2014/2213(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Observes that towns and cities have an important role to play in a~~ttain~~chieving the E~~urope~~U 2020 objectives and must therefore be involved in the whole process of formulating policies at EU level, which can be achieved, inter alia, by means of the systematic inclusion of representatives of towns and cities in groups of expertsemployment targets and should, in accordance with the institutional and legal framework of the member state, be involved in the policy cycle;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Points out that measures in the fields of employment, social, economic and environmental policy have a greater and more rapid impact in conurbations than elsewhere; calls on the Commission to take this into account in devising and implementing its policies;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1c. Points out that towns, cities and urban regions are structurally very different and face a very wide range of challenges, and that any one-size-fits-all approach should therefore be rejected;

Amendment 12 #

Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Stresses the importance of starting to reform urban centres in a way which promotes the development of polycentric governance networks capable of ensuring regional competitiveness enhancing the role of local communities and of SMEs in the area;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Asks the Commission, as part of its urban programme, to set binding targets to ensure that towns, cities and regions implement the Europe 2020 strategy, and to address demographic, environmental, economic and social challenges;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Points out that, in line with the Europe 2020 strategy, the priorities of the urban programme include combating poverty, social exclusion and homelessness by increasing the housing supply, providing in particular more social housing;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1c. Asserts its view that environmental quality, air quality and energy efficiency must be factored into every part of the programme so as to promote sustainable, carbon-neutral towns and cities; points out that investment in these fields will make for the creation of sustainable jobs and the provision of training leading to qualifications, thus helping to address problems associated with unemployment;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)

1d. Considers that an entire section of the urban programme should be concerned with mobility, so as to address the needs of people excluded in this respect, and advocates the introduction of social pricing to help people on low incomes, as well as the development of clean modes of transport;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)

1e. Calls on towns, cities and regions to respect EU commitments on accessibility, and asks the Commission to monitor implementation of the relevant measures;

Amendment 18 #

Patrick LE HYARIC, Inês Cristina ZUBER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 f (new)

1f. Asks the Commission to strengthen links between city centres and the urban periphery, and between urban and rural areas, by reducing food miles and developing social and solidarity-based enterprises and by encouraging towns, cities and regions to exchange good practice in these fields;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Points out that towns and cities contain the tightest concentrations both of great wealth and of exclusion in its most brutal forms; notes that in the Union as a whole there are many urban areas blighted as a result of deindustrialisation, the economic crisis and an exodus of middle-class residents; is extremely concerned to see some of these areas turning in ghettoes; calls, therefore, for ambitious and comprehensive policies to reconnect these areas spatially and economically with the urban fabric, giving them and their inhabitants, many of whom are young and vulnerable, genuine development prospects;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Observes that towns and cities have an important role to play in attaining the Europe 2020 objectives and ~~must therefore be involved~~ goals of the Cohesion policies and must therefore be consulted and involved where appropriate during the whole process of formulating policies at EU level, w~~hich can be achieved, inter alia, by means of the systematic inclusion of representatives of towns and cities in groups of expert~~elcomes in this regard an EU urban agenda which would ensure a better coordination of policies and the involvement of the relevant actors from the European urban areas;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

Amendment 21 #

Sven SCHULZE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Considers that, in the operation of the European Fund for Strategic Investment, special attention should be devoted to urban regions in order to promote socially and ecologically sustainable and employment-intensive investment, for example in social housing, renovation of buildings, education or health and careprojects should be selected on the basis of their inherent advantages and disadvantages, without sector-specific or geographic preconditions;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Considers that, in the operation of the European Fund for Strategic Investment, special attention should be devoted to projects in urban are~~gion~~as in order to promote socially and ecologically sustainable ~~and employment-intensive investment, for example in~~financing and investment with great potential for job creation; the Fundʼs Investment Committee which will examine projects will view positively those involving social housing, renovation of buildings, strategic public transport, education or health and care;

Amendment 23 #

Patrick LE HYARIC, Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO, Inês Cristina ZUBER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Considers that, in the operation of the European Fund for Strategic Investment, special attention should be devoted to urban regions in order to promote socially and ecologically sustainable ~~and employment-intensive~~ investment, for example in social housing, renovation of buildings, education or, health and care, as well as investment that focuses on the creation of high quality employment that makes a decent life possible;

Amendment 24 #

Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Considers that, in the operation of the European Fund for Strategic Investment, special attention should be devoted to urban regions in order to promote socially and ecologically sustainable and employment-intensive investment, for example in inter-neighbourhood connections, social housing, renovation of buildings, transport, education or health and care; calls for urban residents and stakeholders to be involved in drawing up the requisite policies so that their needs can be most effectively met.

Amendment 26 #

Nathalie GRIESBECK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Is concerned that many European cities are losing employment opportunities and are experiencing complex economic and demographic decline; warns that this shrinkage represents a serious societal damage; considers that the EU urban dimension should settle the European guidelines of an urban development and address issues such as unemployment, poverty, security, globalisation, depopulation, foreseen changes in the production patterns as well as migration within and outside the EU in order to maintain and systematically uplift quality of life of the European citizens;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Underlines that towns and cities are a part of a broader functional area and cannot be treated in isolation; calls on the Commission to respect the principle of sustainable regional development in developing its urban agenda, especially in the sectors of infrastructure and public services;

Amendment 29 #

Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Stresses, with a view to achieving more efficient urban development, the need to create a coordinated, integrated and sustainable public transport system, renovate existing residential areas, exploit the cultural potential and support the gathering of communities and their creativity; considers it necessary, also, to guarantee a high-quality and safe living environment, which is essential for maintaining a skilled workforce and not holding back the development of key economic sectors;

Amendment 3 #

Ádám KÓSA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Observes that towns and cities have an important role to play in attaining the Europe 2020 objectives and must therefore be involved in the whole process of formulating policies at EU level, which can be achieved, inter alia, by means of the systematic inclusion of representatives of towns and cities in groups of experts; emphasise the concept of accessible towns and cities and urges the systematic involvement of representatives of people with disabilities and experts of the universal design in urban development;

Amendment 30 #

Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Notes that to increase the attractiveness of towns and cities as places to invest and thereby contribute to inclusive economic growth and to boosting employment, it is necessary to invest more in urban public spaces, rehabilitate abandoned territories and address problems which limit the development of trade, particularly in services, such as poorly developed urban centres, deserted or abandoned public spaces, unsafe or unattractive urban areas and the low level of involvement of residents;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Stresses that the crisis measures directed towards reduced public spending in the crisis countries have already shown a direct negative impact on youth due to cuts in education, employment creation and support services, and that policies affecting young people have been developed without involving the concerned and their stakeholders; calls upon cities, towns and suburbs to focus on quality education and training, fighting early-school leaving and combatting youth unemployment, because young people urgently need new prospects and the utmost should be done in order to support them;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Urges the Commission to ensure that urban regions are allocated sufficient budgeting for promoting their respective cultural heritage and investing in the further development of a sustainable tourism industry;

Amendment 33 #

Nathalie GRIESBECK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Asks the Commission to promote the development of urban transport networks which help to keep the most deprived neighbourhoods connected, strengthen social cohesion and improve workers’ mobility; similarly encourages the development of these transport networks in cross-border conurbations to improve mobility for those who cross the border to work;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 36 #

Ádám KÓSA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Calls for public expenditure on combating unemployment and poverty and for the purpose of promoting social investment to be excluded from the calculation of the public deficit in order to facilitate greater productive investment by towns and cities stresses that a solution must be found to the problem of integrating poorly-trained young people into the labour market, by providing barrier-free, accessible and quality vocational and in-work training to help them acquire skills, taking into account the fact that the lack of qualifications can increase the risk of unemployment, which in turn increases the poverty risk and involves a multitude of social challenges linked to exclusion, alienation and the failed efforts in building an independent life; to this end, it is crucial helping more young people to stay at school and acquire the appropriate qualifications needed for a job and career and ensuring wider access to high-quality education with special projects for children from disadvantaged groups and minorities;

Amendment 37 #

Patrick LE HYARIC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Brings into attention the problem of the overpopulation of the biggest cities which, in absence of an appropriate infrastructure, can lead to insufficient or poor quality housing and mobility problems; is concerned about the problems with the traffic and smooth circulation in the cities, which significantly increase the commuting time and reduces the quality of life of many Europeans; stresses that the lack of appropriate infrastructure can cause psychological pressure and stress on workers hindering the reconciliation of professional and private life;

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Calls on the European Commission and the Member States to help urban areas to modernise their economic, social and environmental characteristics through smart investments and better coordination; reminds that urban areas should be logistically interconnected not only at regional or national, but also trans-border level; calls on all the relevant stakeholders to engage in a debate on increasing attractiveness of middle-size urban areas; points out that lack of an appropriate intra-cities infrastructure allowing easy access and movements of goods and services constitute a burden especially for the middle-size cities and diminish their attractiveness for the investors; encourages Member States, to help build infrastructures within EU and non-EU urban areas in order to raise potential for job creation for the middle-size cities bordering non EU countries;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Observes that towns and cities have an important role to play in attaining the Europe 2020 objectives and must therefore be involved in the whole process of formulating policies at EU level, which can be achieved, inter alia, by means of the systematic inclusion of representatives of towns and cities in groups of experts; and also that multi-disciplinary consultations with bodies representing civil society, such as the European Economic and Social Committee and similar bodies in each Member State, will help define the approach that shall be applied to urban policies in order to optimise the outcome of EU policies and employment policies in particular;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Calls on the Commission to take into consideration, when allocating funds, the effects of the financial crisis which have weakened the ability of urban regions to deal with major issues such as rapid demographic changes, pollution, the provision of public services and social exclusion in their territories. Specific instruments should be made available to cities in order to implement the 2020 goals, accounting for the specific characteristics of each region. Special attention should be directed to sustainable housing and the various private ownership skims since local authorities often lack the resources (human and financial) or the competences to ensure an effective response to the Strategy of Smart Cities and Communities, a problem which needs to be addressed in order to ensure effectiveness;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls on the Commission to explore whether and to what extent unused Youth Employment Initiative resources can be allocated directly to towns and cities with particularly high rates of youth unemployment, with the proviso that the monies in question are earmarked for specific projects to combat youth unemployment;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Believes that the focus of an EU urban agenda must be on the exchange of information and best practice, calls on the Commission to find new ways to enhance the flow of information in both directions and to take into account the specific needs of urban regions when drafting legislation in order to reduce local government's bureaucratic needs when dealing with EU legislation;

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

~~4. Calls on the Commission to actively promote gender budgeting in Europe’s towns and cities; calls on the Commission furthermore to promote exchanges of best practices in gender budgeting;~~deleted

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Calls on the Commission to ~~actively promote gender budgeting in Europe’s towns and cities; calls on the Commission furthermore to~~ promote exchanges of best practices in gender budgeting;

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. CDraws attention to the fact that urban design and services addressing gender discrimination and promoting equal opportunities contribute to achieving a greater social and economic benefit; therefore calls on the Commission to actively promote gender budgeting in Europe’'s towns and cities as analysing the distribution of expenses among women and others and having a look at how planned undertaking affects all genders makes it easier to develop concepts on what specifically can be done to further develop gender equality; calls on the Commission furthermore to promote exchanges of best practices in gender budgeting;

Amendment 46 #

Ádám KÓSA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Calls on the Commission to actively promote gender budgeting and budgeting for universal design in Europe’s towns and cities; calls on the Commission furthermore to promote exchanges of best practices in gender budgeting and in planning accessible towns and cities;

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Observes that the consistent application of the subsidiarity and proportionality principles by the Commission is extremely important to towns and cities, to enable them to design their employment policies and social policies in a targeted manner, particularly in the fields of public services and services of general interestowns and cities shall be designed such that the outcomes of labour and social policies are optimised, particularly in the fields of public services and services of general interest; designing a strategic public transport network and locating childcare centres that encourage the creation of a good work-life balance is essential; it is also important that the design of towns and cities is used to constantly improve the social wage, as represented by the quality of schools, sports centres and care centres, preventing the emergence or growth of areas in towns and cities that are marginalised or excluded; the Commission shall apply the subsidiarity and proportionality principles in accordance with the Treaties.

Amendment 49 #

Patrick LE HYARIC, Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Observes that towns and cities are the places in which various types of inequality are most heavily concentrated, that they have an important role to play in attaining the Europe 2020 objectives and that they must therefore be involved in the whole process of formulating policies at EU level, which can be achieved, inter alia, by means of the systematic inclusion of representatives of towns and cities, as well as associations of citizens and their elected representatives, in groups of experts;

Amendment 50 #

Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Observes that the consistent application of the subsidiarity and proportionality principles by the Commission is extremely important to towns and cities, to enable them, through a bottom-up approach inclusive of all stakeholders, to design their own employment policies and social policies in a targeted manner, particularly in the fields of public services and services of general interest.

Amendment 51 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 52 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Calls on the Commission to subject proposals to an urban impact assessment and thereby to involve representatives of urban areas in the process of shaping EU policy at the earliest possible stage.

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Is of the opinion that the future of the European Union will be at a great extent designed in cities and that the development of a "knowledge-based" economy requires adequate funding in order to improve digital infrastructure and the ICT skills of its citizens in urban areas.

Amendment 54 #

Milan ZVER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Considers that, by supporting innovative, smart and sustainable projects, towns and cities can make a strong contribution to economic growth, increasing the employment rate and social cohesion;

Amendment 55 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Maintains that the provision of social and employment policy is best delivered at national and local levels, believes that low debt, economic freedom, favourable conditions for innovation and low taxes are the best basis for growth and job creation; asks the Commission to identify best practice at urban level and communicate it to other interested stakeholders, and to facilitate member states to work together on the issues of most interest to them;

Amendment 56 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Notes however that more than two thirds of European citizens are living in towns and cities and that this rate is growing; believes that towns and larger urban areas are important centres of economic activity and have, due to their culture, size, infrastructure and economic structure, specific social problems and are in need of tailored solutions; stresses that, in this regard, local structures are best placed to provide appropriate solutions and that the concept of subsidiarity needs to be upheld.

Amendment 57 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5 c. Strongly believes that any initiative under the EU urban agenda must be taken in the wider context of Article 4 TFEU which requires the EU to respect the national identities of member states including "their fundamental structures, political and constitutional, inclusive of regional and local self-government".

Amendment 58 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)

5 d. Notes that cooperation between member states on urban development currently takes place on an intergovernmental basis; believes that the development of an EU urban agenda must demonstrate clear EU added value; believes that EU policies must compliment and not contradict national or regional policies.

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Points out that civil society actors and social partners should be better involved in the development processes of EU grants programmes and that urban stakeholders should play a greater role in the implementation of the projects to be carried out;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Considers that in order to ensure that the views of all urban stakeholders are better taken into consideration, the already existing tools and the EU structures should be explored more efficiently through consultation, evaluation, impact assessment and exchange of best practices and experiences especially in drawing up the operational programs;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Encourages the Commission to further support the development of locally administered city-wide investment programs, independent from financial and managerial point of view;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Points out that growth, job creation, research and development are concentrated in Europe’s towns, cities and urban regions and that many European towns and cities, particularly those which are expanding rapidly, face major social challenges; calls on the Commission and the Member States to support towns, cities and urban regions in overcoming these challenges, which include, in particular, high unemployment, rising social inequality and poverty as well as the need to promote integration and provide public infrastructure;

source: 549.250

2015/03/26 REGI 178 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)

- having regard to its resolution of 21 February 2008 on the follow-up of the Territorial Agenda and the Leipzig Charter: Towards a European Action Programme for Spatial Development and Territorial Cohesion (2007/2190(INI)),

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. wWhereas ‘functional urban areas’ ~~in the EU~~significantly extend the sphere of action, as they are not limited in the EU only to big cities but also include a unique polycentric structure of functional urban regions built around large, medium-sized and small towns and cities and peri-urban areas, thus going beyond the traditional administrative borders to encompass various territories linked by their economic, social, environmental and demographic challenges;

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Asks the Commission to systematically introduce a territorial impact assessment on the urban dimension and the practical feasibility at regional and local level of all relevant EU policy initiatives and to make sure that all relevant sectorial EU policies adequately address the challenges that towns, cities and larger functional urban areas are facing; calls on the Commission to concentrate these territorial impact assessments on the following elements: balanced territorial development, territorial integration and territorial governance;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Asks the Commission to systematically introduce a territorial impact assessment on the urban dimension of all relevant EU policy initiatives and to make sure that all relevant sectorial EU policies adequately address the challenges that towns, cities and larger functional urban areas, such as the functional urban regions1a, are facing; calls on the Commission to concentrate these territorial impact assessments on the following elements: balanced territorial development, territorial integration and territorial governance; __________________ 1a Transport improvements have made for acceptable commuting times over distances of 100 km and more. This has meant that metropolitan areas characterised by reliance on a central municipality have been overtaken as other, similarly important, centres have combined, creating new metropolitan or urban areas as part of a functional urban region.

Amendment 102 #

Lambert van NISTELROOIJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Urges the Commission to systematise and analyse all available data and shared conceptual frameworks (‘urban acquis’) in order to provide a c~~lear definition~~ommon understanding of integrated sustainable urban development and thus identify the common EU objectives in this area;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Urges the Commission to systematise and analyse all available data and shared conceptual frameworks (‘urban acquis’) – taking account too of other factors, such as financial, economic and environmental globalisation and the technological, production-related, social and political changes afoot in modern society, which are significantly transforming and will continue to transform the relationship between economic activity and geography, as well as the environmental effects of that relationship and their incidence on development sustainability – in order to provide a clear definition of integrated sustainable urban development and thus identify the common EU objectives in this area;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Urges the Commission to systematise and analyse all available data and shared conceptual frameworks (‘urban acquis’) in order to provide a clear definition of integrated sustainable urban development and thus identify the common coherent and transparent EU objectives in this area;

Amendment 108 #

Marc JOULAUD

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Urges the Commission to systematise and analyse all available data and shared conceptual frameworks (‘urban acquis’) in order to prevent duplication and inconsistencies and provide a clear definition of integrated sustainable urban development and thus identify the common EU objectives in this area;

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Is convinced that in order to be able to assess urban areas more accurately than just on the basis of the GDP indicator, sufficient data must be made available; believes therefore that Eurostat should provide and compile more detailed local data ant that work should continue on the Urban Audit and similar surveys; calls also on the European Commission to work on instruments that could measure the progress and impact of an integrated urban agenda at EU level;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas ‘functional urban areas’ in the EU are ~~not limited only to big cities but also include~~ a unique polycentric structure built around large, medium-sized and small towns and cities and peri-urban areas, thus going beyond the traditional administrative borders to encompass various territories linked by their economic, social, environmental and demographic challenges;

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Stresses that budgetary cuts in the Member States and liberalization commitments, may have a negative impact on local financial resources; calls therefore, for the adoption of social and sustainability objectives as a prefix in EU policies and in fiscal consolidation;

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Recalls that EU structural policies and their financial instruments are better equipped as a rule to support complex integrated territorial strategies for functional areas through shared strategic planning and rules; encourages Member States to make full use of the available new instruments such as ITIs and CLLD, as well as of the new flexible operational programmes (OPs), in order to successfully support the implementation of integrated urban development plans; encourages Member States and the Commission to elaborate a coherent set of appropriate indicators to better assess the urban dimension of the implemented operations and initiatives funded by European Structural and Investment Funds;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Recalls that EU ~~structur~~regional polic~~ies~~y and their financial instruments are better equipped as a rule to support complex integrated territorial strategies for functional areas through shared strategic planning and rules; encourages Member States to make full use of the available new instruments such as ITIs and CLLD, as well as of the new flexible operational programmes (OPs), in order to successfully support the implementation of integrated urban development plans;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Highlights the need of exploiting to a maximum extent the potential of the macro-regional strategies for successful implementation of the integrated urban approach for cities, especially for those faced with specific geographic characteristics, being part of the macro- regional process; notes that a better combination and integration of policies aimed at strengthening macro-regional development and taking account of the specific needs of cities in these areas is needed;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Reminds, however, that an EU urban agenda should also focus on the issue of urban regeneration, and namely of actions aimed at revalorising historical centres in European cities, and at avoiding an 'urban sprawl' that most times, in Europe, result in the building of ghettos, in the consequent social, economic and cultural exclusion of a large part of citizens, and in the related environmental problems like increased air pollution; (As well explained in the report of European Environment Agency n. 10/2006, pag. 5 : " Sprawl threatens the very culture of Europe, as it creates environmental, social and economic impacts for both the cities and countryside of Europe. Moreover, it seriously undermines efforts to meet the global challenge of climate change. Urban sprawl is synonymous with unplanned incremental urban development, characterised by a low density mix of land uses on the urban fringe")

Amendment 116 #

Ivan JAKOVČIĆ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Regrets that, although the new cohesion policy has legally binding urban- related aspects, especially regarding involvement of cities in the programming phase, the actual participation of city and urban representatives in the shaping of the policy is weak, and thinks it can be improved by an early involvement in the policy processes; calls on the Commission and the Member States to systematically apply the partnership principle (taking also into account the Code of Conduct on Partnership) when implementing programmes and projects supported by EU funding, with particular attention being given to the involvement of cities and towns in the management and governance of the programmes;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas ‘functional urban areas’ in the EU are not limited only to big cities but also include the so-called urban metropolitan areas and a unique polycentric structure built around large, medium-sized and small towns and cities and peri-urban areas, thus going beyond the traditional administrative borders to encompass various territories linked by their economic, social, environmental and demographic challenges;

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Regrets that, although the new cohesion policy has legally binding urban- related aspects, especially regarding involvement of cities in the programming phase, the actual participation of city and urban representatives in the shaping of the policy is weak; calls on the Commission and the Member States to systematically apply the partnership principle when implementing programmes and projects supported by EU funding, with particular attention being given to the involvement of cities and towns in the management and governance of the programmes; trusts also that governments and national and local representatives will commit to notifying the EU institutions of their needs and specific territorial priorities and thus contribute to the integrated and participatory development of future EU policies on urban areas and of the ‘Cities of Tomorrow’;

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Regrets that, although the new cohesion policy has legally binding urban- related aspects, especially regarding involvement of cities in the programming phase, the actual participation of city and urban representatives in the shaping of the policy is weak; calls on the Commission and the Member States to systematically apply the partnership principle when implementing programmes and projects supported by EU funding, with particular attention being given to the involvement of cities and towns in the management and governance of the programmes, without generating inflexibility or forfeiting economies of scale by failing to develop responsive governance arrangements;

Amendment 122 #

Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Calls for greater involvement of towns and cities in the new Structural Funds Programmes; believes that the lessons drawn from this could feed into an important policy recommendation for the development of cohesion policy after 2020;

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make full use of the regulatory framework to create synergies between, on the one hand, EU subsidised programmes (such as LIFE, Horizon 2020, Intelligent Energy Europe, etc.), the European Fund for Strategic Investment and cohesion policy, and, on the other hand, national public financial instruments, and to blend these, to the greatest possible extent, with private financial instruments in order to obtain the greatest leverage effect of invested public money;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. CWelcomes the new European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) and its potential for mobilising additional investments and leverage effect; calls for better coordination and integration of all EU investment policies having potential to ensure sustainable, integrated and socially-inclusive urban development; calls on the Commission and the Member States to make full use of the regulatory framework to create synergies between~~, on~~ the ~~one hand,~~European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI), the EU subsidised programmes (such as LIFE, Horizon 2020, Intelligent Energy Europe, etc.) and cohesion policy~~, a~~ funds, ~~on the other hand,~~as well as the national public fin~~ancial instru~~vestments, and ~~to blend these, to the greatest possible extent, with~~ private financial instruments in order to obtain the greatest leverage effect of invested ~~public money~~funds; underlines the need of ensuring complementarity of all investment policies, enhanced synergy and avoiding double-financing and overlaps;

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make full use of the regulatory framework to create synergies between, on the one hand, EU subsidised programmes (such as LIFE, Horizon 2020, Intelligent Energy Europe, Urbact, etc.) and cohesion policy, and, on the other hand, national public financial instruments, – e.g. in the case of potential joint representation in ESF and ERDF plans, thereby harnessing the cross-cutting benefits of the ITI Programme – and to blend these, to the greatest possible extent, with private financial instruments in order to obtain the greatest leverage effect of invested public money;

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make full use of the regulatory framework to create synergies between, on the one hand, EU subsidised programmes (such as LIFE, Horizon 2020, Intelligent Energy Europe, etc.) and cohesion policy, and, on the other hand, national public financial instruments~~, and to blend these, to the greatest possible extent, with private financial instruments in order to obtain the greatest leverage effect of invested public money~~;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Recalls that today’s key economic, social and environmental challenges transcend traditional administrative boundaries, and the growing mismatch between administrative and ~~urban~~territorial structures (urban and peri-urban cooperation, urban-rural cooperation, etc.) requires new forms of flexible governance in order to continue the integrated territorial development of ~~large~~ functional areas;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas ‘functional urban areas’ in the EU are not limited only to ~~big cities~~city-regions or metropolitan areas, including their adjacent rural areas, but also include a unique polycentric structure built around large, medium-sized and small towns and cities and peri-urban areas, thus going beyond the traditional administrative borders to encompass various territories linked by their economic, social, environmental and demographic challenges;

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Believes that the European Urban Agenda should be based on a new multi- level governance method, involving the local level more closely at all stages of the policy cycle, thus bringing the policies closer to the realities and making them more consistent with and responsive to the constant transformations in functional urban areas; takes the view, in that connection, that the Committee of the Regions, as the body representing regional and local authorities, should play a central role in that process;

Amendment 131 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Urges the Commission to develop a new model of multi-level governance, based on partnerships and genuine collaboration, moving multilevel cooperation beyond simple stakeholder consultations, a model combining formal governmental structures with informal flexible governance structures that correspond to the new realities of the digitalised ‘network’ society, and which is adapted to the scale at which the challenges exist, a model which improves multi-level cooperation, both vertical and horizontal, with governmental and non-governmental actors at local, regional, national and European level, thus bringing government closer to the citizens and improving the democratic legitimacy of the European project; recommends that this model become the generally applied working method of the future European Urban Agenda;

Amendment 133 #

Lambert van NISTELROOIJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

Amendment 134 #

Andrew LEWER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Urges the Commission to develop a new model of multi-level governance, combining formal governmental structures with informal flexible governance structures that correspond to the new realities of the digitalised ‘network’ society, and which is adapted to the scale at which the challenges exist based on a transparent set of tools for working with urban stakeholders based on existing good practices, a model that is based on partnerships and genuine collaboration, moving multilevel cooperation beyond simple stakeholder consultations, a model combining formal governmental structures with informal flexible governance structures, a model which improves the multi-level cooperation, both vertical and horizontal, with governmental and non-governmental actors aton local, regional, national and European level, thus bringing government closer to the citizens and improving the democratic legitimacy of the European project; rRecommends that th~~is model~~ese tools become the generally applied working methods ofn the ~~future~~ European Urban Agenda in particularly across the Commission;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Urges the Commission to develop a new model of multi-level governance, combining formal governmental structures with informal flexible governance structures that correspond to the new realities of the digitalised ‘network’ society, and which is adapted to the scale at which the challenges exist, a model which improves multi-level cooperation, both vertical and horizontal, with governmental and non-governmental actors at local, regional, national and European level, thus bringing government closer to the citizens and improving the democratic legitimacy of the European project; recommends that this model become the working method of the future European Urban Agenda; Europe needs to deliver results at the urban level and engage in a closer and comprehensive dialogue with its citizens;

Amendment 137 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Urges the Commission to develop a new model of multi-level governance based on partnership and learning from existing good practices, combining formal governmental structures with informal flexible governance structures that correspond to the new realities of the digitalised ‘'network’' society, and which is adapted to the scale at which the challenges exist, a model which improves multi-level cooperation, both vertical and horizontal, with governmental and non-governmental actors at local, regional, national and European level, thus bringing government closer to the citizens and improving the democratic legitimacy of the European project; recommends that this model become the working method of the future European Urban Agenda;

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Urges the Commission to ~~develop~~suggest elements for a new model of multi-level governance, combining formal governmental structures with informal flexible governance structures that correspond to the new realities, such as of the digitalised ‘network’ society, and ~~which~~desirable as well as negative processes and challenges that follow globalisation that is adapted to the scale at which the challenges exist~~, a~~; such model ~~which~~or elements shall help improves multi-level cooperation, both vertical and horizontal, with governmental and non-governmental actors at local, regional, national and European level, thus bringing government closer to the citizens and improving the democratic legitimacy of the European project; recommends that ~~this~~such model become the working method of the future European Urban Agenda after being agreed on by all relevant stakeholders;

Amendment 139 #

Ivan JAKOVČIĆ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Calls on the Commission to adequately include and integrate aspects of the European Urban Agenda and to stress the urban dimension within existing and future EU macro-regional strategies which represent a model for planning and multi-level governance;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas cities, towns and the larger functional urban areas are the economic pillars and drivers of jobs for the EU given that innovation and new economic activities often have their origins in the city, they play an important role for democracy and are guarantors for freedom, and they are therefore a major asset for the EU in its relations with other parts of the world;

Amendment 140 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Is of the opinion that urban platforms and networks (such as URBACT, the Urban Development Network) and other programmes for knowledge-sharing between cities (such as Civitas, the Covenant of Mayors, Mayors Adapt, Smart Cities and Communities Imitative, Reference Framework for Sustainable Cities, Managenery) have provided an excellent opportunity for the engagement of local and regional actors in urban development and knowledge sharing between actors; urges the Commission to consolidate and ensure better coordination between these platforms in order to allow local actors to better understand them and engage with them in a more efficient way;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Is of the opinion that urban platforms and networks (such as URBACT, ~~the Urban Development Network~~Civitas, the Covenant of Mayors, Smart Cities and Communities Initiative, Reference Framework for Sustainable Cities) have provided an excellent opportunity for the engagement of local and regional actors in urban development and knowledge sharing between actors; urges the Commission to consolidate and ensure better coordination between these platforms in order to allow local actors to better understand them and engage with them in a more efficient way;

Amendment 142 #

Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Is of the opinion that urban platforms and networks (such as URBACT, the Urban Development Network) have provided an excellent opportunity for the engagement of local ~~and~~, regional and cross- border actors in urban development and knowledge sharing between actors; urges the Commission to consolidate and ensure better coordination between these platforms in order to allow local actors to better understand them and engage with them in a more efficient way;

Amendment 143 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Believes that in order to formulate better informed and tailored policies there is a need to develop ~~uniform~~harmonised basic data; encourages the Member States, Eurostat and the Commission to provide and compile more detailed data, collected where policies are implemented – in many cases at local level; underlines that the collection of flow data – measuring the relationships between cities and their surrounding areas – is also becoming increasingly important in order to improve the understanding of complex functional areas, and therefore urges the Commission to gather and analyse that data, turning it into evidence for policy developments;

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Believes that in order to formulate ~~better informed and~~ tailored policies the~~re is a~~ Urban Audit Database needs to ~~develop uniform basic data~~be updated and improved; encourages Eurostat and the Commission to provide and compile more detailed data, collected where policies are implemented – in many cases at local level; underlines that the collection of flow data – measuring the relationships between cities and their surrounding areas – is also becoming increasingly important in order to improve the understanding of complex functional areas, and therefore urges the Commission to gather and analyse that data, turning it into evidence for policy developments;

Amendment 145 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Believes that in order to formulate better informed and tailored policies there is a need to develop uniform basic data; encourages Eurostat and the Commission to provide and compile more detailed data, collected where policies are implemented – in many cases at local level; underlines that the collection of flow data – measuring the relationships between cities and their surrounding areas and within functional urban areas – is also becoming increasingly important in order to improve the understanding of these complex functional areas, and therefore urges the Commission to gather and analyse that data, turning it into evidence for policy developments;

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Believes that in order to formulate better informed and tailored policies there is a need to develop uniform shared basic data; encourages Eurostat and the Commission to provide and compile more detailed data, collected where policies are implemented – in many cases at local level; underlines that the collection of flow data – measuring the relationships between cities and their surrou nding areas – is also becoming increasingly important in order to improve the understanding of complex functional areas, and therefore urges the Commission to gather and analyse that data, turning it into evidence for policy developments; calls on the Commission also, in the context of a proposal on the shared management and analysis of data, to assess the idea of creating a ‘European urban digital platform’ to which the main national and local representatives have open access so they can share, notify, compare and plan future actions;

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Believes that in order for the European Urban Agenda to be an effective tool it should be a shared and regularly updated conceptual framework with a thematic focus on a limited number of challenges in the larger context of the Europe 2020 goals of smart, inclusive and sustainable growth, with particular attention being given to social inclusion, ~~demographic change~~employment, gender equality, services of general interest, demographic change, urban mobility, energy transition and environmental sustainability;

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Believes that in order for the European Urban Agenda to be an effective tool it should be a shared and regularly updated conceptual framework with a thematic focus ~~on a~~ that explimcit~~ed number of~~ly recognises the challenges in the larger context of the Europe 2020 goals of smart, inclusive and sustainable growth, with particular attention being given to social inclusion, demographic change, urban mobility, innovation-friendly business environment, resource-efficient economy and environmental sustainability;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas cities, towns and the larger functional urban areas, such as metropolitan areas, are the economic pillars and drivers of jobs for the EU given that innovation and new economic activities have their origins in the city, and they are therefore a major asset for the EU in its relations with other parts of the world;

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Believes that in order for the European Urban Agenda to be an effective tool it should be a shared and regularly updated conceptual framework with a thematic focus on a limited number of challenges in the larger context of the Europe 2020 goals of smart, inclusive and sustainable growth, with particular attention being given to social inclusion, demographic change and environmental sustainability, burgeoning employment emergencies, the fallout from the economic crisis, the worrying rise in poverty, limited or lack of access to basic necessities and urban safety crises;

Amendment 152 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Believes that in order for the European Urban Agenda to be an effective tool it should be a shared and regularly updated conceptual framework with a thematic focus on a limited number of challenges in the larger context of the Europe 2020 goals of smart, inclusive and sustainable growth, with particular attention being given to social inclusion, demographic change and environmental sustainabilitkey challenges with particular attention being given to social inclusion, combatting poverty, migration, housing ,demographic change, provision of public services, environmental sustainability, combatting tax evasion and black market economy;

Amendment 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Believes that in order for the European Urban Agenda to be an effective tool it should be a shared and regularly updated conceptual framework with a thematic focus on a ~~limited~~specific number of challenges responding to the real needs of functional urban areas in the larger context of the Europe 2020 and territorial cohesion goals of smart, inclusive and sustainable growth, with particular attention being given to innovation, social inclusion, demographic change and environmental sustainability;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20 a. Highlights, in particular, the following challenges: a) concerning smart growth: favourable conditions for innovation, generation and circulation of knowledge; attracting talents, improvement of educational system, favourable entrepreneurial environment; b) concerning inclusive growth: manage and adapt to demographic changes due to ageing, age imbalances, mobility within counties and cross-border mobility, international migration. Realise provisions for integration, respect for diversity and participation; c) concerning sustainability: focusing on green growth, and in particular creating green infrastructures; ensuring sustainable urban mobility and transport; preserve the territory from soil, water and air consumption and pollution; climate change adaptation (water shortages, floods, heat or cold waves); energy efficient cities; (This amendment recalls the contents already written in the explanatory statement of the Draft Report, in the paragraph 'challenges for tomorrow's cities', making them explicit and integrating these latter in the text of the Report.)

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 156 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Strongly believes that these challenges should respond to the following criteria: 1) are in line with the shared conceptual framework; 2) are major urban challenges with significant impact on cities and functional urban areas in Member States; 3) cannot be solved by Member States unilaterally; 4) where an EU approach has a clear added value; urges the Commission to start working on mapping such challenges, but also identify remaining bottlenecks, policy incoherencies or capacity and knowledge gaps, in close cooperation with all relevant stakeholders, particularly those at local level;

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 158 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Strongly believes that these challenges should respond to the following criteria: 1) are in line with the shared conceptual framework; 2) are major urban challenges with significant impact on cities and functional urban areas in Member States; 3) cannot be solved by Member States unilaterally; 4) where an EU approach has a clear added value; urges the Commission to start working on mapping such challenges in close cooperation with all relevant stakeholders, particularly those at local level; once the challenges have been identified, action should be taken to promote exchanges of good practice and to boost the financing of projects for social housing, renovation of buildings, strategic public transport and education, health and welfare infrastructure.

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas cities, towns and the larger functional urban areas are the economic pillars and drivers of jobs for the EU given that, in the main, innovation and new economic activities have their origins in the city, and they are therefore a major asset for the EU in its relations with other parts of the world; however, they are also the key areas in which barriers to growth and employment need to be overcome and, most importantly, social exclusion and the degradation of the environment need to be tackled;

Amendment 160 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. urges the Commission to start working on the analysis of the challenges and opportunities in the following areas in close cooperation with all relevant stakeholders, particularly those at local level: a) Cities as drivers of quality jobs and sustainable growth b) Inclusive, diverse and creative cities c) Green, free flowing and healthy cities d) Smarter cities e) Urban Innovation and Governance

Amendment 161 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Urges the Commission and the Member States to make sure that a higher degree of cross-sector coordination of policies with an urban dimension is ensured at all levels of government to allow better mainstreaming of integrated urban development; calls on DG REGIO, responsible for the EU’s urban policies, to drive this process and to make sure that the urban dimension is taken into account in all new initiatives; calls on the President of the European Commission to appoint a political lead within the Commission to give strategic direction and to drive the Urban Agenda of European policies;

Amendment 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Urges the Commission and the Member States to make sure that a higher degree of cross-sector coordination of policies with an urban dimension is ensured at all levels of government to allow better mainstreaming of integrated urban development; calls on DG REGIO, responsible for the EU’s urban policies, to drive this process and to make sure that the urban dimension is taken into account in all relevant new initiatives, while assigning a central role in this to the Commission’s Inter-service Group on Urban Development;

Amendment 163 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Asks the Commission to appoint a special EU urban ~~envoy~~coordinator to monitor and evaluate the practical implementation of such coordination ~~by closely following the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy and the territorial agenda of the EU~~ in a horizontal (engaging all relevant policy sectors) and vertical (engaging all levels of government) manner; is of the opinion that the special EU urban ~~envoy~~coordinator should, with the help of the Commission’s Inter- service Group on ‘Urban Development’, ~~perform a systematic impact assessment of policy proposals, ensuring that the urban dimension of future legislation is adequately addressed~~establish a "one stop shop" on urban policies within the Commission and ensure the proper collection, management and dissemination of data on urban policies within and between Commission services and with various stakeholders in a way to establish an awareness raising mechanism for early warning and early stage involvement of local and regional authorities in policy processes with an impact on functional urban areas;

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Asks the Commission to analyse the added-value of appointing a special EU urban envoy to monitor and evaluate the practical implementation of such coordination by closely following the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy and the territorial agenda of the EU in a horizontal (engaging all relevant policy sectors) and vertical (engaging all levels of government) manner; is of the opinion that the special EU urban envoy should, with the help of the Commission’s Inter-service Group on ‘Urban Development’, perform a systematic impact assessment of policy proposals, ensuring that the urban dimension of future legislation is adequately addressed;

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. ~~Ask~~Urges the Commission to ~~appoint a special EU urban envoy to~~have the practical implementation of such coordination monitored and evaluated by the ~~practical implementation of such coordination~~Commissioner for Regional Policy by closely following the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy and the territorial agenda of the EU in a horizontal (engaging all relevant policy sectors) and vertical (engaging all levels of government) manner; ~~is of the opinion that the special EU urban envoy~~ calls on the Commissioner to report to the European Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development annually on the subject; is of the opinion that the Commissioner for Regional Policy should, with the help of the Commission’s Inter-service Group on ‘Urban Development’ and with the involvement of one of the Vice-Presidents of the Commission, perform a systematic impact assessment of policy proposals, ensuring that the urban dimension of future legislation is adequately addressed;

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Asks the Commission to ~~appoint~~designate a special EU urban envoy to ~~monitor and evaluate the practical implementation of~~be responsible for such coordination by closely following the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy and the territorial agenda of the EU in a horizontal (engaging all relevant policy sectors) and vertical (engaging all levels of government) manner; is of the opinion that the special EU urban envoy should, with the help of the Commission’s Inter-service Group on ‘Urban Development’, perform a systematic impact assessment of policy proposals, ensuring that the urban dimension of future legislation is adequately addressed;

Amendment 167 #

Andrew LEWER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Asks the Commission to appoint a special EU urban envoy within existing budgets to monitor and evaluate the practical implementation of such coordination by closely following the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy and the territorial agenda of the EU in a horizontal (engaging all relevant policy sectors) and vertical (engaging all levels of government) manner; is of the opinion that the special EU urban envoy should, with the help of the Commission’s Inter-service Group on ‘Urban Development’, perform a systematic impact assessment of policy proposals, ensuring that the urban dimension of future legislation is adequately addressed;

Amendment 168 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Asks the Commission to ~~appoint a special EU urban envoy to~~ monitor and evaluate the practical implementation of such coordination by closely following the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy and the territorial agenda of the EU in a horizontal (engaging all relevant policy sectors) and vertical (engaging all levels of government) manner; is of the opinion that ~~the special EU urban envoy should~~already existing services or bodies within the Commission, with the help of the Commission’'s Inter-service Group on ‘'Urban Development’, ' should perform a systematic impact assessment of policy proposals, ensuring that the urban dimension of future legislation is adequately addressed;

Amendment 169 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Asks the Commission to ~~appoint a special EU urban envoy to~~present proposals on the optimum monitoring and evaluateion of the practical implementation of such coordination by closely following the implementation of the ~~Europe 2020 strategy and the~~ territorial agenda of the EU in a horizontal (engaging all relevant policy sectors) and vertical (engaging all levels of government) manner; is of the opinion that the ~~special EU urban envoy~~se proposals should, with the help of the Commission’s Inter-service Group on ‘Urban Development’, ~~perform~~target at a systematic impact assessment of policy proposals, ensuring that the urban dimension of future legislation is adequately addressed;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas cities, towns and the larger functional urban areas should become the social pillars in order to combat poverty, support social cohesion and promote the creation of full-rights jobs all over the EU;

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Calls on the Commission to test the implementation of the European Urban Agenda in three selected thematic fields reflecting the challenges of urban areas ("urban pilot project"), in particular by ensuring the cross-sectorial coordination of different EU policies and removing existing overlaps, applying the multi-level governance model and conducting territorial impact assessments; asks the Commission to report to the European Parliament on the progress and results in this respect on a regular basis;

Amendment 171 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)

23b. Encourages the Commission to develop while using the existing structures and e.g. as part of the "urban pilot project", single points of information in Member States on the urban dimension of EU policies (Urban One-Stop-Shops) with the aim to provide comprehensive information in particular on different EU initiatives, guidelines and financial possibilities in relation to urban development;

Amendment 172 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls on the Commission to hold a regular urban summit drawing on the ‘Cities of tomorrow’ forum, bringing stakeholders from all levels of governance and different sectors together; believes that such summits should provide a real opportunity for cities to engage in a constructive dialogue with policymakers across the relevant policy areas and should help assess the impact of EU policies on towns, cities and functional urban areas and how best to involve them in the forthcoming initiatives;

Amendment 173 #

Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls on the Commission to hold a regular urban summit drawing on the ‘Cities of tomorrow’ forum, bringing stakeholders from all levels of governance and different sectors together; believes that such summits should provide a real opportunity for cities to engage in a constructive dialogue with policymakers across the relevant policy areas and should help assess the impact of EU policies on cities and functional urban and peri-urban areas and how best to involve them in the forthcoming initiatives;

Amendment 174 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Urges Member States to fully associate cities with and involve them in strategic policy development and programming (such as national reform programmes, partnership agreements and operational programmes); calls on the Member States to strengthen their exchange of experience on national programmes for urban development, which empowers cities to deliver the Europe 2020 objectives, by setting ~~regular~~ informal Council meetings of ministers in charge of urban development;

Amendment 175 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Urges Member States to fully associate cities and functional urban areas with and involve them in a binding manner in strategic policy development and programming (such as national reform programmes, partnership agreements and operational programmes); calls on the Member States to strengthen their exchange of experience on national programmes for urban development, which empowers cities to deliver the Europe 2020 objectives, by setting regular informal Council meetings of ministers in charge of urban development;

Amendment 176 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Urges Member States to fully associate cities with and involve them in strategic policy development and programming (such as national reform programmes, partnership agreements and operational programmes); calls on the Member States to strengthen their exchange of experience on national programmes for urban development, which empowers cities to ~~deliver the Europe 2020 objectiv~~tackle the identified common challenges, by setting regular informal Council meetings of ministers in charge of urban development;

Amendment 177 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25 a. Is of the opinion that well developed and established national urban policies are a prerequisite for an European Urban Agenda;

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26a. Believes that there should be a clear, coherent and open engagement of the European Union and the Member States, with consultation and possible contribution of local and regional authorities, at the International Standards Organisation (ISO) regarding the development of new standards for sustainable urban development, respectful of the work on UN universal guidelines for urban and territorial planning; stresses that the new ISO standards should be seen as a supportive and not a normative tool;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas functional urban areas and regions play a key role in the achievement of improved energy efficiency and self- sufficiency and the development of new initiatives to encourage urban mobility and competitive, environment friendly transport systems, thus promoting growth, employment, social and geographical cohesion, health, safety and security;

Amendment 19 #

Salvatore CICU

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas innovation and new forms of economic activity have their origins in cities and cities are wellsprings of art, culture and creativity and a major strongpoint for the EU when competing on the international market with other parts of the globe;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)

- having regard to the Commission communication Smart cities and communities – European Innovation Partnership, July 2012,

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

Cb. whereas cities, towns and the larger functional urban areas are responsible for the biggest proportion of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the EU ;

Amendment 21 #

José BLANCO LÓPEZ

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas some cities are seeing ~~a decline in~~ their population ageing and declining, and face problems due to the scale of the facilities they provide, and others have a growing population, which increases pressure on existing facilities and exacerbates other problems such as (youth) unemployment, social exclusion, traffic congestion and pollution;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas some cities are seeing a decline in their population and face problems due to the scale of the facilities they provide, and others have a growing population, which increases pressure on existing facilities and exacerbates other problems such as (youth) unemployment, social exclusion, traffic congestion, urban sprawl and pollution;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas there is an immediate need to tackle the emergence of ghettos phenomenon, social exclusion and different types of discrimination in many European cities and urban areas;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

Db. whereas functional urban areas receive the bigger flows of international immigration, thus there is an instant need for the creation of the conditions for their fair economic and social inclusion and for cultural integration;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)

Dc. whereas the consequences of the financial crisis and the implications of austerity policies around Europe has deteriorated the well-being and the quality of life of the majority of the people living in urban areas and has increased the disparities between European regions;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D d (new)

Dd. whereas in cities, towns and functional urban areas there is an increase of the homelessness phenomenon while at the same time several buildings remain unused;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D e (new)

De. whereas improving the quality and accessibility of public utilities and services is the most efficient way to increase the quality of life of the entire population living in cities, town and urban areas;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the challenges which cities are facing can only be met by taking into account their relation to the surrounding ~~rural~~ areas;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)

- having regard to the Commission's report Cities of tomorrow, challenges, visions, ways forward, October 2011,

Amendment 30 #

Lambert van NISTELROOIJ

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas ~~the~~some of the strategic challenges which cities are facing ~~can only be met by taking into account their relation to~~related to economic development, climate change, transport and demographic change can only be tackled in partnerships between the cities and their surrounding ~~rural~~ areas;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the challenges which cities are facing can only be met by taking into account their relation to the surrounding ~~rural areas~~areas, be they urban or rural, which entails developing tools to promote connectivity;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas some of the challenges which cities are facing can only be met ~~by taking into account their relation to~~in partnership with their the surrounding rural areas;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the strategic challenges which cities are facing can only be met by taking into account their relation to the surrounding peri-urban and rural areas;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas, in the last twenty years, the Town Centre Management has established itself as a valid model of bottom-up governance, able to assume exclusive characteristics which are functional to the relevant territory;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas the depopulation of rural areas and its consequent negative impacts is also a challenge that should be met by EU policies;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas ~~European policy initiative~~the Union acquis haves a direct or indirect impact on the sustainable development of cities and urban policy including on their budgetary capacity;

Amendment 38 #

Salvatore CICU

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

Fa. whereas cities are taking it on themselves to seize opportunities and address a series of challenges and problems such as scaling back numbers of inhabitants following in-migration, unemployment (especially among the young), social exclusion and poverty;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas ~~littl~~more consistency ~~exists~~should be ensured at EU level between different policy initiatives and subsidy programmes by making full use of the Common Strategic Framework, and the sectorial approach of EU policy can lead to counterproductive policies and legislation for urban areas, thus having a negative and obstructing effect on urban development;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)

- having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 10 July 2012, "Smart cities and communities - European innovation partnership", COM (2012) 4701,

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas ~~little consistency exists at EU level between different policy initiatives and subsidy programmes, and the sectorial approach of EU policy c~~the European and national policy response has been slow and piecemeal with a resultant l~~ead to counterproductive policies and legislation for urban areas, thus having a neg~~ack of consistency, in some cases, between different EU policy initiatives and ~~obstructing effect on urban development~~subsidy programmes;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas ~~little~~there is not always consistency ~~exists~~ at EU level between different policy initiatives and subsidy programmes, and the sectorial approach of EU policy can lead to ~~counterproductive~~ policies and legislation ~~for urban areas, thus having a negative and obstructing effect on urban development~~that may not favour functional urban areas;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas subsidiarity, as defined in the TFEU, as well as multi-level governance and the partnership principle, are essential elements for the ~~correct~~appropriate implementation of all EU policies, and whereas ~~engagement of the resources and competences of local and regional~~sub-delegation of competences to urban authorities should be reinforced accordingly;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas subsidiarity, as defined in the TFEU, as well as multi-level governance, based on coordinated action by the EU, the Member States and regional and local authorities, and the partnership principle, are essential elements for the correct implementation of all EU policies, and whereas engagement of the resources and competences of local and regional authorities should be reinforced accordingly;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas subsidiarity, as defined in the TFEU, as well as multi-level governance and the partnership principle, are essential elements for the correct implementation of all EU policies~~, and whereas engagement of the resources and competences of local and regional authorities should be reinforced accordingly~~;

Amendment 45 #

Salvatore CICU

Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)

Ka. whereas, moreover, the EU Treaty contains several references to the aforesaid principle, in relation, for example to economic, social and territorial cohesion and to local self-government;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) regulation (Regulation (EU) No 1301/2013) reinforces the urban dimension of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) by allocating at least 5 % of its financial support to integrated actions for sustainable urban development, by giving urban authorities more responsibilities in selecting and managing projects by creating tools such as integrated territorial investments (ITIs), community-led local development (CLLD) and ‘innovative actions’, and by establishing an urban development network; whereas, however, in the current programming period, some smart cities are planned, but this is mostly restricted to energy and mobility projects, and there is an absence of a wider holistic approach to the future development; (as highlighted in the study of European Parliament "The role of Cities in Cohesion Policy")

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) regulation (Regulation (EU) No 1301/2013) reinforces the urban dimension of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) by allocating at least 5 % of its financial support to integrated actions for sustainable urban development~~, by giving urban authorities more responsibilities in selecting and managing projects~~ through the delegation of management tasks to urban authorities, in particular giving them more responsibilities for tasks related at least to the selection of operations; by creating tools such as integrated territorial investments (ITIs), and community-led local development (CLLD) ~~and ‘innovative actions’~~, by allocating a specific budget for ‘innovative actions’ in order to test new solutions in relation to sustainable urban development, and by establishing an urban development network;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

M. whereas the partnership principle laid down in the Common Provision Regulation (Regulation (EUC) No 1303/2013) ~~contains provisions on~~and the European Code of Conduct obliges the Member States on ensuring the early involvement of urban authorities in the EU policy making process;

Amendment 49 #