695 Amendments of Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 96

96. Encouraged, in this context, the Commission and the Court to pay greater attention to simplification, results achieved, performance audits and the final impact of policies;

2019/01/31
Committee: CONT

2018/2166(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 46

~~Conflicts of interest~~Rule of law and fight against fraud

2019/01/31
Committee: CONT

2018/2166(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 130

130. Deplores any kind of ~~conflict of interest~~threats to breach the values stated in Article 2 of the TEU that could compromise the implementation of the Union budget and undermine the trust of Union citizens in the proper management of Union taxpayers’ money; calls on the Commission to ensure that a zero tolerance policy with no double standards will apply regarding ~~conflicts of interest~~any breach of EU law;

2019/01/31
Committee: CONT

2018/2166(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 131

131. Calls on the Commission to ~~make a~~create a unified Europe-wide strategy for the active avoidance of conflicts of interest as one of its priorities with an adapted strategy of ex ante and ex- post control; calls on the commission, OLAF and the future EPPO to include in this strategy the protection both of whistleblowers and of investigative journalists;

2019/01/31
Committee: CONT

2018/2151(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Takes note of the reported results of 26 completed projects in 2017 outside the EU to which the assessment through results measurement framework (REM) for external interventions allows appraisal of results not only as expected, but as achieved; observes, however, that concerning activities inside the EU, information is presented ~~exclusive~~mostly on the potential impact and expected results of the new operations signed in 2017 based on the three pillar assessment (3PA) tool; ~~reiterates its call on the Bank to include information about results achieved by completed projects inside the EU and to adapt 3PA if necessary for this purpose;~~

2018/11/27
Committee: CONT

2018/2151(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Notes that the indicative geographical concentration limits set by the EFSI Steering Board requiring at the end of the investment period, the share of IIW investment (in terms of signed operations) in any three Member States together not to exceed 45% of the total EFSI portfolio has not been respected given that by 31 December 2017 the three Member States with the highest volume of signatures (France, Italy and Spain) accounted for roughly 47% of the volume signed; ~~strongly believes there is still room for~~but acknowledges recent relative improvement for broadening EFSI territorial distribution of funds ~~while disseminating as well more widely its investment opportunities~~;

2018/11/27
Committee: CONT

2018/2151(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Asks the EIB, in this regard, to seriously take into consideration this recommendation and to ensure clear division of responsibilities at the level of the Management Committee; ~~expects progress to be reported for 2018~~welcomes the initiated reform to alter the governance structure of the EIB;

2018/11/27
Committee: CONT

2018/2151(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39

39. Welcomes the adoption of the Interim Approach to the EIB policy towards weakly regulated, non-transparent and uncooperative jurisdictions (NCJ), adopted by the Board of Directors in January 2017, ~~but expects that it should lead to the~~acknowledges the current revi~~sion~~ew of this policy in order to ameliorate the EIB’s tax due diligence in its external lending alongside the revised EIB group AML-CFT framework; calls on the EIB to perform adequate corporate and integrity due diligence to identifying the true beneficial owners of all of its clients and operations ~~as well as ultimate investee companies when EIB investments into equity funds are at stake~~;

2018/11/27
Committee: CONT

2018/2151(INI)

Nedzhmi ALI, Filiz HYUSMENOVA, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Iskra MIHAYLOVA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45

45. Recalls the need to provide for more stringent rules on conflicts of interest and for clear, strict and transparent criteria to prevent any form of influence or lack of objectivity in the mechanism of attribution of loans; ~~reiterat~~acknowledges that the EIB ~~must~~has begun discussions to revise its Code of Conduct ~~as soon as possible~~ in order to make sure that its Vice- Presidents are not in charge of operations in their home Member States, since this poses a risk to the independence of the institution; calls on the EIB, in order to better prevent conflicts of interest in its governing bodies and potential ‘revolving door’ issues, to take into consideration the Ombudsman’s recommendations and to revise its Code of Conduct;

2018/11/27
Committee: CONT

2018/2150(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States, taking ~~all of the above into account and in accordance with the Negotiating Framework, to formally suspend the accession negotiations with Turkey; remains, however,~~into account that the accession negotiations have been the main driving force for the comprehensive reforms in Turkey having changed the daily lives of millions of Turks in positive way, to continue with the accession process; remains committed to democratic dialogue with Turkey; asks the Commission to use~~, during the formal suspension of negotiations,~~ all funds available under IPA II and the future IPA III to support, through a dedicated envelope directly managed by the EU, Turkey’s civil society, and to increase opportunities for people-to-people contacts, academic dialogue, access for Turkish students to European universities and media platforms for journalists;

2018/12/17
Committee: AFET

2018/2046(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Highlights that ~~the Union continues to face numerous challenges and is convinced that, especially~~ ahead of the UK withdrawal from the Union ~~and~~, the ~~2019 European elections, Union citizens expect the necessary financial resources to be deployed from the Union budget, in order to allow the Union to effectively respond to the abovementioned challe~~Union needs the necessary financial resources to respond to citizens expectations and allow the Union to effectively tackle the numerous challenges it faces such as the fight against youth unemployment, the security as well as humanitarian and migratory challenges, the fight against climate changes and to improve the day- to-day life of its citizens;

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2046(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Points out that Europe's citizens expect the Union to strain every sinew to ensure economic growth and foster job creation; recalls that meeting those expectations requires investments in research and innovation, digitalisation, education, infrastructure, SMEs and employment, particularly among the young people of Europe, and that any failure in that regard will foster disillusionment with the European ideal; expresses wonderment that the Council yet again proposes cuts to the very programmes that are designed to make the Union economy more competitive and innovative; stresses moreover that many of these programmes, for example Horizon 2020, are heavily oversubscribed, which constitutes a poor use of resources and means that many excellent projects do not receive funding; highlights also the fact that programmes such as Erasmus +, Horizon 2020 and the Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (COSME) provide a vivid demonstration of the advantages of working together across the Union and help create a feeling of European belonging; decides therefore to reinforce considerably Erasmus + and to strengthen programmes that contribute to growth and job creation, including Horizon 2020, Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and COSME;

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2046(BUD)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI, Wolf KLINZ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the Commission to speed up the delivery of cohesion policy programmes and related payments with a view to reducing the length of the implementation period in the next Multiannual Financial Frameworks, initially, to year n+2;

2018/09/06
Committee: CONT

2018/2046(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Highlights that youth unemployment remains unacceptably high in certain Member States and that the situation of young people in NEET (not in education, employment or training) situations and the long-term unemployed is particularly worrying; stresses that young people are the most at risk of poverty and social and economic exclusion; decides therefore to reinforce the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) beyond the level proposed by the Commission; stresses that such reinforcement should in no way be seen as a frontloading of the YEI allocation endorsed in the context of the MFF mid-term revision; underlines however that the YEI should be further improved and be made more efficient, notably by ensuring that it brings real European added value to youth employment policies in the Member States and does not replace the financing of former national policies;

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2046(BUD)

Nils TORVALDS, Gérard DEPREZ, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Highlights that youth unemployment is the lowest since 2000 in the Union, but remains unacceptably high in certain Member States and that the situation of young people in NEET (not in education, employment or training) situations and the long-term unemployed is particularly worrying; stresses that young people are the most at risk of poverty and social and economic exclusion; decides therefore to reinforce the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) beyond the level proposed by the Commission; stresses that such reinforcement should in no way be seen as a frontloading of the YEI allocation endorsed in the context of the MFF mid-term revision;

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2046(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Regrets that, under current projections, only 19,3 % of the Union budget 2014 – 2020 would be devoted to climate-related measures, failing thus to reach the target of 20 %; understands that this is largely due to delays in cohesion policy and the rural development programmes; urges Member States, who manage them, to speed up their implementation with a focus on climate- related spending in order to offset the lower allocations made during the first years of the MFF; calls on the Commission to develop an action plan within programmes having massive potential to contribute to reaching the climate-related spending target; calls also for a robust, annual consolidation exercise to progress towards the mainstreaming target, with concrete and coherent safeguards that guarantee climate proof budgetary decisions are in line with the EU’s commitments under the Paris agreement, with comprehensive reporting and monitoring of results anda realistic assessment of climate change needs that corrects overestimations and proposes additional measures in case the exercise shows that targets will not be met;

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2046(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Underlines that Heading 3 has been largely mobilized in the recent years to address the migratory and refugee c~~risis~~hallenge and that such actions should continue for as long as needed; calls on the Commission to actively monitor the adequacy of allocations under Heading 3 and make full use of all available instruments to respond in a timely manner to any unforeseen event that might require additional funding in the area of migration; decides to reinforce the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund to fully cover the needs of the Union in the field of migration, notably to support Members States in improving reception conditions, integration measures and practices for ~~migrant~~asylum seekers and migrants, enhancing solidarity and responsibility-sharing between the Member States and fair and effective return strategies; notes, once again, that the Heading 3 ceiling is inadequate to provide appropriate funding to the internal dimension of those priorities, as well as to other priority programmes, for example in the field of security, justice, citizenship and culture; considers that willingness of local authorities to do more than planned in their National Programme under shared management, to support the Union Resettlement Programme, should be further supported through the direct management strand of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF);

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2046(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Reiterates that part of the solution to the migratory and refugee c~~risis~~hallenge as well as to the security concerns of Union citizens lies in addressing the root causes of migration and devoting sufficient financial means to internal and external instruments that aim at tackling issues such as poverty, lack of employment, education and economic opportunities, instability, conflict and climate change in the European Neighbourhood and Africa ; is of the opinion that the Union should make optimal use of financial means under Heading 4 which proved to be insufficient to equally address all external challenges;

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2046(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Regrets that Parliament has not been duly involved in the discussions on the extension of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRT); reiterates its longstanding position that new initiatives must not be financed to the detriment of existing ~~Union external~~successful Union projects; maintains, while recalling its support for the continuation of the FRT, that, given the stretched situation under Heading 4 to respond to external challenges, including migration, the Union budget should contribute to the financing of the second tranche in the same proportion as for the first one, i.e. EUR 1 billion, while the Member States should contribute EUR 2 billion to its financing;

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2046(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Restores all cuts proposed by Council to the Draft Budget (DB) 2019 across all headings, with limited exceptions in Heading 4 and subheading 1b; ~~fails to understand the reasoning behind the proposed cuts~~refuses to accept the proposed cuts to programs with the highest European added value, for example those to Horizon 2020 and CEF, two programmes already affected by redeployments to EFSI, or majority of cuts to external policies; stresses that the logic behind Council’s cuts is not substantiated by the actual implementation figures and ignores the varying implementation patterns of certain programmes;

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2046(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Recalls that Erasmus+ remains a highly valued and hugely popular programme promoting youth learning mobility and vocational training, as demonstrated by the volume of applications received, which by far exceeds the funding available, and notes also that it helps foster a strong sense of European identity and encouragement for young people to take part in European democracy; deeply regrets that the 2019 draft budget for Erasmus+ falls well below Parliament’s expectations, failing to go beyond the programmed figures under the current MFF; considers it therefore essential to reinforce the education and training and youth strands of Erasmus +, as a corollary to the strengthening of the Youth Employment Initiative under subheading 1b;

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2046(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Highlights yet again the fact that SMEs are an essential part of the Union economy and play a crucial role in job creation throughout the Union; believes that there is a need to create an SME- friendly business environment, as well as to support SME clusters and networks; notes, however, with deep concern the Council cuts to the SME instrument, which send a contradictory signal to businesses in the Union; considers that the Union budget and access to finance backed by it can be a key tool in making SMEs more competitive and more innovative and in fostering the spirit of enterprise in the Union; recalls in this regard COSME and Horizon 2020;

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2046(BUD)

Nils TORVALDS, Gérard DEPREZ, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. ~~Recalls that youth unemployment rates~~Welcomes the decreasing rate of youth unemployment at Union level, with 14,8 % (1.10.2018) which is lower than before the economic crisis, but regrets that the level still remains unacceptably high in ~~the Union~~certain Member States; emphasises that, in order to address this issue, it is of importance to ensure proper funding of the Youth Guarantee schemes through YEI and the European Social Fund (ESF); welcomes the agreement on the need to provide fresh funding for YEI, and the inclusion of the corresponding appropriations in the DB 2019; considers nevertheless that, given the challenges and risks posed by youth unemployment, YEI should benefit from increased appropriations and therefore decides to bring YEI to EUR 580 million in commitments in 2019; considers that this increase is in addition to the amount for YEI currently programmed for the 2014- 2020 period;

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2046(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Points out the essential role played by the Union agencies in the area of justice and home affairs in enhancing cooperation between Member States to address the concerns of Union citizens; decides to increase budgetary appropriations and staffing of European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL), European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL), European Union Agency for the operational management of Large-Scale IT Systems (eu- LISA), European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit (Eurojust) and for the new European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO);

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2046(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53

53. In the context of the challenges the Union is still facing in terms of security, and bearing in mind the necessity for a coordinated European response, decides to reinforce the appropriations for the EUROPOL, EU-LISA, CEPOL, EUROJUST, EPPO, and the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA);

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2046(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79 a (new)

79 a. Reiterates Parliament’s support to the Strategic Communication Capacity and reinforces it to deliver a stronger coordinated EU response to the challenge of disinformation;

2018/10/03
Committee: BUDG

2018/2037(INI)

Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Jean ARTHUIS

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas the EU is both the world’s largest importer and exporter of agri-food products; at the same time the options of using CAP rural development programmes (RDPs) to contribute towards insurance, mutual funds and income stabilisation schemes for farmers have not been implemented widely;

2018/04/09
Committee: BUDG

2018/2037(INI)

Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET

Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)

B b. whereas there is a gap between income in agricultural sector and those in other sectors of the economy and additionally agricultural income is highly volatile; there is a risk of land being abandoned in areas with natural constraints; there should be sufficient investment into farm restructuring, modernization, innovation, diversification and the uptake of new technologies;

2018/04/09
Committee: BUDG

2018/2037(INI)

Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI

Draft opinion
Recital B c (new)

B c. whereas according to ECA´s Mar 2018 briefing paper Future of the CAP in 2010, for every 100 farm managers above 55, there were 14 farm managers below 35; in 2013 this value decreased to 10.8 farm managers below 35; the average age of EU farmers increased from 49.2 to 51.4 years over the period 2004 to 2013; the smallest farms are most often those of older farmers;

2018/04/09
Committee: BUDG

2018/2037(INI)

Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)

C a. whereas making EU value added a core objective is one of Commission´s proposals for all future EU policies; however, there is no commonly accepted definition for this concept;

2018/04/09
Committee: BUDG

2018/2037(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Draws attention to~~Welcomes the intention to simplify and modernise the CAP~~, but~~; calls on the Commission to ensure that financial and performance control and audit functions are performed tounder the same standards a~~nd under the same criteria across all Member Stat~~cross all Member States while fully respecting the principles of subsidiarity and flexibility; stresses that the Member States need to be given adequate competence to decide on the content, monitoring, control and sanctions of the support schemes applicable in their territories;

2018/04/09
Committee: BUDG

2018/2037(INI)

Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Urmas PAET

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. SUnderlines that agreeing on applying a sound definition of EU value added would benefit public debate and decision-making on future EU spending; supports the move towards increased efficiency of farming and EU added value.

2018/04/09
Committee: BUDG

2018/2037(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Stresses the need to continue the financing for rural development measures; endorses in this context the principles of LEADER-method as it is fostering innovations, partnership and networking in rural areas;

2018/04/09
Committee: BUDG

2018/2037(INI)

Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Calls for increased support for family farms and young farmers;

2018/04/09
Committee: BUDG

2018/2037(INI)

Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Calls for better synergies between CAP and other EU policies, in particular regarding energy, water supply, land use, biodiversity and ecosystems, and the development of remote and mountainous areas;

2018/04/09
Committee: BUDG

2018/2037(INI)

Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Urges the Commission and the Member States to monitor the significant price volatility of agricultural products and encourage the uptake of ‘risk management’ tools as they help to protect farmers’ incomes;

2018/04/09
Committee: BUDG

2018/2037(INI)

Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4 d. Calls for measures to further increase the competitiveness of food production sector, introduction of new technologies and increased productivity thus thereby strengthening the EU's leading role in the world.

2018/04/09
Committee: BUDG

2018/2024(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the proposed reinforcements to Horizon 2020, the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), Erasmus+ and programmes contributing to increase the security of EU citizens; points, however, to the need to further reinforce support for SMEs, which are key to enabling economic growth and job creation, and to dedicated appropriate resources to the digitalisation of the EU industry and the promotion of digital skills and digital entrepreneurship, as well as for programmes supportive to young people, namely ErasmusPro; recalls its conviction that the 2019 Erasmus+ budget needs to be at least doubled in 2019;

2018/06/20
Committee: BUDG

2018/2024(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Stresses that in 2019, cohesion policy programmes will be at cruising speed, and emphasises Parliament’s commitment to ensuring adequate appropriations for these programmes; ~~welcome~~regrets the fact that ~~almost all~~some of the managing authorities for the 2014-2020 programmes have still nowt been designated ; asks the Commission to analyse the reasons for the delays and, if it results from procedural difficulties, to review the whole designation procedure; points out that the unacceptable delays in the implementation of operational programmes have been to a large extent due to the late designation of those authorities; calls on the Member States to ensure that the implementation of the programmes is accelerated so as to catch up with the delays, and to seek the Commission’s assistance in this respect;

2018/06/20
Committee: BUDG

2018/2024(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. ~~Agre~~Believes that ~~migration~~ensuring the security of its citizens and addressing the migration challenges remains a top Union priorityies in 2019; deems it crucial to maintain spending in thisese areas at a high and stable level;

2018/06/20
Committee: BUDG

2018/2024(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. ~~Disapproves~~Takes note of the Commission’s proposal for the funding of the second tranche of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRT); supports the continuation of the FRT, but maintains that, as also proposed by the Commission on 14 March 20186 , the EU budget should contribute to its financing to the sum of EUR 1 billion, with Member States contributing EUR 2 billion by means of bilateral contributions, in order to leave sufficient margins under the MFF special instruments for unforeseen events in the last two years of the current MFF, as well as the financing of other priorities; also maintains that as the FRT has been a new initiative within this MFF, it should be funded by fresh appropriations; _________________ 6 OJ C 106, 21.3.2018, p. 4. OJ C 106, 21.3.2018, p. 4.

2018/06/20
Committee: BUDG

2018/2024(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Stresses that Erasmus+ remains the leading programme to foster youth mobility at all levels of education and vocational training and to encourage young people to take part in European democracy; recalls that administrative efforts need to be done to increase access to Erasmus+ and that the volume of eligible applications is by far exceeding the current budget ; believes, therefore, that the envelope of Erasmus+ should at least be doubled in 2019 to meet the eligible demand for this programme, notably that linked to lifelong learning;

2018/06/20
Committee: BUDG

2018/2024(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17 b. Recalls the crucial role of SMEs as an important driver of EU’s employment, economic growth and competitiveness, and underscores that their adequate funding must remain one of the top priorities of the EU budget; reminds that the EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME)is a successful programme, which have far more applicants than recipients of funding; regrets, in this respect, that the proposed allocation in commitments for COSME is not higher than 2.3 % in comparison with the 2018 budget and that the proposed allocation in payments is 0.6% lower in comparison with the 2018budget; calls, therefore, for COSME appropriations and payments to be reinforce in 2019, given the success of this programme;

2018/06/20
Committee: BUDG

2018/2024(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Welcomes the fact that the implementation of the 2014-2020 programmes is reaching full speed, and reiterates that any ‘abnormal’ buildup of unpaid bills must be avoided in the future; also ~~welcome~~regrets the fact that ~~the great majority~~some of the national managing authorities have still nowt been designated ; asks the Commission to analyse the reasons for the delays and, if it results from procedural difficulties, to review the whole designation procedure; calls on the Commission and the Member States to resolve any outstanding issues in order for the implementation to proceed smoothly;

2018/06/20
Committee: BUDG

2018/2024(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Notes that a total of EUR 3 728.5 million in commitment appropriations is proposed for Heading 3, which represents a 6.7 % increase over 2018, and that the total for payment appropriations is EUR 3 486.4 million, i.e. a 17 % increase over last year’s proposals; underlines, however, that these increases follow years of declining funding levels and that overall funding for different key areas such as migration, border management or internal security still represents only 2.3 % of total proposed EU spending in 2019; questions the proposed EUR 281.2 million in commitments for supporting legal migration to the Union and promoting the effective integration of third-country nationals and enhancing fair and effective return strategies, which represents a 14.4 %decrease over 2018 ; calls on the Commission to provide further explanations as to the reasons for this cut;

2018/06/20
Committee: BUDG

2018/2024(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Expects the pressure on some Member States’ migration and asylum systems, as well as on their borders, to remain high in 2019, and urges the Union to remain vigilant regarding any future, unpredictable needs in these areas; calls in this regard for a reinforcement of the means of control at the external borders and reaffirms that tackling the root causes of the migration and refugee crisis represents a long-term sustainable solution, along with stabilisation of the EU’s neighbourhoods, and that investments in the countries of origin of migrants and refugees are key to achieving this objective ;

2018/06/20
Committee: BUDG

2018/2024(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)

32 a. Takes note of the fact that, in its financial programming for the year 2019, the Commission grants EUR 175 million of financial aid for Greece: considers this aid appropriate in the light of the situation in that country and in any case does not relieve this aid in question; considers, however, that financial support should also be granted to Italy and questions the lack of such support in the Commission's programming; calls therefore on the Commission to state the reasons which led it to take such a decision; recalls that Italy is the only country where a majority of its population considers that they have not benefited from membership of the European Union;

2018/06/20
Committee: BUDG

2018/2024(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Believes that in the context of a wide range of security concerns, including changing forms of radicalisation, violence and terrorism that surpass individual Member States’ capacity to respond, the EU budget should encourage cooperation on security-related matters; in this context, questions how this high-risk security context is reconcilable with the proposed significant decrease of commitment appropriations (-26,6 %) for the Internal Security Fund (ISF); regrets that the Commission has still not presented a proposal which would provide for the expression of financial solidarity at EU level to victims of acts of terrorism and their families; recalls the commitments made by the Commission in this respect during the conciliation on the 2018 budget and calls on the Commission to do the necessary to ensure that such aid is put in place rapidly;

2018/06/20
Committee: BUDG

2018/2024(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45

45. Stresses the importance of pilot projects (PP) and preparatory actions (PA) as tools for the formulation of political priorities and the introduction of new initiatives that might turn into standing EU activities and programmes; intends to proceed with the identification of a balanced package of PP-PAs, reflecting the political priorities of Parliament~~; calls for~~ and taking into account a proper and timely ~~technical~~ pre- assessment ~~of its proposals submitted to~~by the Commission; notes that in the current proposal, the margin in some headings is limited, or even non-existent, and intends to explore ways to make room for possible PP-PAs without decreasing other political priorities;

2018/06/20
Committee: BUDG

2018/2024(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47

47. Reiterates its position that the 5 % staff reduction target has been successfully reached and underlines that in the light of the Court of Auditors’ rapid case review, th~~ere is~~is practice did not ne~~ed to continue this policy~~cessarily meet the expected results; believes that the decentralised agencies need to be assessed using a case-by-case approach; welcomes the endorsement by all institutions of the recommendations of the Interinstitutional Working Group;

2018/06/20
Committee: BUDG

2018/2001(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas a budget of EUR 2 026 844 000 has been proposed by the Secretary-General for Parliament's preliminary draft estimates for 2019, representing an overall increase of 3,90 % on the 2018 budget (including EUR 37,3 million for the change of parliamentary term and EUR 34,3 million for other extraordinary expenditure) and a~~n increas~~ share of 18,79 % onf heading V of the 2014-2020 MFF;

2018/03/14
Committee: BUDG

2018/2001(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas, in the case of the US House of Representatives, the total appropriations dedicated to the representational allowance of Members amounted to EUR 500 million for 435 Representatives8 , whereas for Parliament, those appropriations amounted to EUR 458 million for 751 MEPs9 ; __________________ 8 CRS report on Legislative Branch: FY2016 Appropriations, 1 February 2016. 9 Report of the Secretary General to the Bureau on the Preliminary Draft Estimates of the European Parliament for the Financial Year 2019;

2018/03/14
Committee: BUDG

2018/0254(COD)

Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2

(2) The Fund would contribute to the establishment of a strong, competitive and innovative defence industrial and technological base and go hand in hand with the Union's initiatives towards a more integrated European Defence Market and in particular, the two Directives6 on procurement and on EU transfers in the defence sector adopted in 2009. The fund will form a cornerstone of a sound European defence industrial policy. _________________ 6 Directive 2009/43/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, simplifying terms and conditions of transfers of defence-related products within the Community, OJ L 146, 10.6.2009, p. 1; Directive 2009/81/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the coordination of procedures for the award of certain works contracts, supply contracts and service contracts by contracting authorities or entities in the fields of defence and security, OJ L 216, 20.8.2009, p. 76.

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0254(COD)

Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6 a (new)

(6a) The Fund should provide adequate support for research and development actions in the area of disruptive technologies for defence;

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0254(COD)

Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21 a (new)

(21a) Actions with the participation of cross-border SMEs support the opening up of the supply chains and contribute to the objectives of the Fund. Such actions should therefore be eligible for an increased funding rate which should benefit all entities participating in the consortium.

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0254(COD)

Urmas PAET, Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23

(23) The promotion of innovation and technological development in the Union defence industry should take place in a manner coherent with the security and defence interests of the Union. Accordingly, the action's contribution to those interests and to the defence research and capability priorities commonly agreed by Member States should serve as an award criterion. Within the Union, common defence research and capability shortfalls are identified in the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) framework notably through Overarching Strategic Research Agenda and the Capability Development Plan. Other Union processes such as the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence and the Permanent Structured Cooperation will support the implementation of relevant priorities through identifying and taking forward opportunities for enhanced cooperation with a view to fulfilling the EU level of ambition on security and defence. Where appropriate, regional and international priorities, including those in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation context, ~~may~~should also be taken into account if they are in line with Union priorities and do not prevent any Member State or an associated country from participating, while also taking into account that unnecessary duplication should be avoided.

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0254(COD)

Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 46 a (new)

(46a) The Commission should establish and maintain a standing stakeholder conference on the development of a common European armaments and capability policy. Twice a year this conference should be an open forum for an exchange between all defence stakeholders where the European armaments and capability policy stands and how it could develop in the future.

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0254(COD)

Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – point b

(b) support collaborative development projects of defence products and technologies consistent with defence capability priorities commonly agreed by Member States within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, thus contributing to greater efficiency of defence spending within the Union, achieving greater economies of scale, reducing the risk of unnecessary duplication and as such reducing the fragmentation of defence products and technologies throughout the Union. Ultimately, the Fund will lead to greater interoperability between Member States' capabilities and to the effective implementation of a sound European defence industrial policy.

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0254(COD)

Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL

Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – point b

(b) up to EUR 8 900 000 000 for development actions of which up to 5% for SMEs.

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0254(COD)

Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL

Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2

2. Proposals shall be systematically screened to identify those actions raising complex or serious ethics issues and submit them to an ethics assessment. Ethics screenings and assessments shall be carried out by the Commission ~~with the support of experts on defence ethic~~in close cooperation with the Member States. The Commission shall ensure the transparency of the ethics procedures as much as possible.

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0254(COD)

Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Gérard DEPREZ, Louis MICHEL

2. The Commission shall implement information and communication actions relating to the Fund, and its actions and results. Financial resources allocated to the Fund shall also contribute to the corporate communication of the political priorities of the Union, as far as they are related to the objectives referred to in Article 3, and set- up and maintain a standing stakeholder conference on the development of a common European armaments and capability policy.

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0249(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 3

3. Within the specific objectives set out in paragraph 2, the instrument shall be implemented inter alia through the implementation measures listed in Annex II.

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0249(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1

1. Within the objectives referred to in Article 3 and, where appropriate, in line with the implementation measures listed in Annex II, the instrument shall in particular support the actions listed in Annex III.

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0249(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. The contribution from the Union budget to the technical assistance at the initiative of the Member States may amount to 100% of the total eligible expenditure.

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0249(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 12 – paragraph 3

3. ItThe Commission shall consult the European Border and Coast Guard Agency on the draft programmes with a specific emphasis on the activities included under operating support in line with Article 3(2)(a) to ensure consistency and complementarity of the actions of the Agency and those of the Member States regarding border management as well as to avoid double financing and to achieve cost efficiency.

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0249(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 12 – paragraph 12 – point c

(c) Member States may decide to purchase ~~items for~~ multi-purpose ~~maritime operations supported by the instrument~~assets or develop ICT-systems, provided that these items when operated by the relevant national authorities are involved in border surveillance operations at least 60 % of the total period of use for national purposes within a year. ~~These i~~Items shall be registered at the technical equipment pool of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in view of making these assets available in accordance with Article 39(8) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1624;

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0249(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Member States may decide to purchase equipment or develop ICT- systems for multi-purpose use provided that these items and systems when operated by the relevant national authorities are in a majority used for the actions which fall under the scope of the Fund or instrument. The costs of these actions maybe included in full to the Fund or instrument.

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0249(COD)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Nedzhmi ALI, Wolf KLINZ

Proposal for a regulation
Annex IV – point 9 a (new)

(9 a) Measures which aim at improving the interoperability of IT systems and communication networks.

2018/10/11
Committee: BUDG

2018/0196(COD)

Mercedes BRESSO, Nedzhmi ALI, Eric ANDRIEU, Franc BOGOVIČ, Andrea COZZOLINO

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4 a (new)

(4a) Particular attention shall be paid to rural areas affected by industrial transition, and regions which suffer from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps pursuant to Article 174 of TFEU.

2018/10/24
Committee: REGI

2018/0196(COD)

Mercedes BRESSO, Nedzhmi ALI, Eric ANDRIEU, Franc BOGOVIČ

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 64

(64) A certain amount of the resources from ERDF, the ESF+ and the Cohesion Fund should be allocated to the European Urban Initiative which should be implemented through direct or indirect management by the Commission. Following the EP Resolution calling for an EU Agenda for rural, mountainous and remote areas, similar provision should be addressed to those areas as well.

2018/10/24
Committee: REGI

2018/0196(COD)

Mercedes BRESSO, Nedzhmi ALI, Eric ANDRIEU, Franc BOGOVIČ, Andrea COZZOLINO

Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point e

(e) a Europe closer to citizens by fostering the sustainable and integrated development of urban areas, rural a~~nd coastal area~~reas, regions suffering from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps and local initiatives.

2018/10/24
Committee: REGI

2018/0196(COD)

Mercedes BRESSO, Nedzhmi ALI, Eric ANDRIEU, Franc BOGOVIČ, Andrea COZZOLINO

Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 1 – point g a (new)

(g a) where appropriate, an integrated approach to address the demographic challenges of regions or specific needs of geographical areas which suffer from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps as referred to in Article174 TFEU.

2018/10/24
Committee: REGI

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Recalls the European budgetary principles of unity, budgetary accuracy, annuality, equilibrium, universality, specification, performance, sound financial management and transparency, which must be respected when the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is established;

2018/10/05
Committee: CONT

2018/0166R(APP)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Nedzhmi ALI, Wolf KLINZ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Points out that the Europe 2020 strategy will end before the start of the new MFF period, and that no new set of strategic EU goals has been decided on yet; stresses once again that public budgets are to be determined after the setting of political objectives and the designing of policies, in order to deliver results; regrets that the new MFF proposal has become a vehicle for shaping the EU’s political objectives after 2020 rather than simply reflecting them;

2018/10/05
Committee: CONT

2018/0166R(APP)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 25

25. Recalls that in the Reflection Paper on the Future of EU finances3 , the Commission proposed a list of seven criteria for the assessment of EU value added and spelled out the fact that EU financial support for programmes should depend on the results of that assessment4 ; is concerned that a transparent and foreseeable definition of EU value added is missing; _________________ 3 Reflection Paper on the Future of EU finances, 28 June 2017, COM (2017)0358. 4 The criteria comprised: Treaty objectives and obligations, public goods with a European dimension, economies of scale, spillover effects, subsidiarity, benefits of EU integration and European values: peace, democracy rule of law.

2018/10/05
Committee: CONT

2017/2286(BUD)

Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas ~~support for populist and extremists movements in all Member States has been rising and has often led to misleading~~populist movements in all Member States highlighting the need for better and more transparent information about the EU and its budget;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

~~E. whereas years of austerity policies have reinforced the mistrust of citizens towards the EU;~~deleted

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that ~~the slow recovery from the consequences of the financial, economic and social crisis has fallen short of influencing positively the day-to-day lives of EU citizens, while soci~~while the strengthening recovery from the financial, economic and social crisis creates possibilities for the EU Member States and citizens, a special focus should however be on the different regions capability to take advantages of the increasing growth, so as to avoid social and regional inequalities ~~keep on~~from growing;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that ~~the slow recovery from~~, after many of them have been hard hit, for several years, by the consequences of the financial, economic and social crisis ~~has fallen short of influencing positiv~~, citizens feely the ~~day-to-day lives of EU citizens, while social inequalities keep on growing~~beneficial effects of the renewed growth, the increase in employment and the stabilizing of public finances;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Emphasises that~~, contrary to populist narrative,~~ EU citizens expect the Union to do more, and to protect them from ~~the consequences of global competition, climate change and international security threa~~climate change, international security threats and the negative consequences of global competition, while helping them reap its benefits; believes that in order to fulfil these expectations, the EU must, within the remit of its competences, perform better, so as to narrow the gap in living standards between EU citizens, to prepare the European economy and EU citizens ~~to face up to the challenge~~for the opportunity of digitalisation, to manage migration flows, and to put an end to various kinds of discrimination, such as discrimination against women or LGBTI people, while fully adhering to the EU 2020 strategy ~~and~~, UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris agreement;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Believes that the 2019 EU budget must ~~primarily~~ answer to the challenges the EU youth is facing, through support for entrepreneurship and via an improved mobility at all levels of education and vocational training;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Believes that the priorities for the 2019 EU budget should be growth, innovation, competitivness, fight against climate change and transition to renewable energy, migration and security;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Urmas PAET, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Calls on the Commission to fulfil the objectives of the Paris agreement and the EU’s own long-term climate goals by meeting the 20 % spending target for climate in current 2014-2020 MFF; stresses, in this regard, that the contribution for 2019 should significantly overshoot the overall target in order to offset the lower allocations made during the first years of the MFF and that the mechanism of climate change mainstreaming should be fully optimised;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Supports the widening of opportunities for the young people to participate in solidarity activities; calls for a swift roll-out and thorough implementation of the European Solidarity Corps following the foreseen adoption of the initiative in 2018;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the fact that, at the strong request of Parliament, the result of the conciliation on the 2018 EU budget was to increase the originally proposed specific allocation for the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) by EUR 116.7 million of fresh appropriations, bringing its total amount to EUR 350 million in 2018, but points to the need to improve the implementation of the funds that has lagged behind; expects the 2019 budget to demonstrate great ambition to fight youth unemployment in accordance with the real absorption capacity in that area;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Calls on the Commission to make available for 2019 the financial data on implementation of the Youth Employment Initiative broken down by national share to complement the data reporting on total costs that is currently publicly available; urges the Commission to improve synergies between the Youth Employment Initiative, the European Social Fund, and national budgets of the Members States to make sure that the YEI does not substitute for national funding for the NEETs;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Believes that, ~~in the light of the celebration of its 30~~as proved by the volume of applications exceeding the a~~nniversary~~vailable funding, Erasmus+ remains the leading programme to foster youth mobility, learning and inculcateing key European values in young people, together with the EU’s culture programmes; believes that the 2019 Erasmus+ budget should be sufficient to answer positively to all eligible demands;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Recommends~~Believes that research, competitiveness and SMEs are key to enable economic growth and job creation; underlines therefore the importance to provid~~ing~~e EU companies, especially SMEs, with a favourable environment for innovation, by properly financing the EU’s research programmes, such as Horizon 2020, and programmes that support SMEs, such as COSME; considers this to be necessary in view of the rapidly changing and highly competitive world and the profound changes in all sectors brought on by digitalisationresearch and investments to reach a genuinely competitive EU economy on a global level; stresses the importance of a stable and increased budget of Heading 1a, with a proper financing of the successful Horizon 2020, and programmes that support SMEs, such as COSME;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Stresses the potential for economic growth stemming from the technological transformation and calls for an appropriate role of the EU budget in supporting the digitalisation of the European industry and the promotion of digital skills and digital entrepreneurship.

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. ~~Recalls that~~Welcomes the extension and enhancement of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) and the expansion of the investment target enabled by the increase of the EU guarantee; reminds that the enlarged guarantee fund has been financed partly at the expense of Horizon 2020 and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF); reiterates Parliament’s long-standing position that any new initiatives should be financed by new appropriations;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Stresses that the extended EFSI should make a significant progress in 2019 on delivering on better geographical coverage, so that all regions can equally benefit from the leverage provided by the EU budget guarantee; calls on the Member States to implement structural reforms that improve the investment environment and local capacities for successful implementation of EFSI support in all regions;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Welcomes the Member States’ recent commitment to a renewed EU defence agenda, which seeks to enhance both hard and soft power, and considers it to be in line with the security concerns of citizens, in the light of rising global instability that is exacerbated by new types of threats; supports the recent Commission initiative to launch the European Defence Industrial Development Programme, as a first stage of the European Defence Fund; reiterates that it should not be financed by any redeployments from existing successful programmes;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Underlines that tackling internal security must remain the Union’s top priority and calls for the reinforced funding for this evolving policy; is convinced that the EU needs to invest more in the strengthening and the management of its borders, enhancing cooperation between law enforcement agencies and national authorities and fighting terrorism, radicalisation and organised crime, ensuring the interoperability of information systems; underlines, in this respect, the role played by the Internal Security Fund (ISF) and the need to adequately fund agencies in the areas of borders, security and justice; reminds that the financial envelope of this instrument was significantly reduced for 2018;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8 b. Calls for increased funding to combat the phenomenon of radicalization that breeds violent extremism within the Union; considers that this objective can be achieved by promoting integration and combating discrimination, racism and xenophobia;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)

8 c. Considers that tackling irregular migration and the reception of the asylum seekers is one of the main challenge; welcomes the role played by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF); calls for adequate budgeting in 2019 for this fund in order to support dignified reception of asylum seekers in the Member States, fair return strategies, resettlement programs, legal migration policies and the promotion of effective integration of third country national; reaffirms the importance of having targeted financial means to tackle the root causes of the migrant and refugee crisis; stresses that, to this end, the EU budget must fund measures in the countries of origin of migrants and in the host countries of refugees, including, but not limited to, measures to tackle poverty, unemployment, educational and economic challenges and instability, conflict and climate change;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 d (new)

8 d. Calls on the Commission to present a proposal which would aim at providing at the European level for the expression of financial solidarity to victims of acts of terrorism and their families;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Expects the negotiations on the 2019 budget to lead to realistic operational and administrative funding of the EU agencies and the new EU bodies, enabling them to accomplish their growing tasks of fight~~ing organised crime, terrorism and border managemen~~ against cross-border crime and cybercrime, drugs, fraud, money laundering, terrorism, support for asylum, judicial cooperation, police cooperation, border management, data protection, support for information systems on a large scale and support for fundamental rights; calls for the allocation of adequate resources to ensure the proper implementation and functioning of the European Public Prosecutor's Office; calls, in a more general way, for a thorough assessment of the strategic interest and tasks of all agencies and the possibilities of grouping agencies according to the strategic nature of their mission and their result;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Expects the negotiations on the 2019 budget to lead to realistic operational and administrative funding of the EU agencies, enabling them to accomplish their growing tasks of fighting organised crime, terrorism and border management, and completeing the Energy Union;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. ~~Stress~~Believes that the Member States’ strong social protection systems have helped them to mitigate the consequences of the crisis; believes that the EU can support the Member States, while fully respecting their competences, by budgeting properly programmes which set out to fight inequalities, alleviate the worst forms of poverty, including child poverty, and overcome the negative effects of digitalisation on working conditions and social protection systemsEU budget should contribute to the efforts by the Member States, to fight inequalities, create growth and jobs, alleviate the worst forms of poverty, including child poverty, and prepare citizens to benefit from digitalisation;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Reiterates its concern about delays to the implementation of the cohesion policy, and expects th~~is important express~~e Member States to get the implementation of theis EU’s ~~territorial solidarity to get~~most important investment policy up to speed; believes that sufficient levels of payment and appropriations for commitments should be provided in order for implementation to proceed smoothly;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Believes that both the EU and the Member States should demonstrate solidarity towards ~~migrant~~asylum seekers arriving in Europe in facing up to this challenge; reiterates the importance of the principle of burden-sharing among Member States in financing the efforts needed to provide sufficient support for refugees; believes that EU agencies and policies involved in or relating to the management of migration flows should be adequately financed to meet this challenge and that the EU, in order to mitigate the cost in the long term and by acting in a manner befitting its values, should also demonstrate solidarity in creating conditions for peace and prosperity in the countries of origin by placing greater emphasis on development policies; recalls that the redeployment of funding from development to security and defence objectives must be avoided;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2286(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Jean ARTHUIS, Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Reiterates its position that the satellite budgetary mechanisms such as trust funds and other similar instruments circumvent the budgetary procedure, undermine transparency of budgetary management and obstruct the right of the Parliament to exercise effective scrutiny of expenditures; considers, therefore, that these external instruments that were created in recent years must be incorporated into the Union budget;

2018/02/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2190(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Invit~~Welcomes the EIB ~~to pursue efforts in that direction by~~´s efforts to provid~~ing~~e policymakers with complete and exhaustive information on the concrete and achieved economic, social and environmental impacts and added value of its operations in the Member States and outside the EU in the form of 3PA and ReM reports respectively; stresses the importance of carrying out, for each project, an independent ex-ante and ex-post evaluation; calls on the EIB to provide detailed examples of crossnational added value in its impact investment reporting as well as key-indicators of sectoral and intersectoral successes;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Points out the recurrent need for the EIB to contribute to reducing the lasting investment gap on the basis of sound economic criteria; ~~emphasises~~notes therefore that the assessment of funded projects ~~should also~~ takes into account social, economic and environmental externalities (both positive and negative), especially with respect to the effects that they have on local communities, in order to understand whether real added value is delivered to EU citizens;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Nedzhmi ALI, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Wolf KLINZ, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Considers that approval of investment projects should be based on a sound, independent analysis assessing the financial sustainability and risks associated with the projects, in order to avoid the risk of socialisation of losses and privatisation of returns when public resources are involved; stresses that the provision of ~~public subsidies~~lending should be envisaged only for the execution of missions of general interests and where market failures have been clearly identified;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the EIB to take into account, in the case of large-scale infrastructure projects, all risks likely to have an impact on the environment and to finance only those which have demonstrated real added value for the environment, the economy and the local population; stresses the importance of strict monitoring of possible risks of corruption and fraud and asks the EIB to freeze any loans to projects wheren an official investigation ~~is underway~~, OLAF or national, so requires;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Considers the triple-A rating to be a ~~relevant~~n essential asset for the development of the EIB’s investment strategy and long- term lending priorities; recalls, however, that in order to contribute to the economic development of the EU, the EIB’s instruments and interventions – notably the ones based on risk transfers – cannot be risk-free;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Considers that leveraging up the impact and ensuring additionality are of pivotal relevance; takes note of the modelling and estimated impact of the EIB’s activities, which should contribute to an additional 1.1 % of GDP growth and to the creation of an additional 1.4 million jobs by 2030; welcomes the fact that 385 000 SMEs, which are the backbone of the EU economy and drivers of employment and sustainable growth, will benefit from EIF financing; asks the EIB to regularly report on updated leverage effects; understands however, that leverage vary among sectors and a project with lower leverage does not necessarily imply low added value;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Recalls that the underlying rationale of the EFSI, which is supported by the EU budget, unlike other current EIB financing instruments, is to provide additionality by identifying truly additional and innovative future-oriented sectors, and projects with higher risk, along with new counterparts from the private sector;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Recalls that the assessment of the additionality of all EFSI-supported projects must be duly documented; regrets that the scoreboards for the approved operations are not published under EFSI 1.0; recalls that this failure to publish creates both accountability and transparency issues; emphasises thate importance of transparency regarding the EFSI Scoreboard of Indicators ~~is necessary~~, also in view of the need to hold the EFSI Investment Committee accountable, and notes therefore positively that the Scoreboard of Indicators will be made public under EFSI 2.0;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Nedzhmi ALI, Martina DLABAJOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. ~~Deplores the fact that t~~Calls on the Bank to shed lisght ofn EFSI projects ~~chosen to receive funding under EFSI~~which potentially includes infrastructure installations with serious environmental impact and dubious additionality, such as first generation biorefineries, steelworks, regasification and gas storage facilities and motorways; criticises the fact that in many cases the EIB has failed to take action on reports from local authorities, stakeholder communities and civil society groups of environmental and social legislation being breached by funding recipients and by the projects financed, claiming that it was not its responsibility to carry out the necessary investigations; calls onalls on the Bank to seriously take into account statements from local authorities, stakeholder communities and civil society groups according to its due diligence procedures; recommends the EIB, with reference to the precautionary principle, to freeze and, if necessary, to withdraw funding wherever there is ~~any suspicion~~enough evidence of environmental infringements and damage to society or to local communities;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Regrets the fact that only 20 % of EFSI financing has supported projects that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, whereas the EIB’s standard portfolio has attained the 25% threshold; calls on the EIB to ensure that its maximum standards are respected in all circumstances, with a view to protecting the environment and meeting the COP21 criteria; notes therefore with satisfaction that at least 40% of EFSI projects under the Infrastructure and Innovation Window will be committed to climate action in line with the COP21 objectives;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. ~~Urges~~Takes note of the improvement of the transparency of the operations selection process and disclosure of ~~all~~ operational information on signed operations through the scoreboard of indicators, as well as of the accountability of operations, under EFSI 2.0 regulation;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45

45. Notes that total lending to innovative projects in 2016 amounted to EUR 13.5 billion, of which EUR 12.2 billion concerned first signatures, while total project investment costs corresponding to new operations were EUR 50.2 billion;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46

46. UrEncourages the EIB to ~~ensur~~continue its support for innovative firms in their development and commercialisation of new products, processes and services as they face difficulties in obtaining financial aid from commercial banks; stresses the role of the EIB in helping to complete Europe’s digital network (e.g. fast broadband) and create a single digital market, including digital services; encourages the EIB to develop incentives aimed at promoting public and private sector investment in R&D in the fields of information and communications technology, life sciences, food, sustainable agriculture, forestry and low- carbon technologies;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58

58. Calls on the EIB, with regard to its ~~new~~revised External Lending Mandate, to ensure that real added value and additionality are brought by the new priority on migration added ~~to the previous ones, namely climate, SMEs~~by the co- legislators to the existing ones, namely climate, private sector development and socio-economic infrastructure; stresses, therefore, the need to implement the newly-created Economic Resilience Initiative in an appropriate manner, supporting projects that are different from previously financed ones;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61

61. Welcomes the disclosure of the minutes of the meetings of the EIB Board of Directors, and ~~calls on~~recommends the EIB also to ~~disclose the minutes~~consider disclosing non-confidential information of the meetings of the Management Committee; at project level, reiterates its request concerning the systematic disclosure of Completion Reports for EIB activities outside Europe, as well as of the 3PA and REM sheets for EIB projects; believes that the practice of disclosing the Scoreboard of Indicators, as foreseen for EFSI 2.0, should be applied to all projects implemented by the EIB;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2190(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66

66. Positively notes the importance given by the EIB to its policy of zero tolerance of fraud, corruption and collusion; ~~insists that the EIB revise its policy on preventing and deterring prohibited conduct in EIB activities, which should set in stone the need for the EIB to freeze financing or approving further~~calls on the EIB to take all appropriate measures, including suspension of payments and loan disbursements ~~for~~, with view of projtect~~s that are under ongoing national or OLAF investigation for corruption and fraud~~ing the EIB´s and the EU´s financial interests whenever OLAF or criminal investigations so require and calls further the EIB to adapt its internal rules accordingly; underlines the need to disclose information on the contracting and subcontracting system in order to avoid any risk of fraud and corruption; stresses the fact that the EIB website should contain a dedicated and visible space where debarred entities are listed publicly, in order to ensure a deterrent effect; underlines the importance of the EIB entering into cross-debarment networks with other multilateral lenders; calls on the EIB to harmonise its debarment policy with other multilateral lenders, such as the World Bank, which lists more than 800 individuals and firms as ‘debarred’ despite its volume of funding being approximately one half of that of the EIB;

2018/02/07
Committee: CONT

2017/2179(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)

- having regard to the report of the European Court of Auditors on the rapid case review on the implementation of the 5% reduction of staff posts published on 21 December 2017,

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2179(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Emphasises that the agencies are highly visible in the Member States and have significant influence on policy and decision making and programme implementation in areas of vital importance to European citizens, such as health, safety, security, freedom and justice, research and industrial development, economic and monetary affairs, employment and social progress; reiterates the importance of the tasks performed by agencies and their direct impact on the daily lives of Union citizens; reiterates also the importance of the autonomy of the agencies, in particular of the regulatory agencies and those with the function of independent information collection; recalls that the main reasons for establishing agencies was for the purpose of making independent technical or scientific assessments, operating Union systems and facilitating the implementation of the Union Single Market;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2179(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that the agencies employ 10 364 (2015: 9 848) permanent, temporary, contract or seconded staff, representing an increase of 5,24 % compared with the previous year mainly due to the new tasks assigned; points out that the number of staff increased the most in agencies dealing with matters related to industry, research and energy (110), civil liberties, justice and home affairs (177) and economic and monetary affairs (85);

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2179(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Is of the opinion that the discharge procedure needs to be streamlined and accelerated towards n+1; calls therefore on the Agencies and the Court to follow the good example set by the private sector and proposes to set the deadline for the publication of the Agencies’ final accounts, annual activity reports and reports on budgetary and financial management on 31 March as well as advance the publication of the Court’s annual reports on Agencies for July 1st at the very latest, in order to simplify and speed up the process, thereby closing the discharge procedure within the year following the accounting year in question;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2179(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Stresses, therefore, the need to establish clear definitions of acceptable carry-overs in order to streamline the Court’s reporting on this issue, as well as to enable the discharge authority to distinguish between the carry-overs indicating poor budgetary planning, and the carry-overs as a budgetary tool which support multiannual programmes as well as procurement planning; believes that Court’s suggestion to use differentiated carry overs would allow more transparency as regards what constitutes a justified carry-over;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2179(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Observes that the audited budgetary implementation reports of certain agencies differ from the level of detail provided by most other agencies, which hampers readability and comparability, and which demonstrates the need for clear guidelines on the agencies’ budget reporting; acknowledges the efforts made in order to ensure consistency on the presentation and reporting of accounts; ~~calls~~stresses the importance of more standardized and comparable reporting to simplify and rationalize the discharge procedure and to facilitate discharge authority’s work; calls furthermore on the Network and the individual agencies to continue working on streamlined indicators and report the measures taken to the discharge authority;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2179(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Notes that some agencies continue to have dual headquarters and multiple operational centres and offices; considers that all dual and multiple seats which do not offer any operational added value should be done away with at the earliest opportunity; expects Commission’s evaluation in this regard, with focus on added value and costs incurred;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2179(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Highlights the benefits of sharing services, which enable consistent application of administrative implementing rules and procedures that concern human resources and finance issues, as well as the potential efficiency and cost-effectiveness gains of sharing services between the agencies, in particular when considering the budget and staff reductions that the agencies are facing; notes that seeking synergies amongst agencies could alleviate administrative burden especially on smaller agencies;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2179(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Is particularly concerned that with the additional staff reduction, fulfilment of the agencies’ mandates and annual work programmes are proving increasingly difficult to deliver, particularly for the agencies classified by the Commission as “cruising speed agencies”; calls on the Commission and the budgetary authority to look into other options in order not to hinder the agencies’ ability to fulfil their mandate and recommends the budgetary authorities to authorise additional resources to agencies that are entrusted by the legislators to carry out new tasks; calls moreover on the Commission to recognise the savings the Network and the individual agencies achieved by using joint procurement procedures, by increasing efficiency and human resources management, as well as to allow, where needed, for the staff reduction targets to adapt accordingly;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2179(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Is concerned by a number of factors hindering the operational performance of ~~justice and home affairs~~ agencies, such as establishment plan cuts, limited human resources, difficulties in recruiting qualified people at given grades, a low correction coefficient in certain countries and the implementation of activities through a lengthy and administratively demanding grant process; acknowledges from the Network that the grading of staff at the entry-level grades do not allow recruitment of appropriate personnel and that the very low coefficient corrector for some countries results in the systematic use of higher grading in order to attract and retain suitable personnel; calls on the Commission to work on the revision of the formula used to calculate the correction coefficient in order to come to a more suitable solution for the agencies most affected by the low correction coefficient, to allow them to retain suitable personnel;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2179(DEC)

37. Notes that, according to the Court’s summary, the external evaluations of the agencies are in general positive and agencies prepared action plans to follow up issues raised in the evaluation reports; notes that while most agencies’ founding regulations provide for an external evaluation to be carried out periodically (usually every four to six years), the founding regulations of ~~five~~six decentralised agencies - BEREC Office, EASO, eu- LISA, ETF, ENISA and European Institute for Gender Equality - do not include such a provision and the founding regulation of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) requires an external evaluation only every ten years; is of the opinion that this issue should be addressed;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2175(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Notes that carry-overs are often partly or fully justified by the multiannual nature of the agencies’ operational programmes, do not necessarily indicate weaknesses in budget planning and implementation and are not always at odds with the budgetary principle of annuality, in particular if they are planned in advance by the ~~Centr~~Office and communicated to the Court;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2175(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Notes with concern that the Office was negatively affected with the highest possible rate of cut according to the report of the European Court of Auditors on the implementation of the 5% reduction of staff posts published on 21 December 2017, namely a cut of 12.5%, irrespectively of the fact that Regulation (EU) 2015/2120 assigned additional tasks to the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications without adjusting the resources of the Office accordingly; Stresses the need for adequate human resources to ensure carrying out the mandate of the Office, while maintaining its smooth day-to-day operation;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2175(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – introductory part

16. Welcomes the three main achievements and successes identified by the Office in 2016 reached in support to the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications, namely:

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2175(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 1

- ~~it adopted~~supporting the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications in the adoption of the Guidelines on net neutrality, including in processing the unprecedented high number of contributions (close to 500 000) received during the public consultation held in the period from 6 June to 18 July 2016 and in the field of roaming, thus bringing further benefits for the end user of electronic communication services;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2175(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 2

- it commissioneding two studies on net neutrality and mergers and acquisitions;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2175(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 3

- it further expandeding its transparency policy, including by the ~~adop~~implementation of an up- dated communication strategy and communication plan of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2145(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Observes that the 5% staff reduction agreement has led to institutions increasingly hiring staff with temporary contracts; regrets that internal competitions are organised with the aim and result of retaining staff that have previously held the same position under previous temporary contracts; considers it more cost and time efficient as well as transparent and fair if well-performing staff with temporary contracts would be switched to permanent contracts without the added financial and administrative burden of organising competitions with pre-determined outcomes at the expense of disappointing outside applicants;

2018/03/06
Committee: CONT

2017/2145(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Notes that during the discharge procedure, Annual Activity reports are currently submitted to the Court of Auditors in June, submitted by the Court of Auditors to the European Parliament in October and voted in plenary by May; notes that by the time discharge is closed, if not postponed, at least 17 months have passed since the closing of annual accounts; points out that auditing in the private sector follows a much stricter timeline; stresses that the discharge procedure needs to be streamlined and sped up; requests that the EEAS and the Court of Auditors follow the good example set by the private sector and proposes to set a deadline for the submission of Annual Activity reports on 31 March of the following year, a deadline for the submission for the Court of Auditor’s reports on the 1st of July and subsequently vote on the discharge during the plenary in November, thereby closing the discharge procedure within the year following the accounting year in question;

2018/03/06
Committee: CONT

2017/2145(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)

36a. Regrets the decision by the UK to withdraw from the Union; observes that at this point no predictions can be made about the financial, administrative, human and other consequences related to the withdrawal, asks the EEAS and the Court of Auditors to perform impact assessments and inform the European Parliament on the results by the end of the year 2018;

2018/03/06
Committee: CONT

2017/2144(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Welcomes the overall prudent and sound financial management of the Supervisor in the 2016 budget period; expresses support for the successful paradigm shift towards performance- based budgeting in the Commission’s budget planning introduced by Vice- President Kristalina Georgieva in September 2015 as part of the “EU Budget Focused on Results” initiative; encourages the Supervisor to apply the method to its own budget-planning procedure;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2144(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Notes that during the discharge procedure, annual activity reports are currently submitted to the Court of Auditors in June, submitted by the Court of Auditors to the European Parliament in October and voted in plenary by May; notes that by the time discharge is closed, if not postponed, at least 17 months have passed since the closing of annual accounts; points out that auditing in the private sector follows a much stricter timeline; stresses that the discharge procedure needs to be streamlined and sped up; requests that the Supervisor and the Court of Auditors follow the good example set by the private sector and proposes to set a deadline for the submission of annual activity reports on 31 March of the following year, a deadline for the submission for the Court of Auditor’s reports on the 1st of July and subsequently vote on the discharge in the plenary session of November, thereby closing the discharge procedure within the year following the accounting year in question;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2144(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Observes that the 5 % staff reduction agreement has led to institutions increasingly hiring staff with temporary contracts; regrets that internal competitions are organised with the aim and result of retaining staff that have previously held the same position under previous temporary contracts; considers it more cost and time efficient as well as transparent and fair if well-performing staff with temporary contracts would be switched to permanent contracts without the added financial and administrative burden of organising competitions with pre-determined outcomes at the expense of disappointing outside applicants;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2144(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Regrets the decision of the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union; observes that at this point no predictions can be made about the financial, administrative, human and other consequences related to the withdrawal, and asks the Committee and the Court of Auditors to perform impact assessments and inform Parliament on the results by the end of 2018;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2143(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Welcomes the overall prudent and sound financial management of the Ombudsman in the 2016 budget period; expresses support for the successful paradigm shift towards performance- based budgeting in the Commission’s budget planning introduced by Vice- President Kristalina Georgieva in September 2015 as part of the “EU Budget Focused on Results” initiative; encourages the Ombudsman to apply the method to its own budget-planning procedure;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2143(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Welcomes that the Ombudsman submitted the Annual Activity report to the Court of Auditors on in March; notes that the Court of Auditors submitted its report to the European Parliament in October and that the discharge will be voted on in plenary by May; notes that by the time discharge is closed, if not postponed, at least 17 months have passed since the closing of annual accounts; points out that auditing in the private sector follows a much stricter timeline; stresses that the discharge procedure needs to be streamlined and sped up; welcomes that the Ombudsman follows the good example set by the private sector and proposes to set a deadline for the submission of Annual Activity reports on 31 March of the following year, a deadline for the submission for the Court of Auditor’s reports on the 1st of July and subsequently vote on the discharge in the plenary session of November, thereby closing the discharge procedure within the year following the accounting year in question;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2143(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Observes that the 5% staff reduction agreement has led to institutions increasingly hiring staff with temporary contracts; regrets that internal competitions are organised with the aim and result of retaining staff that have previously held the same position under previous temporary contracts; considers it more cost and time efficient as well as transparent and fair if well-performing staff with temporary contracts would be switched to permanent contracts without the added financial and administrative burden of organising competitions with pre-determined outcomes at the expense of disappointing outside applicants;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2143(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14 a. Regrets the decision of the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union; observes that at this point no predictions can be made about the financial, administrative, human and other consequences related to this withdrawal; asks the Ombudsman and the Court of Auditors to perform impact assessments and inform Parliament on the results by the end of the year 2018;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2142(DEC)

Wolf KLINZ, Arndt KOHN, Nedzhmi ALI, Martina DLABAJOVÁ

Proposal for a decision 1
Paragraph 1

1. Grants the Secretary-General of the Committee of the Regions discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Committee of the Regions for the financial year 2016; / Postpones its decision on granting the Secretary- General of the Committee of the Regions discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Committee of the Regions for the financial year 2016;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2142(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Welcomes the overall prudent and sound financial management of the Committee in the 2016 budget period; expresses support for the successful paradigm shift towards performance- based budgeting in the Commission’s budget planning introduced by Vice- President Kristalina Georgieva in September 2015 as part of the “EU Budget Focused on Results” initiative; encourages the Committee to apply the method to its own budget-planning procedure;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2142(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Notes that during the discharge procedure, Annual Activity reports are currently submitted to the Court of Auditors in June, submitted by the Court of Auditors to the European Parliament in October and voted in plenary by May; notes that by the time discharge is closed, if not postponed, at least 17 months have passed since the closing of annual accounts; points out that auditing in the private sector follows a much stricter timeline; stresses that the discharge procedure needs to be streamlined and sped up; requests that the Committee and the Court of Auditors follow the good example set by the private sector and proposes to set a deadline for the submission of Annual Activity reports on 31 March of the following year, a deadline for the submission for the Court of Auditor’s reports on the 1st of July and subsequently vote on the discharge in the plenary session of November, thereby closing the discharge procedure within the year following the accounting year in question;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2142(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Observes that the 5% staff reduction agreement has led to institutions increasingly hiring staff with temporary contracts; regrets that internal competitions are organised with the aim and result of retaining staff that have previously held the same position under previous temporary contracts; considers it more cost and time efficient as well as transparent and fair if well-performing staff with temporary contracts would be switched to permanent contracts without the added financial and administrative burden of organising competitions with pre-determined outcomes at the expense of disappointing outside applicants;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2142(DEC)

Wolf KLINZ, Arndt KOHN, Nedzhmi ALI, Martina DLABAJOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Regrets that the whistleblower file of the Committee’s former internal auditor is still not closed; insists that the Committee do its utmost to find a just, honourable and equitable settlement of the case as soon as possible; requests that the Committee keep Parliament informed of its progress;deleted

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2142(DEC)

Wolf KLINZ, Arndt KOHN, Nedzhmi ALI, Martina DLABAJOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Notes that there has been a decision by the Civil Service Tribunal in the case of the Committee's former internal auditor in November 2014; acknowledges that the Civil Service Tribunal ruled that the Committee must indemnify the former internal auditor yet further dismissed the allegations made by him; underlines that the Committee has promptly complied with the Tribunal's decision and paid the indemnities; considers therefore that the Committee has done its part to bring the case to a just, honourable and equitable settlement as requested by the Committee on Budget Control in the discharge report for the year 2015; notes that the former internal auditor has lodged a new case against the Committee in November 2015; notes that a hearing has taken place in December 2017 and that the Court's ruling is expected in summer 2018; observes that the Committee has no influence either on the plaintiff having lodged a new case nor on the timetable of the Court;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2142(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Regrets the decision of the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union; observes that at this point no predictions can be made about the financial, administrative, human and other consequences related to the withdrawal, and asks the Committee and the Court of Auditors to perform impact assessments and inform Parliament on the results by the end of 2018;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2141(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Welcomes the overall prudent and sound financial management of the Committee in the 2016 budget period; expresses support for the successful paradigm shift towards performance- based budgeting in the Commission’s budget planning introduced by Vice- President Kristalina Georgieva in September 2015 as part of the “EU Budget Focused on Results” initiative; encourages the Committee to apply the method to its own budget-planning procedure;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2141(DEC)

Andrey NOVAKOV, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Notes that during the discharge procedure, Annual Activity reports are currently submitted to the Court of Auditors in June, submitted by the Court of Auditors to the European Parliament in October and voted in plenary by May; notes that by the time discharge is closed, if not postponed, at least 17 months have passed since the closing of annual accounts; points out that auditing in the private sector follows a much stricter timeline; stresses that the discharge procedure needs to be streamlined and sped up; requests that the Committee and the Court of Auditors follow the good example set by the private sector and proposes to set a deadline for the submission of Annual Activity reports on 31 March of the following year, a deadline for the submission for the Court of Auditor’s reports on the 1st of July and subsequently vote on the discharge in the plenary session of November, thereby closing the discharge procedure within the year following the accounting year in question;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2141(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Is concerned with the high amount of expenditure related to travel expenses and allowances of the Committee members; n~~Notes that the final appropriations for travel and subsistence allowances for members were EUR 19 561 194; calls on the Committee to provide a detailed breakdown of members’ expenditure, particularly those concerning item 1004, in its next annual activity report, and asks for the adoption of appropriate measures in order to make savings and reduce environmental pollution; urges the Committee members to ~~increase the~~assess the potential of wider use of videoconference and telepresence facilities, which may contribute to economic savings, such as on travel expenses;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2141(DEC)

Andrey NOVAKOV, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Is of the opinion that a joint assessment of the budgetary savings resulting from the cooperation between the Committee and Parliament is of interest to both institutions and to the Union citizens; suggests that th~~e Committee propose that exercise to~~is exercise to be conducted jointly with the Parliament as part of the strategy to strengthen contacts between the two institutions; is aware that the Committee is building up a capacity in terms of policy assessment for accompanying its role in the legislative process as a consultative body; asks the Committee to submit to the discharge authority a detailed analysis of the functioning of those activities in its next annual activity report;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2141(DEC)

Andrey NOVAKOV, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Observes that the 5 % staff reduction agreement has led to institutions increasingly hiring staff with temporary contracts; regrets that internal competitions are organised with the aim and result of retaining staff that have previously held the same position under previous temporary contracts; considers it more cost and time efficient as well as transparent and fair if well-performing staff with temporary contracts would be switched to permanent contracts without the added financial and administrative burden of organising competitions with pre-determined outcomes at the expense of disappointing outside applicants;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2141(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Notes with interest that the proportion of women holding middle management position in the Committee is above 40%; encourages the Committee to make additional efforts in order to achieve the same results insofar as senior management positions are concerned and to do the necessary to ~~improve the still considerabl~~further reduce the geographic imbalance;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2141(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Regrets the decision of the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union; observes that at this point no predictions can be made about the financial, administrative, human and other consequences related to the withdrawal, and asks the Committee and the Court of Auditors to perform impact assessments and inform Parliament on the results by the end of 2018;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2140(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Notes that during the discharge procedure, Annual Activity reports are currently submitted to the Court in June, submitted by the Court to the European Parliament in October and voted in plenary by May; notes that by the time discharge is closed, if not postponed, at least 17 months have passed since the closing of annual accounts; points out that auditing in the private sector follows a much stricter timeline; stresses that the discharge procedure needs to be streamlined and sped up; requests that the Court follows the good example set by the private sector and proposes to set a deadline for the submission of Annual Activity reports on 31 March of the following year, a deadline for the submission for the Court's reports on the 1st of July and subsequently to review the timetable for the discharge procedure as set down in Article 5 of Annex IV to Parliament's Rules of Procedure so that the vote on the discharge can be held in in the plenary part-session of November, thereby closing the discharge procedure within the year following the accounting year in question;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2140(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Welcomes the overall prudent and sound financial management of the Court in the 2016 budget period; expresses support for the successful paradigm shift towards performance-based budgeting in the Commission’s budget planning introduced by Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva in September 2015 as part of the “EU Budget Focused on Results” initiative; encourages the Court to apply the method to its own budget-planning procedure;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2140(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Observes that the 5% staff reduction agreement has led to institutions increasingly hiring staff on temporary contracts; regrets that internal competitions are organised with the aim and result of retaining staff that have previously held the same position under previous temporary contracts; considers it more cost and time efficient as well as transparent and fair if well- performing staff with temporary contracts would be switched to permanent contracts without the added financial and administrative burden of organising competitions with pre-determined outcomes at the expense of disappointing outside applicants;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2140(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Regrets the decision by the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union; observes that at this point no predictions can be made about the financial, administrative, human and other consequences related to the withdrawal, asks the Court to perform impact assessments and inform the Parliament on the results by the end of the year 2018;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2139(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Notes that during the discharge procedure, Annual Activity reports are currently submitted to the Court of Auditors in June, submitted by the Court of Auditors to the European Parliament in October and voted in plenary by May; notes that by the time discharge is closed, if not postponed, at least 17 months have passed since the closing of annual accounts; points out that auditing in the private sector follows a much stricter timeline; stresses that the discharge procedure needs to be streamlined and sped up; requests that the CJEU and the Court of Auditors follow the good example set by the private sector and proposes to set a deadline for the submission of Annual Activity reports on 31 March of the following year, a deadline for the submission for the Court of Auditor’s reports on the 1st of July and subsequently to review the timetable for the discharge procedure as set down in Article 5 of Annex IV to Parliament's Rules of Procedure so that the vote on the discharge can be held in the plenary part- session of November, thereby closing the discharge procedure within the year following the accounting year in question;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2139(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Welcomes the overall prudent and sound financial management of the CJEU in the 2016 budget period; expresses support for the successful paradigm shift towards performance-based budgeting in the Commission’s budget planning introduced by Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva in September 2015 as part of the “EU Budget Focused on Results” initiative; encourages the Court to apply the method to its own budget-planning procedure;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2139(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20 a. Observes that the 5% staff reduction agreement has led to institutions increasingly hiring staff with temporary contracts; regrets that internal competitions are organised with the aim and result of retaining staff that have previously held the same position under previous temporary contracts; considers it more cost and time efficient as well as transparent and fair if well-performing staff with temporary contracts would be switched to permanent contracts without the added financial and administrative burden of organising competitions with pre-determined outcomes at the expense of disappointing outside applicants;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2139(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)

29 a. Regrets the decision by the UK to withdraw from the European Union; observes that at this point no predictions can be made about the financial, administrative, human and other consequences related to the withdrawal, asks the Council and the Court of Auditors to perform impact assessments and inform the European Parliament on the results by the end of the year 2018;

2018/03/02
Committee: CONT

2017/2138(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Expresses its support for the successful paradigm shift towards performance-based budgeting in the Commission’s budget planning introduced by Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva in September 2015 as part of the “EU Budget Focused on Results” initiative; encourages the European Council and the Council to apply the method to their own budget-planning procedure;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2138(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Expresses support for the successful paradigm shift towards performance-based budgeting in the Commission’s budget planning introduced in September 2015 as part of the “EU Budget Focused on Results” initiative; encourages the European Council and the Council to apply the method to their own budget-planning procedure;

2018/09/11
Committee: CONT

2017/2138(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Takes note of the decision by the United Kingdom to withdraw from the Union; observes that at this point no predictions can be made about the financial, administrative, human and other consequences related to the withdrawal; asks the European Council and the Council to perform impact assessments and inform Parliament on the results by the end of the year 2018;

2018/09/11
Committee: CONT

2017/2138(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Observes that the 5% staff reduction agreement has led to institutions increasingly hiring staff with temporary contracts; regrets that internal competitions are organised with the aim and result of retaining staff that have previously held the same position under previous temporary contracts; considers it more cost and time efficient as well as transparent and fair if well-performing staff with temporary contracts would be switched to permanent contracts without the added financial and administrative burden of organising competitions with pre-determined outcomes at the expense of disappointing outside applicants;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2138(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Regrets the decision by the UK to withdraw from the European Union; observes that at this point no predictions can be made about the financial, administrative, human and other consequences related to the withdrawal, asks the European Council and the Council to perform impact assessments and inform the European Parliament on the results by the end of the year 2018;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Andrey NOVAKOV, Wolf KLINZ, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. Whereas budgetary principles of unity, budgetary accuracy, annuality, equilibrium, universality, specification, sound financial management and transparency shall be respected when the Union budget is implemented;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to align the Union's policy objectives, financial cycles, the legislative period of the Parliament and the mandate of the Commission;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Insists that the Union budget, as a consequence of the “budget focused on results initiative”, should be presented according to the Union´s political objectives of the MFF; reminds, also in the light of the post-2020 MFF, that the Union budget should be a true European added value budget, aimed for common Union objectives promoting sustainable economic and social development of the whole Union, which cannot be achieved by singular Member States on their own and therefore should not be seen merely as a net balance or benefit of single Member States;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to commit itself to fundamentally review~~ing~~ the young farmers’ and greening schemes in light of the findings of the Court of Auditors (the “Court”) before the next ~~financing period~~MFF;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Andrey NOVAKOV, Wolf KLINZ, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Welcomes the positive trend of the most likely error rate issued by the Court compared to that of recent years since the payments are affected in 2016 by a most likely error rate of 3.1%; recalls that the most likely error rate for payments was estimated in the financial years 2015 at 3.8%, 2014 at 4,4%, 2013 at 4.7%, 2012 at 4.8%, 2011 at 3.9%, 2010 at 3.7%, 2009 at 3.3%; 2008% at 5.2%, and 2007 at 6.9%; as the Court's s estimated error rate is not final, considers it important that Commission´s residual error rate is taken into account when assessing efficiency of Union´s funding;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Andrey NOVAKOV, Wolf KLINZ, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Stresses that the estimated level of error for cohesion does not include a quantification of 2016 disbursements to financial instruments amounting to EUR 2.5 billion that the Court considers to be outside the eligibility period defined in Article 56(1) of Council Regulation EC 1083/2006; notes that those disbursements would represent an estimated level of error of 2.0% of overall expenditure; ~~points out~~notes that if the Court had quantified this flagrant irregularity, the most likely error rate would have been estimated at 5.1% (nearly the same level as for 2008); calls on the Court to take on board all the irregularities having a financial impact when determining the most likely error rate and the Commission to table the necessary legislative proposal to put an end to this irregularityseparately (box 1.2 of the 2016 annual report) as a one-off, ring-fenced observation related to the absence of a timely Commission legislative proposal; notes the Commission´s unilateral decision to accept expenditure up to 31 March 2017;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Andrey NOVAKOV, Wolf KLINZ, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Points out that the Court found the highest estimated levels of error in spending for economic, social and territorial cohesion (4.8. % ~~or 6.8% with the quantified irregularity concerning the financial instruments~~) and for competitiveness for growth and jobs (4.1 %), whilst administrative expenditure had the lowest estimated level of error (0.2 %);

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Notes, in particular, that the Commission points out in its 2016 AMPR76 that the ~~scope of the~~ reservations issued by the directors general in their AARs has increased and amounts at: EUR 35.3 billion, which corresponds to 26 % of the payments (2015: EUR 29.8 Bbillion: 21% of payments); _________________ 76 COM(2017) 351 final, p. 81,

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Is surprised by the divergent views expressed by the Court and the Commission as to financial management of the first pillar of the CAP; expresses doubts as to the assertion made by the Court that in expenditure the error is not “pervasive”Notes that, while the first pillar of the CAP is included in entitlement payments which are not affected by a material level of error (ECA annual report paragraph 1.~~8) since~~11), the director general of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI), in his AAR, issued a reservation in direct payments concerning 18 paying agencies comprising 12 Member States;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. ~~Points out in particular~~Notes that for more than three quarters of 2016 expenditure, Commission directorates- general base their estimates of amount at risk on data provided by national authorities~~, whilst it appears from the AARs of the concerned Commission directorates-general (in particular DG AGRI and DG REGIO) that the reliability of Member States’ control reports remains a challenge~~; stresses, in this regard, the importance of Member States’ data reliability;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42

42. Endorses the reservations issued by the directors general of DG REGIO, MARE, HOME, DEVCO and AGRI, in their annual activity report; is of the opinion that those reservations demonstrate that the control procedures put in place in the Commission and the Member States can~~not~~ give the necessary guarantees concerning the legality and regularity of all the underlying transactions in the corresponding policy areas if necessary correction procedures are implemented successfully;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44

44. Points out that the delays in the implementation of programmes in the first three years of the current MFF led to the transfer of commitment appropriations from 2014, mainly to 2015 and 2016, and to low payments in 2016 (implementing the Union budget at 7 % in 2014-2016 period of the current MFF);

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)

44a. Notes with concern the complicated web of arrangements in the galaxy within and around the EU budget as this hampers accountability, transparency, public scrutiny and democratic oversight of the EU budget and financial arrangements linked to it; regrets, in this regard, the lack of the unity of the EU budget, and fully shares the Court’s concern as regards the complexity of the EU budget;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 70 a (new)

70a. Welcomes and takes a careful note of the Court’s observations on performance frameworks and reporting by entities within and outside the EU, especially as regards performance data quality and declaration on the quality of performance data;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90

90. Appreciates that the Commission has invested considerable efforts in ~~reducing~~simplification leading to reduction of administrative complexity, by introducing a new definition of additional remuneration for researchers, streamlining the Horizon 2020 work programme for 2018-2020, providing targeted support for start-ups and innovators and making wider use of ~~lump-sum funding for project~~Simplified Cost Options;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Andrey NOVAKOV, Wolf KLINZ, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 123

123. Points out that the errors in cohesion contributed to 43% of the overall estimated level of error of 3,1%; notes that one of the reasons for the high error rate is the complexity of Union´ and Member States´ regulation;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 125

125. Notes also that 42% of the errors were caused by ineligible caosts included in expenditure declarations, 30% relate to serious failure to respect public procurement rules, and 28% relate to ineligible projects, activities or beneficiaries;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 131

131. Recalls that the summary of data on the progress made in financing and implementing financial engineering instruments in March 20167 was only published on ~~20 Septem~~1 October 20187, and that therefore the Court could not comment on the document;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 132 – introductory part

132. Notes that the key figures for 201607- 2013 programming period on 31 March 2017 are the following:

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 156

~~Greece~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Andrey NOVAKOV, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 160

~~Czech Republic~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 159

~~159. Calls on DG REGIO to keep the European parliament informed about future progress;~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 165

~~Hungary~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 167

~~Polan~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 171

~~Volkswagen Group~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 186 a (new)

186a. Notes that, while having a maximum annual budget of EUR 150 million, the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund mobilised only EUR 28 million for commitments from the reserve in 2016, benefitting eight Member States;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 187 – point g

(g) ~~bringing~~enhance transparency and accountability of financial engineering instruments under the EU budget~~, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability~~;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 189 – point c

(c) Calls on DG REGIO to report back to Parliament’s responsible committee, in the 2016 Commission discharge follow-up, on progress made with ~~railway relat~~all above mentioned projects ~~in Poland~~;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Andrey NOVAKOV, Wolf KLINZ, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 199

199. ~~Regret~~Asks that DG AGRI ~~has no~~to define~~d any~~ objective accompanied with indicators to reduce the income inequalities between farms in the next MFF;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 213

213. Points out that since the ~~error rates reported by the Member State~~management and control systems for each paying agency are not always fully reliable, DG AGRI adjusts that level of error based mainly on the Commission's and the Court's audits carried out in the last three years;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 232 – point a

(a) the Commission to carefully analyse the causes of the overall decline in factor income since 2013 and to define a new key performance objective for the next MFF, accompanied with indicators, aiming at mitigating the income inequalities between the famers;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2136(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 254

254. ~~Calls~~Stresses that trust funds should be established only when their use is justified and the required action is not possible through other, existing financing channels; calls, in this regard, on the Commission, when establishing trust funds, to set up guiding principles for carrying out concise an structured assessment of the comparative advantages of trust funds relative to other aid vehicles and also to carry out analyses of what specific gaps the trust funds are supposed to fill; calls furthermore on the Commission to consider putting an end to trust funds that are unable to attract a significant contribution from other donors;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

2017/2083(INI)

Hilde VAUTMANS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Ivo VAJGL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI, Patricia LALONDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines the need for a stronger and more political partnership between the EU and Africa, based on shared values and interests, in order to tackle global issues such as climate change, food insecurity, access to water, population growth, youth unemployment, urbanization of large cities, the fight against impunity, terrorism, organised crime and migratory flows, and to promote a rule-based global order based on a strong UN;

2017/07/26
Committee: AFET

2017/2083(INI)

Hilde VAUTMANS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Ivo VAJGL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI, Patricia LALONDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Calls for continued EU support to African partners in the area of peace and security and conflict prevention, including through specific instruments such as CSDP operations and the African Peace Facility; highlights the importance of fostering security and stability by helping our partners to build more resilient states and societies, including through capacity building and security sector reforms, the creation of more and better jobs, especially for young people, the empowerment of women ~~and the support of education~~, who are and should, increasingly, be the force of economic progress in the region, the support of education by investing more in schools and universities, and research;

2017/07/26
Committee: AFET

2017/2083(INI)

Hilde VAUTMANS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Ivo VAJGL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI, Patricia LALONDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Stresses that the pursuit of common interests and cooperation on security must be totally consistent with the EU’s fundamental values and with the objectives of supporting democracy, good governance, and promoting human rights and the rule of law; calls for a more strategic, pragmatic, respectful, comprehensive and structured approach to political dialogue under the Cotonou Partnership Agreement, with the greater involvement of civil society and a stronger people-to-people dimension;

2017/07/26
Committee: AFET

2017/2083(INI)

Hilde VAUTMANS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Ivo VAJGL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI, Patricia LALONDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. As a well-functioning democracy enhances stability and is a powerful tool against terrorism, the European Parliament offers to work more intensively with African Parliaments in building stronger Parliaments and Parliamentarians in taking up their role in the checks and balances between the executive and parliamentary bodies;

2017/07/26
Committee: AFET

2017/2083(INI)

Urmas PAET, Marietje SCHAAKE, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Patricia LALONDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4. Notes that the EU needs to support infrastructure development in ICT in Africa to boost trade and economy in the region and grant people access to health, education and job opportunities;

2017/07/26
Committee: AFET

2017/2083(INI)

Hilde VAUTMANS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Ivo VAJGL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI, Patricia LALONDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Recalls the importance of the effective implementation of external EU policies that are able to address the real root causes of migration; calls for increased joint efforts to implement the Valetta Action Plan based on a fair and true partnership with third countries of origin and transit; recalls the importance of a balanced approach in the new partnership framework; stresses that the new partnership framework with third countries must not become the only pillar of EU action on migration and should extend beyond a quantitative approach focused mainly on border management; underlines in this matter the importance of democratic scrutiny by the European Parliament;

2017/07/26
Committee: AFET

2017/2083(INI)

Hilde VAUTMANS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Ivo VAJGL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI, Patricia LALONDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Recalls that the root causes of migration are conflicts, weak governance, government instability, violation of human rights, corruption, non-existence of the rule of law, impunity, inequality, unemployment or underemployment, lack of livelihoods and resources, and climate change;

2017/07/26
Committee: AFET

2017/2083(INI)

Hilde VAUTMANS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Ivo VAJGL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI, Patricia LALONDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Stresses that the upcoming Africa EU summit will provide an opportunity to stress our priorities concerning the EU- Africa relations in the context of the post Cotonou process;

2017/07/26
Committee: AFET

2017/2083(INI)

Hilde VAUTMANS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Ivo VAJGL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Calls on the Commission to present a legislative proposal on accompanying measures for the ‘Conflict Minerals Regulation’ (2014/0059(COD)) in line with the relevant Joint Communication (JOINT (2014) 8);

2017/07/26
Committee: AFET

2017/2083(INI)

Hilde VAUTMANS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Ivo VAJGL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI, Patricia LALONDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Underlines the importance of small- scale development projects which have a direct effect on people’s lives; urges the Commission to continue their support;

2017/07/26
Committee: AFET

2017/2083(INI)

Hilde VAUTMANS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Ivo VAJGL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI, Patricia LALONDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Emphasises the added value of transport infrastructures to boost the economy and trade between the EU and Africa; Underlines the strategic importance of ports, harbours and airports;

2017/07/26
Committee: AFET

2017/2083(INI)

Hilde VAUTMANS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Ivo VAJGL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI, Patricia LALONDE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. urges the European Commission to give special attention to sexual and reproductive health rights of women and girls in their external development programmes;

2017/07/26
Committee: AFET

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the EIB Group financial activities include both lending own resources and fulfilling the various mandates granted to it with the support of the EU budget and third parties such as EU Member States;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the EIB maintained a solid ~~profitability in 2016~~ financial standing accord~~ance with~~ing to the forecast for ~~that year~~2016, with a net annual surplus of EUR 2.8 billion;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the EIB should continue to strengthen its efforts to expand its loan activities effectively by providing technical advisory, especially in regions with low levels of investment ~~capacity~~, while reducing administrative burdens for applicants;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas safeguards against fraud, including tax fraud and money laundering, and risks of financing terrorism are contained in the EIB Group contractual provisions included in the contracts signed by the EIB group and its counterparties; whereas the EIB Group ~~should~~ requires that its counterparties comply with all applicable legislation; whereas additional contractual provisions addressing specific transparency and integrity issues ~~should b~~are imposed by the EIB Group on the basis of due diligence results;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that the ~~current~~economic crisis has significantly weakened economic growth in the EU and that one of the main ~~contributing factor~~fallouts is the decline in investment in the EU; underlines that the fall in public and private investment has reached alarming levels in the countries most affected by the crisis, as evidenced by Eurostat’s findings; expresses concern about macroeconomic imbalances and unemployment rates that remain significant in some Member States;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the EIB Group’s willingness to enhance EU competitiveness, provide real support for growth and job creation, and contribute to solving ~~current political~~socio-economic challenges within and outside the EU, by pursuing its overarching public policy goals relating to innovation, SMEs and midcap finance, infrastructure, the environment, economic and social cohesion, and the climate; recalls that these objectives also necessitate the provision of public goods; insists that, in order to achieve the Europe 2020 strategy objectives successfully, all EIB Group activities should not only be economically sustainable, but also contribute to a smarter, greener and more inclusive EU;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Notes that according to the Corporate Operational Plan 2017-2019 the value of the EIB loans signed is forecast to rise once again in 2019 (to EUR 76 billion, following a fall from EUR 77 billion in 2014 to EUR 73 billion in 2016); points out that the current context should encourage the bank to adopt more ambitious objectives and to increase the loans signed by the EIB; recalls that the EIB should play a fundamental role in the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy through ~~the Horizon 2020 instrument~~instruments such as for example Horizon 2020 and Connected Europe Facility;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Welcomes the EIB’s commitment to tackling the ~~phenomenon of forced displacement and~~root causes of migration and taking action in countries particularly affected by the migration crisis, including by ~~strengthen~~complementing humanitarian action and providing support for economic growth, the construction of infrastructure and job creation; expects the EIB Group, to this end, to step up its efforts in coordinating its Economic Resilience Initiative and the External Lending Mandate currently under revision with the establishment of the EFSD mid-2017;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Expects a rapid agreement to be reached on the prolongation ~~of EFSI action, and that the revised fund~~and adjustment of the European Fund for Strategic Investments, and that the revised fund and the enhanced European Investment Advisory Hub will enable the problems identified in the ~~previous version~~current scheme, namely in relation to additionality, geographic balance and advisory hub activities, to be overcome;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Recalls that the EIB’s N~~CJ Policy needs to be ambitious; notes that relying on~~on- cooperative jurisdictions (NCJs) Policy needs to be ambitious; welcomes the adoption by the EIB of an interim approach with regard to the NCJ Policy and tax sensitive jurisdictions and notes that the EIB Group NCJ policy will be revised following the adoption of the common EU list of third country jurisdictions that fail to comply with tax good governance standards, which is expected to be endorsed by the Council of the EU by the end of 2017 and which will prevail over other lead organisations’ lists in the case of conflict~~, is a positive but insufficient step, and calls for~~. Welcomes the inclusion of countr~~y-by- country report~~actual safeguards requiring wit~~hout exemptions to be made a key part of the EIB’s corporate social responsibility strategy, be~~s counterparties to comply with applicable legislation currently in force ~~the EU adopts its legislation in the field~~including but not limited to country- by-country reporting;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. ~~Asks the EIB to take greater~~Welcomes the fact that the EIB takes into account of the tax impact in countries where investment is made and of how this investment contributes to development and reducing inequality;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Considers that using criteria for selecting financial intermediaries and being in possession of up-to-date information on beneficial ownership of companies, including trusts, foundations and tax havens, are best practices to be permanently followed; welcomes the fact that the EIB identifies during the due diligence process the beneficial owners of such companies; invites the EIB Group to further reinforce its contractual conditions by integrating a clause on or reference to good governance in order to mitigate risks to integrity and reputation;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Welcomes the fact that the EIB Group’s transparency policy is based on a presumption of disclosure and that everyone can access EIB Group documents and information; recalls its recommendation for the publication on the EIB Group website of non-confidential documents, such as ~~Corporate Operational Plans for previous years,~~ interinstitutional agreements and memorandums, and urges the EIB Group not to stop there, but to continue raising the bar and constantly looking for ways to improve;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. ~~Urg~~Notes the ~~EIB Group to adopt the whistleblowing policy review that has already been announced, which is to update the previous policy dating from 2009~~ongoing revision of the EIB Group´s whistleblowing policy;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Warns, in this respect, that market- driven instruments risk shifting the focus of the EU budget from EU public common goods and e~~xpect~~ncourages the EIB Group to reinforce its reporting to the Commission on the quality as opposed to the quantity of its financing in the context of financial instruments;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2071(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Ulrike MÜLLER, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Underlines that the ~~pricing of~~due diligence of investment projects financed by the EIB Group ~~products~~ should be based on both factors related to financial return and factors related not to financial return, but instead to the achievement of other kinds of objectives, such as the contribution of the project to upward economic convergence and cohesion in the EU, or to the achievement of the Europe 2020 targets or the 2030 SDGs; considers that the EIB Group should explain these non-financial criteria to institutional and private investors (for example, pension funds and insurance companies) in an appropriate manner, thus promoting an increased focus on socio- economic and environmental impact across the financial sector;

2017/11/06
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Frédérique RIES, Ulrike MÜLLER, Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Jean ARTHUIS, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Is convinced that the next MFF should build on the Union’s well- established policies and priorities, which aim at promoting peace, democracy and human rights, at boosting welfare, long- term and sustainable economic growth, high-quality jobs, sustainable development and innovation, protecting healthy living environment, fighting climate change and at fostering economic, social and territorial cohesion, as well as solidarity between Member States and citizens; considers that these pillars are prerequisites for a properly functioning single market, the Energy Union and Economic and Monetary Union as well as for reinforcing Europe’s position in the world; trusts that they are more relevant than ever for Europe’s future endeavours;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls, therefore, for continuous support for existing policies, in particular the long-standing EU policies enshrined in the Treaties, namely the common agricultural and fisheries policies, and the cohesion policy; rejects any attempt to totally renationalise these policies, as this would neither reduce the financial burden on taxpayers and consumers, nor achieve better results, but would instead hamper growth and the functioning of the single market while widening the disparities between territories and economic sectors; intends to secure ~~the same level of~~an adequate funding for the EU-27 for these policies in the next programming period while further improving their added value and simplifying the procedures associated with them;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Highlights that the future framework is expected to integrate ~~two new~~ types of financial support featuring prominently on the Union’s economic agenda, ~~namely~~for instance the continuation of the investment support schemes, such as the European Fund for Strategic Investment~~, and the development of a fiscal capacity for the euro area and of financial stabilisation functions, possibly through the proposed European Monetary Fund~~;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Jan HUITEMA, Pavel TELIČKA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

~~13. Is convinced that, unle~~deleted1 __________________ 1 It's not appropriate in this report to discuss the Csou~~ncil agrees to significantly increase the level of its national contributions to the EU budget, the introduction of new EU own resources remains the only option for adequately financing the next MFF;~~ rces of funding for the multiannual financial framework; this point must be dealt with exclusively in the own resources report. That's why we wish to delete this paragraph.

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Ulrike MÜLLER, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Jean ARTHUIS, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Believes that, by translating the political priorities of the EU into concrete investments, the multiannual financial framework constitutes an excellent instrument for the ~~long-term~~ planning of the European ~~project~~union spending and for ensuring a certain stable level of public investment in the Member States; regrets however the lack of mutually agreed long-term strategic vision for the European project; recalls, furthermore, that the EU budget is predominantly an investment budget that serves as an additional and complementary source of funding for actions undertaken at national, regional and local levels;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Pavel TELIČKA, Jan HUITEMA, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Is of the opinion that the decision on the duration of the MFF should strike the right balance between two seemingly conflicting requirements: on the one hand, the need for several EU policies – especially those under shared management, such as agriculture and cohesion – to operate on the basis of the stability and predictability ~~of a commitment of at least seven years~~, and, on the other hand, the need for democratic legitimacy and accountability that results from the synchronisation of each financial framework with the five-year political cycle of the European Parliament and the European Commission;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Jan HUITEMA, Pavel TELIČKA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Underlines, therefore, the need for the MFF’s duration to move ~~progressively~~ towards a 5+5 period with a mandatory mid-term revision; ~~calls on the Commission to elaborate a clear proposal setting out the methods of the practical implementation of a 5+5 financial framework;~~

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Jan HUITEMA, Pavel TELIČKA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Acknowledges, however, that the timing of the next European Parliament elections in spring 2019, given that the current MFF runs until December 2020, does not allow for a 5+5 solution to be implemented immediately, as no satisfactory alignment of the different cycles would be achieved; takes the view, therefore, that the next MFF should be set for a period of seven years (2021- 2027), including a mandatory revision, by way of a transitional solution to be applied for one last time;deleted

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Pavel TELIČKA, Jan HUITEMA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Calls, in particular, for a substantial increase in the financial envelope of the Flexibility Instrument ~~of up to an annual allocation of at least EUR 2 billion~~; recalls that the Flexibility Instrument is not linked to any specific policy field and can thus be mobilised for any purpose that is deemed necessary; considers, therefore, that this instrument can be mobilised to cover any new financial needs as they occur during the MFF;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Pavel TELIČKA, Nedzhmi ALI, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Points to the role of the Emergency Aid Reserve in providing a rapid response to specific aid requirements for third countries for unforeseen events, and stresses its particular importance in the current context; calls for a substantial increase in its financial envelope ~~of up to an annual allocation of EUR 1 billion~~;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Pavel TELIČKA, Nedzhmi ALI, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Notes, in particular, the significant mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund to provide assistance in a number of serious natural disasters with substantial budgetary consequences; stresses also the positive impact that this instrument has on public opinion; proposes the reinforcement of its financial envelope ~~to an annual allocation of EUR 1 billion~~;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Jan HUITEMA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 9

~~Revenue – special reserve~~deleted1 __________________ 1 These paragraphs come from the own resources report. We wish to delete them outright because the duplication of the same paragraphs in two different reports may lead to an inconsistency in Parliament's position. Moreover, it is inappropriate in this report to mention the sources of funding for the multiannual financial framework; this point must be dealt with exclusively in the own resources report.

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Pavel TELIČKA, Jan HUITEMA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42

~~42. Reiterates its long-standing position that any revenue resulting from fines imposed on companies for breaching EU competition law or linked to late pay~~deleted1 __________________ 1 These paragraphs come from the own resources report. We wish to delete them outright because the duplication of the same paragraphs in two different reports may lead to an inconsistency in Parliament's ~~of national contributions to the EU budget should constitute an extra item of revenue for the EU budget without a corresponding decrease of the GNI contributions;~~position. Moreover, it is inappropriate in this report to mention the sources of funding for the multiannual financial framework; this point must be dealt with exclusively in the own resources report.

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Frédérique RIES, Ulrike MÜLLER, Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Jean ARTHUIS, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44

44. Agrees that ~~the search for~~achieving real European added value should be one of the main principles guiding the EU institutions when deciding about the type of spending in the next MFF; points out, however, the existence of multiple interpretations of the concept and calls for a clear definition of the criteria thereof that should take territorial specificities into account;;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Pavel TELIČKA, Jan HUITEMA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46

46. Considers that better spending, i.e. the efficient use of every single euro of the EU budget based on critical assessment of current expenditure, can be achieved not only by directing EU resources towards actions with the highest European added value and the greatest increase in the performance of the EU’s policies and programmes, but also by achieving greater synergies between the EU budget and the national budgets, and by ensuring the tangible improvement of the spending architecture;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Pavel TELIČKA, Jan HUITEMA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)

46a. Reiterates that focus should equally be put on the relationship between spending and performance of the EU budget; supports the recommendations of the 2016 Annual Report of the European Court of Auditors, for an efficient measurement framework of indicators for the spending programmes, more streamlined and balanced reporting on performance, and an easier access to the assessment results.;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Jan HUITEMA, Pavel TELIČKA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48

48. Underlines that the ‘health check’ of EU spending ~~cannot~~should provide for a ~~reduction in the level of EU ambition or a sectoralisation of EU policies and programmes, nor should it lead to a replacement of grants by financial instruments~~n opportunity to re-prioritize with a view to generating ~~some~~ savings~~, as the great majority of actions supported by the EU budget are not suitable to be funded by the latter~~;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Pavel TELIČKA, Jan HUITEMA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52

52. Questions the justification and added value of establishing instruments outside the Union budget; considers that decisions to set up or maintain such instruments are in reality driven by attempts to conceal the real financial needs and to bypass the constraints of the MFF and own resources ceilings; deplores that they often also result in bypassing Parliament in its triple responsibility as legislative, budgetary and control authority and lead to less transparency towards the general public and beneficiaries;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Pavel TELIČKA, Jan HUITEMA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 65

65. Believes, therefore, that the current presentation of the headings requires some improvements, but is against any unjustified radical changes; ~~proposes, as a result, the following structure for the MFF post-2020; Heading 1: A stronger and sustainable economy Including programmes and instruments supporting: under direct m~~calls on the Commission to propose a new structure for the MFF post-2020; transport, digitalisation, energy environment and climate chanagement: - research and innovation - industry, entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises - large-infrastructure projects - - adaptation - - - supporting investments in Europe (possible umbrella agriculture and rural development maritime affairs and fisheries horizontal (financial) instrument ~~at EU level, incl. EFSI) Heading 2: Stronger cohesion and solidarity in Europe Including programmes and instruments supporting: - cohesion (under shared management):  investments in innovation~~s economic, social and territorial education and life-long learning culture, citizenship and health and food safety asylum, dmigitalisation, reindustrialisation, SMEs, transport, climate change adaptation  employment, social affairs and social inclusion - - communication - - justice and consumers - national administrations Heading 3: Stronger responsibility in the world Including programmes and instruments supporting: - development - - - - - external relations facilities Heading 4: Security, peace and stability for all Including programmes and instruments supporting: - - - policy - Heading 5: An efficient administration at the service of Europeans - - equipment of EU institutionsration and integration, support to and coordination with international cooperation and neighbourhood enlargement humanitarian aid trade contribution to EU trust funds and security crisis response and stability common foreign and security defence financing EU staff financing the buildings and

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Pavel TELIČKA, Dominique RIQUET, Jan HUITEMA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 67

67. Highlights the importance of completing the European research area, the energy union, the Single European Transport Area and the digital single market as fundamental elements of the European single market and reiterates the need for appropriate funding of the Connecting Europe Facility as strategic tool to support the attainment of these objectives;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Gesine MEISSNER, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Jean ARTHUIS, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73

73. Insists on the importance of the MFF for sectors relying on long-term investment, such as the transport sector; highlights that transport infrastructures are the backbone of the single market and the basis for sustainable growth and job creation; notes that accomplishing a single European transport area connected to neighbouring countries requires major transport infrastructure and must be treated as a key priority in terms of the EU’s competitiveness and for economic, social and territorial cohesion, including for peripheral areas; considers, therefore, that the next MFF should provide for sufficient funding for projects that contribute in particular to the completion of the TEN-T core network and its corridors, which should be further extended; stresses that an updated and more effective CEF programme should cover all modes of transport, in particular railway and other modes of transport, which contribute to reducing CO2 emissions, and focus on interconnections and the completion of the network in peripheral areas while using common standards;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Ulrike MÜLLER, Hannu TAKKULA, Pavel TELIČKA, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 77

77. Affirms that the common agricultural policy is fundamental for food security and autonomy, the preservation of rural populations, sustainable development and the provision of high-quality and affordable food products for Europeans; points out that food requirements have increased, as has the need to develop environmentally friendly farming practices and the need to tackle climate change; recognises the role of sustainable agriculture and forestry as key components of EU´s work in tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and furthering environmental sustainability; recalls that the next MFF should steer the CAP post-2020 towards a fair, effective efficient farming policy which has as its core objective to the facilitate the transition towards sustainable food and farming system in Europe and stresses that sufficient funding for reaching the targets must be provided; welcomes the Commission's strategic approach presented in the communication The Future of Food and Farming to provide more flexibility to the Member States to find appropriate means to steer their agricultural sector towards reaching the common environmental targets in the most effective way; underlines that the CAP is one of the most integrated policies and is mainly financed at EU level and, therefore, replaces national spending;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Ulrike MÜLLER, Hannu TAKKULA, Pavel TELIČKA, Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 77

77. Affirms that the common agricultural policy is fundamental for food security and autonomy, the preservation of rural populations, sustainable development and the provision of high-quality and affordable food products for Europeans; stresses the need to secure agricultural production in all parts of the EU as well as in the areas of natural constraints; points out that food requirements have increased, as has the need to develop environmentally friendly farming practices and the need to tackle climate change; underlines that the CAP is one of the most integrated policies and is mainly financed at EU level and, therefore, replaces national spending;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Ulrike MÜLLER, Hannu TAKKULA, Pavel TELIČKA, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 78

78. Expects the global amount of direct payments to be kept intact under the next MFF, as they generate clear EU added value and strengthen the single market by avoiding distortions of competition between Member States; opposes any renationalisation and any national co- financing in that respect; while bearing in mind the importance to maintain the variety of measures, including voluntary coupled support, available to Member States to maintain the production on sectors vital for vulnerable areas without distortion effect on internal market stresses the need to increase funding in line with responses to the various cyclical crises in sensitive sectors, to create new instruments that can mitigate price volatility and to increase funding for Programmes of Options Specifically Relating to Remoteness and Insularity (POSEI); concludes, therefore, that the CAP budget in the next MFF should be at least maintained at its current level for the EU-27;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Pavel TELIČKA, Jan HUITEMA, Nedzhmi ALI, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 78

78. Expects the global amount of direct payments to be kept intact under the next MFF, as they generate clear EU added value and strengthen the single market by avoiding distortions of competition between Member States; opposes any total renationalisation ~~and any national co- financing~~ in that respect; stresses the need to increase funding in line with responses to the various cyclical crises in sensitive sectors, to create new instruments that can mitigate price volatility and to increase funding for Programmes of Options Specifically Relating to Remoteness and Insularity (POSEI); concludes, therefore, that the CAP budget in the next MFF should ~~be at least maintained at its current level for the EU-27~~receive an adequate funding for the EU-27 based on an analysis of the needs and taking into account the evaluation of the implementation of the policy;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Ulrike MÜLLER, Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Jean ARTHUIS, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 80

80. Stresses the ~~importance of the EU’s leading role in tackling c~~need for appropriate financial resources to be provided to ensure that EU can meet its international oblimgate change and its internal and external biodiversity commitments and goals; asks for appropriate financial resources to be provided to implement the Paris agreement and thorough climate mainstreaming of future EU spendiions made under the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as its internal and external biodiversity commitments and goals; underlines the importance of sustaining and strengthening the EU’s leading role in tackling climate change; recalls that the next MFF should help the Union to achieve its 2030 climate and energy framework objectives; underlines that the EU should not finance projects and investments that are contrary to the achievement of these goals; calls for thorough climate mainstreaming of future EU spending;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Frédérique RIES, Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 80 a (new)

80a. Draws attention to the first recommendations of the High Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance1a,including those relating to the multiannual financial framework, and emphasize that the sustainability objectives must be supported by a financial system capable of promoting long-term, sustainable growth; calls on the Commission also to examine and address these recommendations for the next Multiannual Financial Framework, including the need to develop a 'sustainability test' for all future EU financial regulations and policies, and for financial instruments to achieve greater policy steering effects; __________________ 1a https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/17 0713-sustainable-finance-report_en.pdf

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 81

81. ~~Stress~~Underlines that cohesion policy ~~post- 2020 should remain~~is the main investment policy of the European Union covering all EU regions while concentrating the majority of the resources on the most vulnerable ones; believes that, beyond the goal of reducing the disparities between levels of development and enhancing convergence as enshrined in the Treaty, it should focus on the achievement of the broad EU political objectives and proposes, therefore, that under the next MFF, the three cohesion policy funds – the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund – should concentrate mainly on providing support for innovation, structural reforms, digitalisation, reindustrialisation, SMEs, transport, climate change adaptation, employment and social inclusion; calls, moreover, for a reinforced territorial cooperation component and an urban dimension for the policy;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 82

82. ~~Considers maintaining th~~Stresses the need for an adequate financing of cohesion policy post-2020 for the EU-27 ~~at least a~~based on an analysis of the needs and taking into account the lev~~el of the 2014- 2020 budget to be of the utmost importance~~aluation of the implementation of the policy; stresses that GDP should remain one of the parameters for the allocation of cohesion policy funds, but believes that it should be complemented by an additional set of social, environmental and demographic indicators to better take into account new types of inequalities between EU regions; supports, in addition, the continuation under the new programming period of the elements that rendered cohesion policy more modern and performance-oriented under the current MFF;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Jan HUITEMA, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 82 a (new)

82a. Considers that the allocation of structural funds post-2020 for the EU-27 shall be conditional on the respect of the fundamental principles of the rule of law, the acceptance of the control by the European Public Prosecutor of the use made of these funds, the acceptance of an effective solidarity in the sharing of the burdens resulting from common European policies; considers, furthermore, that macroeconomic conditionality shall be maintained when allocating these funds.

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Pavel TELIČKA, Nedzhmi ALI, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 84

84. Emphasises in particular the continuous need to fight unemployment, especially among young people, and calls, therefore, for ~~a doubling of the Y~~substantial strengthening of initiatives to boost youth Eemployment ~~Initiative envelope~~ in the next programming period; considers that investment to boost education and training, especially the development of digital skills, remains one of the top priorities of the EU; insists that the Union's resources in support of these initiatives result in a net increase in the funds available for NEETs (young people not in employment, education or training) and shall not replace expenditure previously financed by national budgets.

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86

86. Expects that in the post-2020 period, the European Union will move from crisis-management mode to a permanent, European common policy in the field of asylum and migration; stresses that the actions in this field should be covered by a dedicated instrument, i.e. the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund; emphasises that the future fund, as well as the relevant Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) agencies, must be equipped with an adequate level of funding for the whole of the next MFF to address the comprehensive challenges in this area; believes, furthermore, that the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) should be complemented by additional components tackling this issue under other policies, in particular by the cohesion funds and the instruments financing external actions, as no single tool could hope to address the magnitude and complexity of needs in this field; recognises, moreover, the importance of cultural, educational and sports programmes in integrating refugees and migrants into European society;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Frédérique RIES, Françoise GROSSETÊTE, Tanja FAJON, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Clare MOODY, Olga SEHNALOVÁ, Kateřina KONEČNÁ, Bart STAES, Indrek TARAND, Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN, Elena GENTILE, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Nicola CAPUTO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 87

87. Recognises the European added value of collaboration in addressing common public health threats; notes that no single Member State can tackle cross- border health challenges alone, and calls for the next MFF to reflect the EU’s responsibility to support Member States in reducing health inequalities; considers that, on the basis of the positive outcome of the ongoing actions in this field, the next MFF should include a robust next generation Health programme that addresses these issues on a cross-border basis, notably by making innovative solutions for healthcare delivery, such as the European Reference Networks; recalls that good health is a prerequisite for achieving other goals set by the EU and that policies in such fields as agriculture, environment, employment, social issues or inclusion also have an impact on the health of Europeans; calls, therefore, for the strengthening of health impact assessments and for cross- sectoral cooperation in the next MFF in this field;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Frédérique RIES, Ulrike MÜLLER, Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Jean ARTHUIS, Fredrick FEDERLEY, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 88

88. Stresses that the world is confronted with multiple challenges including conflicts, cyber-attacks, terrorism, disinformation, natural disasters, climate change, biodiversity loss; marine pollution; human rights violations and protracted crises; believes that the Union has a particular political and financial responsibility which is founded on rules- based foreign policy, cooperation with partner countries, poverty eradication and crisis response;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2052(INI)

Gérard DEPREZ, Jean ARTHUIS, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Pavel TELIČKA, Jan HUITEMA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 96

96. Welcomes initiatives by the institutions, bodies and agencies to further enhance efficiency through increased administrative cooperation and the pooling of certain functions, thereby generating savings to the Union budget; highlights that, for certain agencies, further efficiency gains could be made, especially through increased cooperation among agencies with similar tasks, such as in the field of the financial market supervision and of agencies with multiple locations; calls, in a more general way, for a thorough assessment of the strategic interest and tasks of all agencies and the possibilities of grouping agencies according to the strategic nature of their mission and their result;

2018/02/01
Committee: BUDG

2017/2044(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that Parliament's reading of the 2018 Budget fully reflects the political priorities adopted by an overwhelming majority in its abovementioned resolutions of 15 March 2017 on general guidelines and of 5 July 2017 on a mandate for the trilogue; recalls that jobs, sustainable growth ~~and~~, security and tackling climate change are at the core of those priorities;

2017/10/04
Committee: BUDG

2017/2044(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Jean ARTHUIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Highlights that the Union continues to face numerous challenges and is convinced that, while maintaining budget discipline, the necessary financial resources need to be deployed from the Union budget, in order to meet the political priorities and allow the Union to deliver answers and effectively respond to those challenges; underlines that Union spending should be targeted to areas with genuine European added value, tackling issues with cross-border nature and always respecting the principle of subsidiarity;

2017/10/04
Committee: BUDG

2017/2044(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Jean ARTHUIS, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. ~~Believe~~Recalls that, while the ~~peak of~~Union managed to put in place mechanisms helping to cope with the migratory and refugee crisis, s~~eems to have passed,~~till over one hundred thousand refugees and migrants have arrived to Europe by sea so far in 2017 according to the UNHCR; therefore believes that the Union must stand ready to respond to any unforeseen event in this area and moreover pursue more proactive approach in the field of migration; therefore urges the Commission to continuously monitor the adequacy of allocations under Heading 3 and make full use of all available instruments to respond in a timely manner to any unforeseen event that might require additional funding; decides therefore to reinforce in a limited manner the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund and the Internal Security Fund; notes, once again, that the Heading 3 ceiling is vastly insufficient to provide for appropriate funding for the internal dimension of the migration and refugee crisis as well as other priority programmes, such as culture programmes;

2017/10/04
Committee: BUDG

2017/2044(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Reminds that the Union budget must support the fulfilment of the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the Union’s own long-term climate goals by achieving the target of 20 % climate spending in the 2014-2020 MFF; regrets that the Commission has failed to put forward concrete and realistic proposals to achieve these goals; therefore proposes increases above the level of the DB for climate-related actions; notes however that these increases are not sufficient and calls on the Commission to present all the necessary proposals to reach the goals in the forthcoming amending letter and in the following draft budgets;

2017/10/04
Committee: BUDG

2017/2044(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Warns that such cuts would jeopardize programmes with real European added value and a direct impact on job and growth creation, such as Horizon 2020 or CEF; points out, in particular, that sufficient funding for Horizon 2020 is essential to allow for the development of research ~~and~~, innovation ~~in Europe and for SMEs~~, leadership in digitalisation and for the support of SMEs in Europe; recalls that this programme has demonstrated a strong European added- value with 83% of Horizon 2020-funded projects that would not have gone ahead without Union-level support; reiterates the importance of the CEF funding instrument for the completion of the TEN-T network and for achieving a Single European Transport Area; consequently decides to reverse all cuts made by the Council and, furthermore, to fully restore the original profile of the Horizon 2020 and CEF lines that were cut for the provisioning of the EFSI Guarantee Fund;

2017/10/04
Committee: BUDG

2017/2044(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Stresses the importance of stimulating cooperative defence research in Europe for addressing key capability shortfalls at a time when international developments increasingly require Europe to step up its efforts on defence; fully supports the increased allocation for the Preparatory Action on defence research but calls for a defence research programme with a dedicated budget within the next Multiannual Financial Framework; reiterates, nevertheless, its longstanding position that new initiatives should be financed through fresh appropriations and not at the expense of existing EU programmes; underlines, furthermore, the need to improve the competitiveness and innovation in the European defence industry that can contribute to stimulate growth and job creation;

2017/10/04
Committee: BUDG

2017/2044(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Notes that, while the number of migrant crossings on the Central and Eastern Mediterranean routes into the Union fell ~~in the first eight months of 2017~~, pressure on the Western Mediterranean route remains high; according to IOM, 134,549 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in the first nine months of 2017, compared with 302,175 arrivals across the region through the same period last year, with over 75 % arriving in Italy and the remainder divided between Greece, Cyprus and Spain; is of the opinion that additional funding is needed to fully cover the needs of the Union in the field of migration, notably through the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund;

2017/10/04
Committee: BUDG

2017/2044(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Highlights the crucial role played by the EU agencies in the area of justice and home affairs in addressing pressing concerns of Union citizens; decides therefore to increase budgetary appropriations and staffing of Europol, including the creation of 7 staff posts for the new operating unit called Europol operating unit for missing children, as well as to reinforce Eurojust, EASO and CEPOL; reiterates the contribution of these agencies to enhancing cooperation between Member States in the field;

2017/10/04
Committee: BUDG

2017/2044(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Jean ARTHUIS, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56

56. Recalls also the significance of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), the Emergency Aid Reserve (EAR) and the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF); supports the Commission’s intention to provide for a quicker mobilisation of the EUSF by putting most of its annual amount in a reserve in the Union budget, on top of the amount already budgeted for advances; regrets the Council’s cut in that respect and restores partially the DB level, with the exception of the amount which has been frontloaded to 2017 via amending budget 4/2017 and the mobilisation of the EUSF for Italy; extends the scope of the EUSF to provide assistance to victims of acts of terrorism and their families;

2017/10/04
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Believes that in general terms the Commission proposal corresponds to Parliament’s view that the 2018 EU budget must enable the EU to continue to generate growth and jobs while ensuring the security of its citizens yet regrets that the Commission proposal does not fully correspond to the Parliament's call on action against climate change;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Gérard DEPREZ, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Welcomes the EU initiatives and long-term perspective in the field of defence research and technology development and acquisition, which will contribute to achieving economies of scale in the sector and thus lead to greater coordination among Member States in the field; believes that this kind of pooling and sharing of resources can enable a better use of tax payer's money and offers a potential for savings; underlines also the need to improve the competitiveness and innovation in the European defence industry and to stimulate growth and job creation;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS, Iskra MIHAYLOVA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Stresses the importance of mainstreaming biodiversity protection across the EU budget, and reiterates its previous call for a tracking methodology that takes into account all biodiversity related spending and its efficiency;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Welcomes the fact that the draft budget 2018 includes an additional allocation for the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), responding thus to Parliament’s previous calls for the continuation of the programme; notes, in parallel, the proposal for draft amending budget 3/2017 that integrates the provision of EUR 500 million in commitments for YEI, as agreed upon by Parliament and the Council in the 2017 budgetary conciliation; is convinced that while the proposed amounts alone will not be sufficient to tackle youth unemployment, YEI will continue to contribute to the Union’s priority objective of growth and jobs; insists on the need to provide an effective response to youth unemployment across the European Union and underlines that YEI can be further improved and become more efficient;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Frédérique RIES, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Is particularly concerned at the possible reconstitution of a backlog of unpaid bills towards the end of the current MFF period, and recalls the unprecedented amount of EUR 24.7 billion reached at the end of 2014; welcomes the fact that the Commission, on the occasion of the MFF mid-term revision, provided a payment forecast until 2020 for the first time, but stresses that this needs to be duly updated every year, in order to allow the budgetary authority to take the necessary measures in time; is convinced that the credibility of the EU is also linked to its ability to ensure an adequate level of payment appropriations in the EU budget that will allow it to deliver on its commitments yet reminds, in this respect, that only a controlled levels of commitments assures control over the payments;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Reaffirms that tackling the root causes of the migratory and refugee crisis represent the long-term sustainable solution and that investments in the countries of origin of migrants and refugees are key to achieving this objective; ~~notes therefor~~welcomes, in this regard, the External Investment Plan (EIP) and calls for the swi~~th surprise~~ft agreement among the institutions and rapid implementation of the European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD); notes the decreases in Heading 4 which cannot be fully justified in the framework of past budgetary increases or low implementation rate; is convinced that the ~~EU cannot enter in a post-migratory crisis scenario yet and that the~~ efforts to address the instability in the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood must be enhanced;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS, Hannu TAKKULA, Iskra MIHAYLOVA, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Welcomes the increase proposed for the eastern component of the European Neighbourhood Instrument responding to Parliament’s previous calls; ~~is convinced that in order to counter the activities of an increasingly aggressive Russian Federation, the EU’s support, especially for the countries that have signed Association Agreemen~~believes that the EU’s support for these countries is essential in order to further economic integration and convergence with the EU and to advance democracy, rule of law and human rights, i~~s essential~~n our Eastern neighborhood;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS, Frédérique RIES, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Reiterates its support for the implementation of the Commission's strategy 'Budget Focused on Results' and calls on continuous improvement of the quality and presentation of performance data, in order to provide accurate, clear and understandable information on EU programmes' performance;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS, Frédérique RIES, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. ~~Is surprised~~Regrets, however, that COSME commitment and payment appropriations have been reduced respectively by 2.9 % and 31.3 %, although support to SMEs is identified as one of the top priorities of the EU; expresses its intention to further reinforce this programme in the 2018 budget;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS, Hannu TAKKULA, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Frédérique RIES, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Takes note of the Commission’s proposal to set up a European Solidarity Corps (ESC); notes, however, with concern that, despite Parliament’s warnings, the legislative proposal adopted on 30 May 2017 envisages that three fourths of the ESC budget would be financed by redeployments from existing programmes, and mainly from Erasmus+ (EUR 197.7 million); is also concerned byof the proposed cuts to the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and to LIFE programme; is concerned of the risk that this situation would pose to those EU programmes that are subject to cuts;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS, Hannu TAKKULA, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Welcomes the proposed scaling-up of the preparatory action on defence research and the presentation by the Commission of a legislative proposal for a defence industry development programme; recalls its earlier position that new initiatives in this area should be financed by additional funds and not be detrimental to existing research programmes;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Highlights the prolongation of exceptional support measures for certain fruits for which the market situation is still difficult~~, but~~; regrets ~~that~~, however, that the Commission is not currently proposing support measures in the livestock sectors, and particularly in the dairy sector, related to the Russian ban on EU imports ~~will not be extended~~and expects, therefore, a change of course in this regard; expects, consequently, that if the margin of Heading 2 is deployed, a part of it will be allocated to dairy farmers in countries most affected from the Russian embargo; awaits the Commission’s letter of amendment, expected in October, which should be based on updated information on the EAGF funding to verify the real needs in the agricultural sector, taking duly into account the impact of the Russian embargo and other market volatilities;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Notes the proposed EUR 3 473.1 million in commitment appropriations for Heading 3; emphasises the need for joint, comprehensive and sustainable solutions to the ~~current~~ migration and refugee c~~risi~~hallenges, and to addressing safety and security concerns particularly following the series of terrorist attacks that the European Union has known on its territory; welcomes, therefore, the Commission’s proposal for an additional EUR 800 million dedicated to tackling these issues;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Furthermore believes that cooperation among Member States in security related matters could be further enhanced through increased support from the EU budget; questions how such an objective could be reached while relevant budgetary lines of the ISF are significantly decreased compared to 2017 Budget; stresses the need to guarantee the necessary funding to implement the new information and border systems such as European Travel Information and Authorisation and Entry-Exit Systems.

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS, Frédérique RIES, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Recalls Parliament’s consistently strong support for culture and media programmes; welcomes the proposed increases for the Creative Europe Programme compared with the 2017 budget, including for the European Year for Cultural Heritage under ‘Multimedia actions’; furthermore, insists on sufficient funding for the programme ‘Europe for Citizens’; appreciates~~, finally,~~ also the increases in commitment appropriations for the Food and Feed programme, and the ~~Health~~Consumer programme ~~and the Consumer programme~~ compared with the 2017 budget; emphasises, finally, the importance of a strong Health Programme and an appropriate budget to enable European cooperation in the field of health, including new innovations in health care, health inequalities, the burden of chronic diseases, anti-microbial resistance, cross-border healthcare and access to care;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2043(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46

46. Reiterates its conviction that the European agencies active in the Justice and Home Affairs field must be provided with the necessary operational expenditure and staffing levels to allow them to achieve the additional tasks and responsibilities they have been given in recent years; welcomes, in this regard, the substantial staff increases proposed for the European Coast and Border Guard Agency (Frontex) and the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), which it considers a minimum to ensure that these agencies can effectively perform their operations; calls the Commission to reassess whether the staff increase proposed for Europol is enough, as this does not reflect the increased workload related to the additional tasks recently conferred to the Agency, especially in the area of terrorism, cybercrime and migrant smuggling ; underlines the identified gaps in the existing exchange of information architecture and urges the Commission to provide eu-LISA with the appropriate human and financial resources to fulfil the additional tasks and responsibilities recently assigned to the Agency in this respect ; requests the Commission to reassess whether the proposed operational funding (-23.6 % compared to 2017) and staffing levels (-4) for Eurojust will indeed allow this agency to fulfil in an effective manner its key role in the promotion of judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, including in the fields of drug policy and crime prevention;

2017/06/21
Committee: BUDG

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)

– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to the UN human rights conventions and the optional protocols thereto,

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Nedzhmi ALI, Norica NICOLAI, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 b (new)

– having regard to the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the participation of the European Union in the work of the United Nations , which grants the EU the right to intervene in the UN General Assembly, to present proposals and amendments orally which will be put to a vote at the request of a Member State, and to exercise the right to reply,

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the EU’s commitment to effective multilateralism and good global governance, with the UN at its core, is an integral part of the EU’s external policy and is rooted in the conviction that a multilateral system founded on universal rules and values is best suited to addressing global crises, challenges and threats;

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the EU should play a proactive part in building a United Nations that can contribute effectively to global solutions, peace and security, human rights, sustainable development, democracy and a rule-of-law-based international order; whereas EU Member States need to make every effort to coordinate their action in the organs and bodies of the United Nations system in accordance with the mandate contained in Article 34(1) TEU;

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the EU and its Member States remain collectively the single largest financial contributor to the UN system, providing almost 50% of all contributions to the UN, with the ~~EU Member States contributing around 40% of the UN’s regular budget~~primary aims of eradicating poverty, promoting long-term peace and stability, and combating social inequalities, and provides humanitarian assistance to populations, countries and regions that are confronted with all types of crises, whether natural or human- made; whereas EU contributions to the UN should be more visible;

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas the EU works for environmental sustainability, notably in the fight against climate change by promoting international measures and actions to preserve and improve the quality of the environment and the sustainable management of natural resources;

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

Cb. whereas the EU is one of the most dedicated defenders and promoters of human rights, fundamental freedoms, cultural values and diversity, democracy and the rule of law;

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas the EU’s security environment is increasingly unstable and volatile owing to a large number of longstanding or newly emerging internal and external challenges, including violent conflicts, terrorism, organised crime, unprecedented waves of migration and climate change, which are impossible to address at national level and require regional and global responses;

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph j

(j) to increase Member State support for UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations that include a human rights component and clear exit strategies, in particular by contributing personnel and equipment, and to enhance the EU’s role as a facilitator in this respect; to ensure better visibility for this support and contribution; to further develop procedures for the use of EU Common Security and Defence Policy in support of UN operations while paying sufficient attention to the several dimensions of complex crisis management, such as human rights, sustainable development, and the root causes of mass migration;

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph k

(k) to continue to support the efforts to further operationalise R2P and to support the UN in continuing to play a critical role in assisting countries in the implementation of R2P in order to uphold the rule of law and of international humanitarian law;

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph m

(m) to support the UN in making counter-terrorism a key element of its prevention agenda in line with the EU’s engagement in preventive measures to combat terrorism and counter violent extremism; to strengthen joint EU-UN efforts in combating the root causes of terrorism, particularly in countering hybrid threats and developing research and capacity-building in cyber defence; to promote education as a main tool for preventing violent extremism and to rely on the existing initiatives set up by local partners to devise, implement, and develop approaches to counter radicalisation and terrorist recruitment;

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph t a (new)

(ta) to call for a strengthening of the child protection systems and to support concrete measures in the best interests of the child refugees and migrants, based on the Convention on the rights of the child;

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph w

(w) to continue to advocate freedom of religion or belief; to call for greater efforts to protect the rights of religious and other minorities; to call for greater protection of religious and ethnic minorities against persecution and violence; to call for the repeal of laws criminalising blasphemy or apostasy, which serve as a pretext for the persecution of religious minorities and non-believers; to support the work of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief; to actively work for UN recognition of the genocide of religious and other minorities committed by ISIL/Daesh, and for referral to the ICC of cases of suspected crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide; to support the work of UN against torture and other cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment or punishment, mass executions, executions including for drug- related offences;

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph aa

(aa) to underline the leading role of the EU in the process that led to the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030) and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the General Assembly in September 2015; to urge countries to fully implement Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development in their policies in order to reach the SDGs; to take concrete steps to ensure the efficient implementation of Agenda 2030 and the 17 SDGs as important instruments for prevention and development;

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph aa a (new)

(aaa) to work determinedly for eradicating poverty and to promote ecologically, economically and socially sustainable development all over the world; to fight against social inequalities and to provide humanitarian assistance to populations, countries and regions that are confronted with all types of crises, whether natural or human-made;

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2041(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph ad

(ad) to support actively a comprehensive reform of the United Nations Security Council on the basis of a broad consensus; in order to better reflect the new world reality and to more effectively meet present and future security challenges; to promote the structural and functional reform of the economic and social council and to develop it into a body capable to enhance sustainable global development in a comprehensive and coordinated way; to promote the revitalisation of the work of the General Assembly, and improved coordination and coherence of the action of all UN institutions, which should enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, legitimacy, transparency, accountability, capacity and representativeness of the system;

2017/04/06
Committee: AFET

2017/2022(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Notes that the amount set aside for extraordinary investment and expenditure in 2018 is EUR 47,6 million, the same level as in 2017; ~~considers~~recalls that the distinction between ordinary and extraordinary expenditure, first introduced in the 2016 budget and included in the consecutive budgets, was made solely in order to respond to the urgent need for implementation measures concerning security of buildings and cybersecurity following the terrorist attacks; considers that the excessive use of that distinction,namely the inclusion of other expenditure in extraordinary expenditure, gives an erroneous indication of the evolution of the budgetary margin and is thus in contradiction with the principle of transparency of Parliament's expenditure; considers, therefore, that the 2019 communication campaign ought to not be considered as extraordinary expenditure;

2017/03/16
Committee: BUDG

2017/2022(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Welcomes the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Belgian Government and the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission, the European External Action Service, and other institutions based in Brussels, on security verifications for all external contractors’ staff wishing to access the Union institutions; regrets that that Memorandum of Understanding was signed after the driver service had been internalised for safety reasons; invites the Secretary-General to consider the advisability of extending the application of this Memorandum of Understanding to officials and parliamentary assistants in order to allow the necessary security verifications before their recruitment;

2017/03/16
Committee: BUDG

2017/2022(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Considers 2018 to be a critical year for the Konrad Adenauer (KAD) building, as it will mark the end of the work on the East site and the start of work on the West site; notes that the budget allocated to cover the management of this large-scale project has had to be revised in order to strengthen the teams which monitor the progress of the work; ~~notes~~draws attention to the on-going practice of using the year-end ‘'mopping up transfer’' (ramassage) to contribute to current building projects; considers that while this may be a pragmatic solution to reduce interest rate payments, it nevertheless exists in tension with the transparency of building projects within the Parliament’'s budget and could even incentivise over-budgeting in certain areas; highlights, on the basis of the figures for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016, that the year-end 'mopping up transfer' (ramassage) takes place systematically on the same chapters and titles and, with a few exceptions, exactly on the same lines; wonders, therefore, whether there is a programmed overvaluation of those chapters and lines in order to generate funds for the financing of buildings policy;

2017/03/16
Committee: BUDG

2017/2022(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL, Jean ARTHUIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Welcomes in particular the ever increasing quality of advice and research provided to Members and committees through the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) and the policy departments; recalls that a mid-term evaluation of the efficacy of the cooperation between the European EPRS and the policy departments was provided for when the EPRS was created in 2013; requests once again the Secretary- General to proceed to undertake such an evaluation and present to the Committee on Budgets its results before the Parliament's reading of the budget in autumn 2017; approves of the four specific projects being developed over the medium- term in the European Parliament library, namely the digital library, improved resources for research, comparative law sources and open library; considers these projects as a means to improve support to both Members and staff, as well as facilitating access to the external research community and citizens;

2017/03/16
Committee: BUDG

2017/0352(COD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Alain LAMASSOURE, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL

Proposal for a regulation
Article 60 – paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. The cost incurred in connection with the establishment and operation of a central EU backup solution for each system indicated in paragraph 1, where necessary, shall be borne by the general budget of the Union.

2018/05/25
Committee: BUDG

2017/0352(COD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Alain LAMASSOURE, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL

Proposal for a regulation
Article 60 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1

Costs incurred in connection with the integration of the existing national infrastructures and their connection to the national uniform interfaces as well as in connection with hosting and future developments of the national uniform interfaces shall be borne by the general budget of the Union.

2018/05/25
Committee: BUDG

2017/0351(COD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Alain LAMASSOURE, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL

Proposal for a regulation
Article 60 – paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. The cost incurred in connection with the establishment and operation of a central EU backup solution for each system indicated in paragraph 1, where necessary, shall be borne by the general budget of the Union.

2018/05/23
Committee: BUDG

2017/0351(COD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Alain LAMASSOURE, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis MICHEL

Regulation (EC) No 1073/2009
Article 5 b – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1

Where the ~~regulatory bod~~national competent authority hears an appeal against a decision by a terminal operator, it shall adopt a reasoned decision within a fixed timeframe and, in any case within three weeks from receipt of all relevant information.

2018/10/04
Committee: TRAN

Peter KOUROUMBASHEV, Andrey NOVAKOV, Andrey KOVATCHEV, Emil RADEV, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Nikolay BAREKOV, Filiz HYUSMENOVA, Iskra MIHAYLOVA, Bogusław LIBERADZKI, Eva MAYDELL, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Momchil NEKOV, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ, Sergei STANISHEV, István UJHELYI, Asim ADEMOV, Georgi PIRINSKI, Vladimir URUTCHEV, Nedzhmi ALI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 21

Regulation (EC) No 1073/2009
Article 28

(21) Article 28 is replaced by the following: ‘Article 28 Reporting 1. latest, and for the first time by 31 January […the first January following the entry into force of this Regulation] Member States shall communicate to the Commission the number of authorisations for regular services issued the previous year and the total number of authorisations for regular services valid on 31 December of that year. That information shall be given separately for each Member State of destination of the regular service. Member States shall also communicate to the Commission the data concerning cabotage operations, in the form of special regular services and occasional services, carried out during the previous year by resident carriers. 2. latest and, for the first time by 31 January […the first January following the entry into force of this Regulation], the competent authorities in the host Member State shall provide the Commission with statistics on the number of authorisations issued for cabotage operations in the form of the regular services referred to in Article 15(c) during the previous year. 3. adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 26 to establish the format of the table to be used for the communication of the statistics referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 and the data to be provided. 4. latest and, for the first time by 31 January […the first January following the entry into force of this Regulation], Member States shall inform the Commission of the number of carriers holding a Community licence as of 31 December of the previous year and of the number of certified copies corresponding to the number of vehicles in circulation on that date. 5. calculated 5 years after date of application of this Regulation], the Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the application of this Regulation. The report shall include information on the extent to which this Regulation has contributed to a better functioning road passenger transport market.’deleted Each year, by 31 January at the Each year, by 31 January at the The Commission is empowered to Each year, by 31 January at the By [please insert the date

2018/10/04
Committee: TRAN

2017/0122(COD)

Peter KOUROUMBASHEV, Asim ADEMOV, Georgi PIRINSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Emil RADEV, Filiz HYUSMENOVA, István UJHELYI, Nedzhmi ALI

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2

(2) Having evaluated the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of the existing set of Union social rules in road transport, and in particular Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council9 , certain deficiencies were identified in the existing legal framework. Unclear and unsuitable rules on weekly rest, resting facilities, breaks in multi-manning and the absence of rules on the return of drivers to their home, lead to diverging interpretations and enforcement practices in the Member States. Several Member States recently adopted unilateral measures further increasing legal uncertainty and unequal treatment of drivers and operators. _________________ 9 Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on the harmonisation of certain social legislation relating to road transport and amending Council Regulations (EEC) No 3821/85 and (EC) No 2135/98 and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 3820/85 (OJ L 102, 11.4.2006, p. 1).

2018/02/27
Committee: TRAN

2017/0122(COD)

Peter KOUROUMBASHEV, Asim ADEMOV, Georgi PIRINSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Emil RADEV, Filiz HYUSMENOVA, István UJHELYI, Nedzhmi ALI

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7

(7) There are differences among Member States in the interpretation and implementation of the weekly rest requirements as regards the place where the weekly rest should be taken. It is therefore appropriate to clarify that requirement ~~to ensure that drivers are provided with adequate accommodat~~. It is desirable to adapt the provision ~~for~~on their regular weekly rest periods ~~if they are taken away from home~~and any weekly rest of more than 45 hours in a such a way that it is easier for drivers to spend it in a suitable rest area.

2018/02/27
Committee: TRAN

2017/0122(COD)

Peter KOUROUMBASHEV, Asim ADEMOV, Georgi PIRINSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Emil RADEV, Filiz HYUSMENOVA, István UJHELYI, Nedzhmi ALI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2 a (new)

Regulation (EC) No 561/2006
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point r a (new)

(2a) In Article 4, the following points (s)and (t)are added: "(ra) “secure parking lot” means a place that is enclosed by a barrier and organised with a check-in mode, with 24- hour armed or unarmed security; (rb) “home” means the employer's operational centre where the driver is based or to the driver's place of residence.

2018/02/27
Committee: TRAN

Peter KOUROUMBASHEV, Asim ADEMOV, Georgi PIRINSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Emil RADEV, Andrey NOVAKOV, Filiz HYUSMENOVA, István UJHELYI, Nedzhmi ALI

Proposal for a directive
Article 2 – paragraph 3 – point c

(c) breaks and rest periods, except weekly rest, as well as periods of availability spent in the territory of a host Member State shall be considered as working period.

2018/02/23
Committee: TRAN

2017/0121(COD)

Peter KOUROUMBASHEV, Asim ADEMOV, Georgi PIRINSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Emil RADEV, Andrey NOVAKOV, Filiz HYUSMENOVA, István UJHELYI, Nedzhmi ALI

~~[...]~~deleted

2018/02/23
Committee: TRAN

2017/0121(COD)

Peter KOUROUMBASHEV, Asim ADEMOV, Georgi PIRINSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Emil RADEV, Andrey NOVAKOV, Filiz HYUSMENOVA, István UJHELYI, Nedzhmi ALI

Proposal for a directive
Article 2 – paragraph 5

~~5. For the purposes of point (a) of paragraph 4 the road transport operator may provide a posting declaration covering a period of a maximum of six months.~~deleted

2018/02/23
Committee: TRAN

2016/2323(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nils TORVALDS, Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1

A budget for sustainable growth, jobs and security

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the important role played by the EU budget in delivering concrete answers to the challenges the EU is facing; stresses that jobs~~, economic growth~~ and sustainable economic growth, climate change, migration, and security ~~and tackling populism~~ are the main c~~oncern~~hallenges at EU level and that the EU budget remains part of the solution to these issues; underlines that only a strong ~~EU budget~~and efficient EU budget with a genuine European added value will benefit all Member States and EU citizens alike; expects that the Commission will put forward a draft 2018 budget that enables the EU to continue to generate prosperity and ensure the safety of its citizens;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Believes that ~~the EU budget must be equipped with the tools to enable it to~~, while budget discipline should not be compromised, responding to multiple crises simultaneously will require a certain level of flexibility; is of the opinion that, while growth and jobs continue to remain the core priorities of the EU budget, obtaining sustainable progress in these fields will not be possible should EU citizens feel unsafe or insecure;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Urmas PAET, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nils TORVALDS, Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Underlines that the EU budget must support the fulfilment of the objectives of the Paris agreement and the EU's own long-term climate goals by meeting the 20% spending target for climate in 2014-2020 MFF; stresses, in this regard, that the contribution for 2018 should overshoot the overall target in order to offset the lower allocations from the first half of the current MFF and that the mechanism of climate change mainstreaming should be fully optimized;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Notes with concern that the EU's 2020 biodiversity targets will not be met without substantial additional efforts; stresses, therefore, the importance of mainstreaming biodiversity protection across the EU budget, with a particular focus on LIFE programme and Natura 2000 network, and reiterates its previous call for a tracking methodology that takes into account all biodiversity related spending and its efficiency;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Jean ARTHUIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Considers education to be a prerequisite for well-paid, stable jobs; ~~welcomes in this respect the role played by Erasmus+ in facilitating intra-European mobility of young studen~~underlines the importance of cross-border mobility as a means of enabling young Europeans to take advantage of the variety of skills of people while expanding opportunities for training and employment; welcomes in this respect the role played by Erasmus+ in facilitating intra-European mobility of young students and apprentices; support the development of the European voluntary service (EVS) which helps young people travel abroad to participate in volunteering projects; calls, in this context, for the financing of this programme Eramus+ to continue to be increased in 2018;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Considers education to be a prerequisite for ~~well-paid, st~~sustainable jobs; welcomes in this respect the role played by Erasmus+ in facilitating intra-European mobility of young students; calls, in this context, for the financing of this programme to continue to be increased in 2018;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Jean ARTHUIS, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Underlines that youth unemployment is one of the main concerns at European level and that it puts at risk an entire generation of young Europeans; stresses that, as part of the conciliation agreement for the 2017 EU budget, a EUR 500 million allocation will be granted to the Youth Employment Initiative through an amending budget in 2017; remains firmly committed to securing adequate funding to fight against youth unemployment and for the continuation of the Youth Employment Initiative until the end of the current MFF, while at the same time improving its functioning and implementation;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Acknowledges the importance of Erasmus+ programme as a key component in increasing fellowship among European youth; believes that especially in the times of rising nationalism and populism it is important to facilitate natural interaction between different European nations and cultures to increase European consciousness and identity;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Is convinced that, under the current circumstances, ~~where~~ the ceiling in Heading 3 is too low, the EU budget has maximised its impact in dealing with the effects of the migratory and refugee crisis; points out, however, that a sustainable solution must be found to this issue, as it has been shown by the repeated mobilisation of special instruments, such as the flexibility instrument, that the EU budget was not initially designed to address crises of such magnitudehas proven to insufficient to provide for appropriate funding for the internal dimension of the current security as well as humanitarian and migratory challenges, as it has been shown by the repeated mobilisation of special instruments, such as the flexibility instrument; points out that a sustainable solution must be found in the future to this issue as a matter of utmost urgency and priority; recalls, however, that the necessity to mobilise supplementary means to face these challenges should not take precedence over other important Union policies, for example in the field of jobs and growth;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Is convinced that, under the current circumstances, ~~where the ceiling~~and with limited resources in Hheading 3 ~~is too low~~, the EU budget has maximised its impact in dealing with the effects of the migratory and refugee crisis; points out, however, that a sustainable solution must be found to this issue, as it has been shown by the repeated mobilisation of special instruments, such as the flexibility instrument, that the EU budget was not initially designed to address crises of such magnitude;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Welcomes the role played by instruments such as the Internal Security Fund (ISF) and the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) in addressing ~~the effects of the migratory and refugee crisi~~security and humanitarian and migratory challenges, and calls for adequate budgeting in the coming years for these funds; welcomes also the role of EU agencies in the area of justice and home affairs, such as Europol ~~and the~~, European Asylum Agency, European Border and Coast Guard, Eurojust and EU-LISA, and calls, in this context, for their mandate to be executed through adequate budgeting and staffing; is convinced that the EU needs to invest more in strengthening its borders, managing migration, enhancing cooperation between law enforcement national authorities and agencies, fighting terrorism ~~and~~, radicalisation and ~~ensuring~~serious and organized crime, ensuring the interoperability of information systems and guarantee sound return operations;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Strongly supports initiatives in the field of defence research with the aim of encouraging better cooperation between Member States and calls for a defence research programme with a dedicated budget within the next Multiannual Financial Framework; recalls that, while respecting provisions enshrined in the Treaties, strengthened cooperation in the field of defence is needed in order to meet the security challenges that the EU is facing, which are generated by prolonged instability in the EU neighbourhood and uncertainty regarding the commitment of certain EU partners towards NATO objectives; underlines, furthermore, the need to improve the competitiveness and innovation in the European defence industry that can contribute to stimulate growth and job creation;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Reaffirms its conviction that in order to tackle the root causes of the migratory and refugee crisis, the EU needs to step up its role through investments in the countries of origin of the refugees and migrants; notes that investments in infrastructure, housing, education, medical services and support for SMEs with a particular focus on job creation are part of the solution to tackle the root causes of migration; welcomes therefore the External Investment Plan (EIP) as a coherent and coordinated framework to promote investments in Africa and the Neighbourhood countries; expects that the EIP will promote sustainable development without compromising human rights, climate change mitigation and good governance and that transparent management of the European Fund for Sustainable Development and its projects will be ensured;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Reaffirms its conviction that in order to tackle the root causes of the ~~migratory and refugee crisi~~current humanitarian and migratory challenges, the EU needs to step up its role through investments in the countries of origin of the refugees and migrants; notes that investments in infrastructure, housing, education, medical services and support for SMEs are part of the solution to tackle the root causes of migration; welcomes therefore the External Investment Plan as a coherent and coordinated framework to promote investments in Africa and the Neighbourhood countries;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. ~~Maintains~~Notes that the current trend by the Commission to resort to satellite budgetary mechanisms such as the Facility for Refugees in Turkey, trust funds and other similar instruments has not always proven to be a success; is concerned that the establishment of financial instruments outside the Union budget could threaten its unity and circumvent the budgetary procedure; considers, indeed, that it undermines the transparent management of the budget and hampers the right of the Parliament to exercise effective scrutiny of expenditures; maintains, therefore, its previous position that ad hoc external financial instruments which emerged in recent years must be incorporated into the EU budget, with Parliament having full scrutiny over the implementation of these instruments; recalls, however, that the funding needed for these instruments should not be deployed to the detriment of the Union's existing external action, including its development policy;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL, Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. ~~Maintains~~Notes that the Commission's decision to resort itself to satellite budgetary mechanisms, such as trust funds, has not always been a full success and that there is a risk that this kind of solutions undermine the transparent management of the budget and hamper budget control measures; Maintains, therefore, its previous position that ad hoc external financial instruments which emerged in recent years must be incorporated into the EU budget, with Parliament having full scrutiny over the implementation of these instruments;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Underlines that one of the conditions for preserving stability and prosperity in the EU is a stable EU Neighbourhood; calls on the Commission therefore to ensure that priority is given to investments in the EU Neighbourhood in order to support efforts to tackle the main issues that this area is facing: the ~~migration and refugee crisi~~current humanitarian and migratory challenges in the Southern Neighbourhood and Russian aggression in the Eastern Neighbourhood; reiterates that supporting countries which are implementing association agreements with the EU is key to facilitating political and economic reforms;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL, Urmas PAET, Nils TORVALDS, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18 a. Welcomes in principle the establishment of European Defence Fund, with research and capability windows, as a promising model of an EU project with genuine European added value as the union faces unprecedented security challenges both within and beyond its borders;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Matthijs van MILTENBURG, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Acknowledges that only a controlled level of commitments assures control over the future level of payments and expects, therefore, a more orderly relation between commitments and payments; Stresses that delays in the implementation of 2014-2020 programmes under shared management led to a drop in payment claims for 2016 and 2017; is particularly concerned about the lack of transparency and a possible reconstitution of a backlog of unpaid bills towards the end of the current MFF period, and recalls the ~~unprecedented level of EUR 24.7 billion reached at the end of 2014~~refore on the Commission to provide a regular, detailed update on scrapped projects to ensure the best use of EU funds and to enable transfers to new political priorities should the need arise; welcomes the fact that the Commission, on the occasion of the MFF mid-term revision, provided for the first time a payment forecast until 2020, but stresses that it needs to be duly updated every year, in order to allow the budgetary authority to take the necessary measures in time;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Urmas PAET, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Nedzhmi ALI, Fredrick FEDERLEY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Underlines that the Commission will put forward by the end of 2017 its proposals for the post-2020 MFF; ~~attaches~~understands that the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU will have a significant impact on the post-2020 MFF and resources available; attaches therefore the utmost importance to the process leading up to the establishment of the new financial framework, and ~~expects this to be commensurate to the challenges the Union is facing~~a reformed, more agile and efficient EU budget; calls for a swift conclusion to the ongoing MFF mid-term revision;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Underlines that predictability and long-term sustainability of the EU budget is a prerequisite for a strong and stable European Union; draws attention to the fact that the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU will provide an opportunity to address the long-standing issues which have prevented the EU budget from reaching its real potential, especially as regards the revenue side of the budget; reaffirms its position in favour of an in- depth reform of EU own resources, and welcomes in this respect the presentation of the final report of the High-Level Group on Own Resources (HLGOR); invites all involved parties to draw the appropriate conclusions from this report and analyse the feasibility of implementing the recommendations of the HLGOR that would help make the EU budget more stable and predictable; welcomes the conclusion of the HLGOR regarding the fact that the EU budget needs to focus on areas bringing the highest European added value and regarding the ‘juste retour’ approach, which should end, as it has been shown by the report that all Member States benefit from the EU budget, irrespective of their ‘net-balance’;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Underlines that predictability and long-term sustainability of the EU budget is a prerequisite for a strong and stable European Union; draws attention to the fact that the United Kingdom’'s withdrawal from the EU will provide an opportunity to address the long-standing issues which have prevented the EU budget from reaching its real potential, especially as regards the revenue side of the budget; reaffirms its position in favour of an in- depth reform of EU own resources, and welcomes in this respect the presentation of the final report of the High-Level Group on Own Resources (HLGOR); invites all involved parties to draw the appropriate conclusions from this report and analyse the feasibility of implementing the recommendations of the HLGOR that would help make the EU budget more simple, stable ~~and~~, predictable~~; welcom~~ and environmentally sustainable; notes the conclusion of the HLGOR regarding the ‘'juste retour’' approach~~, which should end, as it has been shown by the report that all Member States benefit from the EU budget, irrespective of their ‘net-balance’~~; believes that any new own resource should lead to a reduction in Member States' GNI- contributions;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2323(BUD)

Gérard DEPREZ, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nils TORVALDS, Louis MICHEL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24 a. Encourages the Commission to continue developing and implementing the 'EU budget focused on results' strategy; underlines, in this regard, the importance of simplifying rules, streamlining the monitoring process and developing relevant performance indicators;

2017/02/15
Committee: BUDG

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Jozo RADOŠ, Nedzhmi ALI, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Albania has made steady and constant progress in its EU accession process; whereas further implementation of, inter alia, the judicial reform package, in particular the vetting law, electoral reform and the so-called decriminalisation law is important in strengthening citizens’ trust in their public institutions and political representatives;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Jozo RADOŠ, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

A a. whereas challenges still persist and need to be addressed swiftly and efficiently in a spirit of dialogue, cooperation and compromise between government and opposition in order to make further progress on its path to EU accession;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Jozo RADOŠ, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas the EU has highlighted the need to strengthen economic governance, the rule of law and public administration capacities in all of the Western Balkan countries;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Jozo RADOŠ, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes Albania’s continuous progress on EU-related reforms, in particular the adoption of constitutional amendments paving the way for a deep and comprehensive judicial reform; stresses that not only consistent adoption but also full and timely implementation of reforms and sustained political commitment are essential in order to further advance the EU accession process;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Jozo RADOŠ, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Fully supports Albania’s accession to the EU, and calls for the accession negotiations to be opened as soon as there is credible and sustainable progress in the implementation of judicial reform, fight against organized crime and corruption in order to keep the reform momentum; expects Albania to consolidate the progress achieved and to maintain the pace of progress on implementation of all key priorities;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Jozo RADOŠ, Nedzhmi ALI, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Reiterates that a constructive dialogue, sustainable political cooperation and a willingness to compromise is crucial for the success of the reforms ~~and for~~; underlines that lack of political cooperation and polarisation undermine the entire EU accession process;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Jozo RADOŠ, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Commends the consensual adoption of the constitutional amendments for judicial reform and the adoption of laws on the institutional reorganisation of the judiciary in close cooperation with the Venice Commission; calls for the swift adoption and implementation of all relevant accompanying laws and by-laws, in particular the law on the re-evaluation (vetting) of judges, prosecutors and legal advisors as an important instrument to fight corruption in Albania; notes that the application of the vetting law has been suspended by the Constitutional Court, and that the latter has requested the opinion of the Venice Commission on its constitutionality; reiterates that a comprehensive judicial reform is a major demand by Albania’s citizens for re- establishing trust in their political representatives and public institutions~~, and that the credibility and effectiveness of the overall reform process, including the fight against corruption and organised crime, depend on the success of the vetting process and judicial reform~~;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Jozo RADOŠ, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Welcomes the new justice reform strategy 2017-2020 and its action plan, as well as the increased budgetary means for implementation; stresses that administration of justice continue to be slow and inefficient; notes the lack of progress in the filling of vacancies at the High Court and the administrative courts and the effective use of the unified case management system; calls for any shortcomings in the functioning of the judicial system to be further addressed, including lack of independence from other branches of power, selective justice, limited accountability, ineffective oversight mechanisms, corruption, the overall length of judicial proceedings and enforcements;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Jozo RADOŠ, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Ad-Hoc Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform to finalise its review of the electoral code while addressing all previous OSCE/ODIHR recommendations; calls on the competent authorities to ensure implementation in due time before the upcoming parliamentary elections of June 2017~~; recalls that all political parties are responsible for~~ in order to address the lack of impartiality and professionalism in the electoral administration; calls on all political actors that ensuring ~~that~~fair and democratic elections ~~are conducted~~ in compliance with international standards is an important precondition to further advance the EU accession process; calls on Albania’s political parties to respect the law, in spirit and in letter, on the exclusion of criminal offenders from public office when drawing up their candidate lists; calls on the authorities to encourage CSOs to actively participate in the overview of the whole electoral process;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Stresses the fact that around 2 million citizens of Albania living abroad are not able to cast their vote in the upcoming elections which is a basic constitutional right; calls on authorities to make further efforts that allows for the adoption and implementation of the necessary reforms in order to provide voting right for Albanians who live abroad;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Jozo RADOŠ, Nedzhmi ALI, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Notes the efforts towards a more citizen-friendly public administration and steady progress in the implementation of public administration reform; calls for further progress in strengthening the application of the Civil Service Law and the Law on Administrative Procedures, in order to safeguard the independence of regulatory bodies, improve recruitment procedures based on merit and performance, and enhance institutional and human resource capacities, with a view to ensuring efficient conduct of EU accession negotiations; calls for enhancing the authority, autonomy, efficiency and resources of human rights structures, such as the office of the Ombudsman; commends the National Council for European Integration on its initiatives to enhance the capacities of public administration and civil society in monitoring the implementation of accession-related reforms;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Takes notes of the implementation of the territorial reform; stresses that substantial efforts are needed to increase the financial and administrative capacity of the newly created local government units; calls for the establishment of a consultative council between the central and local governments;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Jozo RADOŠ, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Welcomes the adoption of key pieces of anti-corruption legislation, including on the protection of whistle- blowers; is concerned, however, that corruption remains prevalent in many areas and key anti-corruption institutions continue to be subject to political interference and have limited administrative capacities; notes that poor interinstitutional cooperation and exchange of information continue to hamper proactive investigation and effective prosecution of corruption; stresses the need for a more adequate legal framework for conflicts of interest, regulating lobbying and better interinstitutional cooperation, especially between police and prosecution services, with a view to improving their track record as regards investigation, prosecution and conviction, including in high level cases; in view of the upcoming parliamentary elections, calls for effective oversight of political party financing;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Jozo RADOŠ, Nedzhmi ALI, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Welcomes the continued implementation of the strategy and action plan on the fight against organised crime and intensified international police cooperation; welcomes recent operations against drug plantations; notes, however, that police and prosecution fail to identify criminal gangs behind drug cultivation; calls also for organised crime networks to be dismantled and for the number of final convictions in organised crime cases to be increased, by enhancing cooperation between police and prosecution services and by strengthening institutional and operational capacities; underlines the need to step up efforts to prevent human trafficking, in particular as regards unaccompanied children and child victims of trafficking;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Jozo RADOŠ, Nedzhmi ALI, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Notes the improving EU-related cooperation between state institutions and civil society organisations (CSOs), including their participation in meetings of the National Council on European Integration (NCEI); ~~stresses~~notes that an empowered civil society is a crucial component of any democratic system; stresses, therefore, the need for even closer coordination at all levels of government, including at local level, with CSOs; calls for the effective implementation of the right to information and public consultation and for better regulation of the fiscal framework affecting CSOs;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Jozo RADOŠ, Nedzhmi ALI, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Urges the competent authorities to actively promote respect of human rights and continue improving the climate of inclusion and tolerance for all minorities and other vulnerable groups in the country, including by enhancing the role of the State Committee on Minorities; ~~as regards~~underlines the need to improve the living conditions for Roma and Egyptians,; calls for continued efforts in improving their access to employment, education, health, social housing and legal aid; is concerned that, despite improvements, the inclusion of Roma children in the education system remains the lowest in the region;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Jozo RADOŠ, Nedzhmi ALI, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Recalls that institutional mechanisms to protect the rights of the child and to tackle gender-based violence remain poor; calls for better policy implementation and better inter- institutional cooperation in order to tackle social exclusion and discrimination effectively; stresses the need for additional efforts in order to develop a track record of anti-discrimination cases;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Jozo RADOŠ, Nedzhmi ALI, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Commends religious tolerance and good cooperation among religious communities; encourages the competent authorities and religious communities to cooperate in preserving and fostering religious harmony; notes that Albania has been affected by the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters and a number of unauthorized mosques in the country present risks of radicalisation; considers it essential to prevent Islamic radicalisation, including through disengagement and reintegration of returning foreign fighters, to counter violent extremism in cooperation with CSOs and religious communities, and to intensify regional and international cooperation in this area;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Jozo RADOŠ, Nedzhmi ALI, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Reiterates the critical importance of professional and independent private and public service media; is concerned about political influence in the media and widespread self-censorship among journalists; notes the slow implementation of the law on audiovisual media and the delays in filling vacancies in the Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA); with a view to upcoming parliamentary elections, calls for additional efforts to fully guarantee the independence of the Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA) and of the public broadcaster; calls for measures to raise the professional and ethical standards of and prevalence of regular work contracts for journalists, to enhance the transparency of government advertising in the media and to ensure the independence of the regulatory authority and the public broadcaster;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2312(INI)

Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Jasenko SELIMOVIC, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hilde VAUTMANS, Jozo RADOŠ, Nedzhmi ALI, Ivo VAJGL, Norica NICOLAI, Marietje SCHAAKE, Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15 a. Commends that according to the Institute of Statistic in Albania (INSTAT) the level of unemployment in Albania decreased at the lowest level during the last three years; stresses the need to rise the quality of education at all levels in order to better equip people with skills and knowledge in line with labour market needs;

2017/01/11
Committee: AFET

2016/2308(INI)

Anna Maria CORAZZA BILDT, Michael GAHLER, Nedzhmi ALI, Ivo VAJGL

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16

— having regard to the fact that respect for the rule of law, including, in particular, the separation of powers, democracy, freedom of expression, human rights, the rights of minorities and religious freedom, freedom of association and peaceful protest, are at the core of the ~~negotiat~~accession process,

2017/05/12
Committee: AFET

2016/2308(INI)

Alexander Graf LAMBSDORFF, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marielle DE SARNEZ, Nedzhmi ALI, Johannes Cornelis van BAALEN, Norica NICOLAI, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)

- having regard to the fact that Turkey has been admirably hospitable to the large number of refugees living in the country,

2017/05/12
Committee: AFET

2016/2308(INI)

Anna Maria CORAZZA BILDT, Nedzhmi ALI, Ivo VAJGL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses the strategic importance of good EU-Turkey relations for both sides; recognises that both Turkey and the EU have gone through their own internal transformation processes since the accession negotiations were opened in 2004; regrets that the accession instruments have not been used to the fullest extent and that, over the years, Turkey’'s ~~full integration into the EU~~EU- membership has lost ~~public~~ support oin ~~both sides~~the Council; remains committed to cooperating and maintaining an open dialogue with the Turkish Government, in order to address common challenges; recommends that the Council urgently invite the Turkish Government to a summit to discuss the ~~obvious crisis in~~current EU-Turkey relations ~~that we are faced with~~;

2017/05/12
Committee: AFET

2016/2308(INI)

Anna Maria CORAZZA BILDT, Nedzhmi ALI, Ivo VAJGL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

~~5. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to suspend the accession talks with Turkey if the constitutional package is implemented unchanged;~~deleted

2017/05/12
Committee: AFET

2016/2308(INI)

Anna Maria CORAZZA BILDT, Artis PABRIKS, Nedzhmi ALI, Ivo VAJGL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the Commission to take into account the latest developments in Turkey when conducting the mid-term review of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) funds in 2017~~, and to suspend all pre-accession funds if Turkey no longer sufficiently complies with the EU’s Copenhagen criteria~~; calls on the Commission to use those funds to support Turkish civil society and to invest more in people-to-people exchange programmes, such as Erasmus+ for students;

2017/05/12
Committee: AFET

2016/2308(INI)

Anna Maria CORAZZA BILDT, Michael GAHLER, Artis PABRIKS, Urmas PAET, Nedzhmi ALI, Ivo VAJGL, Tunne KELAM

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Commends the engagement by the Turkish Government and the hospitality shown by the population in hosting around 3 million refugees; notes the EU-Turkey statement on migration, and urges the Member States to initiate the voluntary resettlement scheme for the most vulnerable refugees in Turkey; calls on the Commission to ensure long-term investment in both refugees and their host communities in Turkey; encourages the Turkish Government to grant work permits to all Syrian refugees; calls on ~~Ankara to keep up its~~Turkey and the EU to keep up their coordinated patrolling efforts in the Aegean and to implement fully the bilateral readmission agreements signed with Bulgaria and Greece;

2017/05/12
Committee: AFET

2016/2308(INI)

Alexander Graf LAMBSDORFF, Javier NART, Hilde VAUTMANS, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Marielle DE SARNEZ, María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT, Norica NICOLAI, Nedzhmi ALI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18 a. Calls for a closer cooperation and coordination and strategic alignment of foreign policy challenges between the EU and Turkey; is of the opinion that the Turkish Foreign Minister should be invited to attend foreign affairs Council meetings on a case by case basis given Turkey's geostrategic position;

2017/05/12
Committee: AFET

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Calls in this regard on the bureau to publish on the Parliament’'s website the documents submitted to it by the secretary- general in a machine-readable format, as soon as they become available, unless the nature of the information contained therein makes this impossible, for example, for the protection of personal data;

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2152(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46

46. Is ~~not~~ convinced of the need to have information offices of the Parliament in all Member States, especially in view of the fact that for effective communication physical presence ~~may not always be~~ is necessary and can ~~easily be~~not be fully replaced by effective and responsive internet facilities; ~~is in particular~~nevertheless is sceptical about having an information office in the cities of Brussels and Strasbourg as in both cities the Parliament itself can be visited and in addition for interested visitors there is or will be a Parlamentarium at their disposal;

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas Union spending is a significant instrument for achieving Europe-wide policy objectives utilising the European added value and on overage represents 1.9% of Union Member states general government expenditure;

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Welcomes Commissioner Oettinger’'s intention to bring the various shadow budgets, in the long run, back under the ~~Union budge~~roof of the Union budget, as the Commission would be answerable to the European Parliament; Calls on the Commission to prepare a communication on this issue before November 2017;

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Points out that five Member States (Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, Poland and Romania) accounted in 2015 for more than half of the unused commitments of Structural Funds that have not led to payment;

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. ~~Notes with concern~~Welcomes that if the corrective measures taken by the Member States and the Commission ~~had not been~~ applied to the payments audited by the Court, lowered the overall estimated level of error ~~would have been 4,3% rather than 3,8~~from 4,3% to 3,8 %; notes however that if the Commission, authorities in the Member States or independent auditors had made use of all information available to them, they could have prevented, or detected and corrected a significant proportion of the errors before the related payments were made;

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53

53. ~~Deeply regret~~Notes that the director general of Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, as in previous years, continues to issue a horizontal reservation covering all payments and cost claims under the 7th Framework Programme (FP7); calls on the ~~director general~~Commission to develop, at long last, a more meaningful, risk based approach and use specific reservations when needed;

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 71

71. ~~Regrets that the Court found that the current setup does not enable the Commission~~Supports the Commission's view that it is not necessary to monitor and report separately the spending and performance of research and development (R&D) and innovation within Horizon 2020; in addition, while the financial contribution of Horizon 2020 within Europe 2020 is well established in the budgetary process through the published programme statements, i~~t is regrettable that~~nvites the Commission ~~has not ye~~to reported on the implementation of Horizon 2020 and its contribution to Europe 2020 in a meaningful way as the results of the programme become available;

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 92

92. Regrets that ~~that~~ the target to invest 3% of Member States’' gross domestic product (GDP) into research by 2020 will most likely not be met; is aware, that the majority of all Research and Innovation expenditure in the EU is, at the national and regional level in Member States and through the private sector, where the Commission plays the role of a catalyst and facilitator, encouraging increased and smarter investment in research and innovation by Member States and the business sector through working with the Member States and the development of appropriate policies of open science and open innovation; calls on the Commission to draw the necessary conclusions for the mid-term revision of the MFF and for the next MFF;

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 110

110. ~~Regrets furthermore~~Notes that the first monitoring report on Horizon 2020 gave only little information about synergy effects between the programme and structural funds88 ; invites the Commission to report on these synergy effects as results of the programme become available; _________________ 88 European Court of Auditors, Annual Report 2015, point 3.22

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 111

111. Also ~~regret~~notes that, according to the Court89 , Horizon 2020 is not sufficiently performance driven; welcomes the Commission's commitment to improve the work programmes, including their role in performance reporting; _________________ 89 European Court of Auditors, Annual Report 2015, Section 3

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 113

113. Calls on the Member States to make an extra effort with the view to meeting the target of 3 % GDP being invested in research; this would boost excellence and innovation; ask the Commission to explore the possibility of setting the target of 3 % GDP being invested in research as a prerequisite for using EU funding relevant to research and innovation during the mid-term revision of the MFF and for the next MFF;

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 121

121. Notes, however, that very few programmes had a focus on results or measured impact; therefore little to nothing is known about the sustainability and the European added value of the investments;

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2151(DEC)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 151

151. Fully supports Commissioner Oettinger when he said that financial instruments and “shadow budgets” must be brought back, in the long run, under the roof of the Union budget, as the Commission would be answerable to the European Parliament; calls on the Commission to prepare a communication on this issue before November 2017;deleted

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2151(DEC)

C~~zech paying agenc~~onformity clearance inquiry

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2151(DEC)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Nedzhmi ALI, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 172

172. Asks the Commission to speed up ~~the~~all conformity clearance procedures opened ~~on 8 January 2016~~and to get detailed and precise pieces of information related to them, especially on the risk of a conflict of interest ~~concerning the State Agricultural Intervention Fund in the Czech Republic~~; is aware that in 2015 the Commission adopted 3 such conformity clearance decisions covering 207 individual net financial corrections for a total amount of EUR 2 551.7 million; takes note that a failure to remedy a conflict of interest may ultimately result in the withdrawal of the accreditation of the paying agency by the competent authority or in imposing financial corrections by the Commission and asks the Commission to inform the Parliament without delay if at the end of ~~the~~any conformity clearance procedure information related to possible cases of fraud, corruption or any illegal activity affecting the financial interests of the EU are transmitted to OLAF by DG AGRI;

2017/03/10
Committee: CONT

2016/2114(REG)

Ingeborg GRÄSSLE, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis ALIOT, Inés AYALA SENDER, Ryszard CZARNECKI, Dennis de JONG, Petri SARVAMAA, Bart STAES, Marco VALLI

Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 94 – paragraph 1 – introductory part

The provisions governing the procedure for granting discharge to the Commission in accordance with Article 319 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, in respect of the implementation of the budget, shall likewise apply to the procedure for granting discharge to:

2016/09/27
Committee: AFCO

2016/2114(REG)

Ingeborg GRÄSSLE, Nedzhmi ALI, Louis ALIOT, Inés AYALA SENDER, Ryszard CZARNECKI, Dennis de JONG, Petri SARVAMAA, Bart STAES, Marco VALLI

Parliament's Rules of Procedure
Rule 94 – paragraph 1 a (new)

The discharge to the bodies referred to in the fourth indent of the first paragraph shall be dealt with in a single report per body.

2016/09/27
Committee: AFCO

2016/2097(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas, having in mind simplification processes, achieving good performance involves inputs, outputs, outcomes/results and impacts regularly assessed through the performance audits;

2017/03/01
Committee: CONT

2016/2097(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Nedzhmi ALI, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Is concerned that despite the positive drop of 11% of ~~fraudulent~~ irregularities reported as fraudulent from 1,649 in 2014 to 1,461 in 2015, the sums involved increased by 18% from 538 million EUR in 2014 to 637.6 million EUR in 2015;

2017/03/01
Committee: CONT

2016/2097(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Nedzhmi ALI, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Takes note of the 241 cases of reported smuggled cigarettes involving an estimated TOR loss of EUR 31 million; puts into question the vigilance of the customs services of those Members States (the Czech Republic, Malta, Cyprus, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden) which have not reported any single case of cigarette smuggling in 2015; also notes in this context that there is no available statistical distinction between "within EU" and "to EU" smuggling;

2017/03/01
Committee: CONT

2016/2097(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Nedzhmi ALI, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)

31a. Calls the European Commission to explore the possibility of mandatory use of Arachne risk scoring tool by all Member States in order to increase the anti-fraud measures;

2017/03/01
Committee: CONT

2016/2080(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Nedzhmi ALI, Michael THEURER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Points out that all ex- Commissioners are banned for 18 months from lobbying "members of the European Commission and their staff for his/her business, client, or employer on matters for which they have been responsible" but are entitled to a very generous transitional allowance after they leave the Commission of between 40 and 65 per cent of their final basic salary for three years;

2016/09/06
Committee: CONT

2016/2080(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Michael THEURER, Nedzhmi ALI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 – point i a (new)

(ia) that a discrepancy in length of a ban for lobbying and the length of transitional allowance (unemployment allowance) are narrowed down or removed.

2016/09/06
Committee: CONT

2016/2067(INI)

Jozo RADOŠ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Ivo VAJGL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that the EU’s security environment has deteriorated considerably, becoming more fluid, more dangerous and less predictable; notes that threats are both conventional and hybrid, generated by both state and non-state actors, and coming from the South and the East, and ~~that~~although they are common threats they affect the Member States differently, thus preventing a more common approach; is firmly convinced that EU's vulnerability is direct outcome of the lack of integration as well as lack of coordination;

2016/09/15
Committee: AFET

2016/2067(INI)

Jozo RADOŠ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Paavo VÄYRYNEN, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Considers that Europe is now compelled to react to an arch of increasingly complex crises: from West Africa, through the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, to the Caucasus; and should prepare towards profound change of international security landscape as societal, economic, technological and geopolitical trends point to the growing vulnerability of the world’s population to shocks and stresses, including: interstate conflicts, natural disasters, extreme weather events, water crises, state collapse and cyber-attacks;

2016/09/15
Committee: AFET

2016/2067(INI)

Jozo RADOŠ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Is firmly convinced that, as a result, a thorough and substantial revision of the CSDP is needed; emphasises practical and financial benefits of further integrations of European defence capabilities and notes various ongoing initiatives which should be placed into a wider frame to establish a smart roadmap that will lead to a European Defence Union; calls on the Member States to follow through with concrete measures as a matter of urgency;

2016/09/15
Committee: AFET

2016/2067(INI)

Jozo RADOŠ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines that, as Europe is no longer in control of its security environment and has lost the luxury of choosing the time and place of action, the CSDP, which has, until now, focused mainly on crisis management operations, should complement these operations with crisis prevention and crisis resolution, and truly ensure the common security and defence of the entire area of freedom, security and justice; is of opinion that to do so CSDP’s paramount objective must be strengthening the EU’s resilience;

2016/09/15
Committee: AFET

2016/2067(INI)

Jozo RADOŠ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Welcomes the presentation by the VP/HR of the Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy (EUGS) as a necessary and positive development for the institutional framework in which the CFSP and the CSDP will operate and develop; ~~stresses that further work is needed to ensure the~~urges rapid implementation of the EUGS’s political level of ambition, priorities and comprehensive approach;

2016/09/15
Committee: AFET

2016/2067(INI)

Jozo RADOŠ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Supports the development of a sectoral strategy as a follow-up to the EUGS, to be agreed by the Council, that should further specify the civil-military level of ambition, tasks, requirements and capability priorities; reiterates its previous calls for the development of a European Defence White Book and ~~expresses hope that the~~urges Council ~~will~~to assign the task of drafting this document without delay;

2016/09/15
Committee: AFET

2016/2067(INI)

Jozo RADOŠ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Ivo VAJGL, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Observes that, to this effect, cooperation with similar NATO activities ~~and~~is needed; emphasises that an increased exchange of intelligence and information between the Member States ~~are indispensable~~is indispensable and to that goal urges formation of European Intelligence Agency with the mission and capability to implement a de facto transversal intelligence network within the Member States allowing the European Union to react in a comprehensive and coordinated way to emerging threats;

2016/09/15
Committee: AFET

2016/2067(INI)

Jozo RADOŠ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Observes as the building resilience should be one of the main goals of CFSP it requires comprehensive approach of different sectors which challenge traditional approaches to foreign and security policy with use of wide range of diplomatic, security, defence, economic, trade, development and humanitarian instruments;

2016/09/15
Committee: AFET

2016/2067(INI)

Jozo RADOŠ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Underlines that all Council decisions on future missions and operations should prioritise engagements in conflicts directly affecting EU security, making sure it does not affect ongoing operations; considers that the decision to engage should be based on a common analysis and understanding of the strategic environment and on shared strategic interests of the Member States; considers that CSDP capacity-building missions must be coordinated with security sector and rule of law work by the Commission;

2016/09/15
Committee: AFET

2016/2067(INI)

Jozo RADOŠ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Paavo VÄYRYNEN, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Is convinced that enhancing the EU’s status as a global security provider needs adequate, sufficient capabilities and a competitive defence industry ensuring a sustainable supply chain; notes that the European defence sector is characterised by fragmentation and duplication, which need gradual elimination through a process providing incentives and rewards to all national components; emphasises on development of European capabilities and an integrated defence market;

2016/09/15
Committee: AFET

2016/2067(INI)

Jozo RADOŠ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Welcomes the European Defence Agency’s (EDA) increasing role in coordinating capability-driven programmes, projects and activities, indispensable to an efficient CSDP; however notes that EDA's results are still far from being satisfactory as it still did not succeed in reaching benchmarks for common investment set in November 2007 on the Ministerial Steering Board (equipment procurement, including R&D/R&T, to 20% of total defence spending; European collaborative equipment procurement to 35% of total equipment spending; defence R&T to 2% of total defence spending; European collaborative defence R&T to 20% of total defence R&T spending); calls on the Council to urge Member States to work in collaboration to reach these benchmarks; welcomes the EDA’s Capability Development Plan and stresses the need for further commitments to ensure its full implementation; notes that EDA's increasing new roles and responsibilities should be followed and by increase of budget;

2016/09/15
Committee: AFET

2016/2067(INI)

Jozo RADOŠ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Hilde VAUTMANS, Nedzhmi ALI, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Urges the Council to resolve standing problems with financing hybrid missions and to initiate establishment of start-up fond for the urgent financing of the initial phases of military operations; calls for more flexibility in the EU's financial rules in order to support its ability to respond to crises and for the implementation of existing Lisbon Treaty provisions; calls for a reform of the Athena mechanism to extend its scope for all costs related, first to rapid reaction operations, deployment of the EU Battlegroups, then to all military operations;

2016/09/15
Committee: AFET

2016/2064(INI)

Nils TORVALDS, Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS, Dominique RIQUET, Urmas PAET, Lieve WIERINCK, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL, Gérard DEPREZ, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Emphasises that EFSI was launched to help resolve difficulties and remove obstacles to financing as well as to implement strategic, transformative and productive investments that provide a high level of added value to the economy, the environment and society to complement structural reforms in EU Member States to modernise their economies to create growth and jobs;

2017/03/02
Committee: BUDG ECON

2016/2064(INI)

Nils TORVALDS, Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS, Dominique RIQUET, Urmas PAET, Lieve WIERINCK, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Recalls the role of Parliament as foreseen in the regulation, in particular in relation to the monitoring of EFSI implementation; ~~acknowledges, however, that it is too early to finalise a comprehensive assessment~~welcomes the Commission’s evaluation on the use of the EU guarantee and the functioning of the guarantee fund; regrets however that its proposal for the extension of the ~~func~~duration~~ing~~ of EFSI and ~~its impact on the EU economy, but is of the opinion that a preliminary evaluation is crucial in order to identify possible areas of improvement for EFSI 2.0 and thereafter~~for increasing the EU guarantee is not accompanied by a comprehensive evidence-based impact assessment, which is in contradiction to better regulation guidelines;

2017/03/02
Committee: BUDG ECON

2016/2064(INI)

Nils TORVALDS, Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS, Dominique RIQUET, Lieve WIERINCK, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL, Gérard DEPREZ, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Recalls that the purpose of EFSI is to ensure additionality by helping to address market failures or suboptimal investment situations and supporting operations which could not have been carried out under existing Union financial instruments; notes however that there is a need for further clarification of the concept of additionality; recalls that EIB’s Special Activities operations are currently automatically considered as providing additionality and requires that EIB demonstrates and documents in a systemic way that all EFSI guaranteed projects meet the additionality criteria as set out in Article 5(1) of the Regulation (EU) 2015/2017;

2017/03/02
Committee: BUDG ECON

2016/2064(INI)

Nils TORVALDS, Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS, Dominique RIQUET, Lieve WIERINCK, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

~~7. Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the EIB, to draw up an inventory of all EU-backed EIB financing falling under the additionality criteria;~~deleted

2017/03/02
Committee: BUDG ECON

2016/2064(INI)

Nils TORVALDS, Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS, Dominique RIQUET, Nils TORVALDS, Lieve WIERINCK, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Recalls that the Managing Director (MD) is responsible for the day-to-day management of EFSI, the preparation and chairing of meetings of the IC and for external representation; recalls that the MD is assisted by the Deputy Managing Director (DMD); regrets that, in practice, the respective roles, especially that of the DMD, have not been clearly identified; invites the EIB to reflect on spelling out the tasks of the MD and the DMD more clearly in order to ensure transparency and accountability; suggests that the MD, assisted by the DMD, could be explicitly put in charge of setting the agenda of the IC meetings, of carrying out an initial screening of the projects presented by the EIB as well as being made explicitly accountable for the decisions of IC experts; suggests, furthermore, that the MD should devise procedures for tackling potential conflicts of interest within the IC, report to the Steering Board (SB), propose sanctions for breaches as well as the means to implement them; believes that the authority of the MD and the DMD in carrying out these tasks would be enhanced by enjoying greater autonomy vis-à-vis the EIB; invites the EIB accordingly to explore options for increasing the independence of the MD and the DMD;

2017/03/02
Committee: BUDG ECON

2016/2064(INI)

Nils TORVALDS, Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS, Dominique RIQUET, Urmas PAET, Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Recalls that diversified investments with a geographical or thematic focus should be made possible by helping to finance and bundle projects and funds from different sources; notes with concern that the first investment platform was only set up in the third quarter of 2016; requests the EIB and the EIAH to promote the use of investment platforms as a way to achieve geographic and thematic diversification of investments;

2017/03/02
Committee: BUDG ECON

2016/2064(INI)

Nils TORVALDS, Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS, Dominique RIQUET, Lieve WIERINCK, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Acknowledges that GDP and the number of projects approved are linked; recognises that larger Member States are able to take advantage of more developed capital markets and are therefore more likely to benefit from a market-driven instrument such as EFSI; underlines that lower EFSI support in EU-13 may be attributable to other factors, such as the small size of projects, and competition from the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF); observes with concern, however, the disproportionate benefit to certain countries and underlines the need to diversify geographical distribution further, especially ~~in crucial sectors such as modernising and~~by improving the productivity and sustainability of economies with a key focus on technological development;

2017/03/02
Committee: BUDG ECON

2016/2064(INI)

Lieve WIERINCK, Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS, Lieve WIERINCK, Urmas PAET, Lieve WIERINCK, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL, Gérard DEPREZ, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43

43. Notes that the Commission has proposed an extension of EFSI, both in terms of duration and financial capacity, and that this would have an impact on the EU budget; recalls the Parliaments opposition to finance EFSI by making cuts to Connecting Europe Facility and Horizon 2020 and expresses its intention to put forward alternative financing proposals for the proposed extension;

2017/03/02
Committee: BUDG ECON

2016/2064(INI)

Nils TORVALDS, Urmas PAET, Dominique RIQUET, Urmas PAET, Lieve WIERINCK, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 13

Complementarities with other EU financing sources and policies

2017/03/02
Committee: BUDG ECON

2016/2064(INI)

Nils TORVALDS, Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS, Dominique RIQUET, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL, Lieve WIERINCK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 a (new)

45a. Believes that without the implementation of structural reforms, particularly concerning the improvement of the business environment, to complement EFSI operations, EFSI will fall short of its potential; stresses, therefore, that EFSI financing and investment operations on the territory of a Member State should only be approved if the relevant Member State has made substantial progress in implementing country specific recommendations under the European Semester;

2017/03/02
Committee: BUDG ECON

2016/2064(INI)

Nils TORVALDS, Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS, Dominique RIQUET, Urmas PAET, Lieve WIERINCK, Nedzhmi ALI, Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Louis MICHEL, Gérard DEPREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49

49. Acknowledges that EFSI alone - and on a limited scale- will probably not be able to close the investment gap in Europe, but that it nevertheless constitutes a central pillar of the EU’s investment plan and signals the EU’s determination to tackle this issue; calls for further proposals to be made on how to permanently boost investment in Europe, such as completing the single market in services, digital and energy, and establishing a genuine Capital Markets Union;

2017/03/02
Committee: BUDG ECON

2016/2052(INI)

Monika HOHLMEIER, Reimer BÖGE, Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that, with around EUR 200 billion of annual military spending, European countries are unable to avert the deterioration of their security environment and to weigh on global affairs because of fragmented defence policies that create inefficiencies and hinder their force projection; believes that a more integrated framework for defence could result in significant savings, additional capabilities and more sustained investment; recalls that, according to ‘cost of non-Europe’ estimates, annual efficiency gains in this area could range between EUR 26 billion in the less optimistic scenarios and EUR 130 billion; stresses that the funding of the first preparatory action should be integrated in the European Budget and not remain in an unclear intergovernmental frame; calls on the Member states to agree with Commission and EP on the future financial frame of defence added to the existing European Budget;

2016/09/12
Committee: BUDG

2016/2052(INI)

Monika HOHLMEIER, Reimer BÖGE, Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Believes that common funding has a key role to play in incentivising the use of mechanisms whose potential remains largely untapped, such as permanent structured cooperation and EU Battlegroups; calls, therefore, for the Athena mechanism to be expanded and for consideration to be given to alternative funding for military expenditure in order to do away with the ‘costs lie where they fall’ principle; stresses that, in this context, the EU budget should be able to fund the administrative costs of establishing strategic structures, such as joint operational headquarters, as well as to prepare, organize and deliver defence research, technology and developments activities; calls also for more ambitious civilian missions that are better integrated in the policy cycle and in the range of available instruments;

2016/09/12
Committee: BUDG

2016/2052(INI)

Monika HOHLMEIER, Reimer BÖGE, Gérard DEPREZ, Nedzhmi ALI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Believes that the time is ripe for unfreezing the budget of the European Defence Agency, and is convinced that more should be done to close the investment gap in defence capabilities, including via EU innovative financing as a preparatory action for defence research; endorses, finally, the proposal for a ‘European Semester’ on defence, whereby Member States would coordinate their defence spending plans in an open process involving the European Parliament and the national parliaments.

2016/09/12
Committee: BUDG

2016/2045(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Stresse~~Regrets that, contrary to Article 8(1) and (3) of the EUSF Regulation, the closing procedure for assistance from the fund ~~appears to be~~is remarkably long in some cases: in 2014 the Commission was still closing files from 2005, 2007 and 2010;

2016/07/13
Committee: BUDG

2016/2045(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. For the sake of facilitating transparent use of funds, calls for a ECA special report on the functioning of the EUSF, especially as the latest report available is from the time before revised EUSF regulation; calls in particular for a study on the possible overlaps in the use of EUSF funds with structural funds and with national schemes;

2016/07/13
Committee: BUDG

2016/2034(INI)

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas high levels of price and income volatility for farmers are related to the market fundamentals of supply and demand, but can be intensified by other macro-economic variables, the broad political and legislative environment, geopolitics and embargoes, and speculation on agricultural products which, when sold as financial assets, are exposed to shocks on related commodity markets (such as the energy and metal markets);

2016/06/23
Committee: BUDG

2016/2034(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas price volatility increases the unpredictability of farmers' incomes and causes distress for European farmers whose costs remain high;

2016/06/23
Committee: BUDG

2016/2034(INI)

Anneli JÄÄTTEENMÄKI, Nedzhmi ALI, Nils TORVALDS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Calls for concrete tools to reduce negative social repercussions of price volatility to European farmers;

2016/06/23
Committee: BUDG

2016/2031(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Takes note of Turkey’s recent rapprochement with Russia and the statements of the Turkish Government regarding the country’s possible accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation; reiterates that the EU is Turkey’s main trading partner and that two thirds of the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Turkey comes from EU Member States; emphasises that the Customs Union requires Turkey to align its legislation with the acquis communautaire; Envisages that the legislative alignment will benefit the EU companies investing in or trading with Turkey, which will, in turn, promote growth and jobs both in the EU and Turkey.

2017/02/02
Committee: AFET

2016/2031(INI)