Activities of Göran FÄRM related to 2012/2092(BUD)
Plenary speeches (1)
General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 - all sections (debate)
Amendments (33)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that its priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its above-mentioned resolution of 4 July 2012 on the mandate for the trilogue, consist in support for growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth; points out once again that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities as regards the programmes and initiatives to be reinforced towards these objectives;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Is fully aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading; cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets, given their substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure; highlights that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investments and liquidity in the Member States, thus aggravating the problems they are facing;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that the EU budget is to be seen instead as a complementary instrument of support for the Member States' economies, capable of concentrating initiatives and investments in areas strategic for growth and jobs and of bringing an actual added value leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries; highlights that such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), which makes it of the utmost importance to reach a balance between commitments undertaken so far and payments deriving from them that need to be honoured, the institutional credibility of the EU being at stake as well as possible legal consequences for the Commission in case of missing reimbursement of legitimate payment claims;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Due to the recent years' experience, does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings; takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and to increase payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the actual needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commissionfew lines;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Regrets that the Council departed substantially (all in all by EUR 2,15 billion), as regards commitments, from the financial programming figures, which result from a joint decision with Parliament at the beginning of the programming period, as well as that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities, as expressed in Parliament's mandate for the trilogue; recalls that Parliament's reading is based instead upon, and coherent with, these benchmarks from that mandate;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Is of the opinion that the answer to the crisis must be more Europe and not less Europe, in order to restart investments and help rebuild confidence in the economy; having already criticised the proposed freezing in commitment appropriations at the level of the expected inflation rate in the DB, cannotregrets the modest level of commitment appropriations in the DB adopted by the Commission as underlined in the the Parliament's resolution of 4 July 2012 on the mandate for trilogue; cannot therefore accept Council's decision to reduce them further down to 1,27% compared to budget 2012; recalls that commitments reflect EU political priorities and should be set having in mind a long term perspective where the economic downturn might be over; therefore takes the view that, as a general principle, commitments should be restored at the DB level; intends, however, tointends to slightly increase commitment appropriations above the DB on a selected number offew budget lines directly related to the delivery of the Europe 2020 priorities and in line with traditional Parliament's priorities;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Makes clear that if a sufficient level of appropriations in payments and commitments will not be found, the Parliament is ready not to accept an agreement with the Council on the budget 2013;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Deplores that, although this is the key heading for the delivery of the Europe 2020 objectives, Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2,9% compared to DB) in Heading 1 and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1,9 billion or -14% compared to DB); decides to undo almost all cuts by Council and to reinforcslightly increase above DB in commitment and payments only a selected number of lines directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy and characterised by high levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. In particular, highlights that the strong cuts affectingStrongly regrets that, instead of increasing appropriations for the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) programmes are, Council decided to cut the Commission's proposal on corresponding budget lines, which is in clear contradiction with the recent European Council's decision to create a «Compact for growth» supporting, among others, research and development, innovation and employment; recalls the very good performances of these programmes, for which Commission reports accelerated implementation in 2012 compared to last year;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would impede the correct execution of projects during the last year of the programming periodreimbursement for already spent resources to the beneficiary member states and regions; points out again that this heading is responsible for two thirds of the current outstanding commitments and that cutting the level of payments for 2013 would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year; asks therefore the Commission to present an analysis on the situation of RAL and a sound strategy how the level of RAL should be reduced; calls on the Commission to provide Parliament with information on a monthly basis on the breakdown per Members State and Fund of the claims submitted for reimbursement;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years; asks the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Members States, as expressed in their estimates;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. UrgeCompels the Council to agree on Draft amending budget XX/2012 presented by the Commission with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period; gives mandate to its delegation in the framework of the negotiations with the Council, should the Council not be ready to approve in full the DAB, to possibly increase payment appropriations by the amount rejected by Council, distributing it pro rata between all the operational lines of Heading 1b;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Considers that the Commission's estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council's proposalforecast figures, in particular in the light of forthcoming payments and considering the current economic uncertainty; restores therefore Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307,51 million, which is 0,6% above the 2012 budget;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Maintains the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the EU that supports 18 million people with problems of malnutrition within the Union; welcomes the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013; hopes that a solution for the continuation of the programme during the next MFF period will be found;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Provides for a continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, which gives priority solely to environment and climate action projects; recalls again that environmental problems and their solutions do not recognise national borders, thus dealing with it at EU level is self-evident; in this respect, calls on the Member States to significantly improve their implementation of EU environmental legislation;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Stresses that measures aimed at combating gender violence must be sufficiently funded; eEmphasises the important role that the programme for preventing and combating all forms of violence (DAPHNE) has played in eliminating violence against women and girls in the , and therefore increases its payment appropriations above the level of the DBEU;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Reiterates that fostering youth employment and activitya sense of active citizenship, solidarity and tolerance among young Europeans are essential for Europe to be able to exploit the talents of the best-educated generation in history; has therefore decided to increase funding for the Youth in Action programme compared to DB, especially considering the sound implementation of the programme for many years running;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Highlights that cuts in payments brought by Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14,1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings; considers that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene; notes that the Commission's proposal was only slightly above the level of the 2012 budget and already substantially reduced compared to the financial programming; therefore takes the general approachdecides to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Considers, however, that, on the basis of the implementation levels and with the view to a responsible reading, some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as Macro-Financial Assistance, membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and cooperation with Greenland;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48
Paragraph 48
48. Underlines, on the contrary, the need for additional financing on a selected number of lines cut by Commission in comparison with the 2012 budget and corresponding toProposes a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria; therefore proposes an increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for these budget lines;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49
Paragraph 49
49. Points out that, in accordance with the declaration signed by the Commission and UNRWA on EU support for UNRWA (2011-2013), the EU's annual contribution is based on the 2011 Palestinian allocation (EUR 300 million), and a reduction in that reference amount willould have a knock-on effect on the allocation for UNRWA; believes that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees in the light of the instability in the region;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Paragraph 52
52. Takes note of Council's position, which decreaseding Commission's proposal on Heading 5 – All sections by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts, as reflected in their estimates and the DB, towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, at a time of economic and budgetary constraints at national level;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 74
Paragraph 74
74. Points out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1,.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession; highlights that, owing due to the current inflation rate of 1,.9%, there is thus a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts, and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraphs 77 a, b, c, d, e, f, g (new)
Paragraphs 77 a, b, c, d, e, f, g (new)
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79
Paragraph 79
79. Welcomes the joint wWorking group's proposal to close the Members' Register on Fridays in constituency (turquoise) weeks; believes, however, that stricter rules should apply to the Members' registry opening hours, in particular on Fridays; in line with the request in the 2012 budget resolution, calls on the Bureau to revise the rules of the Members' Registry opening hours;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 80
Paragraph 80
80. CExpects the joint Working Group to provide a report on identified structural and organizational savings and the conclusions drawn in 2012 by no later than December 2012; reminds the Secretary-General and the Bureau of its request for an update of the 2002 Secretary-General's report to the Bureau regarding the costs of maintaining three places of work; calls on the Bureau to implement the proposals for savings agreed by the joint working group without delay;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraphs 83 and 83 a (new)
Paragraphs 83 and 83 a (new)
83. Calls on the administration to evaluate developments in the low-cost travel market, to keep up to date with new developments in the market and to exploit any possibilities for savings; furthermore, calls on the administration to allow and encourage the use of low-cost airlines and the purchase of flexible economy tickets; believes that further measures should be examined in order to reduce the number of business class flights purchased by Membersbelieves that alternatives to car use should be encouraged, together with economical, greener modes of transport in the future; 83a. Calls on the administration to standardise the purchase of low-cost air tickets, flexible-economy tickets and to encourage the use of cheaper transport means; insists that further measures should be examined in order to reduce the number of business class flights purchased by Members; therefore invites the Secretary-General and Bureau to consider the possibilities of restricting the use of business class with exceptions based on age, health and distance travelled;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86 a (new)
Paragraph 86 a (new)
86a. Welcomes a rationalisation of the KAD building project undertaken by the administration and possible further revisions which could generate additional savings; believes that the project needs to be closely followed-up; therefore expects to be consulted in form of a written opinion on the down-sizing of the project such as undertaken by the administration; expects to be regularly informed about the progress made in the project and insists on, in the event that the results of a call for tender lead to any significant deviations from the current estimate of the budget for the KAD project, being consulted before contracts can be concluded;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86 b (new)
Paragraph 86 b (new)
Translation 86b. Reiterates that savings on translation should not jeopardise multilingualism; draws attention to the fact that the quality of translations and working conditions of the services concerned need to be safeguarded;