174 Amendments of Georgios STAVRAKAKIS
Amendment 2 #
2013/2195(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Notes that any error, regardless of size or gravity, in a public procurement procedure leads the Court of Auditors to classify the entire expenditure on that procedure as an error, even when no financial loss has been incurred and the project has been delivered as planned;
Amendment 6 #
2013/2195(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the new rules for the 2014- 2020 programming period, decided through the co-decision procedure, including measures such as the designations of audit and certifying authorities, accreditations of audit authorities, audit examination and acceptance of accounts, financial corrections and net financial corrections, proportional control, ex-ante conditionalities that aim to further contribute to the reduction of the level of error; supports in this respect also the growing results orientation and the thematic concentration of cohesion policy that should assure high added-value of the co-financed operations.
Amendment 7 #
2013/2017(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Further, calls on the Commission to closely monitor and assess Member States' real payment needs in Heading 1b throughout 2013 to avoid a repetition of previous years' situation; warns that a shortage in payment appropriations may prevent the Union from honouring its legal obligations and jeopardise investment efforts on the ground;
Amendment 48 #
2013/2015(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 144 – indent 4
Paragraph 144 – indent 4
– since marinas provide access only to a minority of the population, they cannot be considered an improvement to the accessibility of islands, and therefore their construction is not in line with transport policy, with the exception of those cases where small vessels are commonly used as a means of regular transport between islands and the construction of a marina would provide improved connectivity for the population as a whole;
Amendment 90 #
2013/2010(BUD)
21. Recalls, in this regard, that the EU 2020 strategy should be at the heart of the next MFF (2014-2020) and invites the Commission to clearly prioritise it already in 2014 and to place emphasis on spending for SMEs, research, development and innovation, renewable energy, sustainable development, and skills, the strengthening of economic, social and territorial cohesion, in particular the reduction of disparities between the levels of development of the various regions;
Amendment 15 #
2013/0248(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Regulation 2012/2002
Article 4 a – paragraph 3
Article 4 a – paragraph 3
Amendment 13 #
2012/2221(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Takes note that Greece is using EU structural funds to cover its national contributions to the Greek beneficiaries of the ENIAC projects instead of providing national funding and that; Acknowledges the Joint Undertaking acknowledged the continuation of Greek's reply that the conditions under which Greece has been participationg in the ENIAC's projects but provides no funding to the Greek beneficiaries as, are not opposing ENIAC's statutes and objectives included in the Council regulation (EC) No 72/2008; further points out that an expenditure co-financed by EU structural funds shallould not receive assistance from another Union financial instrument in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006;
Amendment 12 #
2012/2218(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Takes note that Greece is using Union Structural Funds to cover its national contributions to the Greek beneficiaries of the Artemis projects instead of providing national funding and that the Joint Undertaking acknowledged the continuation of Greek; Acknowledges that the conditions under which Greece has been participationg in the Artemis' projects but provides no funding to the Greek beneficiaries as, are not opposing Artemis' statutes and objectives included in the Council regulation (EC) No 74/2008; further points out that an expenditure co-financed by Union Structural Funds shallould not receive assistance from another Union financial instrument in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2185(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Takes noteWelcomes the fact that the Court of Auditors did not make any critical remarks in its report;
Amendment 11 #
2012/2185(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that in 2012, there were three cases dealt by the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding whistleblowing and labour disputes in the Agency, and that on 6 July 2011, the Ombudsman opened Case 0917/2011/ (PMC) EIS, which is based on allegations regarding one of the whistleblowerregarding human resources issues;
Amendment 14 #
2012/2185(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that in one of the cases referred to in paragraph 4, the European Union Civil Service Tribunal decided in favour of the applicant (judgement of 18 September 2012 in Case F-58/10, Timo Allgeier v European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights which on procedural grounds annulled the Agency's decision of 16 October 2009 and ordered it to pay legal fees and damages to Mr Allgeierdamages to the applicant and the costs), while in case F-112/10 (Cornelia Trentea v European Agency for Fundamental Rights) the Tribunal decided in favour of the Agency; in case F-38/12 (BP v European Agency for Fundamental Rights) judgement is pending and ordered the applicant to pay the costs incurred by the Agency;
Amendment 87 #
2012/2016(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. CStresses that Cohesion Policy has long proved its added value as a necessary investment tool to deliver growth and job creation effectively by accurately addressing the investment needs of the regions, thus contributing not only to the reduction of the disparities between them, but also to the economic recovery and to the development of the Union as a whole; also considers the Structural Funds a crucial instrument - both for their financial size and for the objectives pursued - to accelerate the EU economic recovery and to deliver the objectives of growth and employment enshrined in the Europe 2020 Strategy; welcomes therefore the Commission's initiative of re-programming where possible EUR 82 billion of unallocated Structural funds in some Member States in favour of SMEs and youth employment, in line with EP's priorities for 2013; asks to be kept duly informed about implementation of this initiative at national level, its expected impact on growth and jobs and its possible impact for the 2013 budget;
Amendment 90 #
2012/2016(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Is extremely worried about the payment situation of cohesion projects under this Heading and notes that two thirds of the total level of RAL at the end of 2011 (i.e. EUR 135,8 billion) are due to unpaid projects under the Cohesion policy; reminds that at the end of 2011 the Commission could not reimburse ca. EUR 11 billion of legitimate payment claims submitted by project beneficiaries due to insufficient payment appropriations foreseen in the budget; this situation has led to a considerable payment backlog, which will have to be addressed through the availability of sufficient payment appropriations in 2012; firmly points out that will not accept that this situation occurs again in 2013;
Amendment 93 #
2012/2016(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Recalls in this context that 2013 is the last year of the current MFF, where implementation of co-financed projects runs at full speed and is expected to accelerate further and the bulk of payment requests is expected to reach the Commission in the second half of the year; calls on the Council and the Commission to immediately analyse and assess, along with Parliament, the figures and requirements in order not to jeopardise implementation for 2013; points out that a lack of payment appropriations could put in danger currently well-functioning programmes; highlights moreover that 2013 will be a year when, due to the lapsing of the N+3 rule, payment claims submitted by 12 Member States will need to be presented for two annual commitment tranches (2010 and 2011 tranches under the N+3 rule and N+2 rule, respectively); considers therefore as a minimum the proposed increase in payment appropriations by 11,7 % (to EUR 48.975 million) as compared to last year since, as mentioned by the Commission, it strictly relates to 2013 and assumes that payment needs from previous years will have been covered;
Amendment 96 #
2012/2016(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Considers this increase in payments only as a first step to cover the actual needs of running projects and reiterates its concern as to a possible shortage of funds in the field of cohesion policy; calls on the Council and on the Commission to carefully evaluate the real needs in terms of payments for 2013 under heading 1b, not to make any cuts which are unrealistic and not to take decisions that are at odds with forecasts provided by Member States themselves and used as a basis for the Commission's draft budget; will therefore oppose any possible cut in the level of payments compared to the proposal included in the DB 2013;
Amendment 3 #
2011/2228(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Is concerned by the fact that while ENISA has been found blameworthy by the EDPS for violating regulation 45/20011 on several occasions to the detriment of its staff, the Agency not only did not comply with the EDPS recommendation but sued the EDPS for his conclusions and the Court of Justice Tribunal decided against ENISA and ordered it to bear the expenses of the case2; urges ENISA's Executive Director to make sure that the Agency will immediately comply with the EDPS' recommendation; 1 Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data. 2 Infocuria-Case-law of the Court of Justice T-345/11
Amendment 2 #
2011/2201(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Regrets that Regional policy was part of an error-prone group, which was the most error prone among the policy areas of Union expenditure, with 49 % of the 243 payments audited by the Court of Auditors affected by error; underlines that this levelnotes however that only part of the errors will have a financial impact and that the 49 % frequency is lower than in the 2000-2006 period; underlines that the rate of error has been decreasing as compared to the error rates detected in the 2000-2006 programming period, and that only part of the errors will have a financial impact;
Amendment 3 #
2011/2201(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Regrets that Regional policy was part of an error-prone group, which was the most error prone among the policy areas of Union expenditure, with 49 % of the 243 payments audited by the Court of Auditors affected by error; underlines that this level of error has been decreasing as compared to the error rates detected in the 2000-2006 programming period, and that only part of the errors will have a financial impact; calls on the Commission to achieve a trend that shows a consistent decrease in the error rate;
Amendment 4 #
2011/2201(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Recalls that an error occurs when a transaction is not carried out in accordance with the legal and regulatory provisions, therefore rendering declared (and reimbursed) expenditure irregular; also notes that an error does not necessarily mean that funds have disappeared, been lost or wasted or that fraud has been committed;
Amendment 12 #
2011/2201(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Regrets the deficiencies in the financial engineering instruments' implementation, namely in respect of the lack of compliance with regulatory requirements in making the contribution from the operational programmes to the funds implementing such instruments, as well as deficient reporting and verification requirements in force; calls on the Member States to comply with their reporting obligations;
Amendment 5 #
2011/2186(INI)
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 socsocial and territorial cohesion with a special focus on projects for less-developed and least favoured regions; supports the bank in its intention to target operations where its financing is likely to have the greatest impact on economic growth;
Amendment 16 #
2011/2179(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas, notwithstanding the fact that Article 174 of the TFEU commits the European Union to promoting uniform development by reducing the gap of the least favoured regions, including insular regions, the European institutions have not yet adopted an ad hoc strategy that takes into account the specific needs of the islands;
Amendment 17 #
2011/2179(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital J b (new)
Recital J b (new)
Jb. whereas the full accessibility of Mediterranean insular regions can only be ensured through the allocation of additional resources in the field of maritime and aviation transport;
Amendment 18 #
2011/2179(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital J c (new)
Recital J c (new)
Jc. whereas the economic and social development of the European Union is achieved through a better integration of the insular territories within the European Single Market and to that end, the Commission should adopt an integrated approach on the insularity issue;
Amendment 19 #
2011/2179(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital J d (new)
Recital J d (new)
Jd. whereas the Commission's action towards insularity has been so far lacking despite the fact that the Treaties recognize the long-standing structural disadvantage faced by island populations in terms of cost to be incurred in the fields of energy and transport;
Amendment 74 #
2011/2179(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Urges the Commission to take concrete actions aimed at implementing Article 174 of the TFEU and overcoming the handicap of insularity through the promotion of a strategy which guarantees uniform European economic and social development;
Amendment 75 #
2011/2179(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18c. Believes that the Mediterranean insular territories should be eligible for additional funding, with particular reference to the transport sector, in order to ensure full accessibility and territorial continuity of these territories with the European continent and their effective integration with the Single Market;
Amendment 76 #
2011/2179(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 d (new)
Paragraph 18 d (new)
18 d. Deems a better integration of islands with the European Single Market a key factor in promoting their social cohesion and economic growth within the European Union; to that aim, urges the Commission to adopt ad hoc measures that contribute to making insular territories equally competitive with the mainland territories;
Amendment 77 #
2011/2179(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 e (new)
Paragraph 18 e (new)
18 e. Hopes that the Commission may overcome its punitive attitude towards the insular territories whereas it considers state aids those which constitute legitimate compensation with respect to the discriminated condition of insularity;
Amendment 78 #
2011/2179(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 f (new)
Paragraph 18 f (new)
18 f. Calls on the Commission to formulate a comprehensive proposal aimed at overcoming the structural handicaps of islands territories;
Amendment 79 #
2011/2179(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 g (new)
Paragraph 18 g (new)
18 g. Considers necessary an increase in the threshold of de minimis aid for islands with special reference to the agriculture, transport and fishery sectors, in order to reduce the gap between different levels of development among European regions;
Amendment 83 #
2011/2179(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 k (new)
Paragraph 18 k (new)
18 k. Calls on the Commission to adopt an Action Plan for the Mediterranean macroregion strategy by the end of 2013, incorporating specific projects with broad involvement of all relevant stakeholders and regional partners and using all available financial instruments;
Amendment 13 #
2011/2096(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points to the role that cohesion policy plays in developing transport infrastructure; draws attention to the lack of financial resources in several Member States; takes the view that new financing instruments are necessary for the transport sector but not to the detriment of Cohesion Policy's goals and recourses; calls on Member States to ensure sufficient national funding in their budgetary planning and sufficient project planning and implementation capacities;
Amendment 31 #
2011/2096(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Highlights the special needs of islands, in terms of efficient mainland connections and the application of the Transport Equivalent principle, the specificities of outermost regions and the pivotal importance of the short sea shipping and inland waterways as fields where unused potential exists for the further development of the internal market and the achievement of Cohesion Policy goals;
Amendment 72 #
2011/2051(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Calls on the Commission to enhance synergies and coordination between the rural development actions under the EAFRD and cohesion actions under the ERDF, the Cohesion Fund and the ESF; is of the opinion that a comprehensive approach to the development of rural communities, in line with the territorial cohesion objective, could be guaranteed through clearer synergies among these funds.
Amendment 8 #
2011/2048(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Considers that a simplified procedural framework for relatively small contract awards for smaller local and regional contracting authorities would help to reduce administrative burdens precisely in those areas where they might be disproportionate; reminds however that such a simplified procedural framework must not compromise the need for transparency and sound financial management;
Amendment 11 #
2011/2048(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Reminds that SMEs have a huge potential for job creation, growth and innovation, and calls therefore for additional measures to be introduced in order to foster SME participation in public procurement;
Amendment 39 #
2011/2048(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Asks the Commission to simplify the procedural framework as a whole by avoiding exceptions and derogations to be applied by contracting authorities and to clarify the uncertainties expressed by the latter on awards below the thresholds of the directives especially by providing further guidance to help contracting authorities in assessing the existence or not of a certain cross-border interest in specific cases.
Amendment 7 #
2011/2035(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Considers that common rules on the management, eligibility, auditing and reporting of projects financed by the ERDF, the ESF, the Cohesion Fund and of projects supporting the economic diversification of rural and fisheries areas under the EAFRD and the EFF would play a key role in simplifying the management of funds, reducing the risk of error and facilitating participation in cohesion policy programmes by smaller stakeholders, as well as easier absorption of available funding;
Amendment 8 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
- having regard to the report of the Committee on Regional Development on the state of play and future synergies for increased effectiveness between the ERDF and other structural funds,
Amendment 247 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Takes the view that GDP must be retained as the key criterion in the definition of areas eligible for maximum support (those with GDP/PE below 75% of the EU average) and, where appropriate, cohesion countries (GDPNI/PE below 90% of the EU average); points out that the competent national authorities must continue to have scope for the use of additional indicators at the relevant decision-making levels;
Amendment 252 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Takes the view that GDP must be retained as the key criterion in the definition of areas eligible for maximum support (those with GDP/PE below 75% of the EU average) and, where appropriate, cohesion countries (GDP/PE below 90% of the EU average); points out that the competent national and regional authorities must continue to have scope for the use of additional indicators at the relevant decision-making levels;
Amendment 264 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls for a dependable and appropriate phasing-out arrangement foron the Commission to thoroughly analyse the development situation and the specific needs of areas formerly eligible for maximum support under the Convergence objective (convergence regions) in order to assess to what degree dependable and appropriate phasing-out arrangements could be established;
Amendment 282 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Takes the view that a general new funding category based on GDP/PECalls for a transitional objective for the support of regions coming out of the Convergence objective and for regions with a GDP per capita between the 75% and 90% rates would be at odds with the tried and tested principles of EU cohesion policy (to support the weakest and pool the inherent potential of the wealthier regions, taking a cross- cutting approach), and therefore rejects this intermediate categoryto replace the current phasing-out and phasing-in system, thus creating a fair system which reflects the negative impacts of the economic crisis; Believes that such a system will guarantee truly equal treatment between regions and will enhance the release of the endogenous development potential of all EU regions;
Amendment 294 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Takes the unequivocal view that efforts under Objective 3 (European Territorial Cooperation) need to be stepped up at all EU internal borders and at all three levels of such cooperation (cross-border, inter- regional and trans-national) and calls for the relevant share of the Structural Funds to be increased to 7%; stresses the importance of the border regions in terms of achievement of the EU 2020 objectives; considers there is a need for closer linkage with the TEN networks – in line with European priorities – and with cross-border infrastructure, and calls for a corresponding increase in funding for all border regions;
Amendment 303 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Takes the view that new issue-oriented funds (for climate, energy and transport) would undermine the tried and tested principle of multi-level governance, integrated development programmes and jeopardise the regions' contribution to the achievement of the EU 2020 objectives;
Amendment 312 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls for the ESF, as a component of cohesion policy, to continue to foster social integration, economic growth and employment; regards the ESF as the Union's most important labour-market and employment-policy tool; attaches particular importance to developing skills and mobility, enhancing equality of opportunity between the sexes, integrating people who are disadvantaged and supporting SMEsocial services, social inclusion and SMEs; reiterates the need for the ESF to remain a key component in the Cohesion Policy catering in tandem with the ERDF for the region’s development needs;
Amendment 314 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Draws attention to the synergies achievable through integrated approaches, notably linking the ESF and the ERDF, and calls for the option of cross-financing between these funds – specifically with a view to integrated development planning – to be facilitated; supports the introduction of an option for multi-fund OPs which would further facilitate integrated approaches;
Amendment 335 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
Amendment 370 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Supports the system of thematic priorities that the Commission is proposing; points out that the lower the level of development in a Member State or region, the more wide-ranging the list of priorities there needs to be, taking into account specific regional development needs while ensuring that this thematic approach for programming Structural and Cohesion Funds cannot take place to the detriment of the integrated place- based approach;
Amendment 383 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Calls, in the event that binding priorities are set for all Member States, for these to cover especially innovation, infrastructure and resource management and to be tailored in each case to regions' specific needs; stresses 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 395 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Calls for the funding under 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; 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;
Amendment 432 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Considers that the maximum level of support must not exceed 75%, otherwise applications will be driven less by the case for the projects than by the prospect of the funding they can attractalls on the Commission to examine and to establish the most appropriate maximum level of support on the basis of a thorough analysis of the development situation and the specific needs of the regions in the framework of each objective, in order to ensure that applications will respond to the real needs of each region and will aim to sustainable results in a long-term perspective; calls for it to be made easier for regions to use private co- financing and market-oriented credit options to cover their share of project financing;
Amendment 473 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)
Paragraph 46 a (new)
46a. Supports the creation of a flexibility reserve established on the basis of appropriations automatically de- committed during the programming period, and aimed at triggering the Structural Funds in an economic, social or environmental crisis in conjunction with the Globalisation Adjustment Fund and the European Union Solidarity Fund;
Amendment 486 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49
Paragraph 49
49. Regards the integration of the EU 2020 objectives into the existing system of objectives and funds as entirely feasible; rejects any division of the EU budget under the notional headings of ‘smart’, ‘inclusive’ or ‘sustainable’ growthParticularly stresses the fact that cohesion policy, which is at the same time ‘smart’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘inclusive’ plays a crucial role within the EU 2020 strategy and can give, as all policy fields, a contribution to these goals; points out that this provides further clear evidence of the importance of cohesion policy as a whole, and rejects any fragmentation of this policy across various budget headings as cohesion policy should have its own heading within the EU budget;
Amendment 491 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50
Paragraph 50
50. Regards post-2013 cohesion and structural policy as the decisive policy arena for cross-sectoral implementation of the EU 2020 strategy and therefore calls for it to be treated at least as generously in budgetary terms it has been as ina real terms rise in the Cohesion Policy Budget for the next period compared to the current planning period;
Amendment 541 #
2011/2035(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56
Paragraph 56
56. Supports the Commission's proposaltresses that the Nn+2 and n+3 rules should be applied systematically except in the first year of funding and that derogations from it should be abolished; considers this will guarantee that a balance is struck between high-quality investment and smooth and speedy programme implementatmaintained, possibly combined with greater flexibility to cover exceptional situations which might be expected to arise within the next programming periond;
Amendment 24 #
2011/2034(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises that cooperation between regions in the Member States and in the EU is a necessary component for successful implementation of EIPs and takes the view that the territorial objective in the framework of Cohesion Policy as well as macro-regional strategies can serve increase cooperation platformopportunities for cross-border projects;
Amendment 47 #
2011/2034(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on relevant partners to better promote and profit from the benefits that JESSICA can provide for urban energy infrastructureand the technical facility ELENA can provide for investments in sustainable energy at local level; points out the potential of cross-border funding with neighbouring countries in the framework of the ENPI;
Amendment 66 #
2011/2034(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to ensure that financing of infrastructure investments is market-based, provided, however, that public interest – especially at local and regional level and in territories with specific geographical features such as islands, mountainous regions and regions with very low population density– is also safeguarded.
Amendment 15 #
2011/2023(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recalls that the Lisbon Treaty has introduced the concept of Territorial cohesion, and extended the subsidiarity principle to the regional and local authorities and that in that respect, any assessment of an European disaster response should take into account the crucial role they play in the disaster management cycle, especially given that in a large number of Member States’ legislative powers are organised on a local or regional basis;
Amendment 26 #
2011/2023(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Recalls the extreme vulnerability of certain areas because of their geography, such as coastal, insular and mountainous areas, and calls for a special attention to be given to these areas;
Amendment 30 #
2011/2023(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points to the key role of the regional and local authorities, which are in the front line when disasters occur and whose involvement can raise the EU’s visibility among its citizens; therefore calls the Commission to ensure that the Member States involve their regional and local authorities in the early stages of the set up of the disaster response, building upon the multi-level governance model applied in Cohesion policy, through a win-win communication strategy for all the actors part of the response mechanism;
Amendment 35 #
2011/2023(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Considers that further exploitation of the opportunities offered in the context of the European Territorial Objective is of crucial importance; believes in this connection that the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) can constitute an important instrument for further strengthening transnational, cross-border and interregional cooperation, even with countries which are not EU Member States. It is here that the EU can make a valuable and visible contribution to even more effective and efficient cooperation, above all by improving coordination;
Amendment 134 #
2011/2019(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Stresses that part of the spending under Heading 2 is instrumental in realising the Europe 2020 goals; emphasises that the priority goals of this strategy – growth and employment – are also accomplished through the rural development programmes; regards climate action and food security as two of the main challenges for the CAP; and calls, therefore, for a further greening of the CAP, without compromising the competitiveness of EU farmers, which should also contribute further to meeting the vast environmental challenges the EU faces, including water pollution; in this context, also welcomes the increase for the LIFE+ programme (+4.3% and +1.9% in commitments and payments respectively);
Amendment 10 #
2011/0283(COD)
Proposal for a regulation – amending act
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) In order to alleviate those problems and to speed up the implementation of the operational programmes and projects, as well as to strengthen the economic recovery, it is appropriate that the managing authorities of the Member States having experienced serious difficulties with respect to financial stability and which have been granted financial assistance according to one of the financial assistance mechanisms set out above may contribute financial resources from operational programmes to the establishment of risk sharing instruments providing loans or guarantees or other financial facilities, in support of projects and operations foreseen under an operational programme. In addition, infrastructure and productive investment relevant to the economic recovery and job creation in the Member States concerned and compliance with the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy can also be supported.
Amendment 12 #
2011/0283(COD)
Proposal for a regulation – amending act
Article 1 – point 2
Article 1 – point 2
Such risk sharing instrument shall be used exclusively for loans and guarantees, as well as other financial facilities, to finance operations co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund or the Cohesion Fund, regarding expenditure which is notor infrastructure and productive investment projects relevant to the economic recovery and job creation in the Member States covncerned by Article 56and to ensure compliance with the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy.
Amendment 64 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) The ERDF should contribute to the Europe 2020 strategy, thus ensuring greater concentration of ERDF support on the priorities of the Union. According to the category of regions supported, the support from the ERDF should be concentrated on research and innovation, small and medium-sized enterprises and climate change mitigation, but also on measures which serve the traditional objectives of the ERDF set forth in Article 2. The degree of concentration should take into account the level of development of the region as well as the specific needs of regions whose GDP per capita for the 2007-13 period was less than 75% of the average GDP of the EU-25 for the reference period.
Amendment 83 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) Within the framework of sustainable urban development, it is considered necessary to support integrated actions to tackle the economic, environmental, climate and social challenges affecting urban areas and to define a procedure to establish the list of cities covered by such actions and the financial allocation set aside for such actions.
Amendment 91 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
Amendment 107 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
Amendment 112 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1
Article 2 – paragraph 1
The ERDF shall contribute to the financing of support which aims to reinforce economic, social and territorial cohesion by redressing the main regional imbalances through support for the development and structural adjustment of regional economies, including the conversion of declining industrial regions and regions lagging behind or regions with regional demographic challenges and handicaps.
Amendment 130 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 a (new)
Article 2 a (new)
Article 2 a Promotion of equality between men and women and non-discrimination In accordance with Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No [...]/2012 [CPR], the Member States and the Commission shall ensure that equality between men and women and the integration of the gender perspective are promoted during preparation and implementation of the ERDF programmes.
Amendment 144 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point a a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point a a (new)
(a a) productive investments that contribute to the establishment or preservation of jobs in SMEs and to the attainment of investment priorities in Articles 5.1 and 5.4, irrespective of the size of the undertaking;
Amendment 155 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point c
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point c
(c) investments in social, health, cultural, sporting and educational infrastructure, and in an infrastructure that takes the ageing population into consideration;
Amendment 209 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
Amendment 251 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point a – point i
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point a – point i
(i) at least 80 % of the total ERDF resources at national level shall be allocated to the thematic objectives set out in points 1, 3 and 4 of Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No […]/2012 [CPR], as well as a fourth point of this Article that can be chosen freely, ; and
Amendment 282 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b – point i
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b – point i
(i) at least 50 % of the total ERDF resources at national level shall be allocated to the thematic objectives set in out in point 1, 3 and 4 of Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No […]/2012 [CPR], as well as a fourth point of this Article that can be chosen freely;
Amendment 294 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b – point ii
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b – point ii
(ii) at least 612.5 % of the total ERDF resources at national level shall be allocated to the thematic objective set out in point 4 of Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No […]/2012 [CPR].
Amendment 310 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2
Article 4 – paragraph 2
By derogation from point (a) (i), in those regions whose GDP per capita for the 2007-13 period was less than 75 % of the average GDP of the EU-25 for the reference period but which are eligible under the category of transition or more developed regions as defined in Article 82(2)(b) and (c) of Regulation (EU) No [ ]/2012 [CPR] in the 2014-2020 period, at least 60 % of the total ERDF resources at national level shall be allocated to each of the thematic objectives set in out in points 1, 3 and 4 and a freely selected fourth point of Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No […]/2012 [CPR].
Amendment 430 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 3 a (new)
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 3 a (new)
(3a) supporting the establishment and operation of manufacturing and service enterprises;
Amendment 431 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 3 b (new)
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 3 b (new)
(3b) supporting the ability of SMEs to invest in growth and innovation processes;
Amendment 441 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point b
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point b
(b) promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy use in SMEbusinesses;
Amendment 466 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point e
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point e
(e) promoting low-carbon strategies for urban areas, including the support and development of sustainable urban mobility and environmentally friendly public transport.
Amendment 514 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 6 – point c
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 6 – point c
(c) protecting, promoting and developing cultural heritage and cultural and tourism infrastructure;
Amendment 564 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 7 – point c
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 7 – point c
(c) developing environment-friendly and low-carbon transport systems and promoting sustainable urban mobility;
Amendment 626 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 9 – point a
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 9 – point a
(a) investing in health, sporting, cultural and social infrastructure which contribute to national, regional and local development, reducing inequalities in terms of health status, enhancing the cultural opportunities available to all, and transition from institutional to community- based services;
Amendment 627 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 9 – point a
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 9 – point a
(a) investing in health and social infrastructure which contribute to national, regional and local development and better management of demographic change, reducing inequalities in terms of health status, and transition from institutional to community- based services;
Amendment 659 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 9 a (new)
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point 9 a (new)
(9a) supporting measures that take account of the effects of an ageing population, ensuring the social integration of older people and helping to combat emigration among young people.
Amendment 686 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
Amendment 714 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 a (new)
Article 7 a (new)
Article 7a In addition, by way of derogation from Article 87(1) of Regulation (EU) No [...]/2012 [CPR, a separate priority axis can be established for sustainable urban development in the operational programmes, containing the investment priorities from different thematic objectives.
Amendment 715 #
2011/0275(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8
Article 8
Amendment 2 #
2011/0177(APP)
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas in its resolution of 13 June 2012 on the Multiannual Financial Framework and own resources the Parliament stressed that the EU budget, and specifically Cohesion policy expenditure, represents a strong tool to increase strategic investment with a proven European added value and put the European economy back on growth and competitiveness track;
Amendment 3 #
2011/0177(APP)
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the MFF for 2014-2020 is to be viewed as the main EU instrument predetermining whethto deliver the EU 2020 goals will be sufficiently meton the whole EU territory as well as to achieve economic, social and territorial cohesion; whereas it should also aim at translating the EU objectives agreed by the Heads of States and Governments into real and concrete actions, which makes its necessary that the current negotiations escape from the crisis-based mentality and strive for a sound and rational budget that will guarantee growth and employment, and, ultimately, high living standard and security for the citizens of the EU;
Amendment 4 #
2011/0177(APP)
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas, as a mechanism contributing to the proper involvement of all EU regions within the single market, and as the EU's main response to the persisting economic, social and territorial disparities among its regions, the EU Cohesion policy should remain the main pillar of European solidarity;
Amendment 6 #
2011/0177(APP)
Draft opinion
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas, however, Cohesion policy needs reforms in order to become more result-oriented, thematically concentrated, and beneficiary-friendly, and, hence, a more cost-efficient policy;
Amendment 8 #
2011/0177(APP)
Draft opinion
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas, Cohesion policy should give fair access to resources and respond to the real development needs of all EU regions which require also flexibility to address the regions' specific needs in the establishment of objectives and investment priorities, notwithstanding the need to invest in, e.g. R&D and Innovation, as a key tool contributing to the accomplishment of the EU2020 Strategy, which is to be connected to Cohesion policy in an appropriate manner, that is through a "stairway to excellence";
Amendment 9 #
2011/0177(APP)
Draft opinion
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas it is self evident that Cohesion Policy can be useful and effective only if it relies on a stable, solid and sustainable financial framework; in this respect, in its resolution of 8 June 2011 on Investing in the future: a new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for a competitive, sustainable and inclusive Europe the Parliament has confirmed its commitment to defend a stronger EU Cohesion policy insisting on the properadequate level of resources to be allocated, of at least the same level as that agreed for the current programming period 2007-2013;
Amendment 12 #
2011/0177(APP)
Draft opinion
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas, EU Cohesion Policy is a development policy and a strategic tool for investments, growth and competitiveness, with an undisputed EU added value, contributing to growth and job creation throughout the Union and assisting in overcoming the current economic and financial crisis;
Amendment 14 #
2011/0177(APP)
Draft opinion
Point i
Point i
i. The amount of EUR 376 billion forUnderlines that the position of the European Parliament is that Cohesion pPolicy, as proposed by the Commission in its proposal for a regulation laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014- 2020, should be considered as a funding should be maintained at least at the level of the 2007-2013 period, namely EUR 366, 8 billion in 2011 prices (excluding the Connecting Europe Facility), which is the absolute minimum sound level of sound funding and should, therefore, constitutes a red line in the future negotiationg position of the Parliament.
Amendment 16 #
2010/2304(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that full broadband coverage must be made a universal service, as it is essential to helping create equal living conditions in Europe and therefore to enhancing cohesion across EU regions;
Amendment 46 #
2010/2304(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out that the definition of basic provision will have to be adjusted in future in line with changed requirements; calls, therefore, on the Commission, in view of the likely failure of the market to supply islands, mountainous and rural areas with NGA networks, to incorporate new organisational models for the provision and financing of high-speed and ultra-high- speed networks as an option into the broadband guidelines;
Amendment 6 #
2010/2277(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that in a globalised world the single market has to ensure the best possible business environment for enterprises, and to take the specific nature of SMEs into account in order to foster job creation, innovation and entrepreneurship in all EU regions, including rural areas; welcomes, therefore, the planned assessment of the ‘Small Business Act’ and the reinforcement of the ‘Think Small First’ principle; and recalls the pivotal role Cohesion Policy can play to the further integration of the Single Market especially through the support it provides for SMEs in all EU regions;
Amendment 16 #
2010/2277(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that single market accessibility for all EU regions is a prerequisite for the free movement of people, goods, capital and services, and thus for a strong and dynamic single market; points out, in this connection, the essential role played by the Union's regional policy in terms of developing infrastructure, particularly in the less developed and outermost regions; calls for the development of innovative sources of funding (such as public-private partnerships, project bonds and user charges -fully respecting at the same time the need for high level of quality and universal access to the services of general interest); calls on the Commission and the Member States jointly to address the complexity of the rules governing revenue- generating projects;
Amendment 26 #
2010/2277(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Underlines that regional policy implementation is crucial for the success of the Europe 2020 strategy and the deepening of the single market and calls upon the Commission to establish a real correlation between the Single Market Act and the EU2020; points out that EU structural funding should be allocated in a dynamic, forward-looking manner, i.e. so as to cushion further the possible adverse effects on regions of international trade agreements and to prepare EU regions for socioeconomic change; calls for a more user-friendly regional policy, but also for stricter rules against ‘fund-shopping’, by means of which some enterprises may misuse the Union's financial instruments;
Amendment 41 #
2010/2277(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses that services are a unique source of development for the single market; emphasises that the Services Directive is an essential step towards a true single market for services, and that the transposition process should take place as quickly as possible and in a transparent manner; underlines, in particular, the need for socially and regionally equitable access to services of general interest by making full use of the possibilities provided by the Lisbon Treaty namely the Protocol No 26;
Amendment 1 #
2010/2186(DEC)
Proposal for a decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the Euratom Supply Agency for the financial year 2009
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. ....Postpones its decision on granting the Director-General of the Euratom Supply Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2009;
Amendment 3 #
2010/2186(DEC)
Proposal for a decision on the closure of the accounts of the Euratom Supply Agency for the financial year 2009
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1...... Postpones the closure of the accounts of the Euratom Supply Agency for the financial year 2009;
Amendment 4 #
2010/2186(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Director General to adopt an action plan in cooperation with the parent directorate-general (DG) and inform the discharge authority by 30 June 2011 about the concrete steps and specific timetable to ensure that the Agency is financially autonomous;
Amendment 1 #
2010/2181(DEC)
Proposal for a decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Police College for the financial year 2009
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. ……Postpones its decision on granting the Director of the European Police College discharge in respect of the implementation of the College's budget for the financial year 2009;
Amendment 3 #
2010/2181(DEC)
Proposal for a decision on the closure of the accounts of the European Police College for the financial year 2009
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. .....Postpones the closure of the accounts of the European Police College for the financial year 2009;
Amendment 29 #
2010/2181(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 – subparagraph 2
Paragraph 23 – subparagraph 2
calls then on the College and its Governing Board to inform the discharge authority ofby 30 June 2011 about the actions and improvements taken with regard to all these concerns;
Amendment 1 #
2010/2173(DEC)
Proposal for a decision on discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget of the European Medicines Agency for the financial year 2009
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. .....Postpones its decision on granting the Executive Director of the European Medicines Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency’s budget for the financial year 2009;
Amendment 2 #
2010/2173(DEC)
Proposal for a decision on discharge
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. ...Grants the Executive Director of the European Medicines Agency discharge in respect of the implementation of the Agency's budget for the financial year 2009;
Amendment 3 #
2010/2173(DEC)
Proposal for a decision on the closure of the accounts of the European Medicines Agency for the financial year 2009
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. ....Postpones the closure of the accounts of the European Medicines Agency for the financial year 2009;
Amendment 4 #
2010/2173(DEC)
Proposal for a decision on the closure of the accounts
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
Amendment 6 #
2010/2173(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Acknowledges receipt of a letter of the Chair of the Agency's Management Board of 17 June 2011 in which it is stated that the Agency has taken actions to address the 2009 shortcomings; also takes note of the documents and annexes received by the Agency in response to Parliament's abovementioned resolution of 10 May 2011; also acknowledges receipt of a letter of the Agency's Acting Executive Director of 10 August 2011, following the questions raised during the debate on discharge to the Agency for 2009 at the meeting of Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control of 13 July 2011, and the additional information and documents presenting the Agency's replies and action plans, as well as the additional documents that the Committee on Budgetary Control requested during that debate;
Amendment 21 #
2010/2173(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Notes that, as of 1 July 2011, the new electronic Declaration of Interests (e- DoI) form went live and all experts were requested to fill in the new e-DoI and that the e-DoIs of all experts included in the Experts database will be made publicly available on the Agency's website as of 30 September 2011; also notes that the Memorandum of Understanding between the Agency and each National Competent Authority on the monitoring of the scientific level and independence of the evaluation carried out by the National Competent Authority for services to be provided to the Agency became effective as of 4 July 2011;
Amendment 33 #
2010/2156(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recommends that the Commission evaluate the relevance of the Structural Funds and existing and future programmes in the field of culture, research, tourism, audiovisual media, youth and education, and of those factors which impede or restrict the take-up of the available appropriations, thus drawing lessons from existing projects and studies in order to design a post-2013 cohesion policy that would helpbe based on a further simplification and harmonisation of the rules and on an increase in the administrative capacity of the relevant bodies, thereby helping release the full potential of the cultural sphere, and particularly that of the creative industries;
Amendment 40 #
2010/2156(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on all the bodies involved at local level to use the territorial cooperation programmes in order to transfer and use best practices for the development of the cultural and creativity sector;
Amendment 15 #
2010/2155(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Believes that territorial cooperation has proved its effectiveness and that its potential as a source of competitiveness has so far been insufficiently tapped as a result of the inadequate resources allocated to it; calls for the budget for the ‘territorial cooperation’ objective to be at least 5% of the overall cohesion policy budget for and the complex rules of implementation; calls for a higher financial envelope for the ‘territorial cooperation’ objective and for the involvement of financial engineering instruments for this objective in the next programming period;
Amendment 42 #
2010/2155(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for funds for territorial cooperation no longer to be allocated by Member State, but at EU level and on a programme-by-programme basis,taking into account the specificities of the regions or areas involved and on the basis of the criteria laid down in Annex 2, paragraph 5 of the basic regulation so as to provide a strategic, integrated response to the needs of each territory or area involved; invites the Commission to consider other relevant, strategic and measurable criteria that could reflect the needs of territories and reduce the emphasis on the most important criterion: demography;
Amendment 49 #
2010/2155(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses once again the importance of interregional cooperation, but deplores the lack of funds allocated to it; calls for a reduction from 75% to 60% in the Community cofinancing rate of this programme for participants from the regions covered by the ‘competitiveness and employment’ objectivthe development level of each region to be taken into account when establishing the Community cofinancing rate, encourages regions to make better use of the scope for interregional cooperation offered by Article 37(6)(b) of the basic regulation; advocates, therefore, that the ‘interregional’ component of Objective 3 should also be used to facilitate the coordination and running of such projects, to pool know-how and to exchange good practices, on the basis of ever closer cooperation with, and the support of, INTERACT;
Amendment 115 #
2010/2155(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Invites the Commission to propose specific measures which simplify rules on auditing and control, authorise more systematic standard-rate costing, lay down more detailed rules on eligibility for EU funding, make for greater flexibility in the implementation of automatic decommitments, raise the acceptable error rate to 5% and increase technical assistance to 8%, with a view to ensuring that the management bodies concentrate more on the strategic management of projects, rather than whether applications comply with administrative rules;
Amendment 82 #
2010/2088(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Proposes that the criteria governing regions’ eligibility for EU fundingurrent socio- economic situation and future prospects of the regions should be considered also in the light of the set of indicators that is brought in; calls for environmental and social indicators to be given the same status as GDP when it comes to classifying the regused as analytical tools that might complement GDP when it comes to policy results evaluations.
Amendment 88 #
2010/2088(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Is of the opinion that social and territorial cohesion are as important as economic cohesion; although GDP must remain the main criterion for determining the eligibility for regional policy assistance, room has to be left for national authorities to apply, at the appropriate level of decision making, other complementary and territorialised statistical indicators which take into account the specific attributes of regions and cities (extremely deprived neighbourhoods or areas inside an economically advanced region, regions with specific geographical features, depopulated areas);
Amendment 4 #
2010/2087(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that in order to launch an effective Strategy for the Black Sea, it is vital to involve fully and in a constructive way all the countries concerned, with no distinction between EU and non-EU countries; calls for cooperation between all the relevant regions, through the involvement of existing organisations, such as the BSEC, the PABSEC and the Commission on the Black Sea, but also through the creation of new ones where necessary, with the aim of identifying common challenges and available resources, as well as areas where coordinated action can bring significant added value; considers nevertheless as essential the definition of their respective spheres of responsibility in order to avoid the overlapping of competences between different levels of government and to ensure a speedy process in implementation;
Amendment 21 #
2010/2087(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Points out that the exchange of best practices between regions is of pivotal importance for all areas of cooperation. Regions with a long experience in developing and implementing projects could assist other regions in improving their performance.
Amendment 22 #
2010/2087(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Considers of pivotal importance the improvement of administrative capacity of all local and regional stakeholders in the Black Sea region in order to ensure efficient implementation and sound financial management of EU projects, greater transparency and accountability, and a balanced territorial development across the area;
Amendment 23 #
2010/2087(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Points out the need for more synergies between relevant Community financial instruments in order to ensure the sustainability of the actions financed; in that way opportunities created by one economic development initiative can be taken up by another complementary initiative.
Amendment 26 #
2010/2087(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Takes the view that all infrastructure projects, whether in the area of transport or energy, should be negotiated between all the Black Sea countries concerned, and that coordination should be ensured especially with regard to TEN-T projects and to projects relating to the development of harbours; stresses the importance of better intermodal freight operations, through the integration of short sea shipping into the transport logistics, improved port operations and more efficient hinterland connections;
Amendment 8 #
2010/2079(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2a (new)
Paragraph 2a (new)
2a. Underlines the fact that the beneficiaries' access to projects in the field of research and innovation requires high technical capacity and strong knowledge of administrative and financial procedures and, therefore, this access is extremely difficult for small size potential beneficiaries; as a result we observe a high spatial concentration of innovative activities in economic clusters and top EU regions;
Amendment 25 #
2010/2079(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6a (new)
Paragraph 6a (new)
6a. Points out that the increase of regional disparities in terms of research and development potential is a challenge which has to be addressed not only in the framework of Cohesion Policy but through research and innovation policy itself;
Amendment 19 #
2010/2053(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Takes the view that, in order to make administrative procedures more efficient, public authorities should be obliencouraged to adhere to the principle of multilingualism by using, in addition to their own language, one of the EU's official working languages and, if possible, a selected language of the country that is their closest partner in terms of economic or – if this is impossible to ascertain – territorial cooperation;
Amendment 4 #
2010/2040(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Empowered by the reference to tof Territorial cCohesion in the TFEU, and with the aim of improving accessibility, considers ithat it is essential to continue tofurther develop the integration of internal market vis-à-vis the mobility of passengers and goods an integral part of internal market policy through the promotion of short sea shipping and maritime cabotage between territories and, at the same time, ensure better links between peripheral maritime regions and islands andwith mainland and economic centres; in the same context, points out that as well. In the same framework, it is of crucial importance to deal with the difficulties facing islands areas in the EU with regard to the transport of persons by guaranteeand goods by supporting maritime links not adequately served by the market and by ensuring the same cost per kilometre for the transport of goods and people, regardlesspeople independently of their location;
Amendment 31 #
2010/2040(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Suggests the development of regional initiatives in the framework of the Motorways of the Sea in European maritime areas of high importance in order to encourage the introduction of new intermodal maritime-based logistics chains in Europe and enhance the development of the maritime commerce.
Amendment 3 #
2010/2007(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that many of the host agreements concluded between the agencies and the host countries have shortcomings that detract from the agencies’ efficiency (e.g. expensive transport links to some agencies, problems with buildings rented by some agencies), social inclusion of staff; calls accordingly, when the initial decision is taken by the Council on where an agency is to be located, for host countries to supply more detailed host agreements that will better serve the interests of the agency; is also in favour of thought being given to moving agencies in cases where the host agreement is seriously undermining the agency’s effectiveness; requests the Inter- Institutional Working group on Agencies to tackle the issue and possibly to define common standards for host agreements;
Amendment 12 #
2010/2007(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses the importance of including an assessment of agencies’ performance in the discharge process which is made available to the competent committee dealing with its respective agencies in the European Parliament; calls accordingly on the Court of Auditors (ECA) to look into the matter in its next reports on the agencies;
Amendment 14 #
2010/2007(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes, furthermore, that some agencies have difficulties in dealing with large increases in their budgets; wonders, therefore, whether it would not be more responsible for the budgetary authorities, in future, to take greater care to decide on increases in some agencies’ budgets in the light of the time needed to carry out the new activities; callwelcomes, in this connection, onthe efforts of those agencies that frequently experience such difficulties to provide the respective committees and the budgetary authority with fuller details on the feasibility of future commitments;
Amendment 16 #
2010/2007(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Voices concern at the fact that the ECA again noted shortcomings in the planning and implementation of staff recruitment procedures in some agencies; stresses, in particular, the need to narrow the gap between posts filled and posts on the establishment plan in the agencies; acknowledges the difficulties arising from the implementation of the EU Staff Regulations, especially for decentralised agencies; calls on the agencies also provide better guarantees of transparent, non-discriminatory treatment of external and internal applicants;
Amendment 18 #
2010/2007(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of agencies over recent years, as decided by the EU legislator, and whereas this has enabled some of the Commission’s tasks to be outsourced and additional tasks given to agencies, at the risk of this appearing in some cases to be tantamount to a dismantlement of the Community’s administration that is jeopardising its ability to carry out its duties,
Amendment 28 #
2009/2243(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Underlines the fact that the beneficiaries’ access to projects in the field of research and innovation requires high technical capacity and strong knowledge of administrative and financial procedures and, therefore, this access is extremely difficult for small size potential beneficiaries· as a result we observe a high spatial concentration of innovative activities in economic clusters and top EU regions· points out that the increase of regional disparities in terms of research and innovation potential is a challenge which has to be addressed not only in the framework of cohesion policy but through research and innovation policy itself;
Amendment 5 #
2009/2235(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas - particularly during the current recession - the cohesion policy is the main instrument to foster growth and jobs in the EU due to its stable amount of funding for long-term development programmes and policies and the decentralised management system applied,
Amendment 6 #
2009/2235(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas two-thirds of public sector investment across the EU comes from the regional and local levels, regional and local authorities often concentrate substantial policy competences and are key actors in implementdelivering both the current Lisbon Strategy and the future EU2020 Strategy,
Amendment 16 #
2009/2235(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Criticises the lack of an overall assessment of the impact of cohesion expenditure on regional development; calls upon the Commission to assess the territorial impact of earmarking Structural Funds to the Lisbon Strategy and to evaluate whether this system is actually contributing to balanced and coherent territoriregional development;
Amendment 52 #
2009/2235(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses that education, training, research and innovation are key instruments to foster the development of the EU and make it more competitive in the face of global challenges; is of the opinion that there must be regular investment in these fields and that innovation in particular should be measured by its resultss well as a regular assessment of the progress made on the basis of the results achieved;
Amendment 72 #
2009/2235(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19a (new)
Paragraph 19a (new)
19a. Stresses that the timely definition of delivery mechanisms is of pivotal importance for the success of the EU 2020 Strategy;
Amendment 38 #
2009/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Regrets the fact that the Sixth progress report from the Commission on economic and social cohesion does not include specific qualitative and quantitative data on the short term and long-term impact of the financial and economic crisis in the EU regions, particularly with regard to the most significant economic and social indicators; therefore calls on the Commission to present a special report/study on the effects of the financial and economic crisis in the EU regions, in particular the Objective 2 regions, as well as on a possible widening or decrease of regional disparities in the framework of the crisis;
Amendment 28 #
2009/2232(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Underlines that according to the EP’s study on the ETI and its impact on Cohesion Policy, the non-compliance with ETI minimum requirements relates to a lack of administrative capacity on the part of Managing Authorities rather than reluctance to provide such data· in that framework points out the need to assure that the provision of additional data and information does not result in additional administrative burden for potential beneficiaries especially for those already in difficulty to comply with the existing administrative and financial requirements for grants and public contracts;
Amendment 29 #
2009/2232(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Points out that the requirements for additional information and data has to be matched, on the part of the European Commission, by the provision of additional technical support (workshops with the participation of Commission’s officials and local/regional staff responsible for the management of structural funds, exchange of best practices between Managing Authorities, publication of concrete guidelines) to potential beneficiaries which do not have the necessary technical capacity· only in that way it will be assured that the participants’ efforts to comply with the additional requirements in terms of data and information provided will not result in a distortion of funds from the project implementation activities as such;
Amendment 21 #
2009/2231(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recommends that the Committee of the Regions use the 2010 Open Days as an occasion to promote and deepen the debate on multi-level governance; suggests that a European multi-level governance label be launched and put in place in the CoR member regionsall regions across the EU as from 2011;
Amendment 44 #
2009/2231(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Invites the Commission to put in place additional technical assistance mechanisms to promote knowledge at regional and local level on implementation-related problems, especially in the EU12, which are as yet relatively less informed and experienced with regard to the rules governing the cmember states where, according to the Commission's ex-post evaluation of Cohesion Policy programmes 2000-2006, is observed a strong persistence in problems regarding their administrative capacity when it comes to the implementation of Cohesion pPolicy programmes;
Amendment 47 #
2009/2231(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16a (new)
Paragraph 16a (new)
16a. In that framework, calls on the Commission to examine ways for increasing a positive correlation between long years of experience in implementing Cohesion Policy programmes and improvement in administrative capacity in order to increase the added value of the Cohesion Policy and ensure the sustainability of the actions.
Amendment 57 #
2009/2231(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20a (new)
Paragraph 20a (new)
20a. Welcomes the Commission's Strategic Report on the implementation of the Cohesion Policy Programmes 2010 as it can feed important information back to the policy-making process; Its findings also have to be seriously taken into account when formulating proposals for improving the effective implementation of Cohesion Policy programmes.
Amendment 86 #
2009/2230(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Stresses the fact that the new "macroregional" framework of cooperation has a strong "top-down" approach with the Member States to have a decisive role in its development and creates a new level of governance· in the framework of this new model of cooperation it has to be assured that the natural handicaps of the peripheral regions are converted into assets and opportunities, and that the development of these regions is stimulated';
Amendment 2 #
2009/2151(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses the crucial role played by regional and local authorities in the disaster management cycle; strongly believes that active involvement of those authorities in the design and implementation of risk reduction and disaster prevention strategies is the best way to ensure that the most effective and functional solutions are devised; stresses also the importance of consulting and involving public and private stakeholders in this process;
Amendment 17 #
2009/2151(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3a (new)
Paragraph 3a (new)
3a. Advocates making use of the valuable experience acquired in this field through projects implemented in the past under the Community's INTERREG Initiative and considers that further exploitation of the opportunities offered in the context of the European Territorial Objective is of crucial importance; believes in this connection that the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) can constitute an important instrument for further strengthening intergovernmental, cross-border and interregional cooperation, even with countries which are not EU Member States, and a stable framework for the exchange and transfer of technological know-how and best practices in the field of disaster prevention and for setting up joint databases and early warning systems among its members;
Amendment 29 #
2009/2151(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5a (new)
Paragraph 5a (new)
5a. Emphasises the importance of public awareness-raising and information measures both in terms of disaster prevention and the public's response during and after the crisis, and stresses the need for further information relating to the European single emergency telephone line '112';
Amendment 30 #
2009/2151(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5b (new)
Paragraph 5b (new)
Amendment 2 #
2009/2127(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 – indent 2
Paragraph 2 – indent 2
- Communication within the secretariat: the lack of communication and trust between the director and the staff led to prolonged disputes, focussed in large part on the failure to establish a correct claiming system for legitimate staff travel and mobile phone costs associated with the work of the agency,
Amendment 5 #
2009/2127(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Suggests, therefore, attaching the College to Europol as a concrete solution to the College's structural and chronic problemthat the Court of Auditors carry out a comprehensive review of regulatory agencies to examine, inter alia, the proportion of operating, governance and operational costs and assess ways of addressing structural or other problems, with a view to complementing the Commission´s own evaluation of regulatory agencies;
Amendment 7 #
2009/2127(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes that, at the request of the Parliament to adopt an Action Plan, the director of the College and its Governing Board have estimated a realistic four-year period (i.e. from 2010 to 2014) in which to meet the objectives set out in the Annex to the Parliament's abovementioned resolution of 5 May 2010; is, therefore, not ready to accept that the College needs four more years to reach an acceptable standard of good administration as expected from a regulatory agency, and welcomes the cooperation signalled by the new Director´s consultation of the Commission´s Internal Audit Service during the course of production of the Action Plan;
Amendment 10 #
2009/2127(DEC)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Regrets that Urges that a decision to commission any further external audit on usinge of appropriations to finance private expenditure announced by CEPOL and to be carried out by an external company, has not been launched yet; is, therefore, concerned about this delay which certainly will not facilitate the work of the external companyby an external company should take into consideration the need for value for money, and that the expectation of amounts to be recovered should exceed the likely audit and legal costs involved;
Amendment 37 #
2009/2096(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses the need to look at short-sea- shipping and sea-highway projects in a broader context embracing the countries in Europe’s immediate geographical environment; points out that this will require a better synergy to be achieved between regional policy, development policy and transport policy;
Amendment 42 #
2009/2096(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Stresses the need for consultations and discussions to be held on the specific transport issues facing archipelago regions.
Amendment 5 #
2009/2068(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that infringement of public procurement rules is one of the most frequent reasons underlying irregularities; calls on the Commission to verify the origin of this lack of compliance with Community public procurement rules; welcomes in this context the findings of the Court of Auditors and the initiatives taken by the Commission to simplify the management of the Structural Funds, and takes the view that these initiatives will make a crucial contribution to reducing the incidence of errors;
Amendment 1 #
2009/2002(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
Amendment 2 #
2009/2002(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Commission to create in the budget, in accordance with the principle of activity-based budgeting (ABB), a budget heading showingalculate the cost of control systems per expenditure field;
Amendment 4 #
2009/2002(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Proposes that Parliament should give the Commission allocate the resources needed to conduct a study based on all relevant information sources, including the annual summaries received; the study should analyse the strengths and weaknesses of each Member State's national system for administering and controlling Community funds and produce as its outcome an estimated figure for the cost of the national systems controlling Community funds;
Amendment 7 #
2009/2002(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Proposes that the Commission should be granted the funds needed to conduct a study on the feasibility of harmonising and simplifying rules for beneficiaries in the European research sector and on the appropriateness of repayment rules based on flat-rate payment procedures in accordance with the relevant regulations;
Amendment 19 #
2009/2002(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
Amendment 23 #
2009/2002(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
Amendment 13 #
2009/0105(COD)
Proposal for a regulation – amending act
Article 1
Article 1
Regulation (EC) N°1080/2006
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
2. Expenditure on housing, except for energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy as set out in paragraph 1a, shall be eligible only for those Member States that acceded to the European Union on or after 1 May 2004, where the following conditions are met: (a) expenditure shall be programmed within one of the following frameworks: (i) the framework of an integrated urban development approach for areas experiencing or threatened by physical deterioration and social exclusion; (ii) the framework of an integrated approach for marginalised communities. (aa) Expenditure under point (a)(i) shall be eligible only for those Member States that acceded to the European Union on or after 1 May 2004. (b) The allocation to housing expenditure shall be either a maximum of 3 % of the ERDF allocation to the operational programmes concerned or 2 % of the total ERDF allocation.
Amendment 2 #
0112/2167(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Recalls that an error occurs when a transaction is not carried out in accordance with the legal and regulatory provisions, therefore rendering declared (and reimbursed) expenditure irregular; an error does not necessarily mean that funds have disappeared, been lost or wasted or that fraud has been committed;