27 Amendments of Siegfried MUREŞAN related to 2016/2047(BUD)
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that whilst Parliament has supported the Commission’s actionsimmediately approved the additional financing needed in the tackling of the migration and refugees crisis, it has always insisted that this challenge should not take precedence over other important Union policies, for example in the field of jobs and growth; notes that the Heading 3 ceiling is vastly insufficient to provide for appropriate funding for the internal dimension of the migration and refugee crisis as well as priority programmes, such as culture programmesstresses, in this respect, the need to ensure a balance between long- term priorities and new challenges and underlines the key role that the Union budget must play in achieving the Europe 2020 strategy, which represents its main orientation and overarching priority;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Notes that the Heading 3 ceiling (Security and Citizenship) has proven to be insufficient to provide for adequate funding, in order to tackle the migration and refugee crisis; stresses that, in order to ensure the necessary additional funding in this field, an unprecedented resource to the MFF special instruments, including the full use of the Flexibility Instrument, as well as the substantial mobilisation of the "last resort" Contingency Margin, was proposed by the Commission in the Draft Budget 2017, and accepted by the Council;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reiterates its position that requests for additional funding needed for addressing the migration and refugee crisis should not be deployed to the detriment of the Union’s existing external action, including its development policy; repeats that the setting-up of the Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRT), Trust Funds, and any other ad-hoc instruments cannot be financed by cuts to other existing instruments; notes thatquestions whether the Heading 4 ceiling (Global Europe) is vastly insufficient to provide a sustainable and effective response to the current external challenges, including the migration and refugee crisis;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reiterates its conviction that the Union budget should find ways of financing new initiatives which are not to the detriment of existing Union programmes and policies and is disappointed thatcalls for the identification of sustainable means to finance the Preparatory Action for defence research, which will amount to EUR 80 million in the next three years will be squeezed under the current budget of the MFF; is convinced that with an already underfinanced Union budget, additional efforts for operations, administrative costs, preparatory actions and pilot projects in relation to the common security and defence policy also need additional financial means by the Member States; considers that the current MFF mid-term review/revision should be used by the Member States in that respect;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. RestoresCompensates in full all cuts related to the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) in the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and Horizon 2020 for a total of EUR 1 240 million in commitments via new appropriations to be obtained through the mid-term revision of the MFF; increasesfor 2017; increases, moreover, the Youth Employment Initiative with additional EUR 1 500 million in commitment appropriations to provide an effective response to youth unemployment, which should also be financed by additional funds provided in; considers that the appropriate additional financing for these important Union programmes should be decided in the framework of the mid-term revision of the MFF;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that, again this year, subheading 1a is once again severely affected by the Council's reading with 52 % of the overall Council cuts in commitments falling within this heading; questions therefore how the Council can claim that jobs and growth is one of their two priorities's political priority on jobs and growth is reflected in this reading;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Delivering on the commitment taken in June 2015 to minimise to the maximum the budgetary impact of the creation of the EFSI on Horizon 2020 and CEF in the framework of the annual budgetary procedure, decides to fully restore the original pre-EFSI profile of the Horizon 2020 and CEF lines that were cut for the provisioning of the EFSI Guarantee Fund; demands the corresponding additional commitments appropriations of EUR 1,24 billion above DB to be made availableexpects an overall agreement on this pressing matter to be reached in the framework of the MFFMFF mid-term revision;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. In line with its continued priorities for Jobs and Growth and after careful assessment of their absorption capacity so far, decides to propose some selective increases above the level of the DB for the COSME, Progress, Marie Curie, European Research Council, Eures and Erasmus+ programmes; notes that such increases can be financed within the available margin of this subheading;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Disapproves of Council's proposed cuts of EUR 3 million in commitments and, more importantly, EUR 199 million in payments under subheading 1b, including on support lines; calls on the Council to explain how these cuts are compatible with its objective of providing “necessary appropriations enabling the smooth implementation of the new programmes in the fourth year of the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020”; noterecalls that the cuts inlevel of payments go further than the already significant cuts proposed by the Commission, who suggested a decrease by -23,5 % compared to the 2016 EU budgetproposed by the Commission under this heading is already lower by -23,5 % compared to the 2016 EU budget; stresses, in this respect, that any additional cuts in payments cannot be justified or accepted;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Is alarmed by the significant delays in the implementation of the European Structural and Investment Fund cycle, which is likely to have a serious detrimental effect on the timely achievement of results on the ground but risks also to lead to the reconstitution of a new backlog of unpaid bills in the second half the current MFF; urges the Member States concerned to promptly designate the remaining managing, paying and certifying authorities and tackle all other causes of delay in the implementation of the programmes; notes the Commission’'s proposals for more simplification for recipients of Union funds but sticks to the position that most remains to be done at thein this field and considers that every effort should urgently be made by Member States’ level to ensure that the programmes reach full swing;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Recalls that the Commission has not proposed any commitment appropriations for the Youth Employment Initiative in 2017 as a result of its frontloading in the years 2014-2015; decides, in line with the Regulation on the European Social Fund7 which foresees the possibility of such a continuation, to increase the Youth Employment Initiative with additional EUR 1 500 million in commitment appropriations and EUR 500 million in payment appropriations to provide an effective response to youth unemployment; notes that, in line with Parliament’s requests, these new appropriations should be financed by the use of all financial means available under the current MFF Regulation and through thean overall agreement on the appropriate additional financing of YEI for the remainder of this programming period should be reached in the context of the upcoming MFF mid- term revision; urges the Member States to do their utmost to speed up the implementation of the Initiative on the ground, for the direct benefit of young Europeans; __________________ 7 Regulation (EU) No 1304/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the European Social Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1081/2006 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 470).
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Decides to restore the DB in both commitments and payments for the lines cut by the Council; increases commitment appropriations for subheading 1b by EUR 1 500 million and payment appropriations by EUR 500 million above DB for the Youth Employment Initiative, and by EUR 4 million for commitments and 2 EUR million for payments for the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived, thus exceeding the current ceiling for commitments by EUR 1 486 798 635;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Underlines that subheading 1b bears the biggest part of the current outstanding commitments which is impeding the reimbursement for resources already spent by the beneficiaries of the funds; warns that the high level of RAL under subheading 1b(RAL), which stood at EUR 151 119 million at the beginning of September 2016 risks jeopardizing the implementation of new programmes;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Awaits the presentation of theIn the context of the forthcoming Amending Letter for the emergency support package in particular for the dairy sector; cons deciders that this measure will contribute significantly to improving market disposition and will be reflo express its strong support for the agricultural sectedor in improved prices for European dairy producers, in particular after the end of the quota system, and the financial impaUnion, thereby increasing by EUR 600 million above DB appropriations aimed at tackling the effects of the dairy sector crisis and the effects of the Russian banembargo on the milk sector;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Underlines that Parliament continues to put the current migration challenge at the top of its agenda; welcomes the Commission’'s proposal for an additional EUR 1,8 billion to tackle the migration crisis in the Union, above what had initially been programmed for 2017; notes that the big deviation of the original programming shows the need of a full revision of the current MFF; is disappointed that the Commission did not use the opportunity to adjust the ceilings accordingly, particularly of Headadvocates in favour of an upwards adjustment of the Heading 3 ceiling 3s; stresses that the Commission proposes to finance this reinforcement largely through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument (for EUR 530 million, thereby fully exhausting the funding available for this year) and the Contingency Margin (for EUR 1 160 million); given the unprecedented level of funding for migration-related expenditure (totalling EUR 5,2 billion in 2017) and the proposals for applying flexibility on the table, does not request further reinforcements for migration-related policies; at the same time, will resist any attempts to reduce funding for Union actions in this field;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Reiterates, that budgetary flexibility has its limits and can only be a short-term solution; is strongly convinced that a forward-looking and brave answer in the face of a crisis that involves the entire continent and shows no signs of abating, ispoints to an upwards adjustment of the ceiling of Heading 3; iconsistders that such an adjustment is indispensable and urgent and is disappointed that the Commission forewent the opportunity to propose it at the occasion of the MFF mid-term revisionall recent budgetary decisions to secure fresh appropriations in this field have actually led to a de facto revision of this ceiling;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. WelcomNotes the creation of a budget line for an EU Search and Rescue Fund, which is to cover search and rescue activities carried out by the Member States and coordinated at the Union level, in particular in the Mediterranean; is of the opinion that creating a dedicated Fund constitutes a more adequate solution than continuously increasing the budgets of Frontex or the newly created European Border and Coast Guard;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Notes that, in the light of the ongoing migration and refugee crisis, the Union’s external action is faced with ever growing funding needs which largely exceed the current size of Heading 4; therefore, underlines thatquestions whether the Heading 4 ceilings are vastly insufficient to provide for appropriate funding for the external dimension of the migration and refugee crisis; is disappointed that the Commission did not use the opportunity to adjust the ceilings, particularly of Heading 4 accordingly; deplores, that in order to fund new initiatives such as the FRT, the Commission chose in its DB to cut other programmes such as the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) and the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) which is against the principle that humanitarian distress must go in parallel with the development processes,; stresses that this should not come at the cost of policies in other areas; regrets also that appropriations for humanitarian aid and for the Mediterranean strand of the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) are below those approved in the 2016 budget, despite their obvious relevance in tackling the large number of external challenges; disapproveplores, finally, the irresponsibleunjustified cuts made by the Council, in particular on DCI and support expenditure lines;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Decides, therefore, to reverse all Council’s cuts in Heading 4; decides also to reinstate the 2016 levels for the ENI Mediterranean lines and for humanitarian aid; furthermore decides to mitigate the cuts made by the Commission in the DCI and the IcSP; considers it essential to maintain the Union’s pivotal role and the level of financial support in supporting the Middle East Peace Process, the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA as well as ENI Eastern Partnership lines; underlines the importance of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35 a. Welcomes the proposed increase of macro-financial assistance which has been significantly cut compared to 2016; believes that a higher funding level than proposed will be required to ensure that all future requests for loans can be accommodated;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Looks forward toWelcomes the Commission’s budgetary proposals to financeproposals of the new Migration Partnership Framework and the External Investment Plan; expects to have a favourable approach to mobilising further flexibility in order to endow them with fresh appropriations, but warns against undermining Parliament’s amendmentbelieves that additional flexibility should be mobilised in order to provide an ambitious framework to promote investment in Africa and the EU Neighbourhood equipped with adequate, fresh appropriations;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Stresses that substantial operational and personnel savings could be achieved if agencies operating from more than one place (ENISA, eu-LISA, ERA) were limited to one seat only; is of the opinion that current operational needs of those agencies make such change feasible; underlines that movingpoints out, however, that in the case of the European Banking Authority (EBA) away from London and merging it with at least one of the two other Supervisory Authorities could lead to considerable savings in the costs of the two agencies; invites the Commission to put forward a proposal in this respect, sufficient resources should be provided for in the 2017 and any future draft budget to prepare for a relocation away from London, such relocation to take place when the United Kingdom and the Union finish negotiations pursuant to Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union and the UK withdraws from the Union; emphasises that the ESAs must stick strictly to the tasks assigned to them by the Union legislator and must not seek to de facto broaden their mandate beyond those assignments;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Having carried out a careful analysis of the pilot projects and preparatory actions submitted as regards the rate of success of the on-going ones, excluding initiatives already covered by existing legal bases and taking fully into account the Commission's assessment of the projects' implementability, decides to adopt a compromise package made up of a limited number of PP-PAs, also in view of the limited margins available and the ceilings for PP-PAs;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48
Paragraph 48
48. Recalls the importance of the Emergency Aid Reserve (EAR) in providing a rapid response to specific aid requirements for third countries for unforeseen events and its earlier call for a substantial increase in its financial envelope, as part of the revision of the MFF; notes that its very quick consumption in 2016, likely to use up all possibilities of carry-over, is an indication that this special instrument will be vastlyprove to be insufficient to address all additional needs in 2017; increases therefore its appropriations to reach an annual allocation of EUR 1 billion and expects the MFF Regulation to be adjusted accordingly, pending a decision on the annual allocation of the EAR to be taken in the context of the MFF mid-term revision;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50
Paragraph 50
50. Voices concern over the severeimportant decrease in payments appropriations in the 2017 Draft Budget as compared with the 2016 budget; notes that this reveals implementation delays which are not only worrying for the delivery of Union policies but also entail the risk of rebuilding a backlog of unpaid bills at the end of the current programming period, unless a satisfactory agreement is foun; considers that this matter should be tackled as part of the MFF revision; regrets, furthermore, the Council’s cuts in payments, despite the comfortable margins available below the ceilings;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 a (new)
Paragraph 50 a (new)
50 a. Stresses that, at the request of Parliament, a payment plan has been agreed with the aim of reducing the backlog of outstanding cohesion policy- related payment claims for 2007-2013 to a 'normal' level of EUR 2 billion by the end of 2016; points out that at least EUR 8,2 billion of unpaid bills were identified at the end of 2015 for 2007-2013 in the field of cohesion policy, a figure which is expected to fall below EUR 2 billion by the end of 2016; believes that a joint payment plan for 2016-2020 should be binding, developed and agreed between the three institutions; insists that such a new payment plan should be based on sound financial management and provide for a clear strategy to meet all payment needs in all headings until the end of the current MFF, and to avoid a 'hidden backlog' caused by an artificial slowdown in the implementation of certain multiannual programmes and other mitigating measures, such as the reduction of pre-financing rates;