18 Amendments of Heide RÜHLE related to 2008/2155(INI)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas EIB's financing strategy should contribute to the general objective of developing and consolidating democracy and the rule of law, the objective of respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and the observance of international environmental agreements to which the European Community or its Member States are parties,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Welcomes the EIB's objective to address among others climate change challenge in its financing operations inside the EU; in order to do so, recalls that there is a need to develop environmentally friendly funding criteria, in line with the EU's strategic goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions; urges the EIB to stop financing fossil fuel projects like oil and gas pipelines, but instead focus its energy lending exclusively on energy efficiency, renewable energy and research and development investments to those two areas; additionally, calls on the EIB to establish and make public a methodology to assess climate impact of the financed projects as well as the set of appraisal criteria enabling the Bank to refuse projects for their negative impact on climate;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Believes that the EIB has the potential to be a key player in environmentally transforming European transport, but considers that there is an urgent need to address several elements of its portfolio: halting EIB in the already heavily subsidised aviation sector; requiring an increased proportion of EIB support for rail, urban public transport inter-modal transport and transport management; restricting EIB loans to the road sector and car industry to maintenance or safety improvements and R&D for more efficient, cleaner and safer technologies;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Notes that the EU asked the EIB to accelerate support for Public and Private Partnership (PPP) projects as a response to the financial crisis; urges the EIB and the EBRD to carry out such projects only where they are affordable and bring real benefits; considers in this respect that improvements in information disclosure, value for money and affordability assessment practices are needed;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that, in its operations in third countries, the EIB implements the policy objectives as set by the Council; notes the need for the EIB to ensure that its actions under the Community Guarantee are consistent with the achievement of the Millennium Goals, fostering sustainable development and enhancing environmental protection;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Takes the view that EIB's activities should reflect as well objectives and commitments taken by the EU in the context of the United Nations (such as the Kyoto Protocol); therefore, calls on the EIB to report annually to the European Parliament on the implementation of EU and UN goals in its operations in developing countries;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Underlines that monitoring mechanisms of the EIB's lending operations to all projects still need to be improved, especially regarding EU environmental and social standards; stresses that individual projects financed by the EIB in third countries should be subject to independent Sustainability Impact Assessments to identify the economic, social and environmental effects of the project; insists that such projects be made available to the public at least 60 days prior to any loan decision by the Bank and that residents in the area concerned receive adequate and timely information so that they have the possibility of playing a full part in the decision making process;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes with satisfaction the systematic follow-up undertaken by the EIB on Parliament's recommendations in recent years; Welcomes the positive spirit of cooperation between the EIB and the European Parliament; considers however that greater openness and transparency is still needed regarding the way Parliament's recommendations are implemented by the EIB in recent years; and calls on the EIB to provide annual feedback regarding the progress in addressing the recommendations in the annual EP resolutions; more specifically, reiterates its call to the EIB to better monitor and make transparent the nature and final destination of its global loans in support of SMEs, and to phase out fossil fuels investment;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Welcomes the development and publication of the EIB sectoral operational policies in energy, transport, water sectors made in 2007 as an important step towards increasing the transparency of the EIB lending operations; highly recommends that the EIB applies requirements of the EC Directive 1367/2006 for timely and adequate public consultations in occasion of further changes in the existing sectoral policies and development of the new ones;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Welcomes the review of the EIB Statement on Environmental and Social Standards and Principles made in 2008, especially the two-rounds-public consultation process; encourages the Bank’s Management and Board to take proper consideration of the stakeholders input to the consultation; calls on the EIB to allocate sufficient resource for the implementation of the new Statement and to produce a report relevant to that matter one year later;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Welcomes the announced review of the EIB Transparency, Public Disclosure and Complaint mechanisms policies in 2009; encourages the EIB to make further improvements in the involvement of different stakeholders and to better communicate with the EP during this process;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 – point e
Paragraph 11 – point e
(e) the two banks come up with aexternal, participative review and global proposal on more consistent cooperation, including a reflection on common standards, particularly on safeguards and public consultations, to the benefit of their shareholders, stakeholders and beneficiary countries is promoted;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Recognises that the EIB and the EBRD need to work together with other international or regional financial institutions, such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the African Development Bank, in order to make greater effects in regions further away from Europe; considers however that the EIB should play a predominant role regarding the promotion of the EU Environmental, Social and Development objectives among Multinational Development Banks;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on the EIB and EBRD to adopt clear guidance for project sponsors to keep records of the public consultations and related outreach activities in order to allow the international creditors to track back retroactively the appropriate character of the consultations;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Welcomes the outstanding role given by the Council to the EIB within its recovery plan against the current crisis; insists that the Lisbon-Göteborg Strategy remains the guideline for the selection of priorities regarding the distribution of EIB fundings for a knowledge based and climate-friendly competitive economy;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Welcomes the EUR 30 billion in increased lending in 2009 and 2010 by the EIB on SMEs, renewable energy and clean transport in response to the financial crisis; considers however that the use of these additional resources must be conditioned with increased transparency and accountability of the Bank and especially in relation to final benefits and beneficiaries of the global loans used for support for SMEs and climate impact of its energy, transport, automotive and other industry investments;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Recommends the rapid establishment of an inter-institutional group between the Parliament, the Council and the Commission to discuss how to proceed after the judgment so as to guarantee on the one hand that Parliament's position is fully taken into account in a new decision and without endangering the continuity of the external financial operations of the EIB on the other hand; recommends that the EIB take part in those discussions as an observer;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Could imagine in the light of the above, 2009 being an election year in which, moreover, a new Commission will take office, that a two step solution is found, replacing the annulled decision with a new but content-wise similar fast- track decision, which is clearly limited in time by including a precise end-date, followed by a new full proposal of the Commission in due time for the expiry of the fast track decision, preserving the right of the Parliament to propose and negotiate the incorporation of its amendments of substance.