Activities of Victor NEGRESCU related to 2020/0104(COD)
Plenary speeches (1)
Establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility (debate)
Amendments (18)
Amendment 135 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 changed the economic outlook for the years to come in the Union and in the world, calling for an urgent and coordinated response from the Union in order to cope with the enormous economic and social consequences for all Member. The challenges linked to the demographic context, social inclusion and social cohesion have been amplified by COVID-19. The current COVID-19 pandemic as well as the previous economic and financial crisis have shown that developing sound and resilient economies and financial systems built on strong economic and social structures helps Member States to respond more efficiently to shocks and recover more swiftly from them. Moreover, they have shown that cuts in public spending on education, culture and healthcare are counterproductive to a swift recovery and to build resilient economies and societies. The medium and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 crisis will critically depend on how quickly Member States’ economies will recover from the crisis, which in turn depends on the fiscal space Member States have available to take measures to mitigate the social and economic impact of the crisis, and on the resilience of their economies and public services of general interest. Reforms and investments to address structural weaknesses of the economies and public services of general interest and strengthen their resilience will therefore be essential to set the economies and social life back on a sustainable recovery path and avoid further widening of the divergences in the Union.
Amendment 144 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 changed the economic outlook for the years to come in the Union and in the world, calling for an urgent and coordinated response from the Union in order to cope with the enormous economic and social consequences for all Member. The challenges linked to the demographic context have been amplified by COVID-19. The current COVID-19 pandemic as well as the previous economic and financial crisis have shown that developing sound and resilient economies and financial systems built on strong economic and social structures helps Member States to respond more efficiently to shocks and recover more swiftly from them. The medium and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 crisis will critically depend on how quickly Member States’ economies will recover from the crisis, which in turn depends on the fiscal space Member States have available to take measures to mitigate the social and economic impact of the crisis, and on the resilience of their economies. Reforms and investments to address structural weaknesses of the economies and strengthen their resilience will therefore be essential to set the economies back on a sustainable recovery path and reduce the gaps between Member States thus avoiding further widening of the divergences in the Union.
Amendment 152 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4 a (new)
Recital 4 a (new)
(4a) The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to mitigate its effects on the economies have had disastrous consequences for the social life in all Member States. Education, cultural activities, tourism and recreation came almost to a standstill. The Union and its Member States should therefore also invest in the recovery and resilience of these sectors and policy areas.
Amendment 153 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4 b (new)
Recital 4 b (new)
(4b) Considering that the cultural and creative sectors have been hit particularly hard by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic due to, amongst other things, the closure of cinemas, theatres and other cultural venues, the sudden stop of ticket sales and low advertisement sales, the Union and its Member States should earmark at least 2% of the Recovery and Resilience Facility for the support of these sectors, which are of utmost importance for the economies, social cohesion, tourism and recreation.
Amendment 154 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4 c (new)
Recital 4 c (new)
(4c) The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore that our educational systems are not as resilient as they should be. The pandemic has probably caused the most severe disruption to the world’s education and training systems in history, with many pupils and students in the Union having no or little access to remote learning due to a lack of digital equipment, infrastructure and competences, but also due to their vulnerable social status. This situation is threatening a loss of learning for an entire generation of pupils and students, likely to decrease future income levels of the affected generation and to negatively impact labour productivity, growth and competitiveness levels for the Union as a whole. The Union and its Member States should therefore allocate 10% of the Recovery and Resilience Facility for investments in quality and inclusive education and training, educational infrastructure, online and offline, skills and competences.
Amendment 161 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) The implementation of reforms contributing to promote social cohesion and to achieve a high degree of resilience of domestic economies, strengthening adjustment capacity and unlocking growth potential are among the Union’s policy priorities. They are therefore crucial to set the recovery on a sustainable path and support the process of upward economic and social convergence. This is even more necessary in the aftermath of the pandemic crisis to pave the way for a swift recovery.
Amendment 171 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) Past experiences have shown that investment is often drastically cut during crises. However, it is essential to support investment, public and private, in this particular situation to speed up the recovery, mitigate the effects of the pandemic on social inclusion and cohesion and strengthen long- term growth potential. Investing in green and digital technologies, capacities and processes aimed at assisting clean energy transition, boosting energy efficiency in housing and other key sectors of the economic are important to achieve sustainable growth and help create jobs. It will also help make the Union more resilient and less dependent by diversifying key supply chains. However, it is equally important to invest in education, culture and other public services of general interest in order to promote social inclusion and social cohesion, to prepare the citizens for the future needs of our labour markets, to equip them with the necessary skills and competences and to give them new opportunities.
Amendment 200 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) Currently, no instrument foresees direct financial support linked to the achievement of results and to implementation of reforms and public investments of the Member States in response to challenges identified in the European Semester, and with a view to having a lasting impact on the productivity and resilience of the economy and public services of the Member States.
Amendment 249 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) Reflecting the European Green Deal as Europe’s sustainable growth strategy and the translation of the Union's commitments to implement the Paris Agreement and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, the Facility established by this Regulation will contribute to mainstreaming climate actions and environmental sustainability and to the achievement of an overall target of 25 % of the EU budget expenditures supporting climate objectives. Special actions are needed to address this issue in the EU countries with a weaker financing system.
Amendment 270 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) In order to implement these overall objectives, relevant actions will be identified during the Facility’s preparation and implementation, and reassessed in the context of the relevant evaluations and review processes. Also, due attention should be paid to the impact of the national plans submitted under this Regulation on fostering not only the green transition, but also the digital transformation, including the promotion of digital education, skills and competences. They will both play a priority role in relaunching and modernising our economy.
Amendment 311 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) The Facility’s general objective should be the promotion of economic, social and territorial cohesion. For that purpose, it should contribute to improving the resilience and adjustment capacity of the Member States, mitigating the social and economic impact of the crisis, and supporting the green and digital transitions aimed at achieving a climate neutral Europe by 2050, thereby restoring the growth potential of the economies of the Union in the aftermath of the crisis, fostering employment creation and to promoting sustainable growth. Particular attention and support will be given to the countries having difficulties in achieving the climate objectives.
Amendment 321 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) The Facility’s general objective should be the promotion of economic, social and territorial cohesion. For that purpose, it should contribute to improving the resilience and adjustment capacity of the Member States, mitigating the social and economic impact of the crisis, and supporting the green and digital transitions aimed at achieving a climate neutral Europe by 2050, thereby restoring the growth potential of the economies of the Union in the aftermath of the crisis, fostering public services, employment creation and to promoting sustainable growth.
Amendment 344 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) To ensure its contribution to the objectives of the Facility, the recovery and resilience plan should comprise measures for the implementation of reforms and public investment projects through a coherent recovery and resilience plan. The recovery and resilience plan should be consistent with the relevant country- specific challenges and priorities identified in the context of the European Semester, with the national reform programmes, the national energy and climate plans, the just transition plans, and the partnership agreements and operational programmes adopted under the Union funds. To boost actions that fall within the priorities of the European Green Deal and the Digital Agenda, the plan should also set out measures that are relevant for the green and digital transitions. Furthermore, the plan should set out measures in the areas of education and culture, which contribute considerably to economic and social resilience. The measures should enable a swift deliver of targets, objectives and contributions set out in national energy and climate plans and updates thereof. All supported activities should be pursued in full respect of the climate and environmental priorities of the Union.
Amendment 605 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1
The scope of application of the Recovery and Resilience Facility established by this Regulation shall refer to policy areas related to economic, social and territorial cohesion, the green and digital transitions, health, social inclusion, competitiveness, resilience, productivity, culture and creativity, education and skills, research and innovation, smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, jobs and investment, and the stability of the financial systems.
Amendment 861 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 14 – paragraph 2
Article 14 – paragraph 2
2. The recovery and resilience plans shall be consistent with the relevant country-specific challenges and priorities identified in the context of the European Semester, in particular those relevant for or resulting from the green and digital transition. The recovery and resilience plans shall also take into consideration sectors and policy areas that usually receive little attention in the context of the European Semester, but that suffer considerably from the pandemic, such as education and culture. Therefore, each national recovery and resilience plan shall dedicate at least 2% of the overall budget to the cultural and creative sectors. Furthermore, 10% shall be dedicated for investments in quality and inclusive education. The recovery and resilience plans shall also be consistent with the information included by the Member States in the national reform programmes under the European Semester, in their national energy and climate plans and updates thereof under the Regulation (EU)2018/199921 , in the territorial just transition plans under the Just Transition Fund22 , and in the partnership agreements and operational programmes under the Union funds. __________________ 21Regulation (EU)2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action. 22 […]
Amendment 1077 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 16 – paragraph 2
Article 16 – paragraph 2
2. When assessing the recovery and resilience plan and in the determination of the amount to be allocated to the Member State concerned, the Commission shall take into account the analytical information on the Member State concerned available in the context of the European Semester as well as the justification and the elements provided by the Member State concerned, as referred to in Article 15(3), and any other relevant information including, in particular, the one contained in the National Reform Programme and the National Energy and Climate Plan of the Member State concerned and, if relevant, information from technical support received via the Technical Support Instrument. A dedicated multi-language website providing support and information should be envisaged.
Amendment 1339 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 19 – paragraph 2
Article 19 – paragraph 2
2. Payment of financial contributions to the Member State concerned under this Article shall be made in accordance with the budget appropriations and subject to the available funding while taking into consideration the diverse socio-economic situations of each Member State. The Commission decisions referred to in this Article shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 27(2).
Amendment 1427 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 22 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) ensure complementarity, synergy, coherence and consistency among different instruments at Union, national and, where appropriate, regional levels, in particular in relation to measures financed by Union funds, both in the planning phase and during implementation, targeting a balanced sectoral or geographical coverage at EU level;