13 Amendments of Raffaele FITTO related to 2020/2087(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), established by Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 in order to provide financial assistance to Member States and accession countries undergoing major disasters or major public health emergencies, represents true European added value and the materialisation of a will, that has sometimes been insufficient or lacking, to provide mutual assistance and solidarity at Union level;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. noting the usefulness of the EUSF, highlighted by the Commission’s evaluation, in particular as regards reducing the burden on local authorities facing significant damage as a result of natural disasters or health emergencies;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Expresses its deep concern that extreme weather events and natural disasters will only increase and intensify alongside climate change;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Is of the view that all citizens expect European solidarity to be shown when disasters or serious health emergencies occur;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Draws attention to events such as COVID-19, which is severely affecting all of Europe, forest fires across the continent, including in unusual places such as the Arctic, and the series of violent earthquakes in Europe, particularly in Italy in 2016-2017, causing hundreds of deaths and some EUR 22 billion in damage, and in Croatia in March 2020; points out, moreover, that storms, extreme rainfall and flooding have caused considerable damage in many cities and valleys, and that increasingly violent hurricanes have caused devastation in the outermost regions, such as Hurricane Irma in 2017 in Saint-Martin, and Hurricane Lorenzo in 2019 in the Azores, which were particularly destructive; also recalls that it is necessary not to underestimate the problem of infectious plant diseases, such as xylella fastidiosa, which cause considerable damage to the environment and regional economies;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points out that it is vital that aid and funds be sent every more rapidly and easily to affected regions, and that links with the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and the ERDF climate-change adaptation component are essential in order to create a comprehensive package;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen their research and education in order to put in place a system to ensure better preparedness to prevent and manage disasters and to minimize the impact of such crises;
Amendment 98 #
12b. Calls for increased coordination and cooperation between the research and development institutions of Member States, especially those facing similar risks; calls for enhanced early warning systems in Member States and the creation and strengthening of links between the various early warning systems;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Paragraph 12 c (new)
12c. Suggests that Member States identify investments, projects and tools in their National Recovery and Resilience Plans in order to prevent and limit damage from natural and health disasters;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Considers that the establishment of a SEAR may have the advantage of some flexibility, but notes that, in its current form, the EUSF allocation remains uncertain, since it depends on the amounts mobilised by the EAR; undertakes, accordingly, closely to monitor the management of the SEAR in order to see whether the funding amount and allocation key provided for in this new financial instrument meet the needs of the EUSF, in view of the extension of its scope and the scale and proliferation of emergencies resulting, in particular, from climate changenatural disasters, climate change and the health emergency;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Notes with regret that it takes on average one year for the entire grant to reach the beneficiary and that the Fund cannot therefore, under the current conditions, claim to act as an instrument for rapid intervention; calls on the Commission to expedite payment procedures and to explore ways tof simplifying and make flexible, as much as possible, the administrative procedures required to access aid, in order to relieve disaster- stricken regions or countries from unnecessary administrative burdens;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Believes that, in the future, the EUSF budget will have to be increased in order to make it a real tool for EU solidarity; to this end, believes that the EUSF is not only used for damage repair but also for resilience in relation to climate change, natural disasters and public health emergencies in order to exit stronger from the disaster situation;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls on the Commission to strengthen synergies between the EUSF and cohesion funds, as well as with the UCPM, with a view to effective and structured risk management in the short, medium and long term, not only through the construction of sustainable, energy- and resource-efficient infrastructure, but also through the deployment of preventive measures; also calls on the Commission to demonstrate flexibility with programming and amending of nationals operational programmes when they comes to dealing with natural disasters;