2021/2158(DEC) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Draws attention to the context in which official development assistance (ODA) is now provided, marked by the ~~COVID pandemic, the aggravating climate crisis, the rele~~massive influx of citizens from third countlies~~s growth of the needs of humanitarian aid, developing countries’ woefully inadequate financial~~, lacking all rights for entry, into Member States, despite massive and far reaching development-aid investments by the Member States in their home- countries, and othe~~r resources to respond to the challenges they face, the reversal of the progress towards key Sustainable Development Goals, including those to eradicate poverty and hunger, and the~~ continued Union failure to scale up the demands for conditionality for aid, this coincides with a dramatic and urgent need to ensure proper conditions for the delivery of development-aid from the Member States, via the EU- Commission bureaucracy, in order to ensure that third count~~inued global failure to scale up climate action to the urgent need~~ries follow the international rules in force, protecting their populations and ensure that they are allowed to be returned home;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Insists that the Union and its Member States ~~scale up~~maintain and improve the effectiveness of their ODA and climate finance so as to honour their commitments, that maximum efficiency of the spending be sought, that policy coherence for development (PCD) be practicsed in a more convincing way and that new efforts to create an enabling international environment for domestic resource mobilisation (DRM) be made, such as improvements to national tax systems; takes the view that well-functioning PCD and support for DRM should be considered part and parcel of sound financial management as these are means to increase the efficiency of EU action which do not need to imply significant additional costs to the Union budget;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Insists that the Union and its Member States ~~scale up~~respect their ODA ~~and climate finance~~ so as to honour their commitments, that maximum efficiency of the spending be sought, that policy coherence for development (PCD) be practiced in a more convincing way and that new efforts to create an enabling international environment for domestic resource mobilisation (DRM) be made; takes the view that well-functioning PCD and support for DRM should be considered part and parcel of sound financial management as these are means to increase the efficiency of EU action which do not need to imply significant additional costs to the Union budget;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Urges the Member States and the Commission to aim their development aid at those economic sectors of developing and least-developed countries which are most likely to create jobs, and to take careful note of Special Report 14/2020 by the European Court of Auditors dated 8 September 2020;1 a _________________ 1a https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/Pages/DocI tem.aspx?did=54267

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Stresses in this regard that, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, each year the African continent loses around USD 88.6 billion as a result of illicit capital flight, which corresponds to 3.7% of the continent's gross domestic product;1 a _________________ 1a https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazi ne/february-2021/tackling-illicit- financial-flows-secure-africas-future- curb-conflict

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2c. Notes that, according to the World Bank, agriculture accounted for 53% of jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa in 20191 a and that as a result, the agriculture sector, in particular family farming and agroecology, should be given priority in terms of development aid; _________________ 1a https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.A GR.EMPL.ZS?locations=ZG

Amendment 15 #

Erik MARQUARDT, Michèle RIVASI, Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Expresses disappointment about the continued absence of major action by the Commission ~~on the~~ to ensure co~~mme~~ndaitions of the external evaluation of the Union’s PCD1 , ordered by the Commission and received in 2018; _________________ 1 https://ec.europa.eu/international- partnerships/system/files/pcd-main- report_en.pdfality of Member States aid, administered by the Commission, especially in regard to beneficiary-states in the developing world that do not accept the return of their own citizens from one or more of the Member States;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Expresses disappointment about the continued absence of major action by the Commission on the recommendations of the external evaluation of the Union’s PCD1 , ordered by the Commission and received in 2018; ~~_________________ 1 https://ec.europa.eu/international- partnerships/system/files/pcd-main- report_en.pdf~~stresses that more efforts must be undertaken to comply with PCD principles, especially for the Union trade, agricultural, fisheries, environment, climate, migration, foreign and security policies, in order to achieve aid effectiveness objectives; reiterates that PCD must be an important objective of the joined-up approach designed in NDICI-Global Europe; reiterates its call for an in-depth analysis on the impact of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) on local economies and intra- regional trade to address concerns about their implementation in terms of regional integration and industrialisation;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Expresses disappointment about the continued absence of major action by the Commission on the recommendations of the external evaluation of the Union’s PCD1 , ordered by the Commission and received in 2018; regrets the lack of transparency in public procurement procedures; _________________ 1 https://ec.europa.eu/international- partnerships/system/files/pcd-main- report_en.pdf

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Calls on the Commission with regard to the new financial instrument NDICI - Global Europe succeeding the EDF, to display on a country by country basis and from the very start of the implementation of NDICI - Global Europe actions, information on all actions funded through this instrument, whether or not they are co-funded with grants or loans from any other actor, regarding the amounts of Union funding and results in a standardized and with Member States harmonized manner and in a way which is easily understandable by Union citizens and by citizens in partner countries;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Supports the recommendations in the annual report of the European Court of Auditors, in particular that international organisations must grant the Court full, unrestricted and timely access to documents, not only in the form of read-only access; calls on the Commission to take action on this matter;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Draws attention to the context in which official development assistance (ODA) is now provided, marked by the end of the COVID pandemic, the ~~aggravating climate crisis, the relentless growth of the needs of humanitarian aid~~consequences of some lockdown measures for developing countries' economies and in particular for VSEs/SMEs, the climate crisis, the enduring need for humanitarian aid and the persistence of long-term economic crises resulting in, for example, internal population displacement, developing countries’ woefully inadequate financial and other resources to respond to the challenges they face due, for example, to their lack of tax revenue, the reversal of the progress towards key Sustainable Development Goals, including those to eradicate poverty and hunger, and ~~the continued global failure to scale up climate action to the urgent need~~chronic insecurity, particularly in some Sahel countries affected by Islamist terrorism;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Notes the high number of fraud investigations in recent years; calls on the Commission to ensure better transparency of the money flow and enhance its control systems; welcomes the decision of the Commission to create the obligation that any suspected case of fraud against the Union budget detected during the work on the Residual Error Rate (RER) study is reported by the RER study contractor and insists to receive information on the progress;

Amendment 21 #

Erik MARQUARDT, Michèle RIVASI, Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes that the budgetary implementation of the EDF is now limited to payments on commitments made before the 31 December 2020 end date and that Global Europe - NDICI and general Union budget rules now apply; calls for strict implementation of the ~~human rights based approach, with human rights being at the centre of all actions, in accordance with the Commission’s toolbox on this approach~~conditionality for aid approach and the need for beneficiaries of Member State aid funnelled via the Commission to conduct themselves in accordance to all international treaties applicable and especially respect the right of return and entry of their own citizens back into their home-country.

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes that the budgetary implementation of the EDF is now limited to payments on commitments made before the 31 December 2020 end date and that Global Europe - NDICI and general Union budget rules now apply; calls for strict implementation of the human rights based approach, with human rights being at the centre of all actions, in accordance with the Commission’s toolbox on this approach. ; in this regard, is particularly concerned about the possible misuse of development funds for mobility restriction and border control purposes, including those of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF), and the reported human rights violations linked to the EUTF in Libya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Niger;

Amendment 23 #

Erik MARQUARDT, Michèle RIVASI, Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes that the budgetary implementation of the EDF is now limited to payments on commitments made before the 31 December 2020 end date and that Global Europe - NDICI and general Union budget rules now apply; ~~calls for strict implementation of the human rights based approach, with human rights being at the centre of all actions, in accordance with the Commission’s toolbox on this approach.~~regrets in this regard that the integration of the EDF into the NDICI has dulled its inter-state operation;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Reiterates its calls for proper implementation of and reporting on all horizontal spending targets set in NDICI, in particular the biodiversity related target which is not a stand-alone target in the regulation but concerns contributing to the overall MFF biodiversity target of 7.5% of annual spending to biodiversity objectives in 2024 and 10% from 2026 onwards; expects the Commission to adopt as soon as possible an effective, transparent and comprehensive methodology for biodiversity tracking, developed with the full involvement of the European Parliament, and about which the European Parliament should be consulted before the publication of the 2023 draft budget;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Draws attention to the fact that NGOs are the best positioned organisms, working on the ground and knowing the real needs of local people; recalls that still a big part of the budget is allocated directly to third countries and calls for more resources to NGOs working on the ground;

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Calls for official development assistance priorities under the NDICI to be determined in cooperation with beneficiary countries in order to target the sectors likely to contribute to economic growth and employment.

Amendment 27 #

Erik MARQUARDT, Michèle RIVASI, Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Regrets that, with the NDICI- Global Europe instrument, the Commission has effectively limited the European Parliament’s control and scrutiny role, thereby limiting transparency and accountability;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Stresses that projects financed via NDICI-Global Europe shall be screened to determine if they have an environmental, climate or social impact and if so, shall be subject to climate, environmental and social sustainability proofing with a view to minimise detrimental impacts and maximise benefits on climate, environment and social dimensions; recalls that the Union and the Member States committed under Article2.1(c) of the Paris Agreement to align both public and private financial flows to a pathway compatible with the objective of limiting global warming to 1.5°C; stresses that this requires a phase out of all direct and indirect fossil fuel subsidies as soon as possible and by 2025 at the very latest;

Amendment 29 #

Erik MARQUARDT, Michèle RIVASI, Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Stresses the importance of strict rules, and recalls that control measures and guidelines on eligibility and spending are of Commission's responsibility; calls on the Commission to apply stricter rules for the sake of better transparency and accountability;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Draws attention to the context in which official development assistance (ODA) is now provided, marked by a recurrent funding gap, the COVID pandemic, the aggravating climate and biodiversity crisis, the relentless growth of the needs of humanitarian aid~~, developing countries’~~ and lack of means to address them properly, developing countries’, notably the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) woefully inadequate financial and ~~other~~technical resources to respond to the challenges they face, the reversal of the progress towards key Sustainable Development Goals, including those to eradicate poverty and hunger, and the continued global failure to scale up climate action to the urgent need of reaching the objectives of the Paris Agreement with a pathway compatible with the objective of limiting global warming to under 1,5°C as well as improving resilience to adverse climate change impacts;

Amendment 30 #

Erik MARQUARDT, Michèle RIVASI, Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4c. Stresses that, under the new partnership agreement with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (the 'Post-Cotonou Agreement'), European development aid should be made conditional on optimal cooperation on migration, particularly with regard to the readmission of migrants, and that the absence or inadequacy of cooperation should lead to a reduction or the suspension of such aid.

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Regrets the reported case of lack of transparency for the work contracts signed by the Commission to strengthen food security in Cameroon, for which the evaluation criteria used for the award differed from those published in the tender notice and therefore made the tender ineligible; calls on the Commission to prevent any lack of transparency in public procurement procedures;

Amendment 32 #

Erik MARQUARDT, Michèle RIVASI, Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Calls on the Commission and the European Investment Bank to present a report on the performance and effectiveness of this budget;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4 d. Regrets that expenditures with international organisations recorded in 2020 under the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th EDFs is particularly affected by errors; highlights that errors occur predominantly in transactions related to grants and to contribution and delegation agreements implemented by international organisations and that in the examined transactions of this type, 40.3 % contained quantifiable errors, which is substantial; underlines that the ECA1a indicated that for 13 of these cases with errors, the Commission had sufficient information to prevent, or to detect the error before accepting the expenditure; urges the Commission to produce detailed explanations in response to these findings and to submit a clear plan to European Parliament outlining the necessary steps in order to correct this seriously worrying situation; _________________ 1a https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADoc uments/annualreports- 2020/annualreports-2020_EN.pdf

Amendment 34 #

Erik MARQUARDT, Michèle RIVASI, Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)

4 d. Recalls that vulnerable population should be paid special attention, given that they face more difficulties when it comes to accessibility; calls for concrete measures and programmes, as well as for more funding allocated especially for persons with disabilities;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 e (new)

4 e. Calls on the Commission to take the necessary measures to ensure that international organisations provide the Court of Auditors with complete, unlimited and timely access to documents necessary to carry out its task in accordance with the TFEU1a, and not just in read-only format; _________________ 1a Article 287 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union: ‘Any natural or legal person in receipt of payments from the budget, shall forward to the Court of Auditors, at its request, any document or information necessary to carry out its task'.

Amendment 36 #

Erik MARQUARDT, Michèle RIVASI, Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Caroline ROOSE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 e (new)

4 e. Stresses that in the upcoming years Member States shall keep investing in Covid-19 and other vaccines for developing countries, as well as to help improving distribution chains;

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 f (new)

4 f. Stresses the importance for donors to prioritise grant-based financing as the default option, especially to LDCs, and not favour blending, guarantee or any loans over grants, that could increase the burden of debt; is concerned therefore that the Commission has proposed more means and geographical expansion for blended finance for the future financing period 2021-2027 via EFSD+ in NDICI- Global Europe, and through the Global Gateway strategy, which makes of the blending-guarantee mechanism the main financial tool for mobilising investments; urges the Union and its Member States to develop, as a first step, and in addition to its pledges on debt moratorium, a new debt relief initiative regarding the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries; more broadly, calls for the creation of a multilateral debt workout mechanism to address both the impact of the crisis and the financing requirements of the Agenda 2030;

Amendment 4 #

Beata KEMPA, Ryszard CZARNECKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Draws attention to the context in which official development assistance (ODA) is now provided, marked by the COVID pandemic and the global health crisis, the aggravating climate crisis, the relentless growth of the needs of humanitarian aid caused mainly by rising instability and conflicts in fragile countries, developing countries’ woefully inadequate financial and other resources to respond to the challenges they face, the reversal of the progress towards key Sustainable Development Goals, including those to eradicate poverty and hunger, and ~~the continued global failure~~ to scale up climate action ~~to the urgent need~~;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Draws attention to the context in which official development assistance (ODA) is now provided, marked by the COVID pandemic, the aggravating climate crisis, the relentless growth of the needs of humanitarian aid, developing countries’ woefully inadequate financial and other resources to respond to the challenges they face, the reversal of the progress towards key Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate agreement, including those to eradicate poverty and hunger, and the continued global failure to scale up climate action to the urgent need;

Amendment 6 #

Beata KEMPA, Ryszard CZARNECKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Insists that the Union and its Member States scale up their ODA and climate finance so as to honour their commitments, that maximum efficiency of the spending be sought, that policy coherence for development (PCD) be practiced in a more convincing way and that new efforts to create an enabling international environment for domestic resource mobilisation (DRM) be made; takes the view that well-functioning PCD and support for DRM should be considered part and parcel of sound financial management as these are means to increase the efficiency of EU action which do not need to imply significant additional costs to the Union budgetonly provides aid-interventions, funded by the Member States, for sustainable and proven solutions for the development of democratic societies, and that the partners chosen to deliver the aid-interventions are transparant and accountable;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Insists that the Union and its Member States scale up their ODA ~~and climate finance~~ so as to honour their commitments, that maximum efficiency of the spending be sought, that policy coherence for development (PCD) be practiced in a more convincing way and that new efforts to create an enabling international environment for domestic resource mobilisation (DRM) be made; takes the view that well-functioning PCD and support for DRM should be considered part and parcel of sound financial management as these are means to increase the efficiency of EU action which do not need to imply significant additional costs to the Union budget;

Amendment 8 #

Pierrette HERZBERGER-FOFANA, Erik MARQUARDT, Michèle RIVASI, Caroline ROOSE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Insists that the Union and its Member States scale up their ODA and climate finance while upholding high standards for the responsible financing of sustainable development, impact management, and transparency, so as to honour their commitments, that maximum efficiency of the spending be sought, that policy coherence for development (PCD) be practiced in a more convincing way and that new efforts to create an enabling international environment for domestic resource mobilisation (DRM) be made; takes the view that well-functioning PCD and support for DRM to reduce structural gaps and expand fiscal space to mitigate the effects of the pandemic and boost investments for a sustainable and inclusive recovery, should be considered part and parcel of sound financial management as these are means to increase the efficiency of EU action which do not need to imply significant additional costs to the Union budget;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Insists that the Union and its Member States scale up their ODA and climate finance so as to honour their commitments, that maximum efficiency of the spending be sought according to the principle of aid effectiveness and partner country ownership, that policy coherence for development (PCD) be practiced in a more ~~convincing~~efficient and systematic way and that new efforts to create an enabling international environment for domestic resource mobilisation (DRM) be made; takes the view that well-functioning PCD and support for DRM should be considered part and parcel of sound financial management as these are means to increase the efficiency of EU action which ~~do not need to imply significant additional costs to the Union budget~~imply concrete initiatives, such as supporting the fight against corruption and the development of progressive tax systems, tackling tax avoidance and evasion;

source: 704.890

2022/03/03 CONT 103 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas it is crucial ~~to ensure that development aid is used in accordance with its original purpose, namely to reduce and ultimately to eradicate poverty,~~, in the context of a changing global environment, to ensure a strategic balance between addressing social, economic, demographic, migration nand environmental challenges, while retaining poverty reduction as the primary objective of Union aid as provided for in Article 208 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), with due consideration for aid and development effectiveness principles;

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital T

T. whereas Union governance support is a key component of development aid and should be more focused in generating effective governance reforms in the partner countries such as rule of law, independence of the judiciary system, freedom of the press and the conditions for establishing a market economy;

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 80

80. Recognises that, in the context of a changing global environment, finding a strategic balance between addressing social, economic, demographic and environmental challenges, while retaining poverty reduction as the primary objective of Union aid and development policy, will be a major challenge for the years ahead; underlines, in that context, that Parliament’s competences and powers are of the uttermost relevance;deleted

Amendment 101 #

Monika HOHLMEIER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 80 a (new)

80 a. Recalls that media reports (Congo hold-up) highlighted that money assigned under the EDF, which was used for public infrastructure projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was paid out to a company that is linked to a well-known Hezbollah financier; notes that the Commission did not have any information on alleged links between this company and the financier at the moment of awarding these contracts and that all contracts except one were completed satisfactorily; recalls, however, the Union’s commitment to zero tolerance for suspected fraud, corruption, and funding of activities linked to terrorism and the obligation to avoid that European funding indirectly benefits criminal and terrorist activities; requests that the Commission updates its procurement rules and post- ante checks to strengthen background checks of beneficiaries and their affiliations;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 81

81. Notes that the report on the follow- up to the discharge for the financial year 2019 was duly published in July 2021; ~~regret~~notes the delayed transmission of the detailed replies to the specific requests made by Parliament in the discharge resolution but welcomes that, in an answer to the written questions, the Commission has agreed to provide an advance copy of the follow-up to the EDF discharge; recalls the importance of having detailed follow- up information in due time as a vital part of the discharge procedure;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 82

82. ~~Regret~~Notes the lack of follow-up to some of Parliament’s requests during the 2019 discharge procedure and invites therefore the Commission to provide a more in-depth analysis of Parliament’s recommendations.;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital V a (new)

V a. whereas Parliament will only be able to exercise properly its role as discharge authority if it is kept regularly and comprehensively updated by the Commission, with detailed information regarding EDF-funded projects, their recipients and implementation;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Notes the closure of the eighth EDF and the Commission’'s intention to close the ninth EDF as soon as possible; notes, in addition, that the closure of the ninth EDF cannot be completed before 2023, taking into account the fact that 19 decisions and 37 contracts are still ongoing, out of which 3 decisions concern South Sudan and were decided after the sunset clause of the ninth EDF came into effect, with contractual dates until 2023; calls on the Commission to keep the discharge authority informed in a timely manner about the achievement of that intention; takes note that the Commission has accepted Court’s recommendation in this regard and that it will report each year the progress made on the closure of the ninth EDF in the Annual Activity Report;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Is concerned that the estimated level of error surpassed the materiality threshold, with 3,8 % of expenditure affected for the eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh EDFs (compared to 3,5 % in 2019, 5,2 % for 2018, 4,5 % in 2017, 3,3 % in 2016, 3,8 % in both 2014 and 2015, 3,4 % in 2013 and 3 % in 2012); notes that, compared to the financial year 2019, the increase of the estimated error rate is ~~relatively insignificant~~0,3%; points out, nevertheless, that it is necessary to address the causes of ~~such an~~this increase, while taking into account the specific circumstances of the 2020 discharge exercise;

Amendment 14 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Monika HOHLMEIER, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER, Petri SARVAMAA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Calls on the Commission to continue taking steps in order to ensure that the international organisations and partners provide the Court with complete and timely access to documents necessary to carry out its tasks;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Notes that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was not possible for the Court to carry out on-the-spot visits to EU delegations, thus preventing it from carrying out certain audit procedures, in particular verifying contract implementation for the transactions selected, and therefore the Court’s audit work was mainly limited to desk reviews of transactions and projects by means of remotely connecting with auditees; notes, nevertheless that desk reviews are a predominantly common tool when carrying out an audit procedure and evaluating data; invites ECA to resume the on-the-spot visits as soon as possible once the COVID-19 situation would allow so;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Notes that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was not possible for the Court to carry out on-the-spot visits to EU delegations, thus preventing it from carrying out certain audit procedures, in particular verifying contract implementation for the transactions selected, and therefore the Court’s audit work was mainly limited to desk reviews of transactions and projects by means of remotely connecting with auditees; regrets the lack of on-the-spot missions in the partner countries; highlights the importance of using new technologies and digitalisation to increase ex ante and ex post controls;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Regrets that, apart from generally very demanding conditions in 2020, the Court’s mission of planning and executing its audit work was hindered by some international organisations refusing or limiting necessary access to relevant audit documents, which caused excessive delays and thus prevented the Court from fulfilling its fundamental prerogatives ensured by the TFEU, as previously mentioned in related observations in the Court’s 2018 annual report; calls on the Commission to take measures to avoid such situation enhancing better cooperation with international organisations to ease the audit;

Amendment 18 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Monika HOHLMEIER, Petri SARVAMAA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission, following several ~~formal and informal~~ exchanges of views, the hearing debate held in Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control and the Commission’s replies to written questions, to take appropriate and effective steps to assure that the Court will receive adequate access to all necessary information in order to be able to appropriately check the legality and regularity of Union budget expenditure~~, as required by primary and secondary law~~; notes, that the limited access might be a result of diverging interpretation of the legal requirements;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Considers that monitoring activities will be more effective if Commission intelligence is regularly published and shared with the discharge authority in advance so long as such reporting is in compliance with applicable legislation;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas European development aid and public investments should promote joint priorities and policy objectives that include the eradication of poverty, climate and environmental action and economic and trade policies and should be fully aligned with the principles of fundamental human rights, democracy and good governanceare defended in the UN’s 17 sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s);

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Notes that the Court found that the Commission and its implementing partners in 2020 committed more errors in transactions relating to grants and to contribution and delegation agreements with international organisations ~~and delegation agreements with Member States’ cooperation agencies~~ than they did with other forms of support, such as those covering works, supply and service contracts (as had happened in 2019); notes that of the 67 (65 in 2019) transactions of that type examined by the Court, 27 (38 transactions (40,3 %) compared to 25 transactions (38 %) in 2019) contained quantifiable errors, which accounted for 94,2 % of the estimated level of error (71,7 % in 2019); calls on the Commission to publish comprehensive, updated and detailed information regarding funded projects and recipients, to enhance its risk- based approach and to invest control capacity in areas that are more error prone;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Notes that the Court found that the Commission and its implementing partners in 2020 committed more errors in transactions relating to grants and to contribution and delegation agreements with international organisations and delegation agreements with Member States’ cooperation agencies than they did with other forms of support, such as those covering works, supply and service contracts (as had happened in 2019); notes that of the 67 (65 in 2019) transactions of that type examined by the Court, 27 (38 transactions (40,3 %) compared to 25 transactions (38 %) in 2019) contained quantifiable errors, which accounted for 94,2 % of the estimated level of error (71,7 % in 2019); calls on the Commission to publish comprehensive, updated and detailed information regarding funded projects and recipients, to enhance its risk- based approach and to invest control capacity in areas that are more error prone; reiterates that more attention should be paid to ex-ante checks and that appropriate measures should be taken to increase the expenditure verifications;

Amendment 22 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Takes note of the implication of the Covid-19 pandemic and the effect that it had alongside the EDF funding chain; remains positive in its opinion that on spot checks are key components in ensuring the effectiveness and sound financial management of the EDF;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. Calls on the Commission to proceed with a pre-established format for communication between partner countries, EDF beneficiaries and the Union with a view to reducing the errors found by the Court;

Amendment 24 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Monika HOHLMEIER, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER, Petri SARVAMAA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)

16 b. Notes, notwithstanding the positive analysis by DG INTPA in its Annual Activity Report on Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for 2020 (14 KPIs scoring better than in 2019), the Court's observation, as in previous years, that the frequency of identified errors, including some contained in final claims, which had been subject to ex-ante external audits and expenditure verifications, still points to weaknesses in those checks; reiterates its expectation that the control system be more rigorous and calls on DG INTPA to continue efforts to improve the assessment of both the effectiveness and efficiency of its control system by identifying KPIs for both, by setting realistic and ambitious targets and by monitoring and improving its control system;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Is worried about, notwithstanding the positive analysis by DG INTPA in its Annual Activity Report on Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for 2020 (14 KPIs scoring better than in 2019), the Court’s observation, as in previous years, that the frequency of identified errors, including some contained in final claims which had been subject to ex-ante ~~external audit~~checks and expenditure verifications, still points to weaknesses in those checks; reiterates its expectation that the control system be more rigorous and calls on DG INTPA to continue efforts to improve the assessment of both the effectiveness and efficiency of its control system by identifying KPIs for both, by setting realistic and ambitious targets and by monitoring and improving its control system; calls, furthermore, on the Commission to set up a platform covering EDF-funded projects by country, focusing on the final recipients, general and specific project goals and, above all, their practical results in terms of the desired increase in development indices; suggests that developing such an integrated, interoperable information and monitoring platform would increase control reliability and would contribute to enhanced effectiveness and visibility of EU development aid; in this regard, invites the Commission to consider also launching a dialogue with the beneficiary countries with reference to a possible use of a single risk-scoring tool in the future;

Amendment 26 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Regrets that no follow-up was given by the Commission in the replies to the Court’s annual report in relation to the specific comment on the repetitive weakness and considers that cost-effective considerations used by the Commission in ex-post checks might not be effective and might lead exactly to the weaknesses that the Court and Parliament have been pointing out for a long time; invites the Commission to revise that approach so that the shortcomings are fully addressed and to inform regularly the discharge authority of any progress made;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Notes that DG INTPA’s ninth residual error rate (RER) study, carried out by an external contractor on its behalf in 2020, estimated the overall RER to be below the 2 % materiality threshold set by the Commission for the fifth year in a row (0,95 % in 2020~~, compared to 1,13 % in 2019);~~ ; 1,13% in 2019; 0,85% in 2018; 1,18% 2017; 1,67% 2016);19a _________________ 19a https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADoc uments/annualreports- 2020/annualreports-2020_EN.pdf para 32.

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Points out that, as in previous years, the Court considers that there are many factors contributing to the underestimation of the RER, as raised in 2019 discharge resolution, with the main limitations being the method for determining the RER and overreliance on previous control work carried out either directly by the Commission or by independent third parties (17 % share of full reliance and 37 % for partial reliance); supports the Court’s evaluation that ~~that~~ is contrary to the purpose of the RER study, which is to identify the errors that precisely evaded such checks;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Recalls that the Court’s recommendation to the Commission to issue reservations to all areas prone to having a high-level risk, regardless of their share of total expenditure and their financial impact was already included in the 2019 EDF annual report; regrets that the Commission does not accept the recommendation; highlights the fact that the Court is very clear and consistent in pointing out that by applying the de minimis rule, the Commission is reducing its ability to identify risks in its overall area of responsibility; considers that excluding areas because of their financial impact but still considered by DG INTPA itself as high risk is a very dangerous situation; strongly supports the Court in its recommendation and invites the Commission to revise its approach accordingly;

Amendment 3 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Monika HOHLMEIER, Petri SARVAMAA

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas European development aid and public investments should promote joint priorities and policy objectives that include the eradication of poverty, climate and environmental action and economic and trade policies and should be fully aligned with the principles of fundamental human rights, democracy and good governance; whereas the results achieved as regards the intention for inclusive public policies are to promote shared growth and to help tackle social or geographical disparities;

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Is of the view that it is worth underlying that the regulatory framework governing the RER study and the contract between DG INTPA and the RER study contractor do not provide for any systemic approach for reporting on suspected fraud against the Union budget detected during its RER work; strongly supports the Court’s recommendation in that area ~~and~~; welcomes in this regard the Commission’s initiative to amend its RER Manual and Methodology by the end of 2021 taking, as much as possible, into account the remarks by the Court; notes that the new version will include an increase in the number of field visits, additional explanations on procurement checks and reliance on previous control work and the obligation to report to the Commission any suspected fraud against the EU budget detected during the work on the RER study; invites the Commission to report back to the discharge authority on the measures introduced in the RER methodology or in the terms of reference to formalise the communication of suspected fraud by the RER study contractor;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Notes with concern the Court’s statement about an unjustified absence of reservations in the 2020 annual activity report caused by the limitations of the RER study, on the one hand, and the conservation of the de minimis rule of less than 5 % of total payments with a financial impact of less than EUR 5 million, on the other hand; is worried that that evaluation may ~~lead to the possible non-reliability~~impact the effectiveness of DG INTPA’s annual activity report;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Stresses that the vast amount of resources allocated to respond to the urgent needs presented by the COVID-19 crisis, combined with relaxed oversight and accountability measures, also creates ample opportunities for fraud and corruption to grow and thrive; recalls that not only is corruption detrimental to crisis response and recovery, but it undermines the achievement of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda~~, in particular SDG 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions, and has a negative impact on peace, security, the rule of law, gender equality, human rights and the environment~~; notes, moreover, that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, fraud and corruption risks demonstrated that efforts to combat and prevent corruption and fraud were proving insufficient; underlines the important role of the European Anti- Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Public Prosecutor's Office in fighting corruption and fraud, within the limits of their mandate;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Stresses that the vast amount of resources allocated to respond to the urgent needs presented by the COVID-19 crisis, combined with ~~relaxed~~more flexible oversight and accountability measures, also creates ample opportunities for corruption to grow and thrive; recalls that not only is corruption detrimental to crisis response and recovery, but it undermines the achievement of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda, in particular SDG 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions, and has a negative impact on peace, security, the rule of law, gender equality, human rights and the environment; notes, moreover, that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, corruption risks demonstrated that efforts to combat and prevent corruption ~~were proving insuffici~~needed further enhancement; underlines the important role of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Public Prosecutor's Office in fighting corruption and fraud, within the limits of their mandate;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

~~27. Invites the Commission to give preference to small local projects rather than focusing primarily on big projects with many intermediaries where fraud and corruption is more likely to happen;~~deleted

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. ~~Invites the Commission to give preference to small local projects rather than focusing primarily on big projects wi~~Believes that abetter focus on local SMEs, private sector and civil society organisations should be a core axis of cooperation in the man~~y intermediaries where fraud and corruption is more likely to happen~~agement of the Union delegations’ pipelines of projects;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Notes the actions undertaken by DG INTPA to mitigate the risks stemming from the use of exceptional financial or procurement procedures in the response to the COVID-19 crisis, in particular by means of budget support; notes, however, that the risk of corruption and fraud remained the highest perceived risk in all regions, even if a small decrease can be observed over time; acknowledges that, in certain situations, high risks can be accepted, as long as there are opportunities for engagement with authorities and concrete prospects for improvement, to the extent that risks can be mitigated and, in a fragile context, as long as the risks associated with non- intervention outweigh the risks of providing budget support; calls on DG INTPA to keep on monitoring the situation and pay particular attention to the most fragile countries; expects to be updated on further developments;

Amendment 38 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Monika HOHLMEIER, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER, Petri SARVAMAA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Notes the actions undertaken by DG INTPA to mitigate the risks stemming from the use of exceptional financial or procurement procedures in the response to the COVID-19 crisis, in particular by means of budget support; notes, however, that the risk of corruption and fraud remained the highest perceived risk in all regions, even if a small decrease can be observed over time; acknowledges that, in certain situations, high risks can be accepted, as long as there are opportunities for engagement with authorities and concrete prospects for improvement, to the extent that risks can be mitigated and, in a fragile context, as long as the risks associated with non-intervention outweigh the risks of providing budget support; calls on DG INTPA to keep on monitoring the situation and pay particular attention to the most fragile countries; ~~expects to be updated~~invites the Commission to report back to the discharge authority on further developments;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Notes that in 2020 DG INTPA developed a new draft anti-fraud strategy, the adoption of which was delayed to 2021; notes, furthermore, that the anti-fraud strategy is based on the DG INTPA survey to assess risks and controls, a risk analysis to be linked to the new Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI)2 , the new implementation modalities and the Commission’s anti-fraud strategy, adopted in 2019; emphasises also the role of the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) as an essential tool to sanction fraud and encourages further DG INTPA to make known the use of this system; _________________ 2 Regulation (EU) 2021/947 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 June 2021 establishing the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe, amending and repealing Decision No 466/2014/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Regulation (EU) 2017/1601 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 480/2009 (OJ L 209, 14.6.2021, p. 1).

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

~~G. whereas the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) are core objectives to be pursued in cooperation instruments in both the public and private sector;~~deleted

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Notes that the regular monitoring of pillar assessment requirements and reports by the Commission ~~were disrupted due to~~has progressed despite the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and ~~the consequent need to postpone complement~~; calls on the Commission to continue the close monitoring of the pillary assessments ~~to the end of 2021; calls on the Commission to resume the pill~~and keep the discharge authority informed about the progress and the results also with views to the complementary assessment~~s as soon as practicable and keep the discharge authority informed about the progress and the results;~~ of all pillar assessed entities and the target to have them completed by the extended deadline end of 2021 due to the COVID- 19 outbreak;31a _________________ 31a https://ec.europa.eu/info/system/files/ann ual-activity-report-2020-international- partnerships-annexes_en.pdf p. 446-447.

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)

31 a. Calls on the Commission to proceed with a pre-established format for communication between collaborate countries, EDF beneficiaries and the EU with a view of reducing the errors found by the Court;

Amendment 42 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Expresses satisfaction that, as of the 2021-2027 MFF period, the EDFs, the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) and other instruments with the NDICI-Global Europe have been incorporated into the Union general budget under heading 4 ‘Global Europe’, which accounts for 6,6 % or EUR 11,4 billion of the Union budget: of that amount, EUR 3 billion (26,7 %) is spent on DCI, EUR 2,7 billion (23,2 %) on the European Neighbourhood Instrument, EUR 1,9 billion (16,9 %) on the Instrument for Pre- Accession Assistance, EUR 1,9 billion (16,8 %) on humanitarian aid, and the rest on other actions and programmes; notes that certain implementation modalities and flexibility provisions of the EDF have been integrated into Regulation (EU) 2021/947; recalls that the budgetisation of the EDFs has been a long- standing demand of Parliament;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Underlines that such a new set-up entails new institutional responsibilities and tasks, in particular for Parliament as one arm of the budget authority for the annual budget; expects budgetary transparency, policy coherence and democratic accountability to benefit from those new arrangements; notes with satisfaction the increased role of the Parliament in the area of international partnerships under Global Europe including through the High-level geopolitical dialogue;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37

37. Notes that there is still a need for a more systematic approach to the communication of the Union’s ~~grant- funded activiti~~support to partners and efforts to tackle global challenges to enhance the Union’s visibility and to strengthen transparency, accountability and human rights due diligence along the chain of funding; calls on the Commission to introduce in framework agreements the obligation for the leading agency to ensure the visibility of the Union in multi-donor projects; calls on the Commission to carry out sample- based on-the-spot controls years after the completion of the co-financed projects to checknotes the importance of the Team Europe approach with regards to the effectiveness and visibility of EU’s assistance; calls on the Commission to redouble its efforts to ensure the continued impact of the EDF interventions and to take the necessary steps to ensure the long-term impact of its operations;

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37

37. Notes that there is still a need for a more systematic approach to the communication of the Union’s grant- funded activities to enhance the Union’s visibility and to strengthen transparency, accountability and human rights due diligence along the chain of funding; calls on the Commission to introduce in framework agreements the obligation for the leading agency to ensure the visibility of the Union in multi-donor projects; calls on the Commission to carry out sample- based on-the-spot controls years after the completion of the co-financed projects to check the continued impact and the performance of the EDF interventions and to take the necessary steps to ensure the long-term impact of its operations;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42

42. Notes with appreciation that in 2020 sub-Saharan Africa remains the largest recipient of budget support with a share of 38 % (36 % in 2019); observes, moreover, that lower-middle-income countries account for 52,4 % (47 % in 2019) of the total ongoing commitments; notes ~~with concern~~ that low-income countries account for 29,4 % of total commitments, confirming the decreasing trend noted in 2019 (32 % compared to 38 % in 2018); notes that, altogether, 47 % of the ongoing budget support programmes are being implemented in least-developed countries;

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42

Amendment 48 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43

43. Recalls that budget support aims to strengthen the partnership with the Union partner countries, promote sustainable development, eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and consolidate peace and democracy, ultimately aiming to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs; notes that Union budget support is to be guided by the internationally agreed Busan effectiveness principles, such as ownership by partner countries, results focus, inclusiveness and accountability; highlights the fact that, because it fosters transparency and good governance, budget support also contributes to the fight against corruption and fraud; recalls that budget support musts correspond to the needs of partner countries as well as the EU key policies; recalls that it is also necessary to measure the performance of programmes and their impact in partner countries and civilian populations;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)

43 a. Notes that, in terms of relative contribution to the SDGs, budget support programmes strongly contribute to SDG 16 (peace, justice and governance), SDG 17 (partnerships), SDG 5 (gender equality) and SDG 1 (no poverty); welcomes the strong multi-dimensional scope of budget support programmes and considers that they should support entrepreneurship and private initiative in order to leverage economic and social development as advocated in SDG 9 (build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation) and SDG 17 (strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development);

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas the alignment of Union development cooperation with partner countries’ own development priorities ~~should always be fully respected and~~ is a key element of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (‘2030 Agenda’);

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44

44. Stresses that entrepreneurship plays an essential role in the fight against poverty; highlights the fact that providing business training can help small-scale entrepreneurs set up businesses and improve business practices; notes that, in order to improve the effectiveness of such programmes, such training should be complemented with customised support and follow-up services; recalls, in addition, t~~hat men and women entrepreneurs face inherently different constraints, including psychological and cultural factors, and that to truly empower women,~~o continue empowering both women and men, as well as the policies needed to address those ~~constraint~~relevant challenges;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44

44. Stresses that entrepreneurship and private sector plays an essential role in the fight against poverty by creating jobs, sustainable economy and growth; highlights the fact that providing business training can help small-scale entrepreneurs set up businesses and improve business practices in partner countries; notes that, in order to improve the effectiveness of such programmes, such training should be complemented with customised support and follow-up services; recalls, in addition, that men and women entrepreneurs face inherently different constraints, including psychological and cultural factors, and that to truly empower women, policies need to address those constraints;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46

46. Reiterates its call on ~~DG INTPA to strictly assess~~the Commission services to continue assessing strictly in its policy dialogue the risks related to corporate tax avoidance, tax evasion and illicit financial flows affecting, in particular, developing countries; ~~encourages DG INTPA~~stresses the importance of addressing domestic revenue mobilisation and public finance management at large, which forms part of the budget support criteria; encourages the Commission to assess the fiscal impact and to help establish oriented investment objectives;

Amendment 53 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Monika HOHLMEIER, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER, Petri SARVAMAA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46

46. Reiterates its call on ~~DG INTPA to~~the Commission services to continue strictly assessing in its policy dialogue the risks related to corporate tax avoidance, tax evasion and illicit financial flows affecting, in particular, developing countries; encourages ~~DG INTPA~~the Commission to assess the fiscal impact and to help establish oriented investment objectives;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47

47. Considers that needs assessments in connection with NDICI-Global Europe programming should take into account countries’ debt situations and how those situations influence the possibility of pursuing the SDGs; stresses the need for crowding in private financing to achieve the SDGs and the need for donors to prioritise grant-based financing ~~as the default option~~, especially to the least developed countries, and ~~not favour blending, guarantees or any loans that could inc~~highlights the increased efforts to leverage EU funds with a view to providing more as~~e the burden of debt over grants;~~ sistance to partners including through blending and de- risking mechanisms; discourages the UnCommission and othe Member States to develop, as a first step, and in addition to its pledges on a debt moratorium, a new debt relief initiative regarding heavily indebted poor countries; calls, more broadly, for the creation of a multilateral debt workout mechanism to address both the impact of the crisis and the financing requirements of the 2030 Agendar European institutions from setting up new financial aid instruments and rather encourages them to assure greater visibility of the existent instruments in their respective area of operation and in the European Union and strengthening partner countries capacity to monitor and manage their debt;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47

47. Considers that needs assessments in connection with NDICI programming should take into account countries’ debt situations and how those situations influence the possibility of pursuing the SDGs; stresses the need for donors to prioritise grant-based financing as the default option, especially to the least developed countries, and not favour blending, guarantees or any loans that could increase the burden of debt over grants; urges the Union and the Member States to develop, as a first step, and in addition to its pledges on a debt moratorium, a new debt relief initiative regarding heavily indebted poor countries; calls, more broadly, for the creation of a multilateral debt workout mechanism to address both the impact of the crisis and the financing requirements of the 2030 Agenda;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48

48. Notes that Union support is implemented in the context of the 2030 Agenda, requiring a holistic approach to social ~~and economic~~, economic and environmental development, based on the SDGs~~, not just income inequality~~;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48 a (new)

48 a. Encourages the Commission to continue its efforts to reduce error rates by taking proportionate measures in response to the already identified high- risk areas;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49

49. Recognises that, in 2020, Europe as well as the rest of the world was strongly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and welcomes the Commission-coordinated response to the health crisis as well as to the impact on Europe’s economy and society; notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has also posed challenges as regards performance, control, audit and assurance in relation to the 2020 Union budget; notes, in addition, the efforts by all Commission services to promote the consistent and rigorous protection of the Union budget, ensuring that appropriate mitigating measures were put in place; notes that the “Team Europe” approach was launched as a joint response to the COVID-19 pandemic by all European development actors to support the promotion of European policy priorities and standards; welcomes and encourages the enhancement of the COVID 19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX);

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50

50. Notes that the Commission considers the implementation of Team Europe’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as very effective, allowing the EDF resources available for 2020 to be fully executed; ~~is worried about~~notes the reduction of the number of visits to projects, which were replaced by remote audits due to the COVID-19 outbreak; considers that remote audits cannot compare to real on- the-spot checks and invites the Commission to resume visits as soon as possible taking on board the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of the use of technologies and instruments to complement visits;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas the alignment of Union development cooperation with partner countries’ own development priorities should always be ~~fully~~ respected and should also be in line with the Union policies is a key element of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (‘2030 Agenda’);

Amendment 60 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Monika HOHLMEIER, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER, Petri SARVAMAA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 51

51. Notes with concerns that, as of 12 November 2021, COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) has delivered only 476 697 161 doses to 144 countries, of which 160 million doses were donations; notes that Members States have provided 48 million doses; regrets that the impact of COVAX is pretty poor, having missed its own targets for 2021; call on the Commission to stop sending vaccines which are about to expire;deleted

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 51

51. ~~Notes with concerns that, as of 12 November~~Acknowledges the overall positive impact of COVAX to ACP countries despite several implementation challenges and weaknesses throughout the process; notes that by mid-February 20212, COVID- 19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) has delivered o~~nly 476 697 161~~ver 1 billion doses to 144 countries, of which ~~160~~265 million doses were donations; notes that EU Members States have ~~provided 48~~shared 352 million doses~~; regrets that the impact of COVAX is pretty poor, having missed its own targets for 2021; call on the Commission to stop sending vaccines which are about to expire;~~ (by early February 2022); notes that the impact of COVAX is below its optimal performance with regards to its own targets for 202151a; _________________ 51a COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard, UNICEF Supply Division https://www.unicef.org/supply/covid-19- vaccine-market-dashboard

Amendment 62 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52

52. Notes the particular importance of DG INTPA as regards education, given its critical role in human development and as key enabler for all Union priorities; welcomes, to that end, the increased spending on education in 2020, going from 7 to 10% of DG INTPA’s total portfolio; notes, with satisfaction, that, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, DG INTPA has supported the most vulnerable populations in partner countries, including through global education initiatives, in order to avoid a lost generation; recalls the importance of ensuring in all partner countries that girls must have equal access to education and school as boys; equal opportunities are a priority in development; the accessibility of young women to European projects and funds must be encouraged in partner countries;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 54

54. Calls for close monitoring and thorough policy dialogue with partner countries regarding objectives, progress towards agreed results and performance indicators; calls once more on the Commission to better define and measure expected development impact and, especially, to improve the control mechanism with regard to the conduct of beneficiary countries in the areas of corruption, rule of law, respect for human rights, good governance and democracy; ~~remains deeply concerned about the use that could be made of Union budget support in recipient countries where there is no or only limited democratic control~~stresses the need to include the private sector in that strategic dialogue; notes the importance of democratic control over the use of Union budget support in recipient countries;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 54

54. Calls for close monitoring and thorough policy dialogue with partner countries and NGOs regarding objectives, progress towards agreed results and performance indicators; calls once more on the Commission to better define and measure expected development impact and, especially, to improve the control mechanism with regard to the conduct of beneficiary countries in the areas of corruption, rule of law, respect for human rights, good governance and democracy; remains deeply concerned about the use that could be made of Union budget support in recipient countries where there is no or only limited democratic control;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55

55. Reiterates its call on the Commission to carry out an evaluation on a country-by-country basis of the long-term on-going EDF-financed projects in order to demonstrate the true impact on the relevant country of decades-long Union investment and how it has effectively helped beneficiary countries’ economic, social and sustainable development; calls on the Commission to ~~limit~~take advantage orf t~~erminate the funding of ineffective projects~~he lessons learnt with projects that have not been implemented effectively or efficiently and to take decisive action in the future;

Amendment 66 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 55

55. Reiterates its call on the Commission to carry out an performance evaluation on a country-by-country basis of the long-term on-going EDF-financed projects in order to demonstrate the true impact on the relevant country of decades- long Union investment and how it has effectively helped beneficiary countries’ economic, social and sustainable development; calls on the Commission to limit or terminate the funding of ineffective projects in the future;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56

56. ~~Regrets the fact~~Notes that, as in 2019 report, the Court did not include the performance of the EDFs in Chapter 6, entitled ‘Global Europe’, of its report on the performance of the Union budget; ~~regrets, moreover~~notes, that the Court has not yet carried out a horizontal and detailed performance evaluation of the EDFs; ~~calls on the Court to resume that practice~~acknowledges that with the budgetisation of the EDF, the Court will be also auditing the new EDF as part of the long-term Union budget;

Amendment 68 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 57

57. Takes notes of the EDFs’ contribution to DG INTPA objectives 14 (human development) and 12 (sustainable jobs); recalls that health, gender equality, education ~~and decent jobs should remain~~, employment and improving the living conditions are at the core of the Union’s external action, in particular for ~~the most~~ vulnerable, populations, including for migrants and for refugees; acknowledges that the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted societies in many ways, reversing the human development progress achieved in recent years, putting pressure on the ~~most~~ vulnerable populations, exacerbating inequalities and leading to limitations to the civil and democratic space in fragile democracies;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58

58. Notes that the Union’s development policy will be implemented via the NDICI, of which the EIB is a key implementer; expresses concern about the use of Union development funds for de- risking private investment given the lack of evidence as to its capacity to fulfil development objectives and provide additional development objectives, as recently reported in the final review of European Fund for Sustainable Development and in opinion No 7/2020 of the Court of 11 September 2020; stresses the need for donors to prioritise grant- based financing as the default option, especially to least-developed countries, in order to avoid increasing the debt burden;deleted

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas policy coherence and complementarity of various external policies should be carefully looked at, especially when several policies are being implemented in a single partner country, with a view to promoting cooperation between the public and private sectors, encouraging synergies and trade-offs between existing policies~~, avoiding the possible damaging consequence of having one single Union policy on an area otherwise dealt with by another policy~~ and avoiding unnecessary administrative burden as much as possible;

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58

58. Notes that the Union’s development policy will be implemented via the NDICI, of which the EIB is a key implementer; expresses concern about the use of Union development funds for de-risking private investment given the lack of evidence as to its capacity to fulfil development objectives and provide additional development objectives, as recently reported in the final review of European Fund for Sustainable Development and in opinion No 7/2020 of the Court of 11 September 2020; stresses the need for donors to prioritise grant-based financing as the default option, especially to least- developed countries, in order to avoid increasing the debt burden;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61

61. Calls on the EIB to ~~fully~~continue supporting the ~~achieve~~fulfilment of the SDGs through its activities within the framework of specific mandates decided by the Council and Parliament;

Amendment 72 #

Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61 a (new)

61 a. Supports the Council Conclusions adopted on 14 June 2021, calling on the EIB to enhance its contribution to the Union’s development efforts through dedicated strategies, stronger presence on the ground globally, and better coordination with partners in a genuine Team Europe approach, with a view to developing innovative joint actions and ensuring the visibility of EU external financing;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 62

62. ~~Considers the audit on~~Reflects on the accountability process where the Parliament is the discharge authority with the exception of the iInvestment fFacility ~~to be good practice in~~, which is managed by the EIB and is ther~~ms of cooperation and collaborative scrutiny between Parliament and the Court; regrets, however, that projects implemented~~ efore outside the scope of ECA’s audit62a; _________________ 62a See Articles 43, 48-50 and 58 of Council Regulation (EU) 2015/323 of 2 March 2015 on the fin and funds allocated to the OCTs are not covered by the audit; deplores the fact that the investment facility does not fall within the scope of the Court’s annual statement of assurance audit and is not subject to Parliament’s discharge procedure; cial regulation applicable to the 11th European Development Fund (OJ L 58, 3.3.2015, p. 17; In 2012, a tripartite agreement between the EIB, the Commission and the ECA (Article 134 of Council Regulation (EC) No 215/2008 of 18 February 2008 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the 10th EDF (OJ L 78, 19.3.2008, p. 1)) set out the rules for the audit of these operations by the ECA.

Amendment 74 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Monika HOHLMEIER, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER, Petri SARVAMAA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 63

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 63

63. Recalls that 2 EUTFs were created under the EDF, namely the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa (the ‘EUTF for Africa’) and the European Union Trust Fund Bêkou for the Central African Republic (the ‘EUTF Bêkou’); recalls Parliament’s regular stance that the Commission ~~should~~ ensures that any trust fund established as a new development tool must always be in line with the Union’s overall strategy and development policy objectives, i.e. the reduction and in the long term eradication of poverty as enshrined in Article 208 TFEU, and must, in particular, ensure that ~~the security interests of European countries do not override the needs~~recipient countries receive support in tackling the root causes of irregular migration flows as security is essential for the stability of the recipient populations; ~~encourag~~notes ,the ~~Commission to reconsider financial aid to EUTF projects deflecting from that centreline;~~ proposal for the establishment under the CFSP of a European Peace Facility (EPF) for the financing of military and defence-related cooperation with third countries and IOs that will enhance the ability of the Union to respond more rapidly and effectively to security challenges together with the NDICI;63a _________________ 63a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/ etudes/IDAN/2021/691520/IPOL_IDA(20 21)691520_EN.pdf p. 28.

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64

64. Notes that the EDFs’ contribution to address migration and forced displacement challenges has increased over recent years, either through projects directly funded by the EDFs or through EDF contributions to the EUTF for Africa; notes that poverty generates several consequences, including an increase in migration, which represents an obstacle to development; recalls the fact that the EUTF for Africa must address the root causes of destabilisation, forced displacement and irregular migration by promoting resilience, economic opportunities, equal opportunities, security of populations and human and social development;deleted

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64

64. Notes that the EDFs’ contribution to address migration and forced displacement challenges has increased over recent years, either through projects directly funded by the EDFs or through EDF contributions to the EUTF for Africa; ~~notes that poverty generates several consequences, including an increase in migration, which represents an obstacle to development;~~ recalls the fact that the EUTF for Africa must address the root causes of destabilisation, forced displacement and irregular migration by promoting resilience, economic ~~opportunities,~~and equal opportunities, security of populations and human and social development;

Amendment 78 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64 a (new)

64 a. Is concerned that as a follow-up to the EDF’s 2018 discharge report the Commission hasn’t fully taken into consideration Parliament’s numerous recommendations related to the EUTF; observes with great concern that to the opposite of helping to address these causes of destabilisation, the EUTF funds are increasingly being spent to help close borders, stiffen migration and push for returns of migrants back to Africa;

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 65

65. Notes that EDF contributions to the EUTFs increased from EUR 600 million in 2019 to EUR 800 million in 2020, with additional EDF funds to the EUTF for Africa used to address specific areas of concerns in the Sahel and Lake Chad and Horn of Africa regions, including security challenges, essential stabilisation efforts and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic; recalls ~~the fact that EUTF for Africa’s funding lines must not be used for security measures, which would jeopardise migrants’ rights; calls on the Commissi~~on the Commission to continue mon ito ~~put in place tangible guarantees that migration-related EUTF projects are not used by the implementing authorities to violate migrants’ basic human right~~ring migration-related EUTF projects and inform the discharge authority on their outcomes;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

~~O. whereas a number of Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) are located in the same regions as ACP countries;~~deleted

Amendment 80 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Monika HOHLMEIER, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER, Petri SARVAMAA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 65

65. Notes that EDF contributions to the EUTFs increased from EUR 600 million in 2019 to EUR 800 million in 2020, with additional EDF funds to the EUTF for Africa used to address specific areas of concerns in the Sahel and Lake Chad and Horn of Africa regions, including security challenges, essential stabilisation efforts and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic; recalls the fact that EUTF for Africa’s funding lines must not be used for security measures, which would jeopardise migrants’ rights; calls on the Commission to put in place tangible guarantees that migration-related EUTF projects are not used by the implementing authorities to violate migrants’ basic human rights;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66

66. ~~Expresses concerns about~~Notes the financial contribution of the EDF to the EUTF Bêkou to support the Central African Republic’s exit from the COVID- 19 crisis and its reconstruction and development~~, due to the control exercised by mercenaries from~~; expresses concerns about the influence of the Wagner Group over the Central African Armed Forces; ~~echo~~notes the ~~concerns that mercenaries from the Wagner Group were commanding units that the Union had trained and notes the Commissi~~Commission's decision to temporarily suspend its military training mission due to concerns referring to activities of the Wagner Group; in this regard, notes, that in December 2021 the EU has decided to impose restrictive measures against the Wagner Group; welcomes EU’s strong de~~cision to temporarily suspend its military training mission;~~termination to stand up for its interests and values in its ~~worried by reports of systematic and serious human rights violations by the Wagner Group and~~neighbourhood and to take decisive action against threats to the international peace and security; calls on the Commission to ~~check~~monitor that no funds weare paid out directly or indirectly to ~~the Wagner Group~~Russian contractors or sub-contracts especially in view of the current war on Ukraine;

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66

66. Expresses concerns about the financial contribution of the EDF to the EUTF Bêkou to support the Central African Republic’s exit from the COVID- 19 crisis and its reconstruction and development, due to the control exercised by mercenaries from the Wagner Group over the Central African Armed Forces; rec~~hoe~~alls the ~~concerns that mercenaries from the Wagner Group were~~parliament resolution Human rights violations by private military and security commpan~~ding units that the Union had trained and notes the Commission decision to temporarily suspend its military training mission; is worried by reports of systematic and serious~~ies, particularly the Wagner Group (2021/2982(RSP)) adopted 25.11.2021; reiterates its call on the Commission to ensure that EU funds cannot under any circumstances be used by recipient countries to fund private military companies with such human rights violations ~~by the Wagner Group and~~records; calls on the Commission to ~~check that no funds were paid out directly or indirectly to the Wagner Group~~raise this topic in its bilateral dialogue with all relevant countries and encourages states to be fully transparent with regard to contracting military support services, especially as regards the number, tasks and chains of command of PMSCs present on their territories, as well as the equipment used to fulfil their contracts;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66 a (new)

66 a. Is particularly alarmed that EDF funds are used by the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) to finance the development of biometric identity systems in African countries. These funds are used to train the authorities of these countries (Senegal, Ivory Coast) in controversial surveillance techniques, equipped with intrusive surveillance tools without any prior assessment of the risks and the impact on human rights, including any privacy or data protection assessment;

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 66 b (new)

66 b. Takes note that the European Ombudsman opened the investigation into the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa on 30 November 2021, following a complain filled by a coalition of the EU NGOs; notes also that the Ombudsman expects a response from the Commission by 10th March 2022 on her question whether the Commission has carried out human rights risk assessments before engaging in activities that help third countries to develop surveillance capacities under the EUTF and, if not, why the Commission considers that such assessments are not necessary;

Amendment 85 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Monika HOHLMEIER, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER, Petri SARVAMAA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 67

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 67

67. Notes that the mid-term evaluation of the EUTF for Africa was concluded in 2020; notes the main findings of the evaluation report and expresses concerns about some of the critical aspects highlighted therein, namely the fact that despite significant resources allocated for addressing irregular migration, the most appropriate means for addressing it, which is the main objective of the EDFs, was not well defined, leading to a situation in which the EUTF for Africa has focused on migration to Europe rather than the broad migration and development agenda; is worried by one ofhose purpose is to provide with an objective assessment of the strategic approach and operationalisation of the EUTF from 2015 to 2019 was concluded in 2020; notes the main findings of the evaluation report~~, namely~~ that the EUTF for Africa, as a short-term instrument~~, is not an appropriate vehicl~~ has a too wide mandate for addressing the root causes of m~~ajor societal problems~~igration; notes the need to better address challenges related to intra-African migration that makes up almost 90% of migration flows in Africa; requests the Commission to continue responding to thatese concerns in the remaining implementation period, making sure to have more focused activities to eradicate poverty in line with the EDFs’ main objective and to work towards an approach limiting the dependencies on external intervention;

Amendment 87 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Angelika WINZIG, Simone SCHMIEDTBAUER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68

68. ~~Is also worried~~Notes that the EUTF for Africa has managed to make modest contributions to increased economic opportunities and employment; supports the recommendation, set out in the evaluation report, to request that Union support to economic opportunities and employment creation be integrated where possible with local labour market dynamics and actors; and also with private sector investment;68a _________________ 68a https://ec.europa.eu/info/system/files/ann ual-activity-report-2020-international- partnerships-annexes_en.pdf p.731.

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68

68. ~~Is also~~Notes that the mid-term evaluation of the EUTF for Africa was concluded in 2020; is worried that the EUTF for Africa has managed to make modest contributions to increased economic opportunities and employment; supports the recommendation, set out in the evaluation report, to request that Union support to economic opportunities and employment creation be integrated with local labour market dynamics and actors;

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 70

70. Supports strongly the request for an ex-post evaluation (including on the performance) to be conducted at least one year after all EUTF for Africa activities have been completed;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas the OCTs face similar global challenges ~~but, unlike~~as ACP countries, and are part of the European family and should therefore receive ~~increased~~similar attention in the ~~delivery of funds; whereas the very small size of the OCTs and the constitutional link between the OCTs and the Union are spec~~ex ante and ex post verificiati~~es that should be taken into account~~on of use of funds;

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 71

71. Expresses satisfaction that following the strong concerns expressed by Parliament on the use of forced labour via national service, the Commission has decided not to pay out the EUR 60 million tranches planned for 2020 for the project “Reconnecting Eritrea and Ethiopia through rehabilitation of the main arterial roads in Eritrea”, funded by the EUTF for Africa; welcomes the decision in May 2021 to fully de-commit the unused funds initially allocated to Eritrea, but regrets that the EUR 20 million paid in 2019 was already implemented and could not be recovered; calls on the Commission to avoid similar situations in the future and to learn lessons from that very unfortunate experienceWelcomes the decision by the Commission to de-commit funds originating from the EUTF for Africa that were initially allocated to Eritrea, in particular for the procurement for road renovation that used forced labour;

Amendment 91 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 71 a (new)

71 a. Reiterates its calls to the Commission to provide a solid risk assessment study on the human rights implication for all the projects designed to train and equip security forces of the African countries;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 73

73. Recalls, once more, that good governance, the rule of law and the respect for human rights are unavoidable preconditions for aid effectiveness; calls on the Commission to closely monitor the situation of the rule of law, compliance with international treaties and bilateral agreements and the respect for human rights in recipient countries when approving financial aid; invites the Commission to make more stringent use of the clause included in the financial agreements with partner countries that enables the Commission to suspend or to terminate the agreement in the event of the breach of an obligation relating to respect for human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law;

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 74

74. Is concerned by the Commission’s rejection of a recommendation of Parliament to include in the next annual activity report a structured assessment and evaluation of aid and reporting on the results and impact of the activities of the EDFs; notes that the Commission considers that the impact of the activities of the EDFs has already been assessed by means of the production and transmission to Parliament of the annual report on the implementation of the Union’s instruments for financing external actions, but recalls that part 1 of DG INTPA’s annual activity report does not distinguish between the activities of the general budget and the EDFs, making it difficult to evaluate the Commission’s statement that the EDFs have achieved important results in addressing poverty reduction; considers that to implement its role of discharge authority, Parliament needs all possible useful data to evaluate the EDFs and their impact; invites the Commission to revise its position and respond positively to Parliament’s specific request;

Amendment 94 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 75

75. Acknowledges that the EDFs mainly focus on continental African countries and considers that insular countries, some of the ACP countries and, in particular, small island developing states should not be side-lined in terms of political objectives and projects; calls on the Commission to implement more synergies and greater coherence with the Union’s ~~internal and horizontal~~climate specific polic~~ies~~y related to small island developing states~~, the outermost countries and territories of the Union and the outermost regions of the Union~~;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 77

77. Notes that with the new funding mechanism for development cooperation, the NDICI, all earlier funding options are consolidated in one instrument and part of the Union’s annual budget and the 2021-2027 MFF period; recalls that the integration of the EDFs into the Union budget was a longstanding demand of Parliament and that the budgetary principles, in particular those of the unity and annuality of the budget, have been reinforced; notes that the NDICI is currently the main financial instrument for the Union’s external action, with an overall allocation of EUR 79,5 billion (in current prices) for the 2021-2027 period; notes that the NDICI simplifies the Union’s external funding and covers cooperation with all third countries, with the exception of countries linked to Union pre-accession (in the Western Balkans) and Turkey; notes, moreover, that development spending will therefore also be fully covered by the democratic scrutiny of Parliament; ~~also welcomes the fact that under the NDICI, OCTs will benefit from increased funds within the Union budget;~~

Amendment 96 #

Andrey NOVAKOV, Marian-Jean MARINESCU, Monika HOHLMEIER, Petri SARVAMAA

78. Notes that the Commission is committed to enhancing the policy coherence between internal and external action; highlights the need for stronger coherence of Union action in the ACP region, making sure that priority is given to the development objectives and that policies towards the OCTs are linked to the development of their border regions and are aligned with EU priorities;

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79

79. Notes ~~with concerns~~ that 73,3 % of the contracts with Member States were signed with only 2a few national development agencies (such as the French AFD ~~and the German GIZ~~); while recognising their expertise ~~of those 2 agencies, considers that~~, considers that more efforts for promoting also the vision of more national development agencies are necessary; Union development policy cannot be reduced to the vision of only 2two Member States; welcomes the efforts of the Commission in that regard, including the preparation of a study to understand the strength of each partner in the Members States in order to evaluate how they could better contribute in the future; asks the Commission to provide the discharge authority with that report as soon as it is available;

Amendment 98 #

Younous OMARJEE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 79

79. Notes with concerns that 73,3 % of the contracts with Member States were signed with only 2two Member States national development agencies (~~the French AFD and the German GIZ)~~namely from France and Germany) with the AFD representing 67% of the contracts signed with French agencies, and GIZ representing 72% of the contracts signed with German Agencies; while recognising the expertise of those 2two agencies, considers that Union development policy cannot be reduced to the vision of only 2two Member States; welcomes the efforts of the Commission in that regard, including the preparation of a study to understand the strength of each partner in the Members States in order to evaluate how they could better contribute in the future; asks the Commission to provide the discharge authority with that report as soon as it is available;

Amendment 99 #