Activities of Flavio ZANONATO related to 2015/2324(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU strategy for the Alpine region (A8-0226/2016 - Mercedes Bresso) IT
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region
Amendments (27)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. having regard to the Commission communication (COM(2015)366) concerning the European Union Strategy for the Alpine Region and the accompanying action plan;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Alpine Region is one of the most dynamic, innovative, productive and competitive regions in Europe, and has unique geographical and natural feacharacterized by relevant industrial districts and many centres of excellence, and has unique geographical, natural and economic features including local products as well as elements of historical interest, landscape and cultures;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas there are significant differences among the different areas in the Alpine Region, such as mountainous areas, the Alpine foreland, rural areas and the urban areas;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas specific answers need to be found to the problems of globalisation, the ageing populationdemographic changes, ‘'brain drain’', climate change, large-scale natural hazards, the energy challenge, seasonal fluctuations and, multiple jobs, waste reduction and sustainable use of resources;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the specific geomorphology of the region should not be considered solely an obstacle to connectivity, but rather an opportunity to combine the transport system with protection of the natural and, cultural, environmental, and biodiversity heritage;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas demographic changes, characterised particularly by ageing population, low fertility rates and out- migration, as well as low population density in the mountain areas, are major challenges for the alpine region and have an effect on the labour market developments, investments and on the provision of public services;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas low population density is, among others, linked with the scarcity of basic services for the population; whereas mountain areas are disadvantaged concerning the supply of social services and medical care;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas financial resources should mainlyalso be invested in the development of local connectivity, in promoting, on the basis of standards and indicators suited to the specific conditions in mountain areas, in the development of local connectivity, while ensuring consistency with the trans-European transport networks already mapped out so as to help promote small town centres, facilitating and the accessibility of tourist facilities and ensuringable essential health services to be put to use;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas free movement of persons is a prerequisite to reaching the goals of economic, social, territorial and environmental cohesion in order to achieve strong and sustainable competitiveness and make equal access to employment possible;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the population of foothill areas is among the poorest areas in the mountain region and is at high risk of unemployment and depopulation due to the traditional industrial production being relocated and concentrated in the urban areas;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas mountain areas, especially the most remote regions, suffer often from lower educational attainment, lack of a qualified workforce, lower density of public services and poor availability of broadband; whereas more accessible areas can generally count on a more vital economy and attract more investments;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas financial resources should be focused on the specific needs of the mountain territories;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. welcomes the Commission's communication and the action plan for the alpine region but stresses the need to further strengthen the social dimension in order to ensure the pursuit of a growth model that can secure sustainable growth, social inclusion and social protection for all, in particular in the border areas; insists on the importance of encouraging the setting-up of social infrastructures and promoting social investments;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes note of the Alpine Convention, the territorial delimitation under it, and the protocols on transport and tourism, as well as of the Commission’s action plan aimed at improving the sustainability of transport connectivity within and to the region and promoting intermodality and interoperability in passenger and freight transport;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses the importance of increasing the economic potential of the strategic sectors of agriculture, forestry, tourism, energy, the bioeconomy, organic products, health and the latest technologies, and giving strong backing to SMEs with which research centres should form linkinter- regional networks and links; stresses the need to promote social entrepreneurship, local productions and to foster fresh investments also facilitating credit access for young entrepreneurs;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses the need to address demographic changes such as ageing population and migration flows; underlines that in-migration could be an important factor for the development of those areas which are subject to depopulation or population ageing; underlines therefore the need to support measures that strengthen the positive role of in-migration to boost economic growth and social cohesion in the area;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Stresses the need to provide quality public services accessible and affordable for all, in particular with regard to education, healthcare, social services and mobility; underlines the need to develop infrastructures and technologies in order to ensure the availability of sustainable tailor made services for the people living in the Alpine region; calls on the Member States concerned to better take into account the needs of people living in the most peripheral areas;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Stresses the need to put in place effective instruments, including adequate inspections and controls, to guarantee decent working and living conditions of seasonal workers in the Alpine Region and to ensure that there is no misuse of seasonal employment; stresses the need to ensure the respect of employment rights, labour standards and high quality working conditions in general;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Stresses the need to strengthen the adaptability of the workforce through re- skilling, lifelong learning and multilingualism and to endorse plans to enhance good working conditions, social security, gender equality and accessibility for people with disabilities;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote, as a matter of priority, multi-level governance and, as a matter of priority for the essentially mountainous Alpine region, to implement a policy to develop transport infrastructure that is sustainable, inclusive and non-invasive for the region, preserving the latter and promoting it in terms of tourism, and social cohesion and regional development, especially in border areas, and promoting the balanced development of economically weaker regions and areas;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that an environment needs to be created that fosters innovation and research with smart specialisation strategies and stronger links between the complementary strengths of the Alpine Region and its interests; stresses that political stability, a higher level of social welfare, a skilled and educated workforce, innovating companies and unique geographical features are competitive advantages for the alpine region;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses that innovative solutions are needed in order to avoid brain drain and depopulation, such as maintaining services of general interest also in small and medium urban areas and foster the diffusion of new technologies; considers it also important to organise exchanges programs of students, entrepreneurs and policy makers from different regions of EUSALP in order to improve language skills, the exchange of good practices and social cohesion;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Underlines that sustainable tourism, local productions and efficient public transport systems can help to tackle depopulation and securing jobs in the region;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for transport connectivity within the region and with the rest of Europe to be made more dursustainable and efficient and for intermodal transport systems to be encouraged for the sake of the region’'s development and the well-being of its inhabitants; underlines the importance to support coordinated transnational policies and new approaches in shared responsibility and fair cooperation between territories, such as vertical links between large cities and rural, mountain and tourist areas;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Highlights the importance of access to a high speed Internet connection and to digital services. to overcome the digital divide, both in digital skills and access, for all the inhabitants of the Alpine region, especially those living and working in the most peripheral areas; highlights the need to better connect schools, universities and research centres, promote e-learning programs, innovation, the development of clusters based on regional expertise and regional companies;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses the need to promote production models based on a circular economy approach, to support energy efficiency and the creation of 'green infrastructures' to preserve biodiversity and natural resources and to provide new opportunities for tourism and quality job creation;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Member States to adopt a strategic approach to making tourism less of a seasonal activity, to invest in tourism infrastructure and to facilitate sustainable access via public transport to tourist destinations such as ski resorts.