20 Amendments of Martina ANDERSON related to 2017/2285(INI)
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas 2014-2020 is marked by increased ESIF and CEF budgets and, despite the delayed implementation of the programming period, there is no major impact on transport investments; whereas EU transport infrastructure investments are one of the policies that provide the highessignificant EU added value due to the spill-over effects within the single market, which effectively make all Member States net beneficiaries of the investment;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas TEN-T and transport infrastructure such as road, high-speed railways, waterways and air are EU priorities, and if European investment were to lag behind, increased FDI could fill the gap while relocating profits, taxes and job opportunities outside of the EU, perhaps increasing the dependence and macroeconomic instability of the regions; whereas such a process would undermine the Union’s regional presence and policies in the long term and would lead to fragmentation and divergence;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas smart, sustainable and fully interconnected transport, energy and digital networks are a necessary condition forkey factor in the completion and smooth operation of the European single market and for linking Europe with the world market; whereas these are genuine arteries for European economic growth andeconomy and in the well-being of itEurope's citizens;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines that the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the Cohesion Fund (CF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) should remain the core EU sources for transport infrastructure investments under the thematic objective of ‘promoting sustainable transport and removing bottlenecks in key network infrastructures’; proposes that, due to the high European added value and the extensive spill-over effects generated, these funding sources should remain available for all eligible EU regions, without detracting from the need to award priority to the less developed regions and regions clearly lagging behind in terms of transport infrastructure;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses that infrastructure and transport policy must be based on a social and economic model that reduces demand for goods haulage and passenger transport without impacting on the economic welfare and needs of the public; therefore sees a need, on the one hand, for a more decentralised and balanced economic system that avoids massive transfers of goods and workers, and which enables endogenous regional development, and, on the other hand, a new approach and praxis in regional planning which narrows the gap between cities and rural areas and segmentation between over-populated areas and depopulated ones; also sees a need to promote measures such as prioritising the use of public and community transport, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, the consumption of local and seasonal products, and sustainable local for tourism and leisure models, etc. Considers this to be the only way to achieve genuinely sustainable development that is environment-friendly, economically viable and delivers territorial and social cohesion;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Commission to present, within six months, a detailed and up-to-date country-by-country and project-by-project report on financing in the periods 2007-2014 and 2014-2020 under the ERDF and the Cohesion Fund, with a breakdown for each of the tangible objectives under Article 5(7) of Regulation (EU) No 1301/2013 on the European Regional Development Fund and Article 4(d) of Regulation (EU) No 1300/2013 on the Cohesion Fund; that report should cover the cost of the projects, the EU financing involved and the effective use of the infrastructure completed, and include an analysis of their economic and social benefits;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that the role of additional sources such as the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) needs to be defined in view of their complementarity to the ERDF and CF and their additionality to EIB lending operations; notes in thistresses that doubts linger as to the need for the EFSI and its effectiveness and finds it regrettable that public guarantees aregard that EFSI should serve as a platform for public-private partnerships (PPPs) in matching provided for private sector operations when it is the private sector operator who reaps the rewards of successful projects; stresses that in any event the EFSI must prioritise sustainable transport and essential transport infrastructure projects that offer high social, economic and environmental added value, and focus on those projects that foster quality job creation, long-term growth, innovation and territorial cohesion, including sustainable urban transport and railway projects, meaning that it must maintain a territorial balance in investments; notes in this regard that EFSI should serve to match financial instruments to private investment and to national/regional financing at project level; notes that the support available through the EU guarantee should be provided to bankable infrastructure projects which would not otherwise be supported through the ERDF, CF or CEF;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Points out that, in all circumstances, grants should be the key tool for funding sustainable public transport infrastructure, and especially railways;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that infrastructure requires objective quantification of demand prior to setting the budget and the delivery methods; believes that one priority should be to upgrade existing infrastructure by increasing its capacity, quality and safety; underlines that it should be possible for the ERDF and CF eligibility criteria to consider existing demand at NUTS 3 level;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Believes that all transport infrastructure should be subject to broad public debate, in-depth investigation into its actual necessity and economic and social benefit, and to an exhaustive environmental impact study; considers that only infrastructure on which there is public consensus, which is necessary and socially beneficial and which does not occasion major and/or irreparable environmental damage should be implemented and financed through EU instruments;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Calls for a pivotal decision-making role to be played by the local and regional authorities, and by civil society and local community representatives, in the adoption, planning and financing of transport infrastructure, including in European cross-border coordination and cooperation;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Believes that EU transport infrastructure funding should be geared primarily to sustainable means of transport such as conventional railways, waterways and short-sea shipping; stresses that projects in receipt of co-financing should reflect the need for infrastructure which benefits the EU from a perspective of social, economic and territorial cohesion, which minimises the impact on the environment, which is resistant to the potential impact of climate change and which protects health and ensures user safety; emphasises that EU funding for such means of transport through cohesion policy and the Connecting Europe Facility should be increased, since it is these types of transport which best ensure that the stated aims of transport policy and cohesion policy are achieved;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Emphasises in particular regarding railways that special attention should be paid to revitalising and maintaining branch lines that connect with national main lines and European corridors, provide cross-border connections between Member States and relieve bottlenecks; that local, regional and nations railway connections that have been abandoned despite their economic and public worth, and especially cross- border connections, should be rejuvenated as a matter of urgency; and that initiatives to find new uses for disused lines, such as goods transport or new tourism services, should be promoted. Calls on the Commission also to ensure that the use of railways for goods transport is stepped up with a view to greater network efficiency and more sustainable and safe transport;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for tha study to be conducted on the possible creation of an EU transport infrastructure index as an additional eligibility criterion in order to accurately reflect regional and local demand; proposes that the index help determine the overall envelope of investments as well as the co- financing rates; suggests that the EU transport scoreboard could be the basis for the proposed index with complementary elements such as road safety, regional specifics and environmental impact, which could contribute to the accuracy of the assessments; calls on the Commission to present to Parliament, within six months, a communication on this transport infrastructure index;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Urges that an integrated approach to the objective of sustainable transport be adopted under the cohesion policy, which is to say that it should prioritise interoperability, interconnectivity and intermodality, ensuring an optimum use of all means of transport and fostering the compatibility of interconnections between different means of transport; also favours an intermodal TEN-T approach based on means of transport which are more environmentally friendly, less fuel- expensive and safer, ensuring an optimum use of all means of transport and fostering the compatibility of interconnections between different means of transport;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Recommends that national administrations and regional authorities upgrade intermediate stations and local connections as well was linkages with the TEN-Ts, in order to minimise the costs associated with the existence of peripheral areas; calls on the Commission to promote necessary projects of this type;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Emphasises the need to integrate climate protection into cohesion policy as regards the sustainable transport objective and hence pursue the Community's objectives for reducing CO2 emissions; calls on the Commission to require the Member States to integrate Community environmental legislation into the process of adopting and planning projects eligible for funding, and especially Natura2000, strategic environmental assessment, environmental impact assessment, air quality, the Water Framework Directive, the Habitats and Birds Directives, and the European Environmental Agency's Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism (TERM);
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Stresses that increased energy efficiency should be one of the key priorities of European transport policy and, therefore, of cohesion policy in that field; emphasises the importance of promoting electro-mobility and electric public transport systems, alongside the introduction of renewable electrical energy sources, awarding priority to continuing electrification of the railway network;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for athe common European transport policy, whose overriding objectives should be environmental sustainability and territorial and social cohesion, to be based on a funding framework that is integrated and coordinated with the EU transport instruments; considers that thematic concentration should be preserved in order to permit synergies between different funding sources at project level; proposes the creation of a single set of rules for all financing sources related to the thematic objective of ‘promoting sustainable transport and removing bottlenecks in key network infrastructures’; considers it necessary to streamline and accelerate procurement and state aid compliance procedures through standardised public procurement;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Demands that the utmost attention be paid, in all the transport infrastructure projects financed by the European Union, to quality of employment and dignified working conditions for workers, with a specific focus on compliance with occupational safety standards;