Activities of Fernando RUAS related to 2016/2101(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
European Semester for economic policy coordination: implementation of 2016 priorities (A8-0309/2016 - Alfred Sant) PT
Amendments (5)
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Acknowledges the greater coherence of the new mainstreamed European Semester, which allows for more opportunities to engage and communicate with Member States and stakeholders at all levels, reinforcing national ownership and proposing fewer recommendations focusing on key economic, social priorities and functioning as an important stabilization factor for the European Union;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Is concerned by the cumulative lack of investments, which affects long-term growth and job creation; stresses the importance of swift and consistent implementation of cohesion policy 2014- 2020 operational programmes and other EU-funded programmes and initiatives; underlines also the necessity of enhancing multi-level governance and improving the overall quality of public administration, both horizontally and verticallyreminds in this context that the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) should become more geographically balanced and must remain complementary and additional to the European Structural and Investment (ESI) Funds and that synergies between different EU funds, programmes, initiatives and national investments must be exploited in order to maximize the full potential of the projected investments; underlines also the necessity of enhancing multi-level governance and improving the overall quality of public administration, both horizontally and vertically, with a particular focus on administrative capacity, as well as strengthening public procurement rules, transparency, accountability and fight against corruption;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recognises the strong links that cohesion policy has established with the wider economic governance framework by providing support for recovery efforts to stimulate compliance with the European Semester rules; underlines, however, that the legitimacy of cohesion policy derives from the Treaties, and that this policy is the expression of European solidarity having as main objectives strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU through reducing disparities between the levels of development of the various regions and financing investment linked to Europe 2020 goals; is therefore of the opinion that measures linking the effectiveness of ESI Funds with sound economic governance should be applied judiciously, with caution and only as a last resort; recalls, moreover, that the application of such measures should always take into consideration the specific socio-economic circumstances of the Member State concerned, in order to avoid restricting regional and local investments, which are absolutely essential for the Member States economies- particularly for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), maximising growth and job creation and stimulating competitiveness and productivity, especially in times of strong pressure on public expenditure;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Believes that ensuring the transparency and effectiveness of public expenditure is essential for creating a growth-friendly environment; welcomes the fact that several Member States have been able to address the CSRs in their operational programmes (OPs) by means of targeted investments or reforms undertaken in the context of ex-ante conditionalities; appreciates the fact that the ESI Fund investments already contribute to the implementation of structural reforms and improve overall economic performance in Member States, producing economic growth, quality jobs and sustainable development across the Union, including in regions or areas suffering from natural or geographical handicaps;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Is of the opinion that the Structural Reform Support Programme (SRSP) should provide dedicated and targeted support to Member States on a voluntary basis to assist them with the design and implementation of institutional, structural and administrative reforms, only when such reforms cannot be addressed by other instruments or supported by other types of technical assistance already in place; emphasises that the budgetary transfer from the technical assistance under cohesion policy to the SRSP at the initiative of the Commission should not be a precedent for any future proposals.