16 Amendments of Péter NIEDERMÜLLER related to 2017/2052(INI)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
– having regard to the ‘Challenges facing civil society organisations working on human rights in the EU’ report of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 b (new)
Citation 7 b (new)
– having regard to the EESC own- imitative opinion on the Financing of civil society organisations by the EU,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the role of civil society in promoting transparency and uncovering corruption concerning EU funds is essential; whereas the same civil society organisations and their essential work in the field of fundamental values of the European Union enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, as well as their crucial investigative work in the financial interest of the European Union are threatened in several Member States;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas current cases of corruption and financial fraud concerning certain Member States in the use of EU funds and the lack of effective follow-up investigations by Member State authorities of OLAF recommendations regarding these irregularities make the case for Member States’ participation in the European Public Prosecutor Office being a pre-condition for their access to EU funds;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas upholding fundamental values of the European Union, enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, when developing and implementing EU policies is crucial, and therefore there should be a clear relationship between the rule of law and the developing and implementation of private and public investments supported by the EU budget;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas there is an inconsistency between the EU’s support for rule of law and democracy for accession and third countries and its support within the European Union and its Member States; whereas current issues regarding the rule of law and democracy in several Member States justify the need for an internal European fund for human rights and democracy within the EU based on existing initiatives and mirroring external initiatives;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is convinced that the next MFF should build on the Union’s well- established policies and priorities, which aim at promoting peace, the fundamental values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, including democracy, the rule of law democracy and human rights, gender equality, at boosting welfare, long- term and sustainable economic growth, high-quality jobs, sustainable development and innovation, and at safeguarding equal opportunities and non-discrimination, at fostering economic, social and territorial cohesion, intercultural understanding as well as solidarity between Member States and citizens as set out in art 3 TUE; considers that these pillars are prerequisites for a properly functioning single market and Economic and Monetary Union as well as for reinforcing Europe’s position in the world; trusts that they are more relevant than ever for Europe’s future endeavours;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Believes that the next MFF should enable the Union to provide solutions and emerge strengthened from the crises of the decade: the rule of law and democracy crises in several Member States, the economic and financial downturn, the phenomenon of migration and refugees, climate change and natural disasters, terrorism and instability, to name but a few; underlines that these global, cross- border challenges with domestic implications reveal the interdependency of our economies and societies, and point to the need for joint actions;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that the next MFF provides an opportunity for the Union to demonstrate that it stands together and is able to address political developments such as Brexit, the rise of nationalist movements and changes in global leadership, the crises of rule of law and democracy in several Member States; underlines that divisions and self- centredness are not an answer to global issues and to citizens’ concerns; considers that the Brexit negotiations, in particular, show that the benefits of being a Union member greatly outweigh the cost of contributing to its budget;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Notes that governments hinder the work and demonise civil society organisations in several Member States, constituting an obstacle to their continued work and defence of values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union; calls on the Commission to come up with a proposal for strengthened support for civil society and NGOs in the form of an internal European fund for democracy and human rights, managed by the Commission, in light of such operational dangers;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Urges the Commission for the sake of sound financial management and transparency of the European Union’s budget to consider setting up proper conditions to prevent corruption and financial fraud concerning EU funds, including by making participation in the work of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and a stronger conditionality between the rule of law and the EU funds pre-conditions to access;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Considers that better spending, i.e. the efficient use of every single euro of the EU budget, can be achieved not only by directing EU resources towards actions with the highest European added value and the greatest increase in the performance of the EU’s policies and programmes, but also by achieving greater synergies between the EU budget and the national budgets, and by ensuring the tangible improvement of the spending architecture, as well as setting up the post-2020 MFF system with the necessary pre-conditions to eliminate corruption and financial fraud, including by making participation in the work of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and a stronger conditionality between the rule of law and the EU funds pre-conditions to access;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 62
Paragraph 62
62. Calls on the Commission to simplify and harmonise the rules governing the use of financial instruments in the next MFF in order to maximise their efficient application; considers the option of a single fund that would integrate financial instruments at EU level that are centrally managed under such programmes as the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), Horizon 2020, COSME, Creative Europe and the Employment and Social Innovation programme (EaSI) on the one hand and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) on the other, as well as a future internal European fund for democracy and human rights, a proposal to be discussed further; is of the opinion that such an umbrella solution should provide for a clear structure for the choice of different types of financial instruments for different policy areas and types of actions; underlines, however, that such a fund could never integrate financial instruments managed by Member States under cohesion policy;
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 65
Paragraph 65
65. Believes, therefore, that the current presentation of the headings requires some improvements, but is against any unjustified radical changes; proposes, as a result, the following structure for the MFF post-2020; Heading 1: A stronger and sustainable economy Including programmes and instruments supporting: under direct management: - research and innovation - -digital transformation of European society and economy industry, entrepreneurship and - small and medium-sized enterprises - large-infrastructure projects - - transport, digitalisation, energy - -energy, space environment and climate change -mitigation and adaptation - agriculture and rural development - - maritime affairs and fisheries - - horizontal (financial) instruments - supporting investments in Europe (possible umbrella financial instrument at EU level, incl. EFSI) Heading 2: Stronger cohesion and solidarity in Europe Including programmes and instruments supporting: - economic, social and territorial - cohesion (under shared management): investments in innovation, research, digitalisation, reindustrialisa transition, SMEs, transport, climate change adaptation and mitigation, energy and environment employment, education, social affairs and social inclusion -, capacity building education, youth and life-long learning - -democracy, rule of law, fundamental rights culture, citizenship and - communication - health and food safety - - asylum, migration and integration, - justice and consumers - support to and coordination with national administrations - gender equality Heading 3: Stronger responsibility in the world Including programmes and instruments supporting: - human rights, democracy and the rule of law - international cooperation and development - neighbourhood - enlargement - humanitarian aid - trade - gender equality - contribution to EU trust funds and external relations facilities Heading 4: Security, peace and stability for all Including programmes and instruments supporting: - security - cybersecurity - crisis response and stability - common foreign and security policy - defence Heading 5: An efficient administration at the service of Europeans - financing EU staff - financing the buildings and equipment of EU institutions
Amendment 557 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 85
Paragraph 85
85. Expresses support for programmes in the areas of democracy, rule of law, fundamental rights, culture, education, media, youth, sports and, citizenship and civil society that have clearly demonstrated their European added value and enjoy lasting popularity among beneficiaries and without which it is not possible to develop a common European conscience; advocates, therefore, continuous investment in the Education and Training 2020 framework through the Erasmus+, Creative Europe and Europe for Citizens programmes in order to pursue reaching out people of all ages, and especially young people, to young people and providing them with valuable competences and life skills through lifelong learning, learner-centred and non-formal and informal education, as well as informal learning opportunities; calls in particular for at least tripling of the Erasmus+ envelope in the next MFF with the aim of reaching many more young people and learners across Europe,primarily those coming from a disadvantaged socio-economic background, and learners across Europe, beyond university students, with a particular attention to people with disabilities, enabling them to participate in the programme without their own resources and achieving the full potential of the programme; recommends, moreover, the continuation of the European Solidarity Corps and reiterates its support for strengthening the external dimension of the Erasmus+ and Creative Europe programmes; recommends setting up an internal European Democracy Fund for the strengthened support of civil society and NGOs working in the fields of democracy and human rights;
Amendment 558 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 85
Paragraph 85
85. Expresses support for programmes in the areas of democracy, rule of law, fundamental rights, culture, education, media, youth, sports and citizenship that have clearly demonstrated their European added value and enjoy lasting popularity among beneficiaries; advocates, therefore, continuous investment in the Education and Training 2020 framework through the Erasmus+, Creative Europe and Europe for Citizens programmes in order to pursue reaching out to young people and providing them with valuable competences and life skills through lifelong learning, learner-centred and non-formal education, as well as informal learning opportunities; calls in particular for a tripling of the Erasmus+ envelope in the next MFF with the aim of reaching many more young people and learners across Europe, and achieving the full potential of the programme; recommends, moreover, the continuation of the European Solidarity Corps and reiterates its support for strengthening the external dimension of the Erasmus+ and Creative Europe programmes; recommends setting up an internal European Democracy Fund for the strengthened support of civil society and NGOs working in the fields of democracy and human rights, managed by the Commission, in light of the endangered conditions under which they are forced to undertake their crucial work in several Member States of the European Union, threatened, hindered, persecuted and demonised by Member States’ governments and authorities;