure that all measures are in place to protect the integrity of the judicial process;
Amendment 42 #
2007/2267(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Is aware of the negative impact which the judgments of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on the Vukovar war crimes cases have had on Croatia's public perception of the work of the ICTY; urges the Croatian government to continue to fully cooperate with the ICTY and to take steps to restore popular support for the role of the ICTY in addressing the crimes perpetrated during the Yugoslav conflict;
Amendment 48 #
2007/2267(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the strengthening of the mandate of the Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK) and the increased number of corruption cases which are being prosecuted; calls for these efforts to be maintained in order to eradicate the – in some cases unacceptably high – level of corruption, which undermines the economic development of the country and obstructs the implementation of the Rule of Law; stresses in this regard that the area of the environmental protection and urban planning are spheres where corruption is extremely high undermining the sustainability of development – especially on the Adriatic coast;
Amendment 62 #
2007/2267(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Welcomes all positive reforms in the sector of environmental protection and hopes that Croatian authorities will launch a considerable set of new measures and applicable policies (renewable energy sources, energy efficiency) that would efficiently address the detrimental effects of climate change in line with EU targets and also provide the platform with a more comprehensive intersectoral dialogue that would ensure an ecologically acceptable and sustainable future for the citizens; urges the Croatian government to re-assess the efficiency of the current system of environmental protection and increase the coordination between all the accountable bodies;
Amendment 84 #
2007/2267(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Regrets the fact that the Croatian government has decided to introduce unilaterally the Ecological and Fishing Protection Zone (ZERP) in the Adriatic, thus reneging on the agreement reached in 2004 with the Italian and Slovenian authorities; reminds Croatia that, unless a commonly agreed solution is found, this could have serious repercussions oncould speed up the pace of the accession negotiations;
Amendment 98 #
2007/2267(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Recalls that addressing border- related issues is defined as a priority for Croatia in its Accession Partnership; expresses, in this respect, serious concern over the start of the construction works of the Peljesac bridge in October 2007 despite the opposition voiced by Bosnia and Herzegovina and regardless of the fact that the sea border between the two countries has not yet been defined;
Amendment 99 #
2007/2267(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15c. Reminds Croatia of its indirect responsibility as regards the stability of the neighbouring state of Bosnia- Herzegovina due to the presence in this country of many citizens with double citizenship; calls on Croatia to maintain its constructive attitude and continue to play a positive role in the region in order to support and strengthen the consolidation of Bosnia-Herzegovina;
Amendment 105 #
2007/2267(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Urges the Croatian authorities to involve civil society groups (NGO's, academic community, trade unions) in the EU accession process and raise the legitimacy of their decisions; recalls, furthermore, that, ''good governance'' practices imply efforts by the authorities to encourage civil society actors to provide their contribution when creating and implementing public policies in conformity with EU policies;
Amendment 46 #
2007/0280(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Recital 1 a (new)
Recital 1 a (new)
(1a) Public service contracts as logistics services have the potential to reduce costs in the defence sector. Further developed supply chains can significantly lower the environmental impact of the sector, especially with regard to energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reduction;
Amendment 61 #
2007/0280(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 - paragraph 1 - point a
Article 1 - paragraph 1 - point a
a) the supply of arms, munitions and/or war material, referred to in the Council Decision of 15 April 1958 and, where necessary, public works and services contracts strictly related to thesesuch supplies;
Amendment 65 #
2007/0280(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 - paragraph 1 - point b
Article 1 - paragraph 1 - point b
b) the supply of parts, components and/or subassemblies for incorporation in or fitting to the goods referred to under a), or for the repair, refurbishment or maintenance of such goods and public works and services contracts related to such supplies;
Amendment 69 #
2007/0280(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 - paragraph 1 - point c
Article 1 - paragraph 1 - point c
c) the supply of all products intended for training or testing of the goods referred to under a) and public works and services contracts related to such supplies;
Amendment 104 #
2007/0280(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 20 - paragraph 1 - subparagraph 1
Article 20 - paragraph 1 - subparagraph 1
1. Contracting authorities may award public contracts by a negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice in the cases set out in paragraphs 2 to 6 below. Contracting authorities shall explicitly justify the use of this procedure by referring to the cases mentioned in paragraphs 2 to 6 below.
Amendment 105 #
2007/0280(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 20 - paragraph 2
Article 20 - paragraph 2
2. For public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts, the negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice may be applied in the following circumstances: a) when the periods laid down for the restricted procedure and negotiated procedure with publication of a contract notice are incompatible with the urgency of a crisis or armed conflict; b) when, for technical reasons, or for reasons connected with the protection of exclusive rights, the contract may be awarded only to a particular economic operator.