2023/2029(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Recital A (new)

A. Whereas the EIB, given its role under the Treaties and its role in supporting Union policies, remains the natural partner of the European Commission for the implementation of operations under the EFSD+,

Amendment 10 #

Eric MINARDI, Joachim KUHS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the Commission to take advantage of the MFF revision to refine the nomenclature of the NDICI – Global Europe in order to allow the budgetary authority to exercise its scrutiny powers, particularly as regards the neighbourhood budgetary lines; stresses the importance of improving the nomenclature in order to be able to clearly monitor how the funds are used and to have concrete data and information for analysis;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the Commission to ~~take advantage of the MFF revision to refine~~refine and detail the nomenclature of the NDICI – Global Europe in order to allow the budgetary authority to exercise its scrutiny powers, particularly as regards the neighbourhood budgetary lines;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Reiterates its full commitment to support Ukraine and calls for a clarification of the role of NDICI in this respect; believes that the volumes aimed at mitigating the impact of the war and the food crisis stemming from it need to be increased in light of the EU’s global responsibility in fighting hunger; is of the opinion that budgetary guarantees provided from the NDICI for the MFA+ provided to Ukraine in 2022 should be moved over and above the ceiling given the nature of the expenditure, and also to create availabilities for unforeseen challenges;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Stresses that the Union has cooperative relations with a large number of developing countries and countries most in need to overcome long-term developmental challenges related, for example, with economic, social and environmental challenges; recalls that EU external financing instruments will contribute to achieving the international commitments and objectives that the Union has agreed to, in particular the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Welcomes the support of Ukraine and Moldova on key integration priorities in light of their candidate country status through respective NDICI envelopes;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2c. Notes that the already tight NDICI envelope, and in particular the allocation for the cushion, has been stretched to the limits by the increasing needs for provisioning of guarantees and interest costs in support of Ukraine; points out that the accumulation of needs competing for scarce NDICI resources within the confines of Heading 6 makes it increasingly difficult to combine the programmed core tasks of international cooperation with crisis response and new initiatives; expects both the NDICI and the MFF provisions to be made sufficiently resilient and flexible to accommodate these multiple demands in the medium to long term;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)

2d. Believes each beneficiary country should present a long-term plan aligned with the MFF calendar, stating its projects and goals; recognises that this architecture could increase the transparency and predictability of funding needs, allowing for the establishment of long-term objectives as defined by the Commission, namely in areas which require forward planning such as energy, health, water supply, digital and green transition; notes that such plan ought to be presented by the beneficiary government, which would rely on the participation of local stakeholders, whose contribution should be stimulated; believes it would also foster the participation of destination countries in the drawing up of Union development policy, through the participation of its institutions and stakeholders;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)

2e. Reiterates the key role that education and training play on the prevention of poverty and social exclusion, whilst also ensuring that human and civic values are maintained and helping tackle all forms of discrimination; urges the Commission to acknowledge the need to properly fund education, training and upskilling of citizens in developing countries;

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 f (new)

2f. Recognises the importance of joint actions taken by the Union and the Member States as well as the need of a common approach to global challenges; acknowledges that the Union and the Member States should inform each other about actions being undertaken in the field of development cooperation;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 h (new)

2h. Recognises the importance and added value of ‘blending’ instruments that combine public grants with private loans; calls, therefore, on the Commission to prioritise and incentivise the use of such instruments; stresses the importance of the involvement of the private sector and expects the Commission to further develop this integration, namely through local small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Recalls its long-standing position that the Heading 6 ceiling is insufficient to allow the Union to achieve its ambitions on the global stage; ~~stresses, in particular, the need for the EU budget to make a tangible contribution to the reconstruction in Ukraine~~in particular to promote democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and address long- term challenges in its neighbourhood and beyond, including the response to the food, energy, climate and economic crisis; stresses, in particular, the need for the EU budget to make a tangible contribution to the reconstruction in Ukraine including through additional guarantees for the European Investment Bank which are necessary in order to allow continued engagement of the EU Bank in the country; calls, therefore, on the Commission to present a revision of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) with sufficient funding for Heading 6, since the current financial programming is insufficient for the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) and for the geopolitical ambitions of the European Union;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 i (new)

2i. Acknowledges that the NDICI, like other Union programmes, suffers from a lack of visibility, understanding and publicity, with the beneficiaries from this Union funding not being aware of the Union’s support, solidarity and priorities; considers that the NDICI should be better explained to the public;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 j (new)

2j. Calls on the Commission to assess whether an online platform where all EDF and NDICI-Global Europe projects would be publicised could be established, to increase transparency and access to data;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Urges the Commission to provide detailed figu~~Regrets that, for 2021, the shares onf the ~~implementation of the horizontal objectives, in particular on climate and migration; recalls that the Commission must respect the horizontal~~committed amount contributing to the migration and forced displacement targets was ~~defin~~14%, exceed in Regulation (EU) 2021/9471 ; _________________ 1 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).g largely the 10% target, and that the share of the committed amounts contributing to climate objectives was 18,5%, drastically below the 30% target; urges the Commission to provide detailed figures on the implementation of the horizontal objectives and the programmation for the remaining period, in particular on climate and migration;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Urges the Commission to provide detailed figures on the implementation of the horizontal objectives, in particular on climate ~~and migration~~, migration, positive contribution towards halting biodiversity loss and gender mainstreaming; recalls that the Commission must respect the horizontal targets as defined in Regulation (EU) 2021/9471 as well as Article 15 of the Inter-institutional Agreement; _________________ 1 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 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Recalls at least 85 % of new actions implemented under the NDICI should have gender equality as a principal or a significant objective and at least 5 % of those actions should have gender equality and women’s and girls’ rights and empowerment as a principal objective;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Recalls that the Commission must respect the horizontal targets as defined in Regulation (EU) 2021/947[1a] and urges the Commission to present a strategy to respect the horizontal targets and for catching-up on the existing gaps; _________________ 1a 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 26 #

Eric MINARDI, Joachim KUHS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Underlines that the Union should support civil society organisations in order to pursue the values, interests and objectives of the Union; is concerned that the support from the thematic programme towards Civil Society Organisation will be reduced for the remaining period;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Regrets that the Commission’s use of the emerging challenges and priorities cushion does not respect the spirit of Article 17, in particular as concerns the financing of new legislative initiatives; regrets the pre-allocation of 60 % of funds for the remaining cushion without considering future anticipated needs not yet taken into account, such as the ~~Syrian refugee package~~repatriation of Syrian refugees, in particular with a view to rationalising expenditure, relieving the burden on host countries and optimising funds; calls on the Commission to inform Parliament in detail ahead of each mobilisation of the cushion funds and to take its observations into account, in line with Recital 71 of the regulation;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Regrets that the Commission’s use of the emerging challenges and priorities cushion does not respect the spirit of Article 17, in particular as concerns the financing of new legislative initiatives; regrets the pre-allocation of 60 % of funds for the remaining cushion without considering future anticipated needs not yet taken into account, such as the Syrian refugee package; ~~calls on~~asks the Commission to inform Parliament in detail ahead of each mobilisation of the cushion funds and to take its observations into account, in line with Recital 71 of the regulation;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Welcomes the recent Macro- financial assistances adopted to support several countries and notably Ukraine to face the consequences of the Russian’s aggression in Ukraine; regrets the lack of information given to the budgetary authorities on the management the financing of the interest costs of the MFA; worries that the current financing of the interest costs of the MFA through the mobilisation of the NDICI cushion, rather than through fresh appropriations, risk to exhaust most of, if not all, the NDICI cushion for the remaining period, leaving the NDICI with no ability to respond to unforeseen challenges, and therefore, underlines the need to find sustainable long-term financing solutions, while preserving the ability to cope with future challenges;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Recalls its long-standing position that the Heading 6 ceiling is insufficient to allow the Union to achieve its ambitions and strategic goals on the global stage; stresses, in particular, the need for the EU budget to make a tangible contribution to the reconstruction in Ukraine as well as to the most demanding global challenges such as climate change and extreme poverty; underlines its view that the Heading 6 and in particular Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) needs to be understood not only as a budgetary expenditure, but as an investment instrument; calls, therefore, on the Commission to present an ambitious revision of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) with sufficient funding for Heading 6, since the current financial programming is insufficient for the N~~eighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) and for~~DICI, that will better reflect the geopolitical ambitions of the European Union and its global commitments;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Insists that funds for unforeseen expenses be used to respond to new needs and to cover unforeseen emergencies;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Regrets the lack for clarity on the financing for the new Global Gateway strategy and recalls that such new initiatives should be financed through fresh appropriations and the related upward revision of the ceiling for Heading 6;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to strengthen the monitoring of the stability of the investment framework provided for by the NDICI (European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus and the External Action Guarantee) given the current geopolitical and economic instability and to ensure that its purpose is maintained as provided for in the regulation; calls on the Commission to provide the budgetary authority with quarterly updates, including on the use and amounts of budgetary guarantees; as well as the estimated provisioning and future forecasts as well as the state of play as regards the climate and biodiversity targets and the contribution of the NDICI to promote gender equality.

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Welcomes the new status of candidate countries for Ukraine and Moldova, and notes that both will require further financial and technical assistance, including to enhance the countries’ resilience and prevent and counter hybrid threats; calls on the Commission to put forward proposals to include Ukraine and Moldova on the list of beneficiaries of the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA III), which would reduce the pressure lying on the NDICI;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Insists on strengthening transparency in order to see exactly how the funds were used and what the results of these investments are, taking also into account the negative impact of inflation;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5b. Calls for NDICI actions to cover the needs related to the consequences of the war in Ukraine on neighbouring countries;

Amendment 36 #

Eric MINARDI, Joachim KUHS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5c. Calls for the need to make sure the NDICI actions actively involve stakeholders from all Member States and integrate the widening principles in the daily activity related to the implementation of the programs;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Recalls its long-standing position that the Heading 6 ceiling is insufficient to allow the Union to achieve its ambitions on the global stage; stresses, in particular, the need for~~stresses the will of the EU budget to make a tangible contribution to the reconstruction in Ukraine; calls, therefore, on the Commission to present a solutions that do not involve a revision of the mMultiannual fFinancial fFramework (MFF) ~~with sufficient funding~~ for Heading 6, since the current financial programming is insufficient for the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) ~~and for the geopolitical ambitions of the European Union~~;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Recalls its long-standing position that the Heading 6 ceiling is insufficient to allow the Union to achieve its ambitions on the global stage; stresses, in particular, the need for the EU budget to make a tangible contribution to the reconstruction in Ukraine; calls, therefore, on the Commission to present a revision of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) with an upward revision of the ceiling and sufficient funding for Heading 6, since the current financial programming is insufficient for the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) and for the geopolitical ambitions of the European Union;

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Notes that, since the setting up of the new development arm in 2022, the EIB Global has made record use of the dedicated investment window entrusted to it under Article 36 of the NDICI regulation, delivering over 10bn EUR notably in support of Ukraine and the Global Gateway; underlines the importance of the EU budget as the sole guarantor for the EIB's ability to provide loans outside the Union in support of EU policies; calls for an increase in the guarantees granted to the EIB by the EU budget in order to allow the EU bank to continue operations in Ukraine and to expand its activities in the Global South;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Notes that the financial programming of Heading 6 has been frontloaded for the current MFF, accounting for 17 billion for the current year, and will be reduced down to 14.6 billion for 2026, together with major negative impact of the current striking inflation, further affects the ability of EU budget to deliver on the EU external action in the coming years;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. notes that Ukraine and Moldova, as the EU candidate countries, will require further financial and technical assistance to prepare for the accession; calls on the Commission to put forward proposals to include Ukraine and Moldova on the list of beneficiaries of the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA III);

Amendment 9 #