29 Amendments of Iratxe GARCÍA PÉREZ related to 2008/2174(INI)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. Whereas the objective of territorial cohesion complements those of economic and social cohesion; whereas these three forms of cohesion must be mutually reinforcing, meaning that the objective of territorial cohesion should be taken into account in all common policies having a territorial impact, particularly the regional policy;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas the EU’s cohesion policy remains an essential pillar in the process of European integration, and plays an active role in reducing development deficits and disparities;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. Whereas the new challenges facing cohesion policy which have a significant territorial impact, such as demographic change, urban concentration, segregation, migratory movements (which are particularly problematic for rural and peripheral areas), adjustment to globalisation, climate change, energy supply, and the slow catch-up process of rural areas can only be addressed only if the great significance of economic, social and territorial cohesion policy is recognised for this purpose in the future;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. Whereas the most recent cohesion reports highlight a trend towards worsening territorial disparities between European regions and at sub-regional level, disparities characterised by phenomena such as spatial segregation, which have encouraged certain forms of ghettoisation to emerge, and the continued decline of some remote and predominantly agricultural rural areas, making it more necessary now than ever to make territorial cohesion an objective of the European Union;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. Whereas the lack of territorial cohesion prevents the European single market from functioning smoothly by reducing some territories’ access to the freedoms enshrined in the Treaties;
Amendment 36 #
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, climate and demographic change, depopulation, 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 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes that consideration should be given to the fact that a high level of dispersion over excessively small population clusters (fewer than 500 inhabitants) places too much strain on the network of settlements which, unless in receipt of aid under specific cohesion policies, becomes incapable of performing the economic and social functions which allow the balance between population and territory to be maintained sustainably; is therefore of the view that population density should be weighted in line with the structural capacity of the population to be sustained in order to ensure balanced regional development and address the challenges of competitiveness and sustainability;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the launching of the public consultation on territorial cohesion, as requested in the Green Paper; considers that the success of any public consultation is directly linked with the widest possible participation of the different stakeholders and civil society; calls on the competent national, regional and local authorities to disseminate without delay the relevant information, in order to raise awareness about the importance of this new concept;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Underlines the importance of territorial cohesion as a political objective, broadening the Community’s capacity to strengthen solidarity in the European Union and make an effective contribution to sustainable development and tackling climate change, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity and the division of competences among the different levels of government;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Affirms that the aim of territorial cohesion is to give Europeans equal opportunities in terms of quality of life, with each Community territory aspiring to offer its citizens fair - but not necessarily equal - access to ‘basic’ infrastructure and services of general and general economic interest; this will enable citizens to live in decent conditions in line with 21st century European standards of living;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Underlines that the notion of territorial cohesion is based on the principle of solidarity, in particular territorial solidarity, which requires equalisation mechanisms between Member States, between regions and within regions;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Recalls the important role played by small, micro and craft businesses in particular, in economic, social and territorial cohesion through their significant contribution to growth and employment; therefore calls for the implementation of an active policy to support all forms of innovation in these enterprises and also invites the Commission to create opportunities for mutual co-operation between businesses, the public sector, schools and universities, in order to create regional innovation clusters, in the spirit of the Lisbon Strategy;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Emphasises the single market’s vital contribution to 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, especially public education and health services; 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 fair access for citizens to services should be included in the debate on the territorial cohesion, the improvement in cross-border cooperation in this field and the need to have a clear and effective definition of the degree of freedom that Member States and their local and regional authorities have in managing their public service obligations (aid payments, public procurement management, etc.);
Amendment 107 #
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, outermost regions, outlying border towns, regions experiencing depopulation 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 addressing 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 whole;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Calls on the Commission to carry out an assessment of the contribution of the Lisbon and Gothenburg strategies to territorial cohesion, as part of the earmarking operation for the 2007-2013 Structural Funds;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Stresses that the convergence among countries very often masks a widening gap between and within regions and within individual regions; notes that those regional and local disparities can be observed in a number of areas, such as employment, productivity, income, education levels and innovation capacity; stresses also the role of territorial cooperation in helping to overcome these problems;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Points out that regional competitiveness depends to a great extent on productivity, on the accessibility of markets and on the level of qualification of the work force, all of which vary significantly more among regions and even within a single region than among Member States; notes furthermore that institutional factors are increasingly seen as key elements in competitiveness, such factors including the endowment of social capital in the form of business culture and shared norms of behaviour which facilitate cooperation and enterprise and also the efficiency of public administration;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)
Paragraph 20 c (new)
20c. Notes in this connection that some developed regions and even some less developed regions are beginning to experience multiple problems having strong territorial impact in terms of development potential: low economic growth rates, falling productivity and employment, ageing populations and depopulation;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls for a significant reinforcement of the European Territorial Cooperation Objective for the next programming period; is convinced of the European added value of this objective, not least because of the direct involvement of regional and local authorities in the planning and implementation of the relevant programmes of cross-border, trans-national and interregional cooperation; to that effect, stresses also the importance of the cross-border dimension and the relevant operational programmes of the European Neighbourhood Policyneed better to coordinate territorial cooperation measures with the external aspect of cross-border cooperation with an eye to EU enlargement, with countries eligible for membership of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), the Russian Federation and neighbouring countries of the outermost regions;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Notes that climate change will have significant repercussions for territorial cohesion but impact will vary depending on the region; natural disasters, such as forest fires, droughts and floods, will be more frequent and severe and will call for responses that differ depending on the region of the EU concerned; considers that EU cohesion policy should be ‘climate-friendly’, but recalls that the possibilities open to cohesion policy in this area are limited; takes the view that the fight against climate change should also be addressed under other Community policies;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Recalls the importance of mainstreaming the gender perspective, equal opportunities and the special needs of persons with disabilities and senior citizens at every stage in the implementation and assessment of cohesion policy;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Highlights the need to have the right instruments to take account of territorial disparities in public policies for example, disposable income per capita to take account of transfers, (which GDP per capita does not do), fiscal capacity and accessibility of different services (transport, energy distribution, health, education), or even the creation of composite human development indices;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Proposes that priority be given to any policies that promote a genuinely polycentric development of territories, in order to lessen the pressures on capital cities and encourage the emergence of secondary poles; considers that support for rural areas and the important role played by small and medium-sized towns located in rural areas should not be overlooked in that regard;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Points to regional disparities in terms of accessibility and communications between centres and peripheral areas, which are the result of geographical and structural disadvantages, insufficient investment in transport infrastructure, as well as a failure to diversify potential transport links, and insufficient public services such as education and health, etc.; points in particular to the substantial obstacles in terms of accessibility for mountainous and island regions as well as the peripheral and outermost regions, outlying border towns, sparsely populated areas and areas experiencing depopulation; Calls on the Community institutions, the Member States and regional and local authorities to take specific measures to reduce the disparities between territorially accessible regions and regions with structural disadvantages and to boost regional potential, the attractiveness of these regions and their sustainable development;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 c (new)
Paragraph 25 c (new)
25c. Emphasises the seriousness of the problem of depopulation in many territories of the EU, which brings with it the ageing of the population, the loss of human capital, capital flight, more expensive services, and so on;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Asks for the objectives of the Territorial Agenda and the Leipzig Charter to be included in the adoption of a specific action programme to improve integration of the territorial dimension into all public policies at Community, national, regional and local levels;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)
Paragraph 27 b (new)
27b. Calls on the Commission to address the serious problem of uncontrolled urbanisation which can give rise to demographic, economic, social, transport, and environmental imbalances within a restricted area and lead to suburbanisation and the depopulation of rural areas that are far from towns;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Recalls the importance of transitional funding mechanisms for phasing-in and phasing-out regions and for States which are dropping out of the Cohesion Fund in order to consolidate the levels of convergence they have achieved;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Recalls that the delays in implementing structural policy are due in part to the excessive rigidity of procedures and that, consequently, consideration should be given to simplifying those procedures and clearly dividing responsibilities and competences among the EU, the Member States and regional and local authorities;