Activities of Bernd KÖLMEL related to 2017/2052(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the next MFF: Preparing the Parliament’s position on the MFF post-2020 PDF (1 MB) DOC (234 KB)
Amendments (24)
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Agrees with the President of the European Commission's assertion that the Union's objectives should be agreed first, and only subsequently should the provision of the financial means for these political ambitions be determined;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Notes, in this regard, that the Commission is currently undertaking a comprehensive spending review within its Directorates-General; believes that the results of this spending review should be made available to all institutions and stakeholders, in order to better inform the discussion on the Union's objectives;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Considers that the discussion on the Union's objectives must be all- encompassing, and include all existing policy areas within its scope; believes it is imperative that these discussions should avoid ring-fencing spending in any particular policy area;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3d. Believes that the proposal for the next MFF, including all individual policies, programmes and instruments, must be based on both objective need and be properly costed, in order for the proposal to have credibility and legitimacy with EU citizens;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls, therefore, for continuous support for for an open and frank discussion on all existing policies, in particular the long-standing EU policies enshrined in the Treaties, namely the common agricultural and fisheries policies, and the cohesion policy; rejects any attemptnotes with interest proposals to renationalise these policies, as this would neither reduce the financial burden on taxpayers and consumers, nor achieve better results, but would instead hamper growth and the function in a limited fashion, in recognition Member States may be better placed to deliver the objectives of these programmes; believes that securing the same level of funding ofor the single market while widenEU-27 for these policies ing the disparities between territories and economic sectors; intends to secure the same level of funding for the EU-27 for these policies in the next programming period whilenext programming period is dependent on evidence of their European added value, and considers that possible reductions of the envelopes for the two largest spending programmes in the next MFF could be an opportunity to further improvinge their added value and simplifying the procedures associated with them;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Reaffirms the principle that additional political priorities should be coupled with additional financial means, whether they emerge at the time of adoption of a new MFF or in the course of its implementation, and underlines that the financing of new needs should not undermine existing policies and programm; conversely, reaffirms the principle that policies and programmes that are no longer considered political priorities should be coupled with a proportionate reduction of financial resources; expects, furthermore, that sufficient flexibility provisions will be put in place in order to accommodate unforeseen circumstances that may arise in the course of the MFF;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Believes that a stronger and a more ambiwhere clear solutiouns Europe can only be achieved if it is provided with reinforced financial means;are found in order to tackle new challs, inenges, such as the lhight of the above-mentioned challenges and prioritie political priorities of migration and security and the Euro crisis, and taking into account the UK’s withdrawal from the Union, for a significant increase of the Union’s budget; estimates the required MFF expenditure ceilings at 1.3 % of the GNI of the EU-27, notwithstanding the range of instruments to be counted over and above the ceilings could be possible; nevertheless, if such expenditure cannot be justified via clear solutions, then the Union's budget should remain around 1% of the GNI of the EU- 27;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Considers that in addition to the aforementioned budgetary principles, the following principles must guide budgetary decision-making on all policies or programmes: – compliance with the principle of subsidiarity; – the ability to measure performance; – clear and demonstrable European added value;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Approves the overall architecture of the MFF special instruments, notably the Flexibility Instrument, the Emergency Aid Reserve, the EU Solidarity Fund, the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), and points to their extensive mobilisation under the current MFF; calls for improvements to be made to their financial envelopes and operating provisions;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Paragraph 44 a (new)
44a. Agrees that the search for European added value should be the main focus guiding the EU institutions when making decisions on expenditure in the next MFF; urges the Commission to establish a common, easily understandable, definition of European added value, one of the primary characteristics being whether an action performed at the EU level produces better results compared to the national level;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59
Paragraph 59
59. Emphasises that the EU budget has at its disposal a wide range of instruments that finance the European projectactivities at the EU-level and that can be regrouped in two categories: grants and financial instruments in form of guarantees, loans, risk-sharing or equity; points also to the European Fund for Strategic Investment, the aim of which is to mobilise private capital across the EU in support of projects in key areas for the EU economy thatbelieves that such instruments should complement limited public funds;
Amendment 310 #
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, and the 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, 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 319 #
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 economySecurity in Europe Including programmes and instruments supporting: under direct management: - research and innovation - industry, entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized- asylum and migration - security and counter-terrorism - crisis response and stability transport, digitalisation, enterprises - large-infrastructure projects - - adaptation - - - supporting investments in Europe (possible umbrella gy environment and climate change agriculture and rural development maritime affairs and fisheries horizontal (financial) instrument at EU level, incl. EFSI) Heading 2: Stronger cohesion and solidarity ins Heading 2: A competitive and innovative Europe Including programmes and instruments supporting: - economic, social and territorial cohesion (under shareresearch and innovation - industry, entrepreneurship and smanagement): investments in innovation, digitalisation, reindustrialisation, SMEs, transport, climate change adaptation employment, social affairs and social inclusion - education and life-long learning - culture, citizenship and communication - - justice and consumers - national administrations Heading 3: Stronger responsibility in the world Including programmes and instruments supporting: - international cooperation and development - neighbourhood - - - - external relations facilities Heading 4: Security, peacell and medium-sized enterprises - large-infrastructure projects - transport, digitalisation, energy - trade health and food safety asylum, migration and integration, support to and coordination with Heading 3: Reform of the Eurozone for sustainability and economic growth Including programmes and instruments supporting: - Eurozone stabilisation mechanism - Programme to support Member States in a negotiated exit from the Euro enlargement humanitarian aid trade contribution to EU trust funds and Heading 4: A cohesive society and a stability for allrong rural landscape in Europe Including programmes and instruments supporting: - security - crisis ronomic, social and territorial cohespionse and stability - common foreign and security policy - Heading 5: An efficient administration at the service of Europeans - financing EU staff - financing the buildings and equipment of EU institu - agriculture and rural development - maritime affairs and fisheries defence Heading 5: Global Europe - humanitarian aid - international cooperation and development - contribution to EU trust funds Heading 6: Administrations
Amendment 371 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72
Paragraph 72
Amendment 434 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 77
Paragraph 77
77. Affirms that the common agricultural policy ishas been fundamental for food security and autonomy, the preservation of rural populations, sustainable development and the provision of high-quality and affordable food products for Europeans; points out that food requirements have increased, as has the need to develop environmentally friendly farming practices and the need to tackle climate change; underlinesconsiders however that themany CAP is one of the most integrated policies and is mainly financed at EU level and, therefore, replaces national spendingactions can be better performed at the national level and questions their European added value;
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 78
Paragraph 78
78. Expects the global amount of direct payments to be kept intact under the next MFF, as they generate clear EU added value and strengthen the single market by avoiding distortions of competition between Member States; opposes any renationalisation and any national co-financing in that respect; stresses the need to increase funding in line with responses to the various cyclical crises in sensitive sectors, to create new instruments that can mitigate price volatility and to increase funding for Programmes of Options Specifically Relating to Remoteness and Insularity (POSEI); concludes, therefore, that the CAP budget in the next MFF should be at least maintained at its current level for the EU-27overall envelope of the CAP to be reduced by up to 30% of its current level in the next MFF; welcomes attempts to renationalise and co-finance the CAP where no added value can be demonstrated;
Amendment 482 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 81
Paragraph 81
81. Stresses that cohesion policy post- 2020 should remain the main investment policy of the European Union covering all EU regions while concentrating the majority of the resources on the most vulnerable ones; believes that, beyond the goal of reducing the disparities between levels of development and enhancing convergence as enshrined in the Treaty, it should focus on the achievement of the broad EU political objectives and proposes, therefore, that under the next MFF, the three cohesion policy funds – the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund – should concentrate mainly on providing support for innovation, digitalisation, reindustrialisation, SMEs, transport, climate change adaptation, employment and social inclusion; calls, moreover, for a reinforced territorial cooperation component and an urban dimension for the policybe time-limited, relevant, sustainable and effective;
Amendment 498 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 82
Paragraph 82
82. Considers maintainingthat in light of the new challenges facing the Union, the financing of cohesion policy post-2020 for the EU-27 at least at the level of the 2014- 2020 budget to be of the utmost importanceshould be reduced, but that decreases should be exclusively targeted at those regions currently classified as 'more developed regions'; stresses that GDP should remain one of the parameters for the allocation of cohesion policy funds, but believes that it should be complemented by an additional set of social, environmental and demographic indicators to better take into account new types of inequalities between EU regions; supports, in addition, the continuation under the new programming period of the elements that rendered cohesion policy more modern and performance-oriented under the current MFF;
Amendment 519 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 82 a (new)
Paragraph 82 a (new)
82a. Considers that the performance reserve should become a more result- oriented instrument as identified in ECA Special Report 15/20171a in the next MFF, in order to ensure there are measurable indicators for each programme and project, with a clear relationship between costs and expected results; __________________ 1a https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADoc uments/SR17_15/SR_PARTNERSHIP_E N.pdf
Amendment 582 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 86
Paragraph 86
86. Expects that in the post-2020 period, the European Union will move from crisis-management mode to a permanent, European policy in the field of asylum and migration; stresses that the actions in this field should be covered by a dedicated instrument, i.e. the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund; emphasises that the future fund, as well as the relevant Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) agencies, must be equipped with an adequate level of funding for the whole of the next MFF to address the comprehensive challenges in this area, and Frontex in particular should be strengthened; believes such funding should be complemented by a strict and efficient border control according to the Schengen Acquis and further relevant Union legislation; believes, furthermore, that the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) should furthermore be complemented by additional components tackling this issue under other policies, in particular by the cohesion funds and the instruments financing external actions, as no single tool could hope to address the magnitude and complexity of needs in this field; recognises, moreover, the importance of cultural, educational and sports programmes in integrating refugees and migrants into European society;
Amendment 628 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 90 a (new)
Paragraph 90 a (new)
90a. Considers that the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II) should be conditional on measurable improvements in the fields of democracy, human rights, the rule of law and press freedom; notes the outcome of the 2018 budgetary procedure, in which funding for Turkey through the IPA II was both reduced and placed into a reserve; believes this is an example of positive inducement to be applied to other pre- accession countries in the next MFF, should they also fall below standards expected by the Union;
Amendment 656 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 93
Paragraph 93
93. Believes that the next MFF must support the establishment of a European Defence Unionpromotion of research and common procurement between the Member States in the field of defence; awaits, following the Commission’s announcements in this area, the relevant legislative proposals, including a dedicated EU defence research programme and an industrial development programme complemented by Member States’ investment in collaborative equipment; recalls that increased defence cooperation, the pooling of research and equipment and the elimination of duplications could lead to considerable efficiency gains, often estimated at around EUR 26 billion per year;