24 Amendments of Bas EICKHOUT related to 2017/2052(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission to structure the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) in a manner that clearly reflects the EU’s priorities for the coming years, particularly with respect to the resources needed to make the transition to a circular, low carbon economy, to sustain the EU’s leading role in tackling climate change and to ensure that it can meet its international obligations under the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as its internal and external biodiversity commitments and goals;
Amendment 8 #
1. Highlights that transport infrastructures are the backbone of the single market and crucial to ensuring the four fundamental freedoms pertaining to persons, capital, goods and services; notes that accomplishing a single European transport area connected to neighbouring countries requires major transport infrastructure to be treated as a key priority for the EU’s competitiveness and for territorial, economic and social cohesion; furthermore emphasizes that all projects co-financed through MFF budget lines should be in line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Considers that the Commission and the Member States should focus all EU co-funding of transport and tourism projects that contribute to minimise external costs through climate action and air quality and should prioritise through higher co-financing projects that lead to zero emissions; recalls therefore the immediate need to renew the criteria of allocation of different EU funds;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Notes that Article 2 of the Paris Agreement underlines the need to make finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development and that appropriate reforms to the MFF post 2020 are essential in order to reach net- zero emissions by mid-century;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Considers that cohesion policy’s share of the total EU budget should be maintained post-2020, as the Cohesion Fund makes ashould increase its major contribution to closingre-establishing (cross- border) infrastructure gapconnections between regions;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Recognising the difficulties that the EU and several Member States have in mainstreaming sustainable development in non-environmental thematic objectives of the current MFF, calls on the Commission to sustainability proof the next MFF in order to increase the efficiency of the Union spending and to improve coherence and balance of economic, social and environmental dimensions as required by the Treaty. This new methodological structure should take a step-wise approach and provide the most effective governance structure through the use of substantive, procedural and institutional tools throughout the policy and implementation cycles;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Believes that the next MFF should be a first mover, helping to catalyse sustainable finance across the Union. Notes that several of the recent first recommendations of the High Level Working group on Sustainable finance are applicable to the MFF, including the need to 'sustainability test' all future EU financial regulations and policies, and for financial instruments to achieve greater policy steering effects;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that the next MFF must be compatible with the commitments made by the Union externally, and with its own long-term goals in the field of climate- relevant spending; believes that this can only be achieved by a thorough climate mainstreaming of EU spendingand at least 50% of EU spending being devoted to climate action; calls on the Commission therefore to develop a transparent and reliable method of calculation that can provide evidence of expected impacts for climate-relevant spending, as well as their weighting for ex post assessment in reporting obligations;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) should allow for adequate EU funding, including structural and investment funds, for projects which contribute, in particular, to the completion of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) to the EU safety, climate and energy policy in the framework of the TEN-T and CEF core network and its corridors; reiterates that financial instruments cannot replace grants for TEN- T projects, as only grants can maximise output on the ground; considers, furthermore, that better coordination of EU instruments related to transport, including blending of grants and innovative financial instruments, can facilitate project implementation and catalyse private financing;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Emphasises that the transition to a sustainable economy is the only way to ensure a healthy living environment and the long-term wellbeing of Union citizens and the European economy; considers that the EU should be the global frontrunner in the transition to a circular low-carbon economy and a sustainable production- consumption system;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) should allow for adequate EU funding, including structural and investment funds, for projects which contribute, in particular, to the completion of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) core network and its corridors; reiterates that financial instruments cannot replace grants for TEN- T projects, as only grants can maximise output on the ground; considers, furthermore, that coherent transparency and better coordination of EU instruments related to transport, including blending of grants and innovative financial instruments, can facilitate project implementation and catalyse private financing;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that the next MFF shouldis essential in helping the Union achieve its 2030 climate and energy framework objectives; underlines that the EU should not finance projects and investments that are contrary to the achievement of these goals by, for example, excluding any support for fossil fuels and fossil fuel related infrastructure or technology;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Underlines that EU co-funding should concentrate on smaller cheaper projects with a positive short term effect on the goals of the White Paper on Transport 2011, such as re-establishing regional cross-border missing links that were given up and dismantled, ensuring sufficient maintenance and renewal of the secondary rail network, further electrifying of the entire rail network (electric mobility);
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Underlines that all EU-funded projects and financial instruments including EFSI and EFSD as well as EIB activities should be subject to sustainability proofing and should not have a negative impact on the transition to a circular, low-carbon economy; stresses that a comprehensive screening of the MFF is therefore urgently needed in order to identify environmentally harmful spending and to develop, and commit to, a strategy to make sure such lending is not permitted under the next MFF;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses the importance of programmes safeguarding biodiversity and protecting the environment, such as the LIFE Programme, being continued in the next MFF; calls for a tripling in the LIFE Programme budget, which should receive up to 1% of the EU budget;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that future financial instruments for agriculture, rural and regional development contain dedicated envelopes for biodiversity and management of the Natura 2000 network, under co- management by national and regional environmental authorities;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers that an upgraded and more effective Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), which coversfocusses on interconnecting all modes of transport, including road infrastructure, and focuses on interconnection and makes more funding available for greening the cities, is necessary;
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Emphasises the potential offered by green infrastructure and nature based solutions to deliver for society in a cost- effective way;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recognises the European added value of collaboration in tackling common public health threats; considers that, on the basis of the first positive outcomes of the ongoing health programme, the next MFF should include a robust health programme that tackles health issues on a cross-border basis.; Calls for a significant increase in funding for the health programme;
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that funding for completing the single European rail area should be safeguarded; stresses further that the deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) should be brought forward in order to further implement common technical standards and maximise the benefits in terms of interoperability; encourages the Commission and the Members States to support noise reduction at the source by retro-fitting rail freight wagons; underlines that co-funding of the Shift to Rail undertaking should be intensified;
Amendment 103 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Reiterates the importance of enabling the full use of the Single European Sky as a crucial step forward for European airspace; stresses the need for adequate funding to implement the components of Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) in order to ensure the deployment of ATM functionalities; calls on the Commission and the Members States to phase out subsidies for airports and thereby save money, as ca. 50 % of EU airports are making losses;
Amendment 119 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Underlines the importance of secured funding to achieve an integrated maritime policy, as a flagship initiative for cross-sectoral and trans-national governance, as well as for optimising multimodal connections and shifting to digital transport services and sustainable transport modes, only including ships with low emissions in the fields of short sea shipping and inland waterways;
Amendment 146 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Encourages the Commission to co- finance the interconnection between the EuroVelo network and the EU rail network and thus encourage sustainable tourism through the different regions;