Activities of Bart STAES related to 2011/2186(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
European Investment Bank - annual report 2010 (debate)
Amendments (22)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Whereas EIB's activity outside the EU has developed primarily in middle income countries, with limited staff resources particularly for upstream work and for project monitoring, as well as limited local presence compared to the level and complexity of financing activities outside the EU;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Notes that in 2010, the EIB lent EUR 5 bn of the total 72 bn EIB lending to developing countries (1.2 bn to Asia and Latin America (ALA), EUR1 bn to ACP (973m) and South Africa (50m), EUR 2.55 bn to the Mediterranean countries and EUR 328 mn to Central Asian countries) of which only EUR 467 mn for projects directly aiming at achieving the MDGs;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the EIB’s focus on climate change, particularly on renewable energy and on the two projects in France’s Pacific OCTs funded to the tune of EUR 15 million in particular; calls on the EIB to make universal energy access a focus of its engagement in the energy sector, by supporting decentralised small- scale and off-grid projects, particularly in rural areas; calls on the EIB to phase out projects which are likely to have a significant impact on the environment, such as large dams, CCS and fossil fuel technologies, to avoid locking developing countries into these energies;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. CRecalls that a narrow focus on GDP-led growth does not automatically deliver inclusive and sustainable development and reduce inequality; in this context, calls on the EIB to link its financing projects more directly to poverty reduction and the achievement of the MDGs, human rights, corporate social responsibility, decent work and environmental principles and good governance, through the implementation of Decision No° 1080/2011/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council; accordingly, takes the view that adequate concessional finance and staff resource is necessary for enabling EIB to support more effectively EU development cooperation objectives;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the 2010 Annual Report and encourages the EIB to continue its activities to support the development of the European economy and foster growth, stimulate employment, and promote interregional and social cohesion with a special focus on projects for less-developed regions; supports the bank in its intention to target operations where its financing is likely to have the greatest impact on economic growth, points out that the EIB should use its resources and instruments in the best possible way to fight the actual financial and economic crisis;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the EIB to actively support projects aimed at financial inclusion, i.e. facilitating equal access to financial services such as loans and savings and insurance schemes, for instance through supporting microfinance institutions;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes EIB's commitments and policy developed regarding non- cooperative jurisdictions; however, expresses its concern about the lack of transparency regarding the way "global loans" are allocated and monitored in terms of tax governance; recalls that the EIB should ensure that recipients of its loans do not avail themselves of tax havens or use other harmful tax practises such as abusive transfer pricing which may lead to tax evasion or avoidance; in this context, calls on the EIB to request that financial intermediaries make public any use of the global loans they receive, including a report of their activities in any individual country in which they operate;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that the EIB Group6 should continue reporting annually to the European parliament on its lending activities related to the EU budget and focused on: EU financing and External financing calls on the bank that its annual report should be easily accessible and understandable for the wider public;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Regrets that the EIB is not prioritising investment in local companies in ACP countries; Deems that monitoring of global loans or loans for SMEs should be improved, to ensure that financial intermediaries properly implement properly the EIB's requirements, and to ensure accountability, transparency and environmental sustainability in the use of funds granted to local SMEs; takes the view that the definition of SMEs used in each external region should be clarified, taking into account of the structure of the local economies;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the initiative of concluding a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the European Parliament and the EIB; in this context, stresses upon the need to involve closely the EP in the process of discussion on the setting-up of an "EU Platform for External Cooperation and Development" and to guarantee transparency in the process;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recommends that the EIB give publicity topublishes the European parliament's resolutions on the Annual Reports ofand the MEP's written questions and given answers by the EIB together with its own reports on its website;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Urges EIB to increase the public sector support for infrastructure networks in new Member states which is still relatively low compared to EU-15 Member States;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. RegretsFinds it unacceptable that comprehensive global control systems including an audit operational system are still not in place and expects them to become operational in 2012fully implemented by November 2012 also in view of the multitude of innovative financial instruments managed by the EIB group expects the EIB to report back to the Parliament on progress made by December 2012;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Reiterates continuous previous recommendations of the EP to enhance transparency in EIB's selection of financial intermediaries and the way ‘global loans’ are allocated; stresses the need for clearer conditions and stricter lending effectiveness criteria; encourages the EIB to elaborate newwithout delay new, coherent and effective instruments for a better supervision of the financial intermediaries collaborating with the EIB in supporting SMEs in Europe before the end of 2012;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reiterates its call to report on the results achieved, including summarisedfull and comprehensive data of the final beneficiaries, summary reports on the monitoring and implementation of its internal procedures, and achievements of objectives on targets; is concerned about the lack of clear benchmarks and penetration rates, as a consequence of which, the effectiveness of the loans remains unclear;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the European Progress Microfinance Facility established in March 2010 by the EC and by the EIB; emphasizes the need for a public disclosure of the results of this facility up to date; points out that the complete set of selecting criteria for choosing the intermediaries participating in the initiative is still not clearshould be made public;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the special report of the European Court of Auditors number 4/2011 on the Audit of the SME Guarantee Facility and recognizes the important role of the SMEG facility; is concerned about the findings of the Court which relate to: insufficient records justifying the agreement parameters between the EIB and the financial intermediaries, unclear performance indicators, absence of target values of the indicators calls on the EIB to remedy these shortcomings without delay in cooperation with the Court;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls on the EIB to inform the European parliament about its financing operations in the Mediterranean region, supported by the external lending mandate, to demonstrate the development impacts of its lending and provide a report to the European parliament before the end of 2012 suggests that due attention will be paid to the recently published report from Bankwatch criticising some of these financial operations;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Is concerned about the lack of sufficient information about the results of the external policy actions; highlights the absence of requirements for financial intermediaries to send ex-post results on individual operations calls therefore on the bank to make such ex- post reporting compulsory;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Welcomes the new EIB's complaints mechanism; notes and regrets however that this mechanism is not completely operational in 2010; takes note of the substantial growth of numbers of complaints mainly in the area of procurement, environmental, social and developmental aspects of financed projects; asks the EIB to provide the EP with relevant information about the follow- up on the submitted complaints by then end of September 2012;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55 a (new)
Paragraph 55 a (new)
55a. Expects that 2012 is the last year in which the Bank will paid out bonuses over and above the normal salaries to its staff;