13 Amendments of Seán KELLY related to 2011/2035(INI)
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recognises, too, that European funding adds value where projects supported at regional level contribute to the achievement of pan-European objectives in the fields of economic growth, research, environmental protection, resource management, sport, demographic change, energy supply sustainability, social cohesion or cross-border development and this would not have been realised without the European stimulus;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the key role of towns and citiecities and regions in achieving the economic, environmental and social EU 2020 objectives; calls for support for ideas and projects which can serve as models, on the basis of integrated place-based development plans, and for the upgrading of urban-rural links; underlines that the greatest socioeconomic differences often exist within cities and that cities with deprived areas and pockets of poverty can also be found in wealthy regions;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. supports economic development and employment in SMEs and micro- enterprises; therefore requests that the fundamentals of the Small Business Act for Europe (SBAE), i.e. "Think Small First" and "Only once ", are considered as one of the bases of cohesion policy and considers that these principles should be applied by Member States and regions in the definition of their operational programs;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Takes the view that the development of basic infrastructure and support for conventional forms of energy should also be regarded as compatible with EU 2020, because only when they have competitive transport, energy and communications networks and waste-disposal infrastructure will the convergence regions be in a position to contribute to achieving the EU 2020 objectives – and that is precisely why the weaker and neediest regions must be given some leeway to interpret those objectives;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls for cohesion policy to continue, in accordance with the Lisbon Treaty, to targetapply to all regions and as a priority target those regions that lag furthest behind; stresses that the neediest regions should be granted an appropriate share – commensurate with the seriousness of their development problems – of the funding under Objective 1 (Convergence);
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls for a dependable and appropriate phasing-out arrangement inside the Convergence objective for areas formerly eligible for maximum support under the Convergence objective (convergence regions); gions that from 2013 will for the first time no longer be eligible under the convergence objective; Calls in addition for account to be taken within the Competitiveness objective of those regions which, while they have been eligible under the competitiveness objective during the current programming period, continue to face structural social and economic difficulties as regards achieving the Europe 2020 strategy objectives and which suffer from internal regional inequalities;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
Amendment 343 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Calls, in the interests of efficiency, for the elimination or merger of funds relevant to both regional development and cohesion; recommends that the European Globalisation Fund be abandoned as a stand-alone instrument and that appropriate provision for its functions be included in the Social FundAdjustment Fund be streamlined and integrated with the Structural Funds ensuring that this does not mean a decrease in the overall size of the Cohesion heading; calls for consideration of whether a merger of the Cohesion Fund and the Regional Development Fund would be compatible with the European Treaties; points out that, as a rule, monies from the Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund are spent on the same types of project;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Calls, in the interests of efficiency, for the elimination or merger of funds relevant to both regional development and cohesion; recommends that the European Globalisation Fund be abandoned as a stand-alone instrument and that appropriate provision for its functions be included in theAdjustment Fund be streamlined and integrated with the European Social Fund; calls for consideration of whether a merger of the Cohesion Fund and the Regional Development Fund would be compatible with the European Treaties; points out that, as a rule, monies from the Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund are spent on the same types of project;
Amendment 379 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Calls, in the event that certain binding priorities are set for all Member States, for these to cover innovation, infrastructure and resource management and to be tailored in each case to regions'’ specific needs; stressNotes that SMEs are the main source of jobs in the EU and a breeding ground for business ideas; stresses that support to SMEs must be continued and strengthened in light of the key role they can play in the implementation of the EU 2020 Strategy stresses that in terms of the flagship innovation Union a broad concept of "innovation" has to be applied while the SME access to finances must still be facilitated, notes that it must be possible to suggest and pursue additional priorities on a voluntary basis and in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity; calls for suggested priority areas to include energy, education and training, and combating poverty;
Amendment 403 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Calls for the funding under the development and investment partnerships to be made conditional on the implementation of reforms by the Member States, in order to ensure that it is used efficiently in areas directly related to cohesion policy as long as the following conditions are respected, that the conditionalities serve the increase of effectiveness and efficiency of cohesion policy, the involved actors in OP management have the possibility to influence conditionalities, those actors have the necessary competence and institutional capacity to carry out the required changes, and the involved actors have ownership towards the conditionalities and can relate to them; considers it fair for such conditions to include, in particular, full implementation of existing EU legislation (e.g. on price regulation, tendering procedures, transport, the environment and health) in order to prevent irregularities and ensure effectiveness; rejects, however, the imposition of conditions requiring Member States to undertake fundamental social and economic reform; all conditionalities should fully respect the principles of subsidiarity and partnership;
Amendment 459 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Recognises the leverage effect of new financial instruments and their potential to mobilise investment, supports increased financing from credit in principle, and calls for the use of revolving financial instruments to be extended to more areas eligible for funding (including research and infrastructure); calls for procedures to be simplified to that end and for a greater degree of legal certainty throughout the entire funding period; calls for the instruments to be adaptable to ensure they are viable and feasible for all regions and cities; takes the view that at the end of a funding period, at the latest, responsibility for how the funds are spent should transfer to national level or project level;
Amendment 478 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Takes the view that the system of seven-year programming periods has proved its worth and should be retained at least until the end of the next planning period (2020); calls, however, for swifter strategic reassessment of the basic conditions for funding so that the EU, through a mainstreamed Globalisation Adjustment Fund and Solidarity Fund, can respond even more quickly and more flexibly to exceptional events (such as the financial crisis, the energy crisis or natural disasters);