Activities of Pascal DURAND related to 2018/2094(INI)
Legal basis opinions (0)
Amendments (32)
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Union is an example of supranational integration without equal and has brought lasting peace, prosperity and welfare to its peoples, whereas today it continues to embody one of the greatest political ambitions Europeans have held, and whereas peace, prosperity and shared security are unthinkable without a united Europe endowed with the resources and powers needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas, among the major challenges the Union must meet, that of putting the public interest ahead of private interests, and more particularly the most powerful of those, is one of the most important and most fundamental;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas in order to meet it the Union should guarantee the independence of its civil servants, its elected representatives and its political office-holders, in particular by monitoring their dealings with lobby groups, guaranteeing the impartiality of the expert advice on which they base their decisions and making decision-making processes as transparent as possible;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas in view of the multiple current and future challenges facing the Union, in a hostile global world, in particular those concerning migration, climate change, the gradual depletion of biodiversity, the safeguarding of the environment and public health, widening socioeconomic inequalities and increasing levels of exclusion, terrorism, security, completing the EMU, globalisation, climate change, international trade, foreign affairs and defence, the development of the social pillar, and the fight against anti-EU populism, nationalism, intolerance and xenophobia, the objective enshrined the Lisbon Treaty of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe should continue to inspire the actions taken by the Union; whereas these clear challenges can only be addressed if tackled together;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas by ratifying the Paris Agreement the Union has undertaken to continue the efforts to limit the increase in global temperatures to 1.5 °C by comparison with pre-industrial levels, and whereas this objective can only be achieved if we revise upwards our targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the share of the energy mix accounted for by renewables and energy savings;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that the crisis has produced an imbalance between the main institutions of the Union, and that the Council, and in particular the European Council, is exercising its own political initiative to the detriment of the Commission’s right of initiative and Parliament's power of scrutiny;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reiterates that the unanimity, which the Treaties require in some fundamental matters, is an almost insurmountable obstacle in important moments and decisions, and advocates therefore, with regard to decision-making procedures, the principle of qualified majority voting (QMV) in Council and the use of the ordinary legislative procedure in all areas where this is possible; recalls that under the current Treaties this can be achieved by using the various passerelle clauses or, in the case of enhanced cooperation, by using Article 333 TFEU;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes in this regard the announcement by President Juncker in his State of the Union address of 13 September 2017 of the intention to propose using QMV in the Council for matters such as the common consolidated corporate tax base (CCTB), VAT and taxation of the digital economy, but regrets that the MFF regulation is not among the subjects listedand calls for that proposal to be put into practice; takes the view that, in order to guarantee more effective financing of European public policies, the MFF should also be one of the subjects for which QMV is introduced in the Council; takes the view, further, that Article 116 TFEU should be employed as of now in an effort to eliminate fiscal dumping between Member States;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Reiterates its suggestion to transform the Council into a true legislative chamber, on an equal footing with Parliament, and to improve the transparency of its functioning and of the EU decision-making process in general; points in this context to the special report by the Ombudsman on the transparency of the Council’s legislative process, which finds evidence of maladministration, and the initiative of a majority of national parliaments calling for more transparency from the Council and informal bodies such as the Eurogroup, in line with similar requests made by Parliament in this respect; takes the view that in general, as co-legislators, the Council and Parliament should be equally transparent, which means, inter alia, that the standpoints defended by the representatives of the Member States, from the stage involving consideration in working parties, should be made public and that MEPs should be able to attend the relevant meetings as observers;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Proposes a major transparency drive at EU level, with a view to increasing the transparency of decision- making on public policy and guaranteeing that decisions are taken in the public interest and not unduly influenced by private interests; considers that that drive should be based on the establishment of a high authority responsible for ruling out conflicts of interest among civil servants, political office-holders and elected representatives, the mandatory preparation of a legislative footprint, the introduction of a genuine, binding transparency register covering all the Union institutions and agencies, the strengthening of the arrangements for the provision of public expertise independent of the Union and the strict enforcement of citizens' right to information, including as guaranteed by the Aarhus Convention;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Takes the view that, in order to meet the objectives set in the Paris Agreement, the Union should revise upwards its targets for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the share of the energy mix accounted for by renewables and energy savings and commit itself to moving towards a zero- carbon economy by phasing out the use of fossil fuels;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9c. Takes the view that, in order to halt the dramatic loss of biodiversity and guarantee a healthy environment for current and future generations, the Union should take effective action to combat all sources of pollution by introducing and strictly enforcing more ambitious standards, targeting the most polluting industries in particular, whether they operate in the area of agri-foods, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, energy, transport or finance, and by taking active steps to combat deforestation and over- fishing and promoting a new farming model which safeguards the environment, farmers' livelihoods and animal welfare;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 d (new)
Paragraph 9 d (new)
9d. Calls on the Commission to bring about a radical paradigm shift in its commercial policy by ensuring that the public interest, human rights, the combating of climate disruption, environmental protection and the safeguarding of social rights are the primary objectives in any negotiation with third countries;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 e (new)
Paragraph 9 e (new)
9e. Proposes the introduction of a green card for national and regional parliaments with legislative powers, so that they can make proposals at EU level; takes the view that, in order to improve the representation of citizens at EU level, democratic criteria should be applied in the Member States in order to ensure that all the national parliaments can scrutinise the standpoints adopted by their governments in the Council and in the Eurogroup;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Takes the view that minimum social protection rules can already be introduced on the basis of the Treaties as they stand; calls for the introduction in the eurozone of automatic stabilisers which are open to all other Member States wishing to take part; takes the view that these automatic stabilisers should incorporate at least a European unemployment insurance system and a minimum income fixed at 60% of the median national income; proposes that work should start on a roadmap for the gradual pooling of public debt among the eurozone countries;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the convergence of positions taken by France and Germany on the idea of a budgetary capacity for the euro area; reiterates its view that this capacity should be developed within the EU framework and should be open to Member States which have not yet joined the euro, but wish to do so; takes the view that this budget, to be used to fund joint investments, may be established on the basis of enhanced cooperation and should be funded by an own resources system;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Points out that the MFF should be consistent with the Union's climate and environmental commitments and ensure that European public money is used to finance our societies' green transition; considers that, with that aim in view, at least half the EU budget should be earmarked to cover expenditure on measures to combat climate disruption and that no European programme should serve to fund the use of fossil fuels;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Points out that, if shared challenges are to be met, the EU budget should on no account be reduced below 2020 levels, Brexit notwithstanding; takes the view, further, that no rebates should be granted under the MFF and that the MFF should mostly be funded from own resources; considers that the EU budget should reflect the Union's political priorities, in particular its climate-related and environmental ambitions, and the need to combat socioeconomic inequalities and all forms of discrimination, including those based on gender;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Regrets that, to date, there has been no practical follow-up neither to its call for a convergence code – to be adopted by codecision – in order to have a more effective framework for economic policy coordination, nor to its call for an interinstitutional agreement (IIA) to be concluded to give Parliament a more substantial role in the European Semester; recalls in this context its suggestion that budgetary calendars at national and European level need to be better coordinated throughout the process in order to better involve both the European Parliament and national parliaments in the European Semester; takes the view that this convergence code should incorporate economic objectives, but also environmental and social ones, in such a way as to make the Union the guarantor not only of a balanced budget, but also of measures to combat socioeconomic inequalities, the exploitation of resources and environmental degradation and can intervene when the Member States fail to meet these criteria;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the Council decision establishing permanent structured cooperation (PESCO), and the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) and the European Defence Fund (EDF) as important steps towards a common defence policy, and notes proposals by certain Member States for an EU Security Council and a European Intervention Initiative; recalls its call for the establishment of a permanent Council of Defence Ministers chaired by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR), and underlines the importance of appropriate democratic accountability of decisions taken in this area and the need for reinforced cooperation between the European Parliament and national parliaments in this regard;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Deplores the absence of agreement among the Member States on the priorities and implementation of an EU-level comprehensive immigration policy, which would make it possible to organise and regulate migratory flows, control our external borders more effectively, cooperate with countries of origin and transit, and guarantee respect for the fundamental rights of migrants and asylum seekers, among other objectives; underlines that the obvious contradictions in interests exposed by Member States need to be overcome in order not to jeopardise the European integration project; points out that one effective, rational and safe way of preventing the human dramas linked to the displacement of persons forced to flee their homes is to establish legal channels for migration;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Takes the view that the Dublin system does not guarantee either reception arrangements for asylum seekers which are such as to safeguard their dignity and their fundamental rights or solidarity between Member States, and that it should therefore be overhauled as a matter of urgency; considers that a new system should be based on the fair allocation of asylum seekers within the Union, in keeping with objective criteria which take account of their emotional and family ties;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines its determination to continue with the Spitzenkandidaten process for the election of the next Commission President, and welcomes the support of the Commission and certain Member States in this respect; underlines that it will reject any candidate in the investiture procedure of the Commission President who was not appointed as a Spitzenkandidat in the run-up to European Parliament elections and who does not have a sufficient parliamentary majority; takes the view that the European Council should propose for the post of Commission President the candidate most likely to secure a parliamentary majority; points out that that person will not necessarily be the candidate from the political grouping which won the European elections; considers it essential to strengthen the socipolitical legitimacy of the European elections and the supranational role of the European Parliament as an exponent of European citizenship and European sovereignty;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Regrets the frequent and widespread temptation, made possible by the Council's opaque working methods, to attribute unpopular decisions to Brussels and to free national authorities of their responsibilities and politics, given that this unjust and opportunistic attitude damages Europe, promotes anti-European nationalism and discredits the EU institutions;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Underlines the need to strengthen the European public spherace as a supranational area of European democracydemocratic space; takes the view that this must involve, for example, the Europeanisation of public debates, in particular in the media, devoting more time in school curricula to the functioning of the Union and its powers, and significantly strengthening the tools for citizens' participation in political life, such as the European citizens' initiative, which should be significantly upgraded; stresses that the major challenges Europe is facing must be addressed and discussed from a European perspective and not only from a national perspective; points out that, for this reason, European democracy needs agenuine European identity, a genuinely European demos, more European institutional education and a deliberative, more participatory and less national social frameworkcitizenship, which should, ultimately, be granted directly by the Union to any person living on EU territory, irrespective of their nationality;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the approach taken to the current negotiations on the United Kingdom’s orderly withdrawal from the European Union, and underlines the remarkable unity displayed by the EU institutions and Member States; notes that experience in the negotiations to date has shown the enormous complexities of such decishighlighted the extent of the dangers which the decision to leave the Union is creating for the nationals of a State, its economy, its businesses and its ability to exert influence on the world stage; takes the view, whilst expressing regret at the United Kingdom's decision to leave the Union, that Brexit could offer the Union an opportunity to consolidate its political integrations;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Underlines once more that neither national sovereignty nor subsidiarity can justify or legitimise the systematic refusal on the part of a Member State to comply with the fundamental values of the European Union which inspired the introductory articles of the European Treaties, which every Member State has willingly endorsed and committed to respect; underlines furthermore that upholding these values is fundamental for the cohesion of the European project, the rights of all Europeans and the mutual trust needed among the Member States; recalls its recommendation to establish a binding European mechanism for democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Reiterates that the process of reflection on the future of Europe and on a review of the Lisbon Treaty should eventually lead to a Convention being convened – guaranteeing inclusiveness through its composition of representatives and providing a platform for reflecshould eventually lead to a genuine constitutional development process designed to endow the Union with a concise and comprehensible Constitution which safeguards fundamental rights and the separation of powers, defines the nature of the institutions and engagement with stakeholders and citizens – with a view to discussing and drawing conclustheir respective powers, sets out the decision-making processes and lays down the division of competences between the varionus from the varioulevels of power; takes the view that this cContribstitutions to th cannot be preflection process on the future of Europe by the institutions and opared by the heads of state and government at an intergovernmental conference and that it is high time that citizens were given the opportunity to draw up together, bodies of the Union and the proposals put forward by heads of state or government, national parliaments and civil society and in citizen consultatioy means of a democratic constitutional development process involving an open and collaborative phase, the document which will lay down rules governing their society; takes the view that the text should be ratified by means of a trans-European referendum requiring a double majority of States and citizens;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Considers that that Constitution should introduce a two-chamber federal parliamentary system in which the Commission would be a fully fledged executive and the Council, transformed into an upper chamber representing the States or, where appropriate, the regions, would act as co-legislator alongside a Parliament endowed with a legislative right of initiative, including in the budgetary and fiscal sphere, and a large proportion of whose Members would be elected from a common constituency; takes the view that in such a Union the Commission presidency should be elected by the European Parliament on the basis of a political majority and a clear programme and that its composition should be determined without interference from the Member States;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Takes the view that, if the Union is to guarantee certain fundamental and enforceable rights and objectives in practice, a pillar of civic, economic, social and environmental rights should be incorporated into primary EU law; considers that this would endow the EU with powers to act in these areas and to respond each time these rights were violated, thereby ensuring full gender equality throughout its territory, combating all forms of discrimination and guaranteeing press freedom, the protection of minorities, media pluralism, access to public goods and services, the right to a healthy environment, etc.;