2020/2087(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Points out that due to climate change, natural disasters will become more and more violent and more and more recurrent; questions, however, whether the fund is adequately adapted to the future consequences of climate change, while stressing that the EUSF is only a curative instrument and that climate change requires primarily a preventive policy in line with the Paris Agreement and the Green Deal;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Requests that the Commission propose a revision of the Regulation, which should enter into force as early as ~~possible in the next~~the regulation on the multiannual financial framework (MFF) for the period 2021-2027: - to simplify and speed up the application procedure for Member States,; - to bring the level of advances up to 33 % and speed up the final disbursement; - - to further increase the annual EUSF envelope to EUR 2 billion per year, which should be entered in the budget over and above the MFF ceilings (both in commitment and payment appropriations), in order to take into account the widened scope of the Fund; -to ensure unlimited carry- over of uncommitted and unpaid appropriations to the following financial years and MFFs; - to prioritise reimbursements that will secure more resilient and climate-friendly investments and reconstructions (such as earthquake-proof construction and natural (re)forestation); - to focus reimbursements on investments and reconstructions that are in line with the Paris Agreement and the Green Deal; - to include an island and coastal dimension in order to take into account the climate adaptation dimension of those territories particularly at risk;

Amendment 11 #

Mauri PEKKARINEN, Clotilde ARMAND, Olivier CHASTEL, Martin HOJSÍK, Moritz KÖRNER, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ, Nils TORVALDS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Highlights that the use of the EUSF has encouraged policy learning in national and local authorities to assess their larger disaster risk management;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Notes the significant potential synergies between the EUSF and other Union funds and policies; asks that these synergies are used to their full extent;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5 c. Requests the Commission to put into place mechanisms to implement EUSF interventions in line with the “Build Back Better” principle for disaster risk management, according to which the recovery phase is seen as a determinant opportunity to maximise resilience to natural disasters and upgrade infrastructure to contemporary standards, rather than simply restoring the conditions which were in place prior to the occurrence of the event;

Amendment 14 #

Hélène LAPORTE, Joachim KUHS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)

5 d. Calls on the Commission to modify Article 3 of EUSF Regulation 2012/2002, as amended by Regulation 661/2014, to allow the reconstruction and rebuilding to newer and more robust standards, as well as to improve the functionality and resilience of the assets affected by the disaster;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

~~6. Recommends extending eligibility under the Fund to potential candidate countries as a further sign of solidarity with third countries on a path towards joining the EU.~~deleted

Amendment 16 #

Karlo RESSLER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Asks the Commission to set up and manage a network of EUSF coordinators from the Member States with the aim of sharing good practices and practical advice on the submission of applications;

Amendment 17 #

Karlo RESSLER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6 b. Deplores the fact that the EUSF is not very well known by citizens; urges the Commission to boost public media coverage of the Fund and to assess the possibility of providing guidelines on visibility to beneficiaries to increase awareness about the very real benefits that the EU has already brought to millions of citizens through the Fund;

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)

6 c. Notes that the EUSF is the most concrete and tangible manifestation of the support that the EU can give to regions and local communities in case of natural disasters; nevertheless, points out that on the basis of the evidence elicited through Eurobarometer surveys, only 15% of the EU population is likely to be fully aware of the use of the Fund at country level; therefore, reiterates the importance of communicating to the public the tangible benefits brought about by the EUSF and calls on the concerned regional and local authorities to implement communication strategies or initiatives to clearly highlight to citizens the specific cases in which support against the effects of natural disasters is provided by the EUSF;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)

6 d. Asks the Commission, in the framework of the revision of the Regulation, to provide for an obligation for the beneficiary country to communicate on the EU support for the implemented operations;

Amendment 2 #

Mauri PEKKARINEN, Clotilde ARMAND, Olivier CHASTEL, Martin HOJSÍK, Moritz KÖRNER, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ, Nils TORVALDS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1 b. Stresses that due to climate change, islands and coastal regions are particularly at risk of being affected by natural disasters; questions, however, whether the current EUSF is appropriately focused on climate adaptation for those particularly fragile territories;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 e (new)

6 e. Calls on the Commission to step up communication efforts to improve the public awareness of the interventions done with the financing under the EUSF;

Amendment 21 #

Mauri PEKKARINEN, Clotilde ARMAND, Olivier CHASTEL, Martin HOJSÍK, Moritz KÖRNER, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ, Nils TORVALDS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 f (new)

6 f. Stresses that the awarding, management and implementation of the EUSF grants should be as transparent as possible, and that the grants need to be used in line with the principles of sound financial management.

Amendment 3 #

Mauri PEKKARINEN, Clotilde ARMAND, Olivier CHASTEL, Martin HOJSÍK, Moritz KÖRNER, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ, Nils TORVALDS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Notes, while acknowledging that the EUSF is not an instrument for rapid intervention in disaster situations, that aid disbursement has speeded up since the 2014 reform; requests, nevertheless, that the Commission provide technical assistance to the national authorities in the application process, ensure that the assessment of applications is done in a timely manner and accelerate payments;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Note~~Highlights, while acknowledging that the EUSF is not an instrument for rapid intervention in disaster situations, that aid disbursement has speeded up since the 2014 reform; requests, nevertheless, that the Commission accelerate payments;

Amendment 5 #

Mauri PEKKARINEN, Clotilde ARMAND, Olivier CHASTEL, Martin HOJSÍK, Moritz KÖRNER, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ, Nils TORVALDS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Underlines that rapid disbursement of funds via the introduction of advance payments, as part of the 2014 reform, has proven to have a beneficial impact on effectiveness of the EUSF, in particular in regions and municipalities with limited alternative funding sources;

Amendment 6 #

Karlo RESSLER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Strongly supports the recent reform of the advance payment system, which raises the level of advances from 10 % to 25 % of the expected contribution and from a maximum of EUR 30 million to EUR 100 million; questions, however, whether the reform addresses all the hurdles that are currently keeping Member States from requesting advance payments, in light of the low application rate; asks the Commission to reflect on additional ways to promote this option, in a dialogue with Member States authorities; urges the Commission to disburse advance payments for COVID-19 applications as fast as possible;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal of 27 May 2020 to increase the maximum annual amount of the EUSF under the next long-term budget to EUR 1 billion (at 2018 prices), which has been Parliament’s position from the outset; questions, however, whether this amount will be sufficient to cover all of the eligible applications in 2020, taking into account the Fund’s widened scope and the rapid evolution of climate change, which makes natural disasters more frequent and unpredictable;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the Commission’s proposal of 27 May 2020 to increase the maximum annual amount of the EUSF under the next long-term budget to EUR 1 billion (at 2018 prices), which has been Parliament’s position from the outset; questions, however, whether this amount will be sufficient to cover all of the eligible applications in ~~2020~~the coming years, taking into account the Fund’s widened scope;

Amendment 9 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Notes the enormous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economies and public health systems of the Member States; believes that the next MFF and Next Generation EU should entail a further increase in the amount allocated to the EUSF, which may not be sufficient to cover all the 2020 eligible applications, due to the COVID-19 crisis; therefore, requests the Commission to increase the maximum annual amount of the EUSF to EUR 2 billion (at 2018 prices); underlines that such an increase would be essential for rapidly assisting people affected by a major public health emergency, including by providing medical help, and preventing, monitoring or controlling the spread of disease;

source: 653.968

2021/02/03 REGI 152 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2

— having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 of 11 November 2002 establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund and its subsequent amendments of 15 May 2014 and 20 March 20201 , _________________ 1 OJ L 311, 14.11.2002, p. 3.

Amendment 10 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, in its resolution of 17 April 2020 on EU coordinated action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, the European Parliament pointed out that solidarity among the Member States wais not an option, but an obligation, stemming inter alia from Articles 2 and 21 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU), and ~~was part and parcel~~is a pillar of our European values, as set out in Article 3 of the TEU; whereas, in the same resolution, the European Parliament urges the Commission to strengthen all components of crisis management and disaster response;

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission to ensure the dissemination of good practices with regard to governance and institutional coordination structures in disaster situations; stresses the need to improve information and communication mechanisms to raise awareness among European citizens of the financial support provided for Member States in order to counter Eurosceptic trends;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission to ensure the dissemination of good practices with regard to governance and institutional coordination structures in disaster situations and to ensure a qualitative analysis of the measures undertaken with regard to prevention in the framework of ESI Funds by the Member States which were also recipient of EUSF in the same affected areas;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Recalls the importance of the principles enshrined also in article 8 of the EUSF regulation, which states that the implementation report by each beneficiary Member State should fully detail the preventive measures, taken or proposed, to limit future damage and to avoid, to the extent possible, a recurrence of similar natural disasters, including the use of Union Structural and Investment Funds for this purpose;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Points to the difficulties faced by beneficiary countries when it comes to determining the precise amount of damage in a very short period of time and suggests that the Commission consider alternative simplified methods for determining how much the Fund should contribute, also in order to minimise the potential for errors and further delays;

Amendment 104 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Points to the difficulties faced by beneficiary countries when it comes to determining the precise amount of damage in a very short period of time and suggests that the Commission ~~consider alternative~~prepares guidance on simplified methods to be used for determining ~~how much the Fund should contribute~~the contribution of the Fund;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. ~~Draws particular attention to the situation of local authorities which have little experience in EU-funded projects and calls~~ Stresses the necessity of reducing the bureaucratic burden and increasing the administrative aid to support beneficiary countries towards the creation of management and long t~~he Commission to provi~~erm strategies, in order t~~hem wi~~o help reducing the i~~ncreased operational support, in particular administrative support~~mpacts of major natural and health disasters in these countries;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Draws particular attention to the situation of local authorities which have little experience in EU-funded projects and calls on the Commission to provide them with capacity-building and increased operational support, in particular administrative support;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Draws particular attention to the situation of the local authorities of the sovereign Member States which have little experience in EU-funded projects and calls on the Commission to provide them with increased operational support, in particular administrative support;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Draws particular attention to the situation of local authorities which have little experience in EU-funded projects and calls on the Commission to provide them with increased operational support, in particular administrative support; calls on the Member States to improve communications with local and regional authorities in the successive phases of evaluation, preparation of applications and project implementation, with a view speeding up administrative procedures;

Amendment 11 #

Mauri PEKKARINEN, Laurence FARRENG, Ondřej KNOTEK, Susana SOLÍS PÉREZ

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, in its resolution of 17 April 2020 on EU coordinated action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, Parliament pointed out that solidarity among ~~the~~sovereign Member States was not an option, but an obligation, stemming inter alia from Articles 2 and 21 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), and was part and parcel of our European values, as set out in Article 3 of the TEU;

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Highlights that the use of the EUSF has encouraged policy learning in national and local authorities, leading them to assess their broader disaster risk management measures; Draws particular attention to the situation of local authorities which have little experience in EU-funded projects and calls on the Commission to provide them with increased operational support, in particular administrative support;

Amendment 111 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Calls on the Commission to consider adapting the EUSF as far as possible to the regions that are the most vulnerable to natural~~, ecological~~ and health disasters, particularly the ORs, islands, mountainous regions, regions that are prone to intense seismic or volcanic activity and those that are sparsely populated;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Calls on the Commission to ~~adapt~~focus the EUSF as far as possible to the regions that are the most vulnerable to natural, ecological and health disasters, particularly the ORs, islands, mountainous regions, regions that are prone to intense seismic or volcanic activity and those that are sparsely populated;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Believes that all lessons should be learned from Hurricane Irma that struck Saint-Martin in 2017 and calls for the EUSF and other emergency aid schemes to be extended to Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs);deleted

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Notes that drought is a recurrent feature of the European climate that affects considerable fractions of the European population each year and that available studies, including reports from the European Environmental agency, project further increases in the frequency, duration and severity of meteorological and hydrological droughts for most of Europe during the 21st century; calls on the Commission to properly address the issue of droughts, that, in spite of their inclusion into the scope of EUSF regulation with the 2014 revision, are very difficult to assess in their economic impact and thus to compensate;

Amendment 116 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

18. Points out that in its revised proposal of 27 May 2020 on the MFF 2021-2027 the Commission provided for a maximum annual budget of EUR 1 billion for the EUSF (in 2018 prices) ~~and therefore notes with concern~~but notes that under the agreement on the new MFF, the EUSF has been merged with the Emergency Aid Reserve (EAR) into a new ‘Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve’ (SEAR) package, with an overall annual budgetary allocation of EUR 1.2 billion;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Points out that in its revised proposal of 27 May 2020 on the MFF 2021-2027 the Commission provided for a maximum annual budget of EUR 1 billion for the EUSF (in 2018 prices) and ~~therefore notes with concern~~ that under the agreement on the new MFF, the EUSF has been merged with the Emergency Aid Reserve (EAR) into a new ‘Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve’ (SEAR) package, with an overall annual budgetary allocation of EUR 1.2 billion;

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Points out that in its revised proposal of 27 May 2020 on the MFF 2021-2027 the Commission provided for a maximum annual budget of EUR 1 billion for the EUSF (in 2018 prices) and ~~therefore notes with concern~~notes that under the agreement on the new MFF, the EUSF has been merged with the Emergency Aid Reserve (EAR) into a new ‘Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve’ (SEAR) package, with an overall annual budgetary allocation of EUR 1.2 billion;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Points out that in its revised proposal of 27 May 2020 on the MFF 2021-2027 the Commission provided for a maximum annual budget of EUR 1 billion for the EUSF (in 2018 prices) and therefore notes with ~~concern~~regret that under the agreement on the new MFF, the EUSF has been merged with the Emergency Aid Reserve (EAR) into a new ‘Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve’ (SEAR) package, with an overall annual budgetary allocation of EUR 1.2 billion;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, in its resolution of 17 April 2020 on EU coordinated action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, Parliament pointed out that solidarity among the Member States was ~~not an option, but~~ an obligation, stemming inter alia from Articles 2 and 21 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), and was part and parcel of our European values, as set out in Article 3 of the TEU;

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. ~~Consid~~Furthers t~~hat~~o the ~~establishment of a SEAR may have the advantage of some flexibility, but notes that, in its current form, the EUSF allocation remains~~previous paragraph, and although the EUSF and the EAR have been merged uncdertain, since it depends on the amounts mobilised by the EAR; undertakes, accordingly, closely to monitor the management of the SEAR in order to see whether the funding amount and allocation key provided for in this new financial instrument meet the needs of the EUSF, in view of the extension of its scope and the scale and proliferation of emergencies resulting, in particular, from climate change the new Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve (SEAR) package, considers that the maximum annual budget of EUR 1 billion (at 2018 prices) set out in the Commission’s revised proposal of 27 May 2020 on the CFP for 2021-2027 should be ring-fenced for the exclusive benefit of the Member States and accession countries to provide them with financial assistance in the event of major disasters;

Amendment 121 #

Elżbieta KRUK, Raffaele FITTO, Izabela-Helena KLOC, Andżelika Anna MOŻDŻANOWSKA, Krzysztof JURGIEL, Waldemar TOMASZEWSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Considers that the establishment of a SEAR may have the advantage of ~~some flexibility, but note~~providing for flexibility; points out nevertheless that, in its current form, the EUSF allocation remains uncertain, since it depends on the amounts mobilised by the EAR; ~~undertakes, accordingly,~~considers necessary to closely to monitor the management of the SEAR in order to see whether the funding amount and allocation key provided for in this new financial instrument meet the needs of the EUSF, in view of the extension of its scope and the scale and proliferation of emergencies resulting, in particular, from climate change;

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Considers that the establishment of a SEAR may have the advantage of some flexibility, but notes that, in its current form, the EUSF allocation remains uncertain, since it depends on the amounts mobilised by the EAR; undertakes, accordingly, closely to monitor the management of the SEAR in order to see whether the funding amount and allocation key provided for in this new financial instrument meet the needs of the EUSF, in view of the extension of its scope and the scale and proliferation of emergencies resulting, in particular, from ~~climate change~~natural disasters, climate change and the health emergency;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Welcomes the fact that the revised EUSF adopted in ~~April~~March 2020 has increased the level of advance payments from 10% to 25% of the amount of the financial contribution anticipated and the maximum amount of the advances from EUR 30 million to EUR 100 million; points out, ~~however, that for countries facing major disasters, the effectiveness of the Fund is directly linked to the level of advance payments and~~in this context the importance of advance payments for increasing the effectiveness of interventions and calls for increased efforts to be made isn o~~f the view that it should be much higher, amounting to at least 33%~~rder to reduce the average time of their release;

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Welcomes the fact that the revised EUSF adopted in April 2020 has increased the level of advance payments from 10% to 25% of the amount of the financial contribution anticipated and the maximum amount of the advances from EUR 30 million to EUR 100 million; points out, however, that for countries facing major disasters, the effectiveness of the Fund is directly linked to the level of advance payments and is of the view that it should be much higher, amounting to at least 33%;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Welcomes the fact that the revised EUSF adopted in April 2020 has increased the level of advance payments from 10% to 25% of the amount of the financial contribution anticipated and the maximum amount of the advances from EUR 30 million to EUR 100 million; points out, however, that for countries facing major disasters, the effectiveness of the Fund is directly linked to the level of advance payments ~~and is of the view that it should be much higher, amounting to at least 33%~~;

Amendment 126 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Considers that most of the large- scale buildings located in the ORs (such as ports, airports, hospitals), essential as they are for the functioning of these small territories, are public buildings, and are very much exposed to environmental disasters; consequently, believes that the financial support from the EUSF for the ORs should be higher than 2,5% the amount received to remedy past disasters , in order to allow them to quickly return to and improve up on their status quo ante;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

~~21. Notes that the average time needed to make advance payments is five months and calls on the Commission to consider some more reactive solutions;~~deleted

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that the average time needed to make advance payments is five months and calls on the Commission to consider some more reactive solutions, also exploring the option of setting up specific financial schemes aimed both at reducing the average time for advance payments and at the same time ensuring the protection of the EU budget ;

Amendment 13 #

C. noting with interest that, according to a recent survey, more than two thirds of Europeans believe that the European Union should equip itself with more resources to deal with crises such as COVID-19;deleted

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. ~~Notes with regret that it takes~~Moreover, notes that, on average, it takes one year for the entire grant to reach the beneficiary and that the Fund cannot therefore, under the current conditions, claim to act as an instrument for rapid intervention; calls on the Commission to expedite payment procedures and to explore ways of simplifying, as much as; calls on the Commission to explore ways of simplifying the mobilisation of the Fund to the biggest extent possible, in the ~~administrative proced~~context of a futures re~~quired to access a~~form in order to ensure a rapid, in ~~order to~~tervention and prompt relievef for disaster- stricken regions and/or countries ~~from unnecessary administrative burdens~~; believes in this regard that an assessment of the EUSF budget might become necessary in the future;

Amendment 131 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Notes with regret that it takes oin average one year for the entire grant to reach the beneficiary ~~and that the Fund cannot therefore, under the current conditions, claim to act as an instrument for rapid intervention~~; calls on the Commission to expedite payment procedures and to explore ways of simplifying, as much as possible, the administrative procedures required to access aid, in order to relieve disaster- stricken regions or countries from unnecessary administrative burdens;

Amendment 132 #

Elżbieta KRUK, Raffaele FITTO, Izabela-Helena KLOC, Andżelika Anna MOŻDŻANOWSKA, Krzysztof JURGIEL, Waldemar TOMASZEWSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Notes with regret that it takes on average one year for the entire grant to reach the beneficiary ~~and that the Fund cannot therefore, under the current conditions, claim to act as an instrument for rapid intervention~~; calls on the Commission to expedite payment procedures and to explore ways of simplifying, as much as possible, the administrative procedures required to access aid, in order to relieve disaster- stricken regions or countries from unnecessary administrative burdens;

Amendment 133 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Notes with regret that it takes on average one year for the entire grant to reach the beneficiary and that the Fund cannot therefore, under the current conditions, claim to act as an instrument for rapid intervention; calls on the Commission to expedite payment procedures and to explore ways tof simplify~~ing~~ and make flexible, as much as possible, the administrative procedures required to access aid, in order to relieve disaster- stricken regions or countries from unnecessary administrative burdens;

Amendment 134 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

~~23. Believes that, in the future, the EUSF budget will have to be increased in order to make it a real tool for EU solidarity;~~deleted

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Believes that, in the future, ~~the EUSF budget will have to be increased in order to make it a real tool for EU solidarity~~it is important that the level of the EUSF budget and allocation of funding is monitored and, if necessary, adjusted;

Amendment 136 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

23. Believes that, in the future, the EUSF budget ~~will have to~~could be increased in order to make it a real tool for EU solidarity;

Amendment 137 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. ~~Believe~~Considers that, in the future, the EUSF budget will have to be increased in order to m~~ake it~~eet what is required from a real tool for EU solidarity; believes that in the short run, the Commission should prepare a proposal with more allocated resources for the EUSF budget, as it is duly justified by the broadening of the scope, in order to guarantee that there is enough budget to deal immediately with major natural and public health disasters;

Amendment 138 #

Elżbieta KRUK, Raffaele FITTO, Izabela-Helena KLOC, Andżelika Anna MOŻDŻANOWSKA, Krzysztof JURGIEL, Waldemar TOMASZEWSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Believes that, in the future, the EUSF budget will have to be increased in order to make it a real tool for EU solidarity; to this end, believes that the EUSF is not only used for damage repair but also for resilience in relation to climate change, natural disasters and public health emergencies in order to exit stronger from the disaster situation;

Amendment 139 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls for the criteria for determining operations that are ‘eligible’ for assistance from the Fund to take greater account of the latest risk prevention principles, ~~so as~~in order to enable countries to improve the quality of their infrastructure during reconstruction and t~~hus be~~o better prepare~~d to deal with disasters~~ themselves to avoid future disasters by securing preventive infrastructure;

Amendment 14 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. noting with interest that, according to a recent survey, ~~more than~~ two thirds of the Europeans citizens believe that the European Union should ~~equip itself with more resources to deal with crises such as COVID-19;~~ have more competences to deal with crises such as the crisis of the Covid-19, and more than a half believes that the EU should have more financial means to deal with these crises1a; _________________ 1a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/p ress-room/20201113IPR91602/eu-survey- confirms-citizens-call-for-eu-to-have- more-powers-to-tackle-pandemic

Amendment 140 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls for the criteria for determining operations that are ‘eligible’ for assistance from the Fund to take greater account of the latest risk prevention principles, ~~so as to enable~~with a view to countri~~es to improve the quality~~buting to the improvement of their infrastructure quality during reconstruction and thus be better prepared to deal with disasters;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Takes the view that operations such as ‘framework loans’, implemented with the EIB, could also be used to finance the reconstruction of more ~~expensive, but more~~ resilient, safer and greener infrastructure;

Amendment 142 #

Elżbieta KRUK, Raffaele FITTO, Izabela-Helena KLOC, Andżelika Anna MOŻDŻANOWSKA, Krzysztof JURGIEL, Waldemar TOMASZEWSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Calls on the Commission to strengthen synergies between the EUSF and cohesion funds, as well as with the UCPM, with a view to effective and structured risk management in the short, medium and long term, not only through the construction of sustainable, energy- and resource-efficient infrastructure, but also through the deployment of preventive measures; also calls on the Commission to demonstrate flexibility with programming and amending of nationals operational programmes when they comes to dealing with natural disasters;

Amendment 143 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Calls on the Commission to strengthen and simplify the synergies between the EUSF and cohesion funds, as well as with the U~~CPM~~nion Civil Protection Mechanism, with a view to effective and structured risk management in the short, medium and long term, not only through the construction of sustainable, energy- and resource-efficient infrastructure, but also through the deployment of preventive measures;

Amendment 144 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Calls on the Commission to strengthen synergies between the EUSF and cohesion funds, as well as with the UCPM, with a view to effective and structured risk management for reconstruction projects in the short, medium and long term, not only through the construction of sustainable, energy- and resource-efficient infrastructure, but also through the deployment of preventive measures;

Amendment 145 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27a. Highlights that the extension of the scope of the Fund, to fight impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, has shown us that the EUSF has the capacity to be more flexible, both in scope and in its eligibility - it can provide assistance not only in cases of major natural disasters, but also in the prevention and rapid assistance to other types of major disasters, such as pandemics;

Amendment 146 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

~~28. Takes the view that this broadening of the scope of the EUSF requires a larger budget;~~deleted

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. ~~Tak~~Stresses the ~~view~~fact that thise broadening of the scope of the EUSF ~~requires a larger~~ must always be accompanied by a reinforcement of its budget;

Amendment 148 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Takes the view that this broadening of the scope of the EUSF requires ~~a larger budget~~close monitoring and evaluation;

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to improve the visibility of the Fund’s assistance through ad hoc, targeted communication activities, ~~and to make rapid response and delivery of aid a priority,~~ in order specifically to highlight the Union’s added value in the event of natural and health disasters and a concrete expression of EU solidarity and its ability to put genuine mutual assistance into practice by providing significant budgetary resources;

Amendment 15 #

C. noting with interest that, according to a recent survey, more than two thirds of Europeans believe that the European Union should e~~quip itself with mor~~armark adequate resources to deal with crises such as COVID-19;

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to improve the visibility of the Fund’s assistance through ad hoc, targeted communication activities, ~~and~~in parallel to making the rapid response and delivery of aid a priority, in order specifically to highlight the Union’s added value in the event of natural and health disasters and its ability to put genuine mutual assistance into practice by providing significant budgetary resources;

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Calls on the Commission and the sovereign Member States to improve the visibility of the Fund’s assistance through ad hoc, targeted communication activities, and to make rapid response and delivery of aid a priority, in order specifically to highlight the Union’s added value in the event of natural and health disasters and its ability to put genuine mutual assistance into practice by providing significant budgetary resources;

Amendment 152 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council ~~and to~~, the Commission and the Member States.

Amendment 16 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. noting with interest that, according to a recent survey, more than two thirds of Europeans believe that the European Union should equip itself with more resources to deal with unexpected crises, such as COVID-19;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas, so far, assistance from the Fund has concerned around a hundred natural disasters in 243 member states and 1 accession countries, totalling some EUR 6.6 billion; for interventions1a; _________________ 1a https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/stories/s /An-overview-of-the-EU-Solidarity-Fund- 2002-2019/qpif-qzyn

Amendment 18 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas, in the years 2017-2018, overall flooding disasters made up some two thirds of all EUSF applications but the reporting period was also marked by significant storms, forest fires and earthquakes;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. noting the usefulness of the EUSF, highlighted by the Commission’s evaluation, in particular as regards reducing the burden o~~n local authorities facing significant damage as a result~~f all national, regional and local authorities to support the recovery effort in the aftermath of natural disasters;

Amendment 2 #

Elżbieta KRUK, Raffaele FITTO, Izabela-Helena KLOC, Andżelika Anna MOŻDŻANOWSKA, Krzysztof JURGIEL, Waldemar TOMASZEWSKI

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), established by Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 in order to provide financial assistance to Member States and accession countries undergoing major disasters, represents true European added value and the materialisation of a will, that has sometimes been lacking, to provide mutual assistance at Union level;deleted

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. noting the usefulness of the EUSF, highlighted by the Commission’s evaluation, in particular as regards reducing the burden on local authorities facing significant damage as a result of natural disasters or health emergencies;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas, however, the promptness at which the financial assistance is released also depends on the ability of potential beneficiaries to provide full estimates of the total amount of damage caused by the disaster as soon as possible, in spite of the difficulty of such operations in emergency situations, as well as on the quality of the official coordination structures set up in the states concerned;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the Fund’s regulatory framework was revised in 2014 by amending Regulation (EU) No 661/2014, in particular with a view to simplifying procedures, shortening the time frame for replying after the submission of applications, clarifying the eligibility criteria ofor requests for assistance in the event of regional disasters, extending the implementation period and introducing advance payments, as called for by Parliament on several occasions; whereas, ~~however, further progress is needed~~further progress has been achieved through the March 2020 amendment of the Regulation especially as regards the increase of the level of advance payments and the simplification of the EUSF mobilisation;

Amendment 24 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the Fund’s regulatory framework was revised in 2014 by amending Regulation (EU) No 661/2014, in particular with a view to simplifying procedures, shortening the time frame for replying after the submission of applications, clarifying the eligibility criteria for requests for assistance in the event of ~~region~~national, regional or local disasters, extending the implementation period and introducing advance payments, as called for by Parliament on several occasions; whereas, however, further progress is ~~needed~~absolutely necessary;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas the rate of approval of requests for assistance in the event of major disasters is 100%, while that of requests for assistance in the event of regional disasters, the most frequent category, has risen from 32% to 85% following the 2014 revision of the EUSF Regulation;

Amendment 26 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. ~~regretting, however, that,~~ although the reform of the regulation in 2014 contributed to ~~a 12% reduction in the time between the~~the extension from 10 to 12 weeks to allow the preparation and submission of ~~the~~ applications for assistance, a~~nd the relevant payment, the period required in order for the full grant to be deployed is still too long when the~~ substantial proportion of cases still requires updates, resulting in excessive delay in finally accessing the grants; for this reason, calls on the Commission to give a simplified guidance on the application requirements aind i~~s being urgently awaited~~n so doing reducing the administrative burden;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. ~~regretting, however, that~~whereas, although the reform of the regulation in 2014 contributed to a 12% reduction in the time between the submission of the application for assistance and the relevant payment, the period required in order for the full grant to be deployed is still ~~too long when the aid is being urgently awaited~~long;

Amendment 28 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. noting the Commission acknowledgement that the EUSF is not a rapid reaction instrument and that its implementation and the relevant budgetary procedure may take several months to complete;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. stresses that the period required in order for the full grant to be deployed could be further reduced, as EU solidarity is urgently awaited;

Amendment 3 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), established by Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 ~~in order to~~, created following the great floods that hit Central Europe in 2002, provides financial assistance to Member States and accession countries ~~undergoing~~struck by major disasters,; whereas the EUSF represents a true European added value and the materialisation of a will~~, that has sometimes been lacking, to provide mu~~ of solidarity towards the populations of the EU's regions affected by major natural ~~assistance at Union level~~disasters;

Amendment 30 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. regret~~ting, likewise,~~s that the Fund’s assistance ~~does not~~only covers the ~~additional costs of rebuilding energy- and resource- efficient infrastructure that is~~restoration of the status quo ante of infrastructure and plants in the fields of energy, water and waste water, telecommunications, transport, health and education, while leaving aside additional costs of rebuilding more disaster-resilient and climate-resilient infrastructures, as called for in the European Green Deal, to be financed by the beneficiary State from own resources and from other Union funds, such as ERDF and Cohesion Fund;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. regretting, likewise, that the Fund’s assistance does not cover the additional costs of rebuilding energy- and resource- efficient infrastructure that is more disaster-resilient ~~and climate-resilient, as called for in the European Green Deal~~;

Amendment 32 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. ~~regretting, likewise, that~~whereas the Fund’s assistance does not cover the additional costs of rebuilding energy- and resource- efficient infrastructure that is more disaster-resilient and climate-resilient~~, as called for in the European Green Deal~~;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. noting with interest that, as illustrated by the COVID-19 crisis, there is ~~a high degree of complementarity~~room for a higher level of synergies between cohesion policy instruments and the EUSF~~, the fund which~~; acknowledging that the EUSF was created to responds to natural disasters in the short and medium term, while cohesion policy (ERDF and Cohesion Fund) is geared to longer- term planning, with regard to planning and investments for civil protection and preventive and risk management infrastructure;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. noting with interest that, as illustrated by the COVID-19 crisis, there is a high degree of complementarity between cohesion policy instruments and the EUSF, the fund which responds to natural disasters in the short and medium term, while cohesion policy is geared to longer- term planning with regard to civil protection and preventive and risk management infrastructure; whereas the current health crisis has a very significant human dimension and the Union and the Member States should accordingly act in a spirit of solidarity;

Amendment 35 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. noting with interest that, as illustrated by the COVID-19 crisis, there is a high degree of complementarity between cohesion policy instruments and the EUSF, the fund which responds to natural disasters in the short and medium term, while cohesion policy is geared to longer- term planning with regard to civil protection ~~and~~, preventive and risk management infrastructure, as well as resilience measures, contributing to the objectives of the European Green Deal;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. welcom~~ing~~es the Commission’s proposal to, and subsequent exnte~~nd the scope of the EUSF to include health emergencies, so that this financial instrument can be used to provide assistance to populations affected by a pandemic~~ring into force of Regulation (EU) 2020/461, to extend the scope of the EUSF to include major public health emergencies;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. welcoming the Commission’s proposal to extend the scope of the EUSF to include health emergencies, so that this financial instrument can be used to provide assistance to populations affected by a pandemic, provided that such extension does not remove funds from emergencies caused by natural disasters;

Amendment 38 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

M. ~~whereas, because of climate change, emergency situations are likely to intensify and multiply;~~ highlighting, therefore, the usefulness of the budgetary mechanism of dynamic allocation, introduced in 2014, which enabled the Fund, amongst other things, to provide record support of EUR 1.2 billion for the earthquakes in Italy in 2016-2017;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

M. whereas, because of climate change, ~~emergency situation~~natural disasters are likely to intensify and multiply; highlighting, therefore, the usefulness of the budgetary mechanism of dynamic allocation, introduced in 2014, which enabled the Fund, amongst other things, to provide a record ~~support~~EUSF contribution of EUR 1.2 billion for the earthquakes in Italy in 2016- 2017;

Amendment 4 #

Elżbieta KRUK, Raffaele FITTO, Izabela-Helena KLOC, Andżelika Anna MOŻDŻANOWSKA, Krzysztof JURGIEL, Waldemar TOMASZEWSKI

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), established by Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 in order to provide financial assistance to Member States and accession countries undergoing major disasters or major public health emergencies, represents true European added value and the materialisation of a will, that has sometimes been insufficient or lacking, to provide mutual assistance and solidarity at Union level;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)

Ma. whereas, as laid down in Article 7 of the EUSF regulation, operations financed by the Fund should be compatible with the provisions of the Treaty and instruments adopted under it, with Union policies and measures, in particular in the fields of environmental protection, natural disaster risk prevention and management, climate change adaptation including, where appropriate, eco-system based approaches.

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. regretting that people in the EU are not very aware of the existence of the Solidarity Fund, in particular because the Fund largely intervenes only after reconstruction work has been completed, in the form of reimbursements;deleted

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. ~~regretting that people in the EU are not very aware of the ex~~whereas more efforts should be done to increase the visibility of EUSF assisteance ofn the ~~Solidarity Fund~~ground, which is not very evident for citizens, in particular because the Fund largely intervenes only after reconstruction work has been completed, in the form of reimbursements;

Amendment 43 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. regretting that people in the EUsovereign Member States are not very aware of the existence of the European Union’s Solidarity Fund, in particular because the Fund largely intervenes only after reconstruction work has been completed, in the form of reimbursements;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O a (new)

Oa. whereas, as recognized in Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, among others, the difficult climate situation is one of the persistent factors that seriously hamper the development of the outermost regions (ORs). Consequently, specific measures should be adopted at laying down the conditions for the application of the Treaties, including common policies;

Amendment 45 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas special attention should be paid to the outermost regions (ORs), islands – which are particularly vulnerable to disasters – mountainous regions, sparsely populated regions and all areas that are particularly prone to the risk of natural disasters, and whereas it should also be borne in mind that those areas often have lower levels of insurance to cover the costs of damage than other areas in the EU;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas special attention should be paid to the ~~outermost regions (~~ORs), islands ~~– which are particularly vulnerable to disasters –~~, mountainous regions, sparsely populated regions and all areas that are particularly prone to the risk of natural disasters;

Amendment 47 #

Nora MEBAREK, Isabel CARVALHAIS

Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)

Pa. regretting that the EUSF Regulation does not currently allow the submission of aid applications on a cross- border basis, even though certain areas particularly vulnerable to natural disasters, such as mountain areas, are often cross-border;

Amendment 48 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Expresses its deep concern that extreme w~~Considers that investing in prevention and climate mitigation in line with European Green Deal, is of the utmost importance, as floods, earth~~er even~~quakes, forest fires, droughts and other natural disasters ~~will only increase and intensify alongside climate c~~can spill out of hanged;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Expresses its ~~deep~~ concern that ~~extreme weather events and~~ natural disasters ~~will only~~could increase and intensify ~~alongside climate change~~;

Amendment 5 #

Elżbieta KRUK, Raffaele FITTO, Izabela-Helena KLOC, Andżelika Anna MOŻDŻANOWSKA, Krzysztof JURGIEL, Waldemar TOMASZEWSKI

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), established by Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 in order to provide financial assistance to Member States and accession countries undergoing major disasters, represents true European added value and the materialisation of a will~~, that has sometimes been lacking,~~ to provide mutual assistance at Union level;

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Expresses its ~~deep~~ concern that extreme weather events and natural disasters will only increase and intensify alongside climate change;

Amendment 51 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Expresses its deep concern that extreme weather events and natural disasters will only increase and intensify alongside climate change; stresses the need for Member States to make further efforts to invest in climate impact alleviation measures, bearing in mind that many natural disasters are the direct consequence of human activities;

Amendment 52 #

Raffaele FITTO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Is of the view that all citizens expect European solidarity to be shown when disasters or serious health emergencies occur;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. The EUSF is one of the most concrete expressions of the EU solidarity;

Amendment 54 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses with concern that, in recent years, Europeans have had to face multiple emergencies that have devastated human lives, property, economic and social activities, the environment and cultural heritage;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses with concern that, in recent years, Europeans have had to face multiple ~~emergencie~~disasters that have devastated human lives, property, the environment and cultural heritage;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses ~~with concern~~ that, in recent years, Europeans have had to face multiple emergencies that have devastated human lives, property, the environment and cultural heritage;

Amendment 57 #

Elżbieta KRUK, Raffaele FITTO, Izabela-Helena KLOC, Andżelika Anna MOŻDŻANOWSKA, Krzysztof JURGIEL, Waldemar TOMASZEWSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Draws attention to ~~events such as COVID-19, which is~~the fact that the risks of natural, ecological and health disasters have now become systemic: the COVID-19 pandemic severely ~~affe~~impacting ~~all of Europe~~the lives of all Europeans and the whole economy, forest fires across the continent, including in unusual places such as the Arctic, and the series of violent earthquakes in Europe, particularly in Italy in 2016-2017, causing hundreds of deaths and some EUR 22 billion in damage, ands well as in Croatia in March 2020 and December 2020; points out, moreover, that storms, extreme rainfall and flooding have caused considerable damage in many cities and valleys, and that increasingly violent hurricanes have caused devastation in the outermost regions, such as Hurricane Irma in 2017 in Saint-Martin, and Hurricane Lorenzo in 2019 in the Azores, which were particularly destructive; reminds in this context that fragile territories, such as islands, are often the most affected by the impact of climate change;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Draws attention to events such as COVID-19, which is severely affecting all of Europe, forest fires across the continent, including in unusual places such as the Arctic, and the series of violent earthquakes in Europe, particularly in Italy in 2016-2017, causing hundreds of deaths and some EUR 22 billion in damage, and in Croatia in March 2020; points out, moreover, that storms, extreme rainfall and flooding have caused considerable damage in many cities and valleys, and that increasingly violent hurricanes have caused devastation in the outermost regions, such as Hurricane Irma in 2017 in Saint-Martin, and Hurricane Lorenzo in 2019 in the Azores, which were particularly destructive; also recalls that it is necessary not to underestimate the problem of infectious plant diseases, such as xylella fastidiosa, which cause considerable damage to the environment and regional economies;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Draws attention to events such as COVID-19, which is severely affecting all of Europe, forest fires across the continent, including in unusual places such as the Arctic, and the series of violent earthquakes in Europe, particularly in Italy in 2016-2017, causing hundreds of deaths and some EUR 22 billion in damage, and in Croatia in March and December 2020; points out, moreover, that storms, extreme rainfall and flooding have caused considerable damage in many cities and valleys, such as storm Vaia which struck the Dolomites and Venetian Prealps in 2018, and that increasingly violent hurricanes have caused devastation in the outermost regions, such as Hurricane Irma in 2017 in Saint-Martin, and Hurricane Lorenzo in 2019 in the Azores, which were particularly destructive;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), established by Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 in order to provide financial assistance to sovereign Member States and accession countries undergoing major disasters, represents true European added value and the materialisation of a will, that has sometimes been lacking, to provide mutual assistance at Union level;

Amendment 60 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Nora MEBAREK, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Draws attention to events such as COVID-19, which is severely affecting all of Europe, forest fires across the continent, including in unusual places such as the Arctic, and the series of violent earthquakes in Europe, particularly in Italy in 2016-2017, causing hundreds of deaths and some EUR 22 billion in damage, and in Croatia in March and December 2020; points out, moreover, that storms, extreme rainfall and flooding have caused considerable damage in many cities and valleys, and that increasingly violent hurricanes have caused devastation in the outermost regions, such as Hurricane Irma in 2017 in Saint-Martin, and Hurricane Lorenzo in 2019 in the Azores, which were particularly destructive;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Draws attention to ~~event~~pandemics such as COVID-19, which is severely affecting all of Europe, forest fires across the continent, ~~including in unusual places such as the Arctic,~~ and the series of violent earthquakes in Europe, particularly in Italy in 2016-2017, causing hundreds of deaths and some EUR 22 billion in damage, and in Croatia, in March and December 2020; points out, moreover, that storms, extreme rainfall and flooding have caused considerable damage in many cities and valleys, and that increasingly violent hurricanes have caused devastation in the outermost regions, such as Hurricane Irma in 2017 in Saint-Martin, and Hurricane Lorenzo in 2019 in the Azores, which were particularly destructive;

Amendment 62 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that it is vital that aid and funds be sent every ~~more rapidly~~as quickly as possible to affected regions, and that links with the Union Civil Protection Mechanism ~~(UCPM)~~ and the ERDF climate-change adaptation component are essential in order to create a comprehensive package; calls on the Commission to continue its work on the guidance for EUSF's simplified usage in order to facilitate actions of national, regional and local authorities;

Amendment 63 #

Mauri PEKKARINEN, Laurence FARRENG, Ondřej KNOTEK, Susana SOLÍS PÉREZ

5. Points out that it is vital that aid and funds be sent every more rapidly to affected regions, and that links with the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and the ERDF climate-change adaptation component are essential in order to create a comprehensive package; stresses the importance of granting immediate aid to affected regions, with administrative and procurement procedures coming afterwards;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that it is vital that aid and funds be sent every more rapidly to affected regions, and that links with the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and the ERDF climate-change adaptation component are essential in order to create a comprehensive package; insists that synergies with these and other relevant EU funding instruments should be used flexibly and to their fullest extent;

Amendment 65 #

Elżbieta KRUK, Raffaele FITTO, Izabela-Helena KLOC, Andżelika Anna MOŻDŻANOWSKA, Krzysztof JURGIEL, Waldemar TOMASZEWSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that it is vital that aid and funds bare sent ~~every more rapidly~~as rapidly as possible to affected regions, and that links with the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and the ERDF climate-change adaptation component, as well as with territorial cooperation programmes are essential in order to create a comprehensive response and resilience package;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that it is vital that aid and funds be sent every more rapidly and easily to affected regions, and that links with the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and the ERDF climate-change adaptation component are essential in order to create a comprehensive package;

Amendment 67 #

Mauri PEKKARINEN, Laurence FARRENG, Ondřej KNOTEK, Susana SOLÍS PÉREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that it is vital that aid and funds be sent every more rapidly to affected regions, and that ~~link~~synergies with the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and the ERDF climate-change adaptation component are essential in order to create a comprehensive package;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Points out that, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, (UNDRR) over the last 20 years (2000- 2019), ~~7 348~~there were 7,348 major natural disasters tha~~ve been recorded worldwide at a cost of around USD 3 000 billion, compared to 3 656 disasters between 1980 and 1999~~t claimed 1.23 million lives, affected 4.2 billion people and resulted in $2.97 trillion in global economic losses;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Points out that, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, over the last 20 years (2000- 2019), 7 348 natural disasters have been recorded worldwide at a cost of around USD 3 000 billion, compared to 3 656 disasters between 1980 and 1999;(Does not affect the English version.)

Amendment 7 #

Mauri PEKKARINEN, Susana SOLÍS PÉREZ

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), established by Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 in order to provide financial assistance to Member States and accession countries undergoing major disasters, represents true European added value and the materialisation of a will, that has ~~sometimes~~often been lacking, to provide mutual assistance at Union level;

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Points out that, according to the ~~Commission, natural disasters alone cost the EU more than 90 000 human lives and more than~~European Environment Agency (EEA), between 1980 and 2019, climate-related extremes caused economic losses totalling an estimated EUR ~~500~~446 billion in ~~economic losses between 1980 and 2017~~the EEA member countries;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses that, according to a UN report published on 13 October 2020, natural disasters will lead to the loss of around 150 million lives per year worldwide by 2030 and that the costs of the disasters are expected to reach USD 20 billion per year;deleted

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

Amendment 74 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Is of the view that the risks of natural, ecological and health disasters have now become systemic and that the least developed and most fragile territories, such as islands, are often the most affected by the impact of climate changemajor climate and public health emergencies have deeper economic and social impacts in the least developed and most fragile territories, such as islands, so more adequate measures in these territories should be taken under the EUSF;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Is of the view that the risks of natural, ecological and health disasters have now become systemic and that the ~~least developed and~~ most fragile territories, such as islands, mountainous regions and regions that are prone to intense seismic or volcanic activity are often the most affected by the impact of climate change;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Is of the view that the risks of natural~~, ecological~~ and health disasters have now become systemic and that the least developed and most fragile territories, such as islands, are often the most affected by the impact of climate change;

Amendment 78 #

Nora MEBAREK, Isabel CARVALHAIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Is of the view that ~~the risks of~~ natural, ecological and health disasters h~~ave now become systemic and tha~~it the least developed and most fragile territories, such as islands, har~~e often the most affected by the impact of climate change~~dest;

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Is of the view that the risks of natural, ecological and health disasters have now become systemic and that the least developed and most fragile territories, such as islands, mountainous areas and sparsely populated regions are often the most affected by the impact of climate change;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas, under Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 on establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund, as amended, financial assistance for emergency and recovery operations’ does not include compensation for individuals; whereas, under Article 3(2) losses exceeding 0.6 % of gross national income at national level (‘major natural disaster’) or 1.5 % of gross domestic product at regional level (‘regional natural disaster’) are necessary for deployment of the fund;

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Is of the view that the risks of natural, ecological and health disasters have now become systemic and that the least developed and most fragile territories, such as the outermost regions and islands, are often the most affected by the impact of climate change;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls for the swift deployment of financial resources to combat the scourge of Sargassum seaweed, which is causing huge damage, in particular in the ecosystem of Guadeloupe and Martinique;

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9b. Points out that chlordecone is a highly carcinogenic substance that is polluting the soil, subsoil, rivers and shores of Guadeloupe and Martinique, and calls for the health consequences of chlordecone pollution to be recognised as a major public health emergency, thereby benefiting from support under the EUSF;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)

9c. Calls for access to drinking water for everyone living in Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique and Mayotte to be recognised as a major public health emergency and therefore to benefit from support under the EUSF;

Amendment 84 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS, Cristina MAESTRE, Josianne CUTAJAR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Considers it vital to improve disaster risk prevention and management in Europe; ~~recommends~~takes note of overviews of natural and man-made disaster risks that the EU faces based on reports prepared by the Commission and, in this regard, ~~that~~asks Member States to consider that they put in place, together with the Commission, disaster management plans for accurate and rapid damage assessment;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Considers it vital to i~~mprove~~nvest in disaster risk prevention and management in Europe by securing preventive infrastructure; recommends, in this regard, that Member States put in place, together with the Commission, disaster prevention and management plans for accurate and rapid damage assessment;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Considers it vital to improve disaster risk prevention and management in Europe, and to support adaptation measures in construction, in particular via the development of new infrastructure and the renovation of existing infrastructure; recommends, in this regard, that Member States put in place, together with the Commission, disaster management plans for accurate and rapid damage assessment;

Amendment 87 #

Mauri PEKKARINEN, Laurence FARRENG, Ondřej KNOTEK, Susana SOLÍS PÉREZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Considers it vital to improve disaster risk prevention and management in Europe; recommends, in this regard, that Member States put in place, together with the Commission, disaster management plans for accurate and rapid damage assessment; stresses that the EUSF is a straightforward and immediately applicable instrument that the EU can make available to local authorities;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Calls on the Commission to continue its work ton simplify~~ing the EUSF~~ and speed up the application procedure for Member States and to speed up the final disbursement of the Union contribution;

Amendment 89 #

11. ~~Calls on~~Invites the Commission, in the context of a future reform, to continue its work on simplifying the EUSF mobilisation to ensure a swifter response to the intensification of natural disasters, especially at regional level;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)

Ab. whereas this rules out immediate and total compensation for working-class households, small and medium-sized farms and small businesses affected by natural disasters that have already borne the brunt of austerity measures imposed on them by the EU and national governments to ensure the profitability of large conglomerates;

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Calls on the Commission to continue its work on simplifying the EUSF, with the aim of reducing the time needed in order to disburse the funds;

Amendment 91 #

Isabel CARVALHAIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Is of the opinion that ~~climate change and the intensification of~~ natural disasters are making territories and regions increasingly vulnerable; calls on the Commission, accordingly, to consider revising the EUSF in order better to take into account disasters on a regional scale;

Amendment 93 #

Nora MEBAREK, Isabel CARVALHAIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Is of the opinion that climate change and the intensification of natural disasters are making territories and regions increasingly vulnerable; calls on the Commission, accordingly, to consider revising the EUSF in order better to take into account disasters on a regional scale; underlines, moreover, the role of ERDF Operational Programmes, in synergy with Rural Development Programmes, in the prevention and mitigation of hydrogeological risks;

Amendment 94 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Is of the opinion that climate change and the intensification of natural disasters are making territories and regions increasingly vulnerable; calls on the Commission, accordingly, to consider revising the EUSF in order better to take into account disasters on a regional scale, paying particular attention to simplifying applications for activation of the Fund at the scale of several European regions in the context of cross-border disasters;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Highlights that the severity of some natural disasters does not depend exclusively on climate change but are in some cases the result of man-made factors, including incautious spatial planning leading to construction of housing and infrastructure in flood plains of rivers or in landslides-prone territories; reiterates, in this regard, that EUSF reimbursements should favour a stronger resiliency and sustainability, with the financing of eco-system based solutions (e.g. reforestation, earthquake-proof reconstruction);

Amendment 96 #