Awaiting Parliament 1st reading / single reading / budget 1st stage
Next event: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading 2012/12/21 more...
- Amendments tabled in committee 2012/11/30
- Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading 2012/12/18
- Debate scheduled 2013/01/14
- Vote scheduled 2013/01/16
Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
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Opinion | ITRE | ENCIU Ioan (S&D) | |
Lead | REGI | KOLARSKA-BOBIŃSKA Lena (EPP) | MĂNESCU Ramona Nicole (ALDE), OLEJNICZAK Wojciech Michał (S&D), MIRANDA Ana (Verts/ALE) |
Legal Basis RoP 048
Activites
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2013/01/16
Vote scheduled
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2013/01/14
Debate scheduled
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2012/12/21
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
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A7-0437/2012
summary
The Committee on Regional Development adopted the own-initiative report by Lena KOLARSKA-BOBIŃSKA (EPP, PL) on the role of EU cohesion policy and its actors in implementing the new European energy policy. It welcomes the general approach of linking cohesion policy to the Europe 2020 objectives. It recalls, in addition, the importance of the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund in achieving these short- and long-term objectives in combating energy poverty in the less developed regions of the EU and the most vulnerable households. Members emphasise the need for strong EU support for economic, social and territorial cohesion bearing in mind the current crisis’ negative effect of increasing local and regional disparities in Europe. They believe that European energy projects could contribute to regional development and stronger cross-border cooperation by helping regions increase their capacity to manage energy resources. In order to achieve the EU 2020-targets, the regions of Europe should promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth that takes into account local specificities and conditions, allowing the regions of Europe sufficient flexibility to focus on those sustainable energy sources which are best suited to local and regional conditions. The report calls for the deployment of renewable sources of energy within the EU to be made more efficient by striving towards a system of EU-wide incentives for renewable sources. It recommends taking into account the fact that Europe’s energy markets are organised in regional groups. Members take the view that the European Union should act as quickly as possible to secure its energy future and protect its interests in this field, and should at the same time offer substantial financial support for drawing up projects. Stressing that projected increases in energy pricing may place citizens in the less developed EU regions at a particular disadvantage, Members ask that this factor be considered within cohesion policy planning. Capacity building: Members stress that the current climate and energy targets and any future energy goals beyond 2020 should be based on fair burden-sharing between European regions and should allow them the possibility of future development, which is needed. The report: · supports the simplification of rules and procedures, the removal of red tape, and increased flexibility in allocating these funds at both EU and national level; · stresses the importance of increasing administrative capacity at regional and local level in order to make full and effective use of the funding that will be allocated to energy projects under cohesion policy; · stresses the importance of regularly reviewing the allocation of cohesion funding for energy projects, in order to increase the absorption rate and channel the funds into programmes which have a proven record of absorption, added value and effectiveness; · draws the attention of the Member States and the Commission to the fact that towns, especially small and medium-sized towns, and rural communities should be eligible for direct funding aid for energy efficiency, and building renovation projects, as well as transregional and cross-border projects · asks for support for initiatives supporting local and regional capacities to deal with energy savings, inter alia by ERDF and ESF investments; · calls on the Commission to establish an EU-wide cooperation programme, based on the experience of the twinning programme, in order to improve cooperation between regions with high rates of absorption of EU funds and those with low absorption rates and to facilitate the dissemination of best practices. Partnership agreements: for projects to be properly implemented, Members feel that regional and local authorities should be consulted on partnership agreements. They call, therefore, for the partnership principle to be strengthened, and support a multi-level governance and decentralised approach to energy policy and energy efficiency. Members point out that cohesion policy funding arrangements should ensure that the differing economic, social and territorial features of regions are fully taken into consideration. They highlight, in this connection, the role of the regions located on the external borders of the European Union, and single out the need to apply broad criteria for assessing energy projects put forward for cohesion policy funding. Implementation and policy suggestions: Members believe that all regions still dependent on fossil fuels ought to be encouraged to use sources of energy compatible with the goals of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, including those of a transitional nature. The report: · takes the view that consistent rules are needed at European level along with a mechanism for authorities to access information from across the Union in order to fully understand energy market developments; · supports the use of cohesion and energy policy funds for cross-border projects with third partner countries and connections between national networks. Bordering regions should be incorporated into the EU system as much as possible to ensure sustainable development on both sides of the border; · urges the Commission to maximise the degree of coordination between the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund, on the one hand, and the Connecting Europe Facility, on the other; · encourages implementation of cross-border strategies on efficient energy production, distribution and use; · supports the revision of the EU VAT Regulation (2006/112/EC) to allow for a reduction of the VAT rate applied to regional, local and cross-border projects seeking to increase energy efficiency. Energy efficiency, renewables and infrastructure: Members believe that investment in low-emission and renewable energy sources, energy efficiency and other measures can result in supporting regional growth and jobs. While cohesion policy energy funding is at present mainly spent on renewables, Members note that a better balance must be reached to enable a greater percentage of funding to be targeted at energy-efficiency projects. The report also: · stresses the importance of cohesion policy, and of the financial resources allocated to it, for the full development of energy storage and transmission infrastructure and networks (with particular reference to smart grids and distribution) between the Member States and all regions of the EU, including the outermost regions. Members stress that no region of the Member States should remain isolated from European gas and electricity networks after 2015 or suffer from inadequate connection to energy networks; · emphasises the need to develop an integrated and interconnected energy system, and local and regional smart distribution and transmission networks for electricity and gas, together with storage facilities. The energy thematic concentration should support grid creation, and renovation for renewable sources of energy, i.e. sustainable production of biogas; · considers that funding for renewables should focus primarily on the local distribution of the power/fuel produced and small-scale renewable projects; · asks the Commission to ensure that energy policy is ‘rural proof’ by addressing in a more comprehensive and coordinated way the challenges and opportunities that rural areas face when it comes to energy use and production; · stresses the economies of scale possible through cross-border cooperation on the sustainable use of resources and energy efficiency. Competitiveness, jobs and fighting energy poverty: the report stresses that investments in energy infrastructure and energy-efficient construction and transport will lead directly to the creation of new jobs. Members call for the EU-wide exchange of best practices so that the impact on energy poverty of policies adopted in the area of energy may be monitored. They also highlight the need to address the fragmentation of the EU energy market by removing barriers and bottlenecks in the relevant legislative frameworks and in the system of access to public and private funds for project development and implementation.
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A7-0437/2012
summary
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2012/12/18
Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
- 2012/11/30 Amendments tabled in committee
- 2012/11/12 Committee draft report
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2012/05/24
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
Documents
- Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A7-0437/2012
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE501.895
- Committee draft report: PE500.485
Amendments | Dossier |
31 |
2012/2099(INI)
2012/10/11
ITRE
31 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Welcomes the general approach of linking cohesion policy to the Europe 2020 objectives and its flagship initiatives in order to move towards smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and to support the shift towards a
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 e (new) 1e. Welcomes the launch of Smart Cities and Communities European Innovation Partnership and calls on relevant partners involved in planning processes for sustainable urban development to better promote and profit from the benefits that the JESSICA and ELENA initiatives can provide for investments in sustainable energy at local level, with a view to helping cities and regions embark on viable investment projects in the fields of energy efficiency, clean-burning, renewable energy sources, and sustainable urban transport;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 f (new) 1f. Emphasises that cooperation between municipalities and regions on a national and European level contributes to eliminating energy islands, to the completion of the internal energy market and to the implementation of energy infrastructure projects; takes the view that the European territorial cooperation objective of cohesion policy, as well as macro-regional strategies, can increase cooperation opportunities for cross-border projects with a view to achieving efficient and intelligent interconnections between non-conventional local and regional energy sources and large energy grids;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Stresses the importance of cohesion policy, and of the financial resources allocated to it, for the full development of
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Stresses the importance of cohesion policy, and of the financial resources allocated to it, for the full development of energy transmission infrastructure and networks between the Member States and all regions of the EU, including the outermost regions, for the completion and functioning of the internal energy market,
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Stresses the importance of cohesion policy, and of the financial resources allocated to it, for the full development of energy transmission infrastructure and networks between the Member States and all regions of the EU, including the outermost regions, for the completion and functioning of the internal energy market, for security of supply and for achieving the goal of convergence among EU regions, taking into the account special needs of European citizens in every Member State; stresses that no region of the Member States should remain isolated from European gas and electricity networks after 2015 or suffer from inadequate connection to energy networks;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Stresses the importance of cohesion policy, and of the financial resources allocated to it, for the full development of energy and gas transmission infrastructure and networks (with particular reference to smart transmission) between the Member States and all regions of the EU, including the outermost regions, for the completion and functioning of the internal energy market, for security of supply and for achieving the goal of convergence among EU regions; stresses that no region of the Member States should remain isolated from European gas and electricity networks after 2015 or suffer from inadequate connection to energy networks;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Stresses the importance of cohesion policy, and of the financial resources allocated to it, for the full development of energy storage and transmission infrastructure and networks between the Member States and all regions of the EU, including the outermost regions, for the completion and functioning of the internal energy market, for security of supply and for achieving the goal of convergence among EU regions; stresses that no region of the Member States should remain isolated from European gas and electricity networks after 2015 or suffer from inadequate connection to energy networks;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Emphasises the importance of the ex- ante conditionality for energy investments proposed in the regulation for the next cohesion policy and underscores the need for the Commission to strictly enforce the ex-ante conditionality related to energy efficiency and renewable energy in order to ensure qualitative investments, in line with the EU policies and objective;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Notes that utilisation of Structural Funds and Cohesion funds for programmes which finance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects so far has been successful and has contributed to the achievement of the EU policy goals;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 b (new) 2b. Calls on the Council and the Commission to agree on higher thresholds for the ring-fencing of ERDF funding for this shift towards an energy-efficient renewables-based economy, setting the minimum share at 22% for more developed and transition regions and 12% for less developed regions;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Welcomes the general approach of linking cohesion policy to the Europe 2020 objectives and its flagship initiatives in order to move towards smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and to support the shift towards a low-carbon economy in all sectors; recalls,
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Considers it to be of paramount importance to be able to use the Structural Funds, the Cohesion Fund and other financial instruments to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy use in the housing sector; calls on the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Considers it to be of paramount importance to be able to use the Structural Funds, the Cohesion Fund and other financial instruments to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy use in the housing sector; calls on the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to establish innovative financial mechanisms and disseminate clear, easily accessible information on the financial instruments, incentives, grants and loans available to support energy efficiency service projects.
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Considers it to be of paramount importance to be able to use the Structural Funds, the Cohesion Fund and other financial and leverage instruments to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Considers it to be of paramount importance to be able to use the Structural Funds, the Cohesion Fund and other financial instruments to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy use in the housing sector; calls on the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to disseminate clear, easily accessible information on the financial instruments, incentives, grants and loans available to support energy efficiency service projects; stresses that, in order to improve the energy efficiency of new and existing residential buildings and increase the use of renewable energy sources, the measures planned under the structural funds should also appear in the Member States’ regional operational programmes, thereby ensuring that the final decisions are taken at regional level.
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Stresses the importance of integrating the renewable and energy efficiency dimensions in the research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation that Member States and regions will have to design to access the innovation funding of the future cohesion policy; regional and local authorities and stakeholders have a key role to play in deploying the most needed innovations in the energy sector if the EU is to meet its renewables and energy efficiency targets;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Highlights that the Cohesion Policy and the funds allocated to it should be delivered more effectively, based on the principles of proportionality, cost- effectiveness and accountability; supports, therefore, the use of financial instruments as leverage for private sector investment, especially in view of large energy infrastructure, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Stresses the importance of regular reviewing of allocation of cohesion funding for energy projects in order to increase the absorption rate and channel the funds into programmes which have a proven record of absorption, added value and effectiveness;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Stresses the importance of the advantage of using the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund for the implementation of information and communication networks needed for the development of a secure and robust smart EU energy grid;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 b (new) 3b. Shares the Commission views on encouraging and increasing the use of financial instruments in Cohesion policy for the 2014-2020; considers that these instruments can prove to be very cost- efficient, creating a leverage effect by mobilising additional public or private co- investments in order to address market failures in the energy sector while minimizing market distortions;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 b (new) 3b. Underlines the critical importance for Member States and regions to ensure the adequate governance and capacity development in order to make full and effective use of the funding that cohesion policy will allocate to renewable and energy efficiency;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Welcomes the general approach of linking cohesion policy to the Europe 2020 objectives and its flagship initiatives in order to move towards smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and to support the shift towards a low-carbon economy in all sectors; highlights the need for effective regional cooperation when identifying regional infrastructure priorities and implementing projects of common interest; recalls, however, the importance of the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund for achieving the social dimension of the energy policy, in accordance with the spirit of solidarity between Member States as enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty, and for combating energy poverty in the most vulnerable households;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 c (new) 3c. Welcomes the Commission's new approach to apply financial instruments more widely to its Cohesion Policy, acknowledging the current financial scarcity and EU's financial needs to complete the 2020 strategy; believes that financial instruments provide an efficient and effective support for investments for projects with potential economic viability, believes that financial instruments should be tailored to the specific needs of regions and their target recipients, thereby improving significantly access to finance to the benefit of a wide range of socio- economic actors on the ground;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 d (new) 3d. Welcomes the new proposal on the Connecting Europe Facility as an additional and complementary instrument to the Cohesion policy to address the extensive needs for investments to modernize and expand Europe's energy infrastructures, thereby contributing to the 2020 strategy targets; urges the Commission to maximize the coordination between the Cohesion and Structural Funds and the Connecting Europe Facility;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Highlights the need to address the fragmentation of the EU energy market by removing the barriers and the bottlenecks in the legislative frameworks and in the access to public and private funds for the elaboration and implementation of projects;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Emphasises that bureaucracy and lack of procedural clarity have made the accession of Cohesion and Structural Funds difficult and have discouraged the actors most in need of these funds from applying; supports, therefore, the simplification of the award process, the removal of red tape and increased flexibility in allocating these funds, so that the poorest Member States and regions can fully take advantage of the financial instruments meant to reduce regional and inter-state disparities;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Stresses the need to distinguish between the cohesion policy goals which contribute to the EU 2020 strategy and wider energy policy goals of the EU which affect also the countries which are eligible for cohesion funding; underlines that cohesion funds can be used as an additional source of funding for energy projects only if a project contributes to goals of the cohesion policy;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Underlines the need to simplify rules and procedures at both EU and national level without creating major difficulties for the beneficiaries; believes that simplification will contribute to the efficient allocation of funds, higher absorption rates, fewer errors and reduced payment periods; considers that a balance needs to be struck between simplification and the stability of rules and procedures;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 c (new) 1c. Calls on the Commission to establish a EU-wide cooperation programme based on experience with the twinning programme in order to improve cooperation between regions with high absorption and regions with low absorption rates of EU funds and to facilitate the dissemination of best practices;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 d (new) 1d. Stresses the importance of increasing administrative capacity in the Member States, at regional and local level as well as among stakeholders, in order to overcome barriers to effective synergies between structural funds and other funds and to support effective policy design and implementation; calls on Member States to make further efforts to attract and retain qualified staff to manage EU funds;
source: PE-497.884
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