Activities of Younous OMARJEE related to 2022/2147(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the assessment of the new Commission communication on outermost regions
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the assessment of the new Commission communication on outermost regions
Amendments (63)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
— having regard to Article 355 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which sets out the territorial scope of the Treaties, and the specific provisions applying to the outermost regions of the Union,
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 b (new)
Citation 1 b (new)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. WelcomNotes the Commission communication on Outermost Regions (ORs) (COM(2022)0198); calls for this strategy to be factored in to the post-2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF), but also as of 2023 as part of the MFF mid-term review; recalls that the ORs face specific permanent constraints and that the number of people at risk of poverty in the ORs is among the highest in the EU; notes that these challenges, combined with the effects of the current crisis, suggest a slower economic recovery in ORs than in other EU regions;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 c (new)
Citation 1 c (new)
— having regard to Article 107(3)(a) TFEU, which provides that aid to promote the economic development of the outermost regions may be compatible with the internal market,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 d (new)
Citation 1 d (new)
— having regard to Article 7 TFEU, which stipulates that the Union shall ensure consistency between its policies and activities, taking all of its objectives into account and in accordance with the principle of conferral of powers,
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Points out that the Court of Justice has emphasised that ‘the conditions of application of the Treaties’, within the meaning of Article 349 TFEU, must be interpreted as covering both the conditions relating to the application of primary EU law and those relating to the application of acts of secondary legislation adopted on the basis of that primary law; therefore calls on the Commission to ensure that, in its legislative initiatives, it takes into account the objectives referred to in Article 349 as a matter of course;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)
Citation 3 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 6 July 2017 on promoting cohesion and development in the outermost regions of the EU: implementation of Article 349 TFEU,
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 b (new)
Citation 3 b (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 27 April 2017 on the management of fishing fleets in the outermost regions,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 c (new)
Citation 3 c (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 26 February 2014 on optimising the potential of outermost regions by creating synergies between the Structural Funds and other European Union programmes,
Amendment 9 #
— having regard to its resolution of 18 April 2012 on the role of Cohesion Policy in the outermost regions of the European Union in the context of EU 2020,
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Reiterates its call to declare 2024 the European Year of Islands;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Calls on the Commission to step up its financial support for the ORs, including via ad hoc programmes and/or specific funds;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
— having regard to the final declaration of the 27th Conference of Presidents of the Outermost Regions of the European Union, held in Brussels from 14 to 16 November 2022,
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (new)
Citation 4 b (new)
— having regard to the judgment of the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the EU of 15 December 2015,
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines the key role of cohesion policy in unlocking ORs’ potential and offsetting the impact of their permanent constraints; stresses the need to better account for ORs’ specific features in cohesion fund programming, while ensuring they can fully benefit from provisions enabling greater flexibility, namely higher co-financing rates and access to pre-financing; regrets the fact that the specific characteristics of the ORs have not been systematically taken into account in the ‘Fit for 55’ package; stresses the need to factor ORs’ specific circumstances fully in to delivery of the Green Deal and to tap into their potential to achieve self- sufficiency fromwith regard to renewables by providing adequate support;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Reiterates the need to re-evaluate the rules governing State aid for businesses in the ORs; where the ORs are concerned, calls for an end to de minimis limits above which authorisation from the Commission is required;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the importance of mainstreaming support for ORs across EU programmes and instruments, in particular the European structural and investment funds (ESIF), the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe (REACT-EU) programme; highlights the need to extend the execution deadlines of the RRF to boost economic recovery in ORs; underlines the need to revise the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) so that it can better respond to regional disasterscalls on the Commission to ensure the cohesion objectives in national recovery and resilience plans are met and calls for a detailed report to be submitted to the European Parliament containing the final allocations in the national plans in the different categories of regions; underlines the need to revise the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF), to respond better to regional disasters and to give the EUSF’s budget a significant boost;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Highlights the success of the programme of options specifically relating to remoteness and insularity (POSEI) and calls on the Commission to replicate this instrument for other sectors, such as transport, in the post-2027 MFF; reiterates the importance of increasing; points out that because the budget allocation for the POSEI agriculture scheme has not been raised since 2009, and nor has it been adjusted for inflation, chronic under-funding is now affecting all the ORs at a time when the population of some ORs has seen a significant increase; deeply regrets the fact that Mayotte’s incorporation into the EU in 2014 has still not given rise to an increase in POSEI funding that is commensurate with its population to make it possible to provide support for farming in the region, which is one of the poorest in the EU; believes that the ORs have been placed at a disadvantage and discriminated against in agricultural aid reviews; calls for a fair increase in the current budget allocations forof the POSEI agriculture in the futurescheme as part of the mid-term review of the MFF, and takes the view that such an increase should, at the very least, take account of all the factors referred to here; also calls on the Commission to replicate this instrument for other sectors, such as transport, in the post-2027 MFF;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Emphasises that almost all the ORs are composed of volcanic islands or archipelagos; calls on the Commission to set up, based on EUROVOLC, a major EU programme in this regard focusing on the potential of volcanic regions, as well as a European research centre that could be based in an outermost region;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the ORs represent major assets for the European Union, but also face permanent difficulties as a result of the combination of their insularity (except for French Guiana), geographical dispersion, remoteness, small size, rough terrain and harsh climate, and economic dependence on a few products;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Emphasises that the cultural sector in the ORs has been hit harder than regions on mainland Europe; calls for additional specific instruments adapted to the characteristics of the cultural sector in the ORs to support and promote artists and tangible and intangible heritage, as well as to protect regional languages; lauds the Commission for the first call for projects published in December 2022 – a call that takes into account what these territories are really like;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Calls on the Commission to launch, by way of the Horizon 2020 programme and ERDF funds, a major programme for all the ORs and all European islands designed to develop green hydrogen;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the judgment of the Grand Chamber of the CJEU of 15 December 2015 clarified the broad scope of Articles 349 and 355 TFEU for the outermost regions;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas, under the Common Provisions Regulation, the outermost regions have specific additional allocations from the ERDF, the ESF+ and REACT EU, a specific component under the Interreg programme for the 2021-2027 programming period and a specific allocation within the Just Transition Fund Regulation;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragilities of the ORs’ economies and public sector, particularly hospital care; whereas the Russian invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated the economic impact of the pandemic, including rising inflation and rising unemployment rates, especially among young people;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas air and maritime transport are essential for connecting the ORs to the European mainland and to the countries and territories around them;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas there are no means of transport other than air and sea that link the ORs with the European mainland and the rest of the world;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas bridging the development divide between the ORs and the rest of the EU must remain a top priority for the EU and the Commission;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
Gb. whereas, generally, the economy in the ORs is not very diverse, relying to a large extent on tourism, and whereas this makes the markets more vulnerable in the event of socio-economic crises and natural disasters;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)
Recital G c (new)
Gc. whereas the exceptionally rich biodiversity and ecosystems of the ORs need to be better protected; whereas the French ORs are being discriminated against because they do not have access to Natura 2000 funds, while other regions in the EU do;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G d (new)
Recital G d (new)
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G e (new)
Recital G e (new)
Ge. whereas most ORs are volcanic, and whereas volcanic activity can have a devastating impact on the environment and the economy, as was the case following the eruption on La Palma in the Canary Islands in 2021;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G f (new)
Recital G f (new)
Gf. whereas, owing to their specific geographical characteristics, the ORs must be able to aim for food autonomy based on sustainable cycles and energy autonomy via renewables;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Points out that the Court of Justice has emphasised that ‘the conditions of application of the Treaties’, within the meaning of Article 349 TFEU, must be construed as covering both the conditions relating to the application of primary EU law and those relating to the application of acts of secondary legislation adopted on the basis of that primary law; points out, furthermore, that the Court has ruled that it follows from the wording and the objectives of Article 349 TFEU and from the scheme of the Treaties that, as regards the ORs, the territorial scope of the entire acquis of EU law is defined in particular by Article 52 TEU read in conjunction with Article 355(1) TFEU and by the measures adopted pursuant to Article 349 TFEU;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Regrets the fact that Article 349 is still not being automatically applied in every legislative initiative from the Commission, while recognising that some progress has been made; therefore calls on the Commission to ensure that in its legislative initiatives it systematically takes into account the objectives referred to in Article 349;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Takes the view that limited use has been made of Article 349 TFEU and that it could be interpreted in a more innovative and positive way, in particular with a view to creating ad hoc programmes and specific new policies; calls on the Commission, on the basis of Article 349, to come up with an omnibus regulation for the ORs so that specific measures designed to take account of the structural economic and social situation of the ORs can be applied in all the EU regulations and funds where this is necessary; takes the view that this omnibus regulation would make it possible for specific work to be done on the ORs, taking place outside the negotiations on other aspects of the regulations concerned which do not always allow for a precise, in-depth examination of the set of measures designed for these regions;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the Commission’s commitment to stepping up dialogue with the ORs and providing them with individualised support; calls on the Commission to adopt a tailor-made approach, defining an individual action plan for each OR in the context of a multi- level governance framework, with a timetable and common and specific measures and targets; calls on DG REGIO, in its monitoring activities, to take into account the specific difficulties that the ORs encounter, especially with regard to calls for tender and the time-limits for obtaining information from beneficiaries of the structural funds;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reiterates the need for greater flexibility into reassess the rules on State aid for companies in the ORs; calls for an end to the de minimis ceilings for the EU's ORs and islands above which authorisation from the Commission is required;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Recalls that the ORs suffer from structural and permanent disadvantages because of their insularity and remoteness; calls on the Commission to exclude payments to offset insularity and remoteness, particularly in the transport sector, when calculating State aid;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Underlines the need to apply Article 349 with a view to increasing investment in the ORs by the Union, the Member States, local authorities and private and public actors, avoiding any negative approach, in other words, specific measures that would hinder the process of making up for underdevelopment and the reduction in development disparities;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Recalls that Article 7 TEU confers on the Commission the role of guardian of the Treaties; emphasises that the outermost regions are fully integrated into the European Union and assimilated to its legal order, with their specific situation acknowledged by the Treaties, particularly Article 349 of the TFEU, which establishes a principle and a right of adaptation, addressed at the level of different Union policies;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Reiterates the Member States' responsiblity to commit fully to supporting the development of the ORs; recalls that the Member States must undertake to make all of the necessary base investments, which are the only way to make up for underdevelopment; regrets that some of the ORs continue to be among the poorest and least developed regions of the Union despite their Member State being one of the richest and most developed;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the Commission’s focus on ‘putting people first’; recalls, however, that the number of people at risk of poverty in the ORs is among the highest in the Union; underlines the importance of implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights in the ORs, in order to ensure greater solidarity between the generations, promote social protection and inclusion, and create new job opportunities;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Reiterates Parliament's request to the Commission to present a proposal to make 2024 the European Year of Islands;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Underlines that the cultural sector in the ORs has been hit harder than the regions of mainland Europe; calls for additional specific instruments adapted to the characteristics of the cultural sector in the ORs to support and promote artists and tangible and intangible heritage and protect regional languages;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Recalls that the ORs’ fishing fleet is old and obsolete; regrets the fact that the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) still does not support the renovation of fleets by covering the purchase of new vessels; calls on the Member States to renew the ORs' fishing fleets as soon as possible; regrets that it has taken the countries so long to carry out these renewals;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Points out that small-scale fishing is a key traditional sector in the outermost regions that is enabling a shift towards food autonomy;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Points out that the EU owes its status as the world's leading maritime power to a large extent to the EEZs in the ORs; regrets the fact that the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund lays insufficient emphasis on maritime affairs in this regard and calls for this aspect to be strengthened;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Calls for the Commission to engage in an immediate dialogue with Brazil and Suriname, and to exert pressure by all available means to put an end to the illegal fishing that fleets from these two countries are carrying out in the waters of French Guiana;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Recalls that the budget allocation for the POSEI agriculture scheme has neither been increased since 2009, nor has it been updated for inflation, which has resulted in chronic underfunding; advocates a fair increase in the current allocations for the POSEI agriculture scheme; , and this despite the fact that the population in many ORs is increasing steadily; laments the fact that there has been no upgrade to the POSEI in response to the entry of Mayotte into the EU; believes, therefore, the ORs to have been unfavourably treated in revisions of agricultural aid; advocates a fair increase in the current allocations for the POSEI agriculture scheme in the context of the MFF mid- term review; believes that this increase should, at the very least, take account of all the factors mentioned here;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Reiterates that food autonomy remains a priority for the ORs and that, while putting traditional sectors on a stable footing, the diversification of production also needs to be stepped up and supported;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Recalls the importance of animal maritime transport for the ORs’ economies, with small and distant islands very dependent on agriculture; stresses the need to continue working towards decent, animal-friendly transport conditions;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Recalls that stability in the transport sector and infrastructure in the ORs is fundamental for their key sectors such as tourism, agriculture and fisheries; points out too that it is the ports, airports, shipping routes and regular flight connections that connect the ORs to continental Europe, surrounding countries and the rest of the world; stresses, in this regard, that the Commission needs to consider the significance of transport and connectivity for the ORs entirely in the light of Article 349 TFEU, and that any weakening in the transport sector in the ORs exacerbates the risk of isolation, of an economic slowdown and of rising costs of living; believes that competition cannot be the only principle applied to the maritime and air transport sector in the ORs;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. points to the need to work on developing efficient public transport systems in the ORs;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6
Subheading 6
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Regrets the fact that the specificities of the ORs have not been systematically taken into account in the ‘Fit for 55’ package; calls on Member States to support the ORs without delay, including by way of new dedicated budget allocations, in the carbon-neutral transition and in achieving all the objectives laid down in the 'Fit for 55' package.
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Calls on the Commission to launch, by way of the Horizon 2020 programme and ERDF funds, a major programme for all the ORs and all European islands designed to develop green hydrogen;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Points out that almost all the ORs are composed of volcanic islands or archipelagos; calls on the Commission to set up, based on EUROVOLC, a major EU programme in this regard focusing on the potential of volcanic regions, as well as a European research centre that could be based in an outermost region;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Recognises the relevance of the Recovery and Resilience Facility for effective recovery in the ORs; points out, however, the importance of reconsidering the execution deadlines, taking into account the current context of war, inflation and labour and raw material shortages; calls on the Commission to ensure the cohesion objectives in national recovery and resilience plans are met and calls for a detailed report to be submitted to the European Parliament containing the final allocations in the national plans in the different categories of regions;
Amendment 328 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)
Paragraph 43 a (new)
43a. Calls on the ORs to make use of all EU funds and programmes; calls on the Commission to raise awareness of the ORs in all its directorates-general and to assist the ORs with their procedures in order to provide them with easier access to EU funds and programmes;