Activities of Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ related to 2018/0230(COD)
Reports (1)
RECOMMENDATION FOR SECOND READING on the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Solidarity Corps Programme and repealing Regulations (EU) 2018/1475 and (EU) No 375/2014
Amendments (24)
Amendment 52 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) Young people should be provided with easily accessible and inclusive opportunities to engage in solidarity activities, which could enable them to express their commitment to the benefit of communities while acquiring useful experience, skills and competences for their personal, educational, social, civic and professional development, thereby improving their employability. Those activities should also support the mobility of young volunteers, trainees and workers.
Amendment 55 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) The solidarity activities offered to young people should be of high quality, in the sense that they should respond to unmet societal needs, contribute to strengthening communities, offer young people the opportunity to acquire valuable knowledge and competences, be financially accessible to young people, and be implemented in safe and healthy conditions. Dialogue with local and regional authorities and stakeholders should be encouraged in order to best determine unmet societal needs and ensure a needs-oriented programme.
Amendment 87 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) Particular attention should be given to ensuring the quality of the activities and other opportunities offered under the European Solidarity Corps, in particular by offering training, language support, insurance, administrative and post-activity support to participants as well as the validation of the knowledge, skills and competences acquired through their European Solidarity Corps experience. Security and safety of the volunteers remain of paramount importance and volunteers should not be deployed to operations conducted in the theatre of international and non-international armed conflicts. Due consideration should also be given to the safety and interests of beneficiaries. Activities involving direct contact with children should be guided by the “best interests of the child” principle and should be subject, where appropriate, to background checks or other measures with a view to ensure child safeguarding.
Amendment 98 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) Any entity willing to participate in the European Solidarity Corps should receive a quality label provided that the appropriate conditions are fulfilled. The process that leads to the attribution of a quality label should be carried out on a continuous basis by the implementing bodies of the European Solidarity Corps. The attributed quality label should be reassessed periodically and could be revoked if, in the context of the checks to be performed, the conditions that led to its attribution were found to be no longer fulfilled, taking account of the main fields where solidarity is developing in the Member States.
Amendment 106 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) Participating organisations may perform several functions in the framework of the European Solidarity Corps. In a host function they will carry out activities related to receiving the participants, including the organisation of activities and providing guidance and support to participants during the solidarity activity, as appropriate. In a support function they will carry out activities in relation to the sending and the preparation of participants before departure, during and after the solidarity activity, including training and guiding participants to local organisations after the activity in order to increase opportunities for further solidarity experiences.
Amendment 108 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23
Recital 23
(23) The European Solidarity Corps Portal should be continuously developed in order to ensure easy access to the European Solidarity Corps and to, in accordance with the standards established by Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies. The European Solidarity Corps Portal provides a one-stop shop for both interested individuals and organisations as regards, inter alia, registration, identification and matching of profiles and opportunities, networking and virtual exchanges, online training, language and post-activity support as well as other useful functionalities, which may arise in the future. While a one-stop shop provides the advantage of integrated access to diverse activities, individuals may encounter physical, social and other obstacles in acceding the European Solidarity Corps Portal. In order to overcome such obstacles, participating organisations should provide participants with registration support.
Amendment 128 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 36
Recital 36
(36) In compliance with the Financial Regulation, the Commission should adopt work programmes and inform the European Parliament and the Council thereofGiven that the Programme is implemented over a seven-year period, it is necessary to provide for adequate flexibility to enable adaptation to changing realities and political priorities for the implementation of solidarity activities under the strands of the Programme. As such, the Regulation does not define in detail how the actions will be designed, nor does it prejudge political priorities or respective budgetary priorities for the next seven years. Instead, the secondary policy choices and priorities, including details of specific actions, to be implemented through the different activities, should be determined through an annual work programme in compliance with the Financial Regulation. The work programme should also set out the measures needed for their implementation in line with the general and specific objectives of the Programme, the selection and award criteria for grants, as well as all other elements required. Work programmes and any amendments to them should be adopted by implementing acts in accordance with the examination procedure. means of a delegated act. To ensure equal participation in the preparation of delegated acts, the Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level and ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and to the Council.
Amendment 136 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 45
Recital 45
Amendment 148 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1
(1) ‘solidarity activity’ means an easily accessible, high- quality temporary, inclusive and adequately funded activity contributing to the achievement of the objectives of the European Solidarity Corps, which may take the form of volunteering, traineeships, jobs, solidarity projects and networking activities in various fields, including those referred to in paragraph 13, ensuring the European added value and compliance with health and safety regulations;
Amendment 157 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 4
(4) ‘young people with fewer opportunities’ means young people facing some obstacles that preventhinder them from having effective access to opportunities under the Programme for economic, social, cultural, geographical or health reasons or for reasons such as disabilities and educational difficulties;
Amendment 208 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. The operational objectives and corresponding policy priorities of the actions to be implemented through the activities under the strands shall be specified in detail in the annual work programme to be adopted pursuant to Article 18.
Amendment 214 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. The Annual Work Programme adopted pursuant to Article 18 shall include a list of activities that are potentially harmful to participants, beneficiaries and society, or inappropriate for participants, which shall not be carried out in the framework of the Programme or which shall be subject to special training, background checks or other measures.
Amendment 217 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) reinforcing the capacities of the participating organisations to offer good quality, easily accessible and adequately funded projects to an increasing number of European Solidarity Corps participants;
Amendment 221 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point a
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point a
(a) measures aimed at ensuring the quality of volunteering, traineeships or jobs, including trainingargeted training particularly for those placements involving vulnerable groups, language support, complementary insurance, support before or after the solidarity activity as well as the further use of Youthpass that identifies and documents the competences acquired during the solidarity activities for participants, and capacity building and, administrative support for participating organisations;
Amendment 228 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point d
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point d
(d) the establishment, maintenance and updating of than accessible European Solidarity Corps Portal and other relevant online services as well as the necessary IT support systems and web-based tools in line with the accessibility requirements of Directive (EU) 2016/2102 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies.
Amendment 234 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1
Article 6 – paragraph 1
1. Actions implemented under the strand ‘Participation of young people in solidarity activities addressing societal challenges’ shall in particular contribute to strengthening cohesion, solidarity, citizenship and democracy in the Union and abroad, while also responding to societal challenges with particular effort to promote social inclusion.
Amendment 257 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 12 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 12 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. To allow for flexibility and adaptation of the indicative budgetary breakdown by activities under Article 12a the Commission shall adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 29. The delegated acts adopted under this article shall reflect the new political priorities by readjusting the breakdown respecting a maximum margin of 20%.
Amendment 293 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 17 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Article 17 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Grant requests shall be submitted to the national agency of the country where the organisation is based. Grant requests for activities organised by Europe-wide or international organisations, activities of volunteering teams in priority fields identified at European level and activities in support of humanitarian aid operations in third countries shall be submitted to the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency of the European Commission.
Amendment 294 #
1. The secondary policy choices and priorities, including details of specific actions outlined in Articles 4 to 11, shall be determined on an annual basis through a work programme as referred to in Article [110] of the Financial Regulation. The work programme shall also set out the Programme’s implementation. In addition, the work programme shall give an indication of the amount allocated to each action and of the distribution of funds between the Member States and third countries associated to the Programme for the actions to be managed through the national agency. The Commission shall be empowered to adopt the work programme by means of a delegated act in accordance with Article 29. 2. The Programme shall be implemented by work programmes referred to in [Article 110] of the Financial Regulation. In addition, the work programme shall give an indication of the amount allocated to each action and of the distribution of funds between the Member States and third countries associated to the Programme for the actions to be managed through the national agency. The work programme shall be adopted by the Commission by means of an implementing act. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 30.
Amendment 298 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 20 – paragraph 2
Article 20 – paragraph 2
2. The inmid-terim revaluationiew of the Programme shall be performed once there is sufficient information available about the implementation of the Programme, but no later than four years after the start of the programme implementation30 June 2024. It shall also be accompanied by a final evaluation of the predecessor programme.
Amendment 300 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 20 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 20 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. The Commission shall, if necessary and on the basis of the mid- term review and implementation reports submitted by Member States, propose a revision of the Regulation to be adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure. The Commission shall appear before the competent committee of the European Parliament to report on the mid-term review, including with respect to its decision on whether a revision of the Regulation is required.
Amendment 319 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 29 – paragraph 2
Article 29 – paragraph 2
2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Articles 12, 18 and 19 shall be conferred on the Commission for the duration of the Programme.;
Amendment 320 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 29 – paragraph 3
Article 29 – paragraph 3
3. The delegation of power referred to in Articles 12, 18 and 19 may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.
Amendment 321 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 29 – paragraph 6
Article 29 – paragraph 6
6. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Articles 12, 18 and 19 shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.