Activities of François ALFONSI related to 2020/0380(COD)
Plenary speeches (1)
Brexit Adjustment Reserve - Draft amending budget No 1/2021: Brexit Adjustment Reserve (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Brexit Adjustment Reserve
Amendments (55)
Amendment 73 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) The Union is committed to mitigating the economicnegative economic, social, environmental and territorial impacts of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union and to show solidarity with all Member States, especially their most affected oneregions and sectors in such exceptional circumstances.
Amendment 81 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) A Brexit Adjustment Reserve (the ‘Reserve’) should be established to provide support to counter adverse consequences in Member States, regions and sectors, in particular those that are worst affected by the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union, and thus to mitigate the related negative impact on the economic, social and territorial cohesion. It should cover in whole or in part the additional public expenditure incurred by Member States and regions for measures specifically taken to mitigate those consequences.
Amendment 83 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4 a (new)
Recital 4 a (new)
(4a) The Republic of Ireland, given its geographical location and high degree of interdependence with the UK economy, its primary responsibility for the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the risks of unpredictable developments with the UK authorities, requires particular attention and enhanced solidarity from the Union.
Amendment 91 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) For the purposes of contributing to economic, social and territorial cohesion, it is appropriate that Member States, when designing support measures, focus in particular on the most affected regions, and on areas and local communities, including those dependent on fishing activities in the United Kingdom waters, that are likely to be most negatively impacted by the withdrawal of the United Kingdom. Member States may have to take specific measures notably to support organisations, businesses and economic sectors adversely affected by the withdrawal. It is therefore appropriate to provide a non-exhaustive list of the type of measures that are most likely to achieve this objective.
Amendment 99 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) At the same time, it is important to clearly specify any exclusions from support provided by the Reserve. The Reserve should exclude from support the value added tax as it constitutes a Member State revenue, which offsets the related cost for the Member State budget. In order to concentrate the use of limited resources in the most efficient way, technical assistance used by the bodies responsible for the implementation of the Reserve should not be eligible for support from the Reserve. In line with the general approach for cohesion policy, expenditure linked to relocations or contrary to any applicable Union or national law should not be supported. Finally, as the financial sector is excluded from the EU-UK agreement and because positive spill-over effects are already visible within the Union, this sector should be excluded from any calculation.
Amendment 106 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) In order to take into account the immediate impact of the adverse economic, social and environmental consequences of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union on the Member States and their economie, especially in their most affected regions and the need to adopt mitigating measures, as appropriate, prior to the expiry of the transition period, the eligibility period for implementing such measures should start as from 1 Julanuary 202019 and be concentrated over a limited period of 3048 months.
Amendment 113 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7 a (new)
Recital 7 a (new)
(7a) Concerning the adverse consequences on fishing activities, actions aimed at mitigating the negative consequences of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union may be the subject of contracts concluded before the date of 31 December 2023 but may cover a period up to 31 December 2026 to corroborate with the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Amendment 116 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) It is necessary to specify that the budget allocated to the Reserve should be implemented by the Commission under shared management with Member States and regional authorities within the meaning of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council12 (the ‘Financial Regulation’). It is therefore appropriate to determine the principles and specific obligations that the Member States, local and regional authorities should respect, in particular the principles of sound financial management, transparency and non- discrimination and the absence of conflict of interest, as well as the partnership principle and the “do no significant harm” principle (the ‘EU taxonomy regulation’). _________________ 12Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (OJ L 193, 30.7.2018, p. 1).
Amendment 120 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) For the purpose of sound financial management, specific rules should be laid down for budget commitments, payments, carry-overs and the recovery of the Reserve. While respecting the principle that the Union budget is set annually, this Regulation should provide for possibilities to carry-over unused funds beyond those set out in the Financial Regulation, thus maximising the Reserve’s capacity to address adverse consequences of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union on the Member States, their regions and their economies.
Amendment 125 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) In order to enable Member States to deploy the additional resources and to ensure sufficient financial means to swiftly implement measures under the Reserve, a substantial amount thereof should be disbursed in 2021 as pre-financing. The distribution method should take into account the importance of trade with the United Kingdom and the importance of fisheries in the United Kingdom exclusive economic zone, based on the last reliable and official statistics. Given the unique nature of the event that the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union constitutes and the uncertainty that has surrounded key aspects of the relationship between the United Kingdom and the Union after the expiry of the transition period, it is difficult to anticipate the appropriate measures Member States will have to take rapidly to counter the effects of the withdrawal. It is therefore necessary to grant Member States flexibility and in particular to allow the Commission to adopt the financing decision providing the pre-financing without the obligation pursuant to Article 110(2) of the Financial Regulation to provide a description of the concrete actions to be financed. Nevertheless, all measures and actions should be in line with the Union’s climate objectives, European Green Deal and Paris agreement, respecting the “Do no significant harm principle” within the EU taxonomy regulation.
Amendment 127 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) Prior to the payment of the pre- financing, Member States should notify the Commission of the identity of the bodies designated and of the body to which the pre-financing shall be paid, and confirm that the systems’ descriptions have been drawn up, within three months of the entry into force of this Regulation. The Member States should prepare the programmes, measures and actions in accordance with the Partnership principle in order to consult the stakeholders, civil society organisations and social partners.
Amendment 131 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) Pursuant to paragraphs 22 and 23 of the Inter-institutional agreement for Better Law-Making of 13 April 201613 , there is a need to evaluate the Reserve on the basis of information collected through specific monitoring requirements, while avoiding overregulation and administrative burden, in particular on Member States and regional or local authorities. These requirements, where appropriate, should include measurable indicators, as a basis for the evaluation of the Reserve. _________________ 13Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on Better Law-Making (OJ L 123, 12.5.2016, p. 1).
Amendment 139 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) To ensure equal treatment of all Member States and consistency in the evaluation of the applications, the Commission should assess the applications in a package. It should look in particular into the eligibility and the accuracy of the expenditure declared, the direct link of the expenditure with measures taken to address the severe consequences of the withdrawal and the measures put in place by the Member State concerned to avoid double funding. Upon assessment of the applications for a financial contribution from the Reserve, the Commission should clear the pre- financing paid, and recover the unused amount. In order to concentrate the support on Member States and regions most affected by the withdrawal, where the expenditure in the Member State concerned, accepted as eligible by the Commission, exceeds 1.2 times the amount paid as pre-financing and 0.06% of the nominal Gross National Income (GNI) for 2021 of the Member State concerned, it should be possible to allow for a further allocation from the Reserve to that Member State within the limits of the financial resources available20% of its pre-financing. Given the extent of the expected economic shock, the possibility to use the amounts recovered from the pre-financing for the reimbursement of additional expenditure by Member States should be provided for.
Amendment 144 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) In order to ensure the proper functioning of shared management, Member States should establish a management and control system, designate and notify the Commission of the bodies responsible for the management of the Reserve as well as a separate independent audit body. For simplification reasons, Member States may make use of existing bodies designated, including on regional and local level, and systems set up for the purpose of the management and control of cohesion policy funding or the European Union Solidarity Fund. It is necessary to specify the responsibilities of the Member States and lay down the specific requirements for the bodies designated.
Amendment 151 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) Member States should raise awareness on the Union contribution from the Reserve and inform the public and potential beneficiaries accordingly as transparency, communication and visibility activities are essential in making Union action visible on the ground. Those activities should be based on accurate and updated information.
Amendment 160 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1
(1) ‘reference period’ means the reference period referred to in Article 63(5), point (a), of the Financial Regulation, which shall be from 1 Julanuary 202019 to 31 December 20223;
Amendment 164 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1
The Reserve shall provide support to counter the adverse economic, social, territorial and environmental consequences of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union in Member States, regions and sectors, in particular those that are worst affected by that withdrawal, and to mitigate the related negative impact on the economic, social and territorial cohesion. The Reserve shall however be in line with the European Green Deal and the Digital agenda. The Reserve shall not support measures or actions that are not aligned with the “do no significant harm” (DNSH) principle as provided for in the EU taxonomy regulation. The Reserve must provide enhanced assistance to the Republic of Ireland to cope with the consequences of its particular situation at the forefront of the foreseeable and unforeseeable consequences of the UK's withdrawal from the Union. Ireland benefits from a fixed rate of the pre-financing part of the Reserve as specified in Annexe I.
Amendment 169 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point a (new)
(a) The most affected regions shall receive, at least, 80% of the funding as defined in the paragraph 2 of this article.
Amendment 186 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
1. The financial contribution from the Reserve shall only support the public expenditure directly linked to measures specifically taken by Member States and regional or local authorities to contribute to the objectives referred to in Article 3, shall be aligned with the European Green Deal and the Digital agenda; and shall respect the “Do no significant harm” (DNSH) principle as provided for in the EU taxonomy regulation, and may cover, in particular the following:
Amendment 190 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) measures to support and assist businesses, organisations (LAGs) and local communities adversely affected by the withdrawal, particularly in the most affected regions;
Amendment 196 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) measures to support the most affected economic sectors, except the financial and banking sector;
Amendment 199 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point c
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) measures to support businesses, organisations (LAGs) and local communities dependent on fishing activities in the United Kingdom waters, firstly those which cannot compensate those impacts by having activities or related activities in different waters; measures and actions excluded in the EMFF shall be excluded from the Reserve;
Amendment 207 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point d
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point d
(d) measures to support employment and inclusion, including through short- time work schemes, re-skilling, that would include green jobs, and training in affected sectors;
Amendment 214 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point g
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point g
(g) measures for communication, information, legal advice and awareness- raising of citizens and businesses about changes stemming from the withdrawal to their rights and obligations.
Amendment 221 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
(ga) measures aimed to mitigate adverse consequences for EU nationals living in the United Kingdom as a result of the withdrawal, for the Member States exceeding 10 per 1000 nationals expatriated in the UK as to the 31 December 2020.
Amendment 222 #
(gb) new measures aimed at supporting citizens affected by restrictions to free movement due to the withdrawal, including citizens’ advice service, information and legal protection.
Amendment 225 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point g c (new)
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point g c (new)
(gc) measures deemed to compensate directly or indirectly foregone revenues or activities which are affected by other regional, national or European policies or decisions and not demonstrably linked to the withdrawal shall be excluded;
Amendment 228 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2
Article 5 – paragraph 2
2. Expenditure shall be eligible if it is incurred and paid during the reference period for measures carried out in the Member State and regions concerned or for the benefit of the Member State or region concerned.
Amendment 229 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 3
Article 5 – paragraph 3
3. When designing support measures, Member States shall take into account the Partnership principle and the varied impact of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union on different regions and local communities and focus support from the Reserve on those most affected, as appropriate. Member States shall dedicate, at least, 80% of their envelope to their most affected regions if they have any.
Amendment 248 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Article 7 – paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. In accordance with the partnership principle, a Member State shall establish a multi-level dialogue with local and regional authorities, civil society organisations and social partners.
Amendment 255 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 5
Article 7 – paragraph 5
5. By derogation from Article 12 of the Financial Regulation, unused commitment and payment appropriations under this Regulation shall be automatically carried over and may be used until 31 December 20256. The appropriations carried over shall be consumed first in the following financial year.
Amendment 259 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 1
Article 8 – paragraph 1
1. The allocation criteria for pre- financing to be paid by the Commission to Member States and regions are set out in Annex I.
Amendment 261 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 2
Article 8 – paragraph 2
2. Subject to receipt of the information required under Article 13(1), point (d), of this Regulation the Commission shall, by means of an implementing delegated act, set out the breakdown of the resources referred to in Article 4(3)(a) of this Regulation per Member State. That implementing act shall constitute a financing decision within the meaning of Article 110(1) of the Financial Regulation and the legal commitment within the meaning of that Regulation. By way of derogation from Article 110(2) of the Financial Regulation, that financing decision shall not include a description of the actions to be financed.
Amendment 263 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 3
Article 8 – paragraph 3
3. The Commission shall pay the pre- financing within 630 days of the date of the adoption of the implementingdelegated act referred to in paragraph 2. It shall be cleared in accordance with Article 11.
Amendment 267 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 1
Article 9 – paragraph 1
1. The Member States and regional authorities shall submit an application to the Commission for a financial contribution from the Reserve by 30 September 20234. The Commission shall assess this application and establish whether additional amounts are due to Member States and regions or any amounts should be recovered from the Member States and regions in accordance with Article 11.
Amendment 272 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 2
Article 9 – paragraph 2
2. Where a Member State or a regional authority does not submit an application for a financial contribution from the Reserve by 30 September 20234, the Commission shall recover the total amount paid as pre- financing to that Member State or region.
Amendment 278 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 1
Article 10 – paragraph 1
1. The application shall be based on the template set out in Annex II. The application shall include information on the total public expenditure incurred and paid by Member States or by the regional authority and the values of output indicators for the measures supported. It shall be accompanied by the documents referred to in paragraphs 5, 6 and 7 of Article 63 of the Financial Regulation and by an implementation report.
Amendment 282 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 2 – point a
Article 10 – paragraph 2 – point a
(a) a description of the negative impact of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the Union in economic, territorial, environmental and social terms including an identification of the regions, areas and sectors most affected;
Amendment 289 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 2 – point e a (new)
Article 10 – paragraph 2 – point e a (new)
(ea) a description of the coherence of the measures with the European Green Deal and the Digital agenda.
Amendment 293 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
2. Based on the assessment, the Commission shall, by means of an implementing delegated act, establish the following:
Amendment 296 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – point b
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – point b
(b) whether additional amounts are due to the Member State or the regional authority, in line with paragraph 3, or whether amounts need to be recovered pursuant to paragraph 5.
Amendment 300 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 3 – introductory part
Article 11 – paragraph 3 – introductory part
3. Where the accepted amount exceeds both1.2 times the amount of pre- financing and 0.06% of the nominal GNI of 2021 of the Member State concerned, an additional amount shall be due to that Member State from the allocation referred to in Article 4(3), point (b), and any amounts carried over pursuant to Article 8(4).
Amendment 303 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Article 11 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
In such a case, the Commission shall pay the amount exceeding 1.2 times the pre- financing paid to the Member State concerned or 0.06% of the nominal GNI of 2021, whichever is higher.in the limits of 20% of its pre- financing
Amendment 310 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 5
Article 11 – paragraph 5
5. The Commission shall clear the respective pre-financing and pay any additional amount due within 630 days of adoption of the implementing act referred to in paragraph 2.
Amendment 313 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 7
Article 11 – paragraph 7
7. The Commission shall, by means of an implementing delegated act, set out the additional amounts due pursuant to the second sentence of paragraph 6 of this Article. That implementing act shall constitute a financing decision within the meaning of Article 110(1) of the Financial Regulation and the legal commitment within the meaning of that Regulation. The Commission shall pay any additional amount due within 60 days of adoption of that act.
Amendment 315 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 8
Article 11 – paragraph 8
8. Prior to the adoption of the implementingdelegated acts referred to in paragraphs 2 and 7, the Commission shall inform the Member State of its assessment and invite the Member State to submit its observations within two months.
Amendment 317 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
1. When executing tasks relating to the implementation of the Reserve, Member States and regions shall take all the necessary measures, including legislative, regulatory and administrative measures, to protect the financial interests of the Union, namely by:
Amendment 322 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 2
Article 13 – paragraph 2
2. For the purposes of points (a) and (b) of paragraph 1, the Member States may make use of bodies, including on regional and local level, and management and control systems already in place for the implementation of cohesion policy funding or the European Union Solidarity Fund.
Amendment 328 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 15 – paragraph 1
Article 15 – paragraph 1
Member States and regions shall be responsible for informing and publicising to Union citizens the role, the results and impact of the Union contribution from the Reserve through information and communication actions.
Amendment 339 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1
1. EachThe share of each of the other Member State’s share fromin the pre-financing of the Brexit Adjustment Reserve is determined as the sum of a factor linked to the fish caught in the waters that belong to the UK Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and a factor linked to trade with the UK.
Amendment 349 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b – point i
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 3 – point b – point i
(i) for each Member State, the value of fish caught in UK EEZ as a percentage of the total value of fish caught by that Member State in the concerned NUTS 2 maritime regions of the Baltic, North Sea, Channel and Atlantic basins is expressed as an index of the EU average (index of dependency);
Amendment 358 #
b) to assess the relative importance of these trade flows for each Member State, the sum of trade flows with the UK are expressed as a percentage of the Member State’s GDPEU 28 trade flow in 2019 and subsequently expressed as an index of the EU average (index of dependency);
Amendment 364 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point h
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point h
h) if the calculation referred to in point g) results in an aid intensity of more than EUR 1930/inhabitant, that Member State’s allocation is capped at the level corresponding to an aid intensity of EUR 1930/inhabitant. The resources deducted due to this capping are distributed to the Member States not capped under points g) or h), proportionally to their shares as calculated in point g).
Amendment 370 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 5 – point b
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 5 – point b
b) for the value of the fish caught in the UK EEZ as a share of total value of fish caught by a Member Statein the concerned NUTS 2 maritime regions of the Baltic Sea, North Sea, Channel, and Atlantic basins, the reference period shall be 2015-2018;
Amendment 373 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Annex I – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Ireland shall be allocated 25% of the Reserve.