51 Amendments of Bernd LUCKE related to 2018/0213(COD)
Amendment 56 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) Article 175 of the Treaty provides, inter alia, that all Member States should coordinate their economic policies in such a way as to promote the overall harmonious development of the Union and attain the objectives on economic social and territorial cohesion set out in Article 174.
Amendment 57 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2 a (new)
Recital 2 a (new)
(2a) Cohesion policy based on Articles 174 and 175 of the Treaty applies to the Union in its entirety and must not exclude any Member State from its scope.
Amendment 60 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) At Union level, the European Semester of economic policy coordination is the framework to identify national reform priorities from the European perspective and monitor their implementation. Member States develop their own national multiannual investment strategies in support of thoseeir reform priorities. Those strategies should be presented alongside the yearly National Reform Programmes as a way to outline and coordinate priority investment projects to be supported by national and/or Union funding. Theypreferably by private sector funds. National and/or Union funding may contribute to some projects. The strategies should also serve to use Union funding in a coherent manner and to maximise the added value of the financial support to be received notably from the programmes supported by the Union under the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion fund, the European Social Fund, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, the European Investment Stabilisation Function and InvestEU, where relevant.
Amendment 73 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) Other Union instruments and programmes also provide a significant contribution to improving conditions underpinning certain investments in Member States, which can be conducive to or be part of such reforms. In particular, the Union Funds covered by Regulation (EU) No YYY/XX of the European Parliament and of the Council [CPR] link investment to enabling conditions (formerly known as ex-ante conditionalities), foresee a macroeconomic governance mechanism and may finance costs of structural reforms linked to investments in policy areas relevant for cohesion policy. However, currently, no instrument foresees direct financial support that provides incentives for theall Member States to implement reforms in all policy areas, in response to challenges identified in the European Semester. Moreover, there is currently no instrument providing specific and targeted financial and technical support to Member States whose currency is not the euro in their efforts to implement reforms that are relevant for joining the euro area.
Amendment 82 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) In order to allow for the provision of the different types of support needed and to cater for the specificity of each component, threewo separate but complementary instruments should be set out within the framework of the Programme, namely a reform delivery tool, and technical support instrument, and a dedicated convergence facility for supporting preparation for euro-area membership.
Amendment 87 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) The Programme's overall objective is the enhancement of cohesion, competitiveness, productivity, growth, and employment. For that purpose, it should provide financial incentives for addressing challenges of a structural nature, and should help to strengthen the administrative capacity of theall Member States insofar as their institutions and economic and social sectors are concerned.
Amendment 91 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) Specific objectives should be set for each instrument of the Programme. With regard to the reform delivery and technical support tool, they should consist of fulfilling concrete milestones and targets set out in relation to the completion of reform commitments, which would trigger the release of the financial incentives. With regard to the technical support instrumentFurther, they should be to assist national authorities in their endeavours to design and implement reforms, by taking into account good practices and lessons learned from peers. Those objectives should be pursued in all Member States under those twois instruments and, in the context of the convergence facility, by those Member States whose currency is not the euro and which have taken demonstrable steps towards adopting the single currency within a given time-frame.
Amendment 96 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) In order to ensure that the reforms supported by the Programme address all the key economic and societal areas, both financial support and technical support under the Programme should be provided by the Commission, upon request from any Member State, in a broad range of policy domains, which include areas related to public financial and asset management, institutional and administrative reform, business environment, the financial sector, markets for products, services and labour, education and training, sustainable development, public health and social welfare.
Amendment 112 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 19
Recital 19
(19) With regard to the reform delivery and technical support tool, it is necessary to identify the types of reforms that should be eligible for financial support. To ensure their contribution to the objectives of the Programme, the eligible reforms should be those addressing the challenges identified in the context of the European Semester of economic policy coordination, including those proposed to address the country- specific recommendations.
Amendment 116 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) In order to ensure a meaningful incentive for all Member States to complete structural reforms, it is appropriate to establish a maximum financial contribution available for them under the instrument for each stage of allocation and under each call. That maximum contribution should be calculated on the basis of the population of Member States. To ensure that the financial incentives are spread throughout the whole period of application of the Programme, the allocation of funds to the Member States should be made in stages. In the first stage lasting twenty months, half (EUR 11 00420 000 000) of the overall financial envelope of the reform delivery and technical support tool should be made available to Member States, during which they could receive up to their maximum allocation by submitting proposals for reform commitments.
Amendment 121 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) In the interest of transparency and efficiency, in the subsequent stage lasting until the end of the Programme, a system of periodic calls should be set out by the Commission to allocate the remaining half (EUR 11 00420 000 000) of the overall financial envelope of the instrument, plus the amounts unused from the previous stage. Simple procedures should be organised to that effect. Under each call, all Member States should be invited to submit reform proposals concurrently, and could be awarded their maximum financial contribution on the basis of their reform proposals. In the interest of transparency, the first call organised by the Commission during the second stage should be for an amount corresponding to the remaining part (EUR 11 000 000 000) of the overall financial envelope of the instrument. Further calls should be organised by the Commission only where the overall financial envelope has not been fully used. The Commission should adopt and publish an indicative calendar of the further calls to be organised, and should indicate, at each call, the remaining amount of the overall envelope, which is available under that call.
Amendment 124 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 22
Recital 22
(22) It is necessary to establish a process for the submission of proposals for reform commitments by the Member States, and the content thereof. With a view to ensuring the expediency of procedures, a Member State should submit the proposal for reform commitments together with its national reform programme, but in the form of a separate annex, which may also be submitted at a different point in time. While participation in the Programme is voluntary, Member States experiencing excessive imbalances should be particularly encouraged to come forward with reform proposals under the reform delivery and technical support tool, which address the problems that led to such excessive imbalances.
Amendment 158 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 32
Recital 32
(32) With regard to the technical support instrumentobjective in the reform delivery and technical support tool, Member States have increasingly taken up technical support under the SRSP, beyond initial expectations. Almost all Member States have requested support under the SRSP and requests are distributed across all policy areas covered by that programme. For that reason, the main features of the SRSP should be maintained, including the actions eligible for financing under the technical support instrument.
Amendment 161 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 37
Recital 37
(37) Provisions on the implementation of the technical support component of the reform delivery and technical support instrument should be laid down, in particular the management modes, the forms of funding for the technical support measures and the content of work programmes, which should be adopted by way of implementing acts. In view of the importance of sustaining the efforts of Member States in pursuing and implementing reforms, it is necessary to allow for a co-financing rate for grants of up to 100% of the eligible costs. To allow for a rapid mobilisation of technical support in case of urgency, provision should be made for the adoption of special measures for a limited period of time. To that effect, a limited amount of the budget within the work programme of the technical support instrument should be set aside for special measures.
Amendment 163 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 38
Recital 38
(38) The convergence facility should aim at providing both financial support and technical support to Member States (in addition to that already available under the two other instruments of the Programme), whose currency is not the euro and which have taken demonstrable steps towards adopting the single currency within a given time-frame, with a view to helping them prepare for membership in the euro area. To that effect, "demonstrable steps" should consist of a formal letter from the government of the Member State concerned to the Commission stating its clear commitment to join the euro area within a reasonable and defined timeframe and presenting a credible, time-bound roadmap, after consultation with the Commission, for implementing concrete measures to prepare for successful participation in the euro area, including steps to ensure full alignment of its national legislation with the requirements under Union law (including the Banking Union).
Amendment 167 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 40
Recital 40
(40) In the interest of consistency and simplification, the financial and technical support components carried out under the convergence facility should follow the same rules and implementation process as the other instruments under the Programme. Therefore, relevant provisions relating to the reform delivery tool and the technical support instrumenttool under the Programme should also apply to the relevant components of the convergence facility, complemented by certain specific rules.
Amendment 169 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 41
Recital 41
(41) As regards eligibility of reforms and actions, there should be some additional rules on fixing the maximum indicative allocation, and on the proposals for reform commitments, requests for technical support, and the related assessment process. In particular, under the financial support component of the convergence facility, an additional financial contribution should be available for allocation to the eligible Member States over and above the financial contribution to be allocated under the reform delivery and technical support tool, which should be granted in return for additional reforms undertaken by the Member State concerned.
Amendment 172 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 48
Recital 48
Amendment 184 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) the reform delivery and technical support tool;
Amendment 185 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point b
Amendment 198 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point a
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point a
(a) as regards the reform delivery and technical support tool, the Programme shall provide Member States with financial incentives with a view to achieving the milestones and targets of the structural reforms as set out in the reform commitments entered into by Member States with the Commission and shall support the efforts of the national authorities in improving their administrative capacity to design, develop and implement reforms, including through exchange of good practices, appropriate processes and methodologies and a more effective and efficient human resources management;.
Amendment 200 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point b
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point b
Amendment 235 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point a
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point a
(a) up to EUR 22 00840 000 000 for the reform delivery and technical support tool;
Amendment 240 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point b
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point b
Amendment 247 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point c – introductory part
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point c – introductory part
(c) up to EUR 2 160 000 000 for the convergence facility, of which:
Amendment 248 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point c – point i
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point c – point i
Amendment 252 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point c – point ii
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point c – point ii
Amendment 258 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
Where, by the 31 December 2023, under the convergence facility, a non-euro-area Member State has not taken demonstrable steps to adopt the single currency within a given time-frame, the maximum amount available for that Member State under the financial support component of the convergence facility pursuant to Article 26 shall be reallocated to the reform delivery and technical support tool referred to in point (a) of the first subparagraph of this paragraph. The Commission shall adopt a decision to that effect after having given the Member State concerned the possibility to present its observations within a period of two months of the communication of its conclusions.
Amendment 260 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 3
Article 7 – paragraph 3
3. The financial envelope for the Programme may also cover expenses pertaining to preparatory, monitoring, control, audit and evaluation activities, which are required for the management of the Programme and the achievement of its objectives, in particular studies, meetings of experts, information and communication actions, including corporate communication of the political priorities of the Union, in so far as they are related to the objectives of this Regulation, expenses linked to IT networks focusing on information processing and exchange, including corporate information technology tools, and all other technical and administrative assistance expenses incurred by the Commission for the management of the Programme. Expenses may also cover, under each of the threewo instruments referred to in Article 3, the costs of other supporting activities such as quality control and monitoring of technical support projects on the ground and the costs of peer counselling and experts for the assessment and implementation of structural reforms.
Amendment 264 #
Proposal for a regulation
Chapter 2 – title
Chapter 2 – title
Reform Delivery and Technical Support Tool
Amendment 265 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – title
Article 8 – title
Eligible reforms of the reform delivery component
Amendment 281 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 2
Article 10 – paragraph 2
2. For a period of twenty months from the date of application of this Regulation, the Commission shall make available for allocation EUR 11 00420 000 000, which represents 50% of the overall envelope referred to in point (a) of Article 7(2). Each Member State may propose to receive up to the full amount of the maximum financial contribution, referred to in Article 9, to fulfil reform commitments proposed in accordance with Article 11 or request technical support.
Amendment 285 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 3
Article 10 – paragraph 3
3. For the period starting after the end of the period referred to in paragraph 2, the Commission shall make available for allocation EUR 11 00420 000 000, which represent the remaining 50% of the overall envelope for the reform delivery and technical support tool referred to in point (a) of Article 7(2), plus the amount that has not been allocated in accordance with paragraph 2, on the basis of calls organised and published under the reform delivery and technical support tool. The first call shall be for allocating EUR 11 00420 000 000.
Amendment 291 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 1
Article 11 – paragraph 1
1. A Member State wishing to receive support for structural reforms under the reform delivery and technical support tool shall submit a proposal for reform commitments to the Commission. That proposal shall set out a detailed set of measures for the implementation of structural reforms in response to challenges identified in the European Semester process and shall contain milestones, targets and a timetable for the implementation of the reforms over a maximum period of three years. The proposal may include a request for technical support. The proposal shall, for each reform objective, identify an appropriate pre-existing quantitative indicator suitable to measure the degree by which the objective has been achieved. The proposal shall specify the targeted value of each such indicator over the course of the reform process.
Amendment 307 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 3 – point e a (new)
Article 11 – paragraph 3 – point e a (new)
(ea) the need for technical support, if any, and
Amendment 310 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 7 – introductory part
Article 11 – paragraph 7 – introductory part
7. The Commission shall assess the nature and importance of the proposal for reform commitments, and, if applicable the request for technical support, and, for that purpose, shall take into account the following criteria:
Amendment 338 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 8
Article 11 – paragraph 8
8. For the purpose of the assessment of the proposals for reform commitments and requests for technical support submitted by Member States, the Commission may be assisted by experts.
Amendment 342 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 9
Article 11 – paragraph 9
9. The Economic Policy Committee, set up by Council decision 2000/604/EC on the Composition and Statutes of the Economic Policy Committee31 , may provide its opinion on the proposals for reform commitments and requests for technical support submitted by Member States. __________________ 31Council Decision of 29 September 2000 on the composition and the statutes of the Economic Policy Committee (2000/604/EC) (OJ L 257, 11.10.2000, p. 28–31)
Amendment 363 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 16 – paragraph 2 – point a
Article 16 – paragraph 2 – point a
(a) the elements that led to the achievement of the reform commitments were fully or to a substantial part reversed; or
Amendment 369 #
Proposal for a regulation
Chapter 3 – title
Chapter 3 – title
Amendment 370 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 18 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Pursuant to the objectives set out in point (b) of Article 4 and point (b) of Article 5(2), the technical support component of the reform delivery and technical support instrument shall finance, in particular, the following types of action:
Amendment 375 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 19 – paragraph 1
Article 19 – paragraph 1
1. A Member State wishing to receive technical support under this instrumcomponent shall submit a request for technical support to the Commission, identifying the policy areas and the priorities for support within the scope of the Programme as set out in Article 6. The Commission shall organise calls under the technical support instrument, which will set appropriate deadlines for the submission of requests. The Commission may provide guidance on the main elements to be included in the request for support.
Amendment 381 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 21 – title
Article 21 – title
Other financial contributions to the technical support instrumcomponent
Amendment 382 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 1
Article 22 – paragraph 1
Actions financed under the reform delivery and technical support instrument may receive support from other Union programmes, instruments or funds under the Union's budget provided that such support does not cover the same cost.
Amendment 383 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – title
Article 23 – title
Implementation of the reform delivery and technical support instrument
Amendment 384 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1
Article 23 – paragraph 1
1. The Commission shall implement the reform delivery and technical support instrument under the Programme in accordance with the Financial Regulation.
Amendment 385 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
Article 23 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
2. The measures of the technical support instrumcomponent under the Programme may be implemented either directly by the Commission or, indirectly, by entities and persons other than Member States in accordance with Article XX of the Financial Regulation. In particular, Union support for actions pursuant to Article 19 shall take the form of:
Amendment 386 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1
Article 23 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1
In order to implement the reform delivery and technical support instrument under the Programme, the Commission shall adopt work programmes by way of implementing acts, and inform the European Parliament and the Council thereof.
Amendment 387 #
Proposal for a regulation
Chapter 4 – title
Chapter 4 – title
Convergence Facility
Amendment 396 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 27 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – indent 1 (new)
Article 27 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – indent 1 (new)
– The proposal for Reform commitments referred to in paragraph 1 shall, for each reform objective, identify an appropriate pre-existing quantitative indicator suitable to measure the degree by which the objective has been achieved. The proposal shall specify the targeted value of each such indicator over the course of the reform process.
Amendment 402 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 33 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 33 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) optimise mechanisms for coordinationensure to avoid duplication of effort; and