Activities of Andi CRISTEA related to 2017/2280(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the implementation of the EU external financing instruments: mid-term review 2017 and the future post-2020 architecture PDF (732 KB) DOC (110 KB)
Amendments (23)
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas there is an urgent need to enhance the visibility of EU assistance targeting both the citizens of partner countries and those of the European Union in order to better communicate the benefits of EU support; whereas investing in favour of concrete and tangible projects the visibility of which is more easily accessible by the wider public, while developing a comprehensive, effective and systematic communication strategy within each instrument can be of significant value in this regard;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
D b. whereas strategic communication is often confronted with external challenges including misinformation campaigns against the EU and its Member States requiring further efforts; whereas promoting objective, independent and impartial information while also addressing the legal aspects of the media environment where EU instruments and actions operate are therefore of fundamental importance;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
D c. whereas current administrative procedures often entail excessive bureaucratic burden for potential recipient candidates making it difficult for smaller civil society organisations and social partner organisations to get involved in project design and implementation as they often lack the know-how and administrative capacity to bring forward eligible and successful proposals;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Welcomes that, compared to its predecessor, IPA II has become more strategic, focusing increasingly on the promotion of key reforms targeting priority areas including the rule of law, public administration and economic governance; notes, however, that IPA II funding has also been used to react to emerging crisis situations, notably the refugee crisis and extensive floods in the Western Balkans; reminds that funding should be used in accordance with the specific objectives pertaining to the instrument and that the main focus of the IPA II should be to support the compliance of the beneficiary countries with the Union's values as well as the Union's rules, standards, policies and practices with a view to Union membership and not ad hoc dealing with unpredictable crises;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Notes that the indirect management of IPA II funding by beneficiaries has produced a positive impact in terms of ownership; stresses, however, the lack of transparency with regard to absorption capacity as well as longer delays in implementation;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6 c. Takes note that the complementarity of IPA II with actions of other Instruments, notably the EIDHR and the IcSP, has increased; notes, however, that the coordination during both the planning and programming phases has not been sufficient;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6 d. Underlines that IPA II, as the main EU funding instrument for pre- accession support, finances actions required not only for aligning with the EU acquis, but also to promote the social, economic and institutional development of beneficiaries; strongly believes that overall funding available under IPA II must be ambitious and forward looking and must match the actual needs, obligations and aspirations linked to the accession process and EU membership;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 e (new)
Paragraph 6 e (new)
6 e. Acknowledges that IPA II provides crucial support to local civil society organisations (CSOs), including through a dedicated Civil Society Facility; emphasises, however, that support to CSOs is in many instances limited compared to the real needs on the ground and calls for additional efforts to successfully address this deficit;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Stresses that ENI remains a relevant and important instrument for promoting the interests of the Union in the neighbourhood and has contributed to the articulation of an EU single voice in the neighbourhood as a whole; underlines that EU values and principles including democracy, rule of law, human rights and efficient, accountable and transparent public institutions are in the interest of neighbouring societies as much as of our own in terms of stability, security and prosperity; considers that the implementation of the principle of differentiation has allowed the EU to adapt its support to partner countries’ needs and ambitions;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9 b. Reiterates that the neighbourhood has been confronted with unprecedented challenges since 2014 due to the increasing number of long-standing and newly emerging challenges, such as the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation and the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, the Syrian crisis, the stabilisation of Libya, radicalisation and terrorism, unsustainable youth unemployment and the challenge of migration, and is, as a result, less stable and considerably less secure than ever before thus hampering political, social and economic transformation as well as regional cooperation, stability and security; stresses that the financial capacity of this instrument has been stretched to the limit and notes that the response brought under ENI has not been proportionate to the needs and challenges of the neighbourhood;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9 c. Underlines the need for stronger coordination between regional and bilateral programmes and investment facilities to better support and foster private-sector development;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Stresses the need to provide additional financial resources and training support to CSOs; insists that urgent measures are required to further diminish the bureaucratic burden and procedural obstacles encountered by civil society organisations, especially by local CSOs; calls for specific budget lines devoted to capacity building for CSOs in order to enhance their ability to access funding;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. RSupports the principles enlisted in Article 21 TEU and recommends a stronger emphasis on democratisation, strengthening the rule of law and improving respect for universal human rights;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. RecommendsCalls on the Commission to suspend funding for countries not fulfilling basic Copenhagen criteria and to enablinge the transfer of those funds to civil society when state authorities are unwilling to meet the EU’s stated objectives and calls on the Commission to suspend funding for countries not fulfilling the basic Copenhagen criteriacooperate on the instrument's general and specific objectives;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23 a. Calls for appropriate targeted communication and information campaigns by means of national, regional and local media outlets or any other as it may be deemed appropriate, with minimum requirements and the monitoring thereof defined by the Commission in close cooperation with beneficiaries;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23 b. Considers that flexibility and the use of funding to address specific crisis situations must be in line with the instrument's key priorities and the fundamentals of the enlargement strategy and the accession process, which have to remain the main focus of IPA II;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)
Paragraph 23 c (new)
23 c. Calls for better coordination and additional synergies during the planning and programming phases of IPA II with the actions of other instruments, namely the EIDHR and the IcSP, in order to ensure coherence and enhance complementarity both internally amongst its own set of objectives and programmes and vis-à-vis other EFIs;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27 a. Underlines that the specificity of challenges in the neighbourhood requires an integrated and comprehensive approach including synergies with other EFIs and across policies of the Union; stresses, in this context, the need to continue focusing on democracy, human rights and civil society in a coherent and persistent manner;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Calls for funding of an external relations instrument to reflect ambitious external actions, based on values and fundamental rights and principles; underlines that in the event of the United Kingdom withdrawing from the European Union, the current budget ratio destined to external action should be increased or at least maintained at current levels with the same rationale being applied to existing instruments, policies and priorities; reiterates that EU external actions also serve the common interests of EU citizens;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. ReiterateConsiders that a reform of the current instrument architecture is required in order tocould provide more flexibility, efficiency, coherence and responsiveness, and wcould also increase cost-effectiveness, accountability, transparency and public oversight;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)
Paragraph 40 a (new)
40 a. Believes that a simplified architecture of the EFIs, achieved through their consolidation and the merits of which are yet to be ascertained, would have to be accompanied by a new oversight model of governance and parliamentary scrutiny ensuring full accountability throughout the programming and implementation phases; stresses furthermore that such streamlined architecture should lead to increased transparency and the incorporation of trust funds and facilities; believes that the Instrument for Pre– accession Assistance, due to its specificities in terms of objectives and implementation, should maintain its current form and should not be affected by such changes;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Reiterates that flexibility is reliant on the ability to transfer funds between envelopes; recalls that funds destined for external action objectives cannot be rerouted to serve other objectives, including migration management and internal security; calls for a dedicated proportion of the total external action instrument budget (no lessmore than 150 %) to be reserved for flexible and/or urgent action and thus to remain unprogrammed;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50
Paragraph 50
50. Stresses that a simplified structure calls for proper checks and balances, transparency, the right of scrutiny of implementation, including enhanced strategic policy input and scrutiny of implementation by Parliament, the use of delegated acts for the revision of thematic priorities, if contained in annexes to legislative acts, and the adoption of substantial additional elements such as strategic and multi-annual programming documents;