Activities of Helga TRÜPEL related to 2018/0229(COD)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the InvestEU Programme
Amendments (12)
Amendment 19 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) The InvestEU Fund should contribute to improving the competitiveness of the Union, including in the field of innovation and digitisation, the sustainability of the Union's economic growth, the social resilience and inclusiveness, strengthening human skills and capabilities as key enablers of economic, cultural and social development and the integration of the Union capital markets, including solutions addressing their fragmentation and diversifying sources of financing for the Union enterprises. To that end, it should support projects that are technically and economically viable by providing a framework for the use of debt, risk sharing and equity instruments underpinned by a guarantee from the Union's budget and by contributions from implementing partners. It should be demand-driven while support under the InvestEU Fund should at the same time focus on contributing to meeting policy objectives of the Union.
Amendment 24 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5 a (new)
Recital 5 a (new)
(5 a) The InvestEU instrument aims at financing economic, cultural and social actors with a risk profile that private financiers are not to address in more conventional portfolios; it aims at opening up a new understanding from financial intermediaries in underlining the immense potential of those actors in terms of innovation and social development.
Amendment 30 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) According to the 2018 Global Risks Report issued by the World Economic Forum, half of the ten most critical risks threatening the global economy relate to the environment. Such risks include air, soil and water pollution, extreme weather events, biodiversity losses and failures of climate-change mitigation and adaptation. Environmental principles are strongly embedded in the Treaties and many of the Union's policies. Therefore, the mainstreaming of environmental objectives should be promoted in the InvestEU Fund related operations. Environmental protection, education and training to assess one's own environmental impacts and related risk prevention and management should be integrated in the preparation and implementation of investments. The EU should also track its biodiversity-related and air pollution control-related expenditure in order to fulfil the reporting obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity and Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the Council15 Investment allocated to environmentally sustainability objectives should therefore be tracked using common methodologies coherent with that developed under other Union programmes applying to climate, biodiversity and air pollution management in order to allow assessing the individual and combined impact of investments on the key components of the natural capital, including air, water, land and biodiversity. _________________ 15 Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2016 on the reduction of national emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants, amending Directive 2003/35/EC and repealing Directive 2001/81/EC (OJ L 344, 17.12.2016, p. 1).
Amendment 38 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) Whereas the level of overall investment in the Union is increasing, investment in higher-risk activities such as research and innovation is still inadequate. The resulting underinvestment in research and innovation, in particular in cultural and creative industries which are highly contributing to innovation, is damaging to the industrial and economic competitiveness of the Union and the quality of life of its citizens. The InvestEU Fund should provide the appropriate financial products to cover different stages in the innovation cycle and a wide range of stakeholders, in particular to allow the upscaling of and deployment of solutions at a commercial scale in the Union, in order to make such solutions sustainable and competitive on world markets.
Amendment 45 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in the Union. However, they face challenges when accessing finance because of their perceived high risk and lack of sufficient collateral. Additional challenges arise from SMEs' need to stay competitive by engaging in digitisation, internationalisation and innovation activities and skilling up their workforce. Moreover, compared to larger enterprises, they have access to a more limited set of financing sources: they typically do not issue bonds, have only limited access to stock exchanges or large institutional investors. The challenge in accessing finance is even greater for those SMEs whose activities focus on intangible assets, in particular the cultural and creative sectors. SMEs in the Union rely heavily on banks and debt financing in the form of bank overdrafts, bank loans or leasing. Supporting SMEs that face the above challenges and providing more diversified sources of funding is necessary for increasing the ability of SMEs to finance their creation, growth and development, withstand economic downturns, and for making the economy and the financial system more resilient during economic downturn or shocks. This is also complementary to the initiatives already undertaken in the context of the Capital Markets Union. The InvestEU Fund should provide an opportunity to focus on specific, more targeted financial products.
Amendment 53 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 17
Recital 17
(17) As set out in the reflection paper on the social dimension of Europe16 and the European Pillar of Social Rights17 , building a more inclusive and fairer Union is a key priority for the Union to tackle inequality and foster social inclusion policies in Europe. Inequality of opportunities affects in particular access to education, training and health. Investment in the social, skills and human capital- related economy, as well as in the integration of vulnerable populations in the society, can enhance economic opportunities, especially if coordinated at Union level. The InvestEU Fund should be used to support investment in education and training, help increase employment, in particular among the unskilled and long- term unemployed, and improve the situation with regard to intergenerational solidarity, the health sector, homelessness, digital inclusiveness, community development, gender equality, the role and place of young people in society as well as vulnerable people, including third country nationals. The InvestEU Programme should also contribute to the support of Europeanculture and creativity in Europe, whereby cultureal and creativitye industries are key- drivers for growth and do play a role traditionally at local and regional level, ensuring the socio-economic inclusion and allowing for an integrated sustainable urban regeneration. To counter the profound transformations of societies in the Union and of the labour market in the coming decade, it is necessary to invest in human capital, microfinance, social enterprise finance and new social economy business models, including social impact investment and social outcomes contracting. The InvestEU Programme should strengthen nascent social market eco-system, increasing the supply of and access to finance to micro- and social enterprises, ensuring that ito meets the demand of those who need it the most. The report of the High-Level Task-Force on Investing in Social Infrastructure in Europe18 has identified investment gaps in social infrastructure and services, including for education, training, health and housing, which call for support, including at the Union level. Therefore, the collective power of public, commercial and philanthropic capital, as well as support from foundations, should be harnessed to support the social market value chain development and a more resilient Union. _________________ 16 17COM(2017) 206. COM(2017) 206. 17 COM(2017) 250. COM(2017) 250. 18 Published as European Economy Discussion Paper 074 in January 2018.
Amendment 58 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) The InvestEU Fund should operate under four policy windows, mirroring the key Union policy priorities, namely sustainable infrastructure; research, innovation, culture and digitisation: SMEs; and social investment and skills.
Amendment 63 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 33
Recital 33
(33) The InvestEU Fund should, where appropriate, allow for a smooth and efficient blending of grants or financial instruments, or both, funded by the Union budget or by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) Innovation Fund with that guarantee in situations where this is necessary to best underpin investments to address particular market failures or sub- optimal investment situations. It could be complementary to projects selected in other European programmes, corresponding to these objectives, such as Erasmus and Creative Europe.
Amendment 68 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) the competitiveness of the Union, including innovation and, digitisation and the cultural dimension;
Amendment 69 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point c
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) the social resilience and inclusiveness of the Union, including strengthening human skills and capabilities as key enablers of economic, cultural and social development with particular focus on young people and on equal opportunities;
Amendment 73 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point b
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point b
(b) to support financing and investment operations in research, innovation and digitisation for economic actors with an atypical profile for financial markets;
Amendment 90 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) research, innovation, culture and digitisation policy window: comprises research and innovation activities, transfer of research results to the market, demonstration and deployment of innovative solutions and support to scaling up of innovative companies other than SMEs as well as digitisation of Union industry, taking into consideration the cultural dimension;