Activities of Gianluca BUONANNO

Nicolas BAY, Gianluca BUONANNO, Jean-Luc SCHAFFHAUSER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Notes that 35% of those companies that do not invest in foreign markets fail to do so because of their lack of knowledge of foreign markets; calls on the Commission and the Member States therefore to provide smaller family businesses in particular with information about opportunities for internationalisation and ensure that they have access to a better exchange of experience and good practices; calls on the Member States, furthermore, to provide support services for businesses that intend to invest internationally, for example by providing them with information or export credit guarantees and by removing trade barriers;

2015/04/29
Committee: ITRE

2014/2210(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Notes that 35% of those companies that do not invest in foreign markets fail to do so because of their lack of knowledge of foreign markets; calls on the Commission and the Member States therefore to provide smaller family businesses in particular with information about opportunities for internationalisation and ensure that they have access to a better exchange of experience and good practices; calls on the Member States, furthermore, to provide support services for businesses that intend to invest internationally, ~~for example~~ by providing them with information or export credit guarantees ~~and by removing trade barriers~~;

2015/04/29
Committee: ITRE

2014/2210(INI)

Nicolas BAY, Gianluca BUONANNO, Jean-Luc SCHAFFHAUSER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Notes, however, that conversely, production is often transferred to overseas subsidiaries and tends to take the place of production by the parent company and other ancillary-sector companies located in the country of origin; this has negative repercussions in terms of both absolute levels of employment and wage levels; points out, in this regard, that the fall in employment and wage compression are behind the crisis in demand, i.e. the structural economic imbalance of the eurozone, denoted by the excessive current account surpluses generated in some Member States because of the fixed exchange rate structure; calls on the Commission to implement much stricter policies to contain excessive trade imbalances, which should take into account forms of compensation between ‘surplus’ Member States and ‘deficit’ Member States, not only on the basis of a single specific set of annual data, but on cumulative values over a five-year period, calculated on a rolling basis from 2010;

2015/04/29
Committee: ITRE

2014/2210(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls on the Commission and Parliament to revoke the deletion by the Amsterdam Treaty in 1997 of Article 44(2) of the Treaty of Rome, which provided for ‘the development of a natural preference between Member States’; calls therefore on the European Union to re- establish Community preference in the field of farm products and to adopt the requisite protectionist measures to enable SMEs which are family businesses to compete with businesses outside the European Union;

2015/04/29
Committee: ITRE

2014/2210(INI)

Nicolas BAY, Gianluca BUONANNO, Jean-Luc SCHAFFHAUSER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9b. Stresses that the euro, a ‘one-size fits all’ currency, is a significant brake on the growth of SMEs, particularly those which are family businesses;

2015/04/29
Committee: ITRE

2014/2210(INI)

Nicolas BAY, Gianluca BUONANNO, Jean-Luc SCHAFFHAUSER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Calls on the Commission to ~~strive to strengthen entrepreneurship throughout the EU and to create an environment for business excellence~~review its strategy and finally to adopt the requisite protectionist measures to enable SMEs which are family businesses to compete with businesses outside the European Union;

2015/04/29
Committee: ITRE

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 e (new)

-1e. Notes that the sustainable development mainstream is based on the deeply held conviction that, with the right technological innovations, economic growth and environmental protection can complement, rather than conflict, with each other; however, this vision ignores, misrepresents or underestimates the biophysical limits to production and human consumption set by system dynamics and thermodynamics; urges the Commission, therefore, not to make the same mistakes;

2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 d (new)

-1d. Points out that the concept of circular economy, like similar concepts (such as ‘cradle-to-cradle’, industrial ecology and natural capitalism), suggests, through innovation, the industrial-scale development of strategies designed to achieve absolute decoupling between the physical growth of throughput and the non-physical (financial) growth of GDP (so-called green growth or ‘sustainable growth’); observes, nonetheless, that according to historical data only relative decoupling has taken place;

2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 c (new)

-1c. Draws attention to the fact that absolute decoupling, assuming that it can be achieved, can only be done on a global scale, since improvement in only one part of the world corresponds to a relocation of production and associated environmental impacts elsewhere; urges the Commission, therefore, not to take any further unilateral action which, in terms of industrialisation, employment and the environment, may result in a negative balance;

2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 b (new)

-1b. Notes that a constant process of increasing efficiency in the use of resources, through innovation, has been ongoing since the beginning of the modern age at the very least, but that such relative decoupling has not prevented the overall growth in the production and consumption of raw materials from being neutralised; highlights the risk that a sharp increase in relative decoupling might, on the contrary, in accordance with the Jevons paradox, lead to more intensive exploitation of raw materials, made cheaper by an accelerated movement of capital caused by a reduction in the unit cost of production owing to the more efficient technologies;

2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 a (new)

-1a. Points out that the ability attributed to the circular economy to close material cycles into production systems is overestimated, especially when it comes to toxic matter, or dissipative or complex materials; warns, accordingly, that the promise to achieve an absolute reduction of the environmental impact of production and consumption systems cannot be kept in a growth-based economy and that, therefore, it runs counter to the principles relating to the social market economy enshrined in Article 3(3) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU);

2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Believes that, in order to tackle global challenges and the EU’s resource dependency, ~~it is essential that energy and resource efficiency form the basis of European industrial renewal so that~~basing European industrial renewal on energy and resource efficiency is an essential contribution to enable the EU ~~can~~to maintain its competitiveness in the future, recreate manufacturing capacity and generate jobs ~~for highly skilled workers~~with real salaries that are commensurate with labour productivity;

2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Points to the Commission’s analysis which shows that adopting new waste targets would create 180 000 jobs, make Europe more competitive and reduce demand for costly scarce resources2; strongly regrets the withdrawal of the legislative proposal on waste3, and calls for a ~~more ambitious~~ legislative proposal, addressing not only municipal but also industrial and commercial waste streams, to be put forward by 2015 as part of a ~~more ambitious~~ circular economy package (CEP), as announced by Vice-President Timmermans in Parliament’s plenary part- session of December 20144; __________________ 2 Commission staff working document of 2 July 2014 containing an executive summary of the impact assessment accompanying the proposal for a directive amending the waste directives (COM(2014)0397) (SWD(2014)0208). 3 Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directives 2008/98/EC on waste, 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste, 19919/31/EC on the landfill of waste, 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles, 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators, and 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment (COM(2014)0397). 4 Verbatim plenary debate of 16 December 2014 on the Commission work programme 2015.

2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Calls for the CEP to establish, in line with the recommendations of the European Resource Efficiency Platform5, a comprehensive policy framework which includes ~~concrete~~realistic policy objectives and better integrates and streamlines existing policy tools; insists that tools and measures must ensure real opportunities for, and active participation of, SMEs in the circular economy; __________________ 5 European Resource Efficiency Platform (EREP) Manifesto and Policy Recommendations, March 2014: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/reso urce_e fficiency/documents/erep_manifesto _and_ policy_recommendations_31-03- 2014.pdf

2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Calls for the CEP to introduce ~~a sustainable materials management policy at EU level~~guidelines for the sustainable management of materials in the Member States, taking a life-cycle approach and aiming for eco-efficient and environmentally responsible use of materials, including during the extraction, design, production, consumption, and waste management phases;

2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses the importance of creating industrial synergies for recycling and of helping companies to discover how their energy, waste and by-products can serve as resources for others; ~~calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote approaches such as those taken in the UK as part of the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme;~~

2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE

2014/2208(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Stresses the role of environmental tax reform (switching taxation away from labour and towards pollution and resources) in providing the right signals for investment in resource efficiency, and calls for progress in this area to be pursued by the Member States as part of the European Semester process;deleted

2015/04/15
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Citation -1 (new)

- having regard to Article 194 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the EU’s prosperity and security require a rational use of energy and a stable, suitable, affordable and sustainable energy supply;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas from the experience of 2006 and 2009, when Russia cut off gas supply to Ukraine, it is clear that the disruptions experienced in some of the central and eastern European Member States evidenced the risks existing to security of energy supply through Ukraine;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas an energy security strategy must include actions to ~~moderate~~secure greater efficiency with regard to energy demand and equally effective actions to overcome major and imminent disruptions, as well as solidarity and coordination mechanisms to protect and strengthen energy generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure and interconnectors; whereas this infrastructure must be capable of handling variable renewables, and be built into a fully integrated and well-functioning internal energy market as an essential part of an Energy Union with diversified external supplies;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Notes that equal energy security, competitiveness and sustainability in a fully integrated energy market constitute the main pillars for the creation of an Energy Union, which can be achieved by pooling resources, connecting networks, ensuring unified energy market regulation and establishing ~~unified negotiating positions~~, where the Member States so decide, negotiating positions aggregated on the basis of regional cooperation vis-à- vis third countries;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Emphasises that the Energy Union, in addition to ensuring security of supply, should adopt a comprehensive approach focusing on key pillars such as achievement of a fully integrated internal energy market, ~~moderation of energy demand, decarbonis~~diversification of the energy mix, and research and innovation;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2

INTERNAL DIMENSION ~~Moderating~~Securing greater efficiency with regard to energy demand

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 – paragraph -a (new)

Maintains that the primary aim of efforts to establish a European Energy Union should be to secure the greatest possible savings on energy supplies for individuals, families and businesses; takes the view that efficient, stable and unbroken energy supplies should be secured primarily by applying the principles of competitiveness and value for money to supplies and infrastructure;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Recalls that ~~the moderation of energy demand through energy efficiency~~energy efficiency, which allows a given supply volume to satisfy more demand, is triply crucial, impacting positively on the EU’s energy security, competitiveness and sustainability;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Notes that the EU is not yet on track to meet its commitment of saving 20 % of energy (371 Mtoe) by 2020, and that over one third of reduced energy consumption is actually attributable to lower levels of economic activitmore than one-third of the reduction in energy consumption may be attributed to lower levels of economic activity, i.e. to falling demand causing supply to shrink, following a similar pattern to a deflationary spiral; this shows that energy savings are not necessarily the same thing as energy efficiency;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Stresses that energy demand in the building sector is responsible for about 40 % of energy consumption in the EU and a third of natural gas use, and that it is therefore necessary to speed up renovation of buildings in order to ~~reduce~~secure greater efficiency with regard to energy demand while encouraging greater involvement of the European Investment Bank and promoting energy services for which EU funds can complement national financing schemes;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Calls on the Member States to be ambitious in implementing EU energy efficiency legislation, and thus to be prepared with national and regional measures ~~for sharply reducing energy demand~~ both before and in response to supply shocks;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Commission to closely monitor the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and to carry out a limited review of the Energy Efficiency Directive in order to update the provisions relevant to the indicative 2030 energy efficiency improvement target of at least 27 %; ~~believes that measurement and verification of energy efficiency improvements should be an integral part of the annual European semester reporting;~~

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Considers that investment to ~~moderate~~secure greater efficiency with regard to energy demand, especially in buildings, is a significant contribution to energy security and that this should be taken into account when considering financial allocations;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. ~~Considers that nuclear energy, which is carbon-neutral, continues to be a significant alternative for electricity production; n~~Notes that the choice of whether to use nuclear energy remains the competence of Member States;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. ~~Believes that the development of renewable energy sources with the objective of 20 % by 2020 and at least 27 % by 2030 is essential, taking into consideration energy costs; s~~Stresses the importance of developing smarter energy grids and new energy storage solutions for the integration of renewables;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make full use, for the purposes of increased energy security ~~and the transition to a low-carbon economy~~, of the possibilities allowed for financing energy projects through state aid, as well as the financial instruments available through the European Regional Development Fund, Horizon 2020, the European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument, and the investment facilities of the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and public and private intermediaries;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39

39. Stresses that the EU’s energy diversification must prioritise those projects that diversify not only routes but also sources and must meet all requirements of EU law; emphasises that the diversification of routes must be directed towards reliable suppliers, in keeping with the principles of competitiveness and value for money;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)

39a. Stresses that energy diversification should not be an end to itself but should seek to ensure, first and foremost, the reliability of sources and the value for money and continuity of supplies;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 b (new)

39b. Draws attention to the fact that energy supplies coming in to some southern Member States through Ukraine are not sufficiently reliable, and calls for the EU to carry out alternative projects that will provide those Member States with more secure and cheaper energy supplies;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40

40. Expresses the opinion that Russia can no longer be considered a reliable partner as it explicitly questions EU law, including at the World Trade Organisation, and uses energy supply for political purposes; stresses, therefore, that more attention should be concentrated on the development and furTakes the view that relations with Russia should be improved and that the EU should work more closely with that country on energy issues; believes that Russia is currently the EU’s most suitable global partner for gas supplies and the one that can be most relied on to provide ther e~~xpansion of the gas supply infrastructure with Norway, the Southern Gas Corridor and the Mediterranean gas hub~~nergy supply volumes and continuity that the EU requires;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40

40. Expresses the opinion that Russia can no longer be considered a reliable partner as it explicitly questions EU law, including at the World Trade Organisation, and uses energy supply for political purposes; stresses, therefore, that more attention should be concentraTakes the view that the anti-Russian bias, which borders on racism, of EU external policy could, if it were to extend ton the ~~development and further expansion of the gas supply infrastructure with Norway, the Southern Gas Corridor and the Mediterranean gas hub~~energy sector, cause inestimable harm to EU citizens and businesses;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40

40. Expresses the opinion that Russia ~~can no longer be considered a~~is currently the EU’s most reliable global partner ~~as it explicitly questions EU law, including at the World Trade Organisation, and uses energy supply for political purposes; stresses, therefore,~~in terms of availability and continuity of supply and also thate mo~~re attention should be concentrated on the development and further expansion of the gas supply infrastructure with Norway, the Southern Gas Corridor and the Mediterranean gas hub~~st economically advantageous in terms of price; points out that no other supplier can provide the same volume of gas at a lower price;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)

40a. Calls on the Ukrainian Government to make concerted efforts to put a stop to unlawful siphoning off of Russian gas deliveries to the EU on its territory; calls on the Ukrainian authorities to abide by the financial commitments entered into with Russian suppliers and to pay off their country’s debts without outside help; stresses that this unlawful behaviour and Ukraine’s failure to abide by the supply agreements concluded with its Russian suppliers have caused serious harm to the EU;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 7

Coordination ~~and speaking with one voice~~

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46

46. Invites the ~~Commission~~Member States to analyse the potential structure of a collective purchasing mechanism and its impact on the functioning of the internal gas market and contribution to ensuring security of gas supply; notes that since there are several models of collective purchasing mechanisms, further work needs to be done to determine the ~~best~~most suitable market- based models applicable for EU regions and the suppliers concerned;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47

47. Takes the view that the main condition for the creation of the future European Energy Union is the completion of an integrated EU internal energy market, which requires full implementation of the Third Energy Package and the existence of a ~~strong~~n external dimension for an EU energy policy that is based on ~~close~~ coordination of positions ~~and speaking with one voice~~in relations with third countries;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2153(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48

48. Highlights the need to enhance the ~~EU’s ability to speak with one voice~~Member States’ ability to coordinate their positions in order to deliver a more coherent energy diplomacy in partner countries and in multilateral fora; notes in this regard that the mandatory participation of the Commission as an observer in negotiations for intergovernmental agreements, as well as both ex ante and ex post evaluation of the negotiated agreements, should be required in order to minimise the possibility of non- conformity with EU law;

2015/02/03
Committee: ITRE

2014/2040(BUD)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12

12. Calls on the Commission and Member States to monitor the significant price volatility of agricultural products, which has adverse effects on farmers’ incomes, and to react promptly and effectively when needed; calls on the Commission and Member States to pay a special attention on rice sector and stresses the importance to restore the farmers' from the damages caused by the unfair and uncontrolled importation of low quality rice from Asia;

2014/07/29
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Title 1

Proposal for A REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 as regards the aid scheme for the supply of fruit and vegetables~~, bananas~~ and milk in the educational establishments

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1

(1) Section I of Chapter II of Title I of Part II of Regulation (EU) No.1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council6, provides for a school fruit and vegetables scheme ~~including bananas~~ and a school milk scheme. __________________ 6Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p.671).

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2

(2) The experience gained with the application of the current schemes, together with the conclusions of the external evaluations and subsequent analysis of different policy options, point to the conclusion that the rationale which led to the establishment of the two school schemes is still relevant. In the current context of declining consumption of fruit and vegetables ~~including bananas~~ and milk products, exacerbated by amongst other things, the modern trend towards the consumption of highly processed foods which, additionally, are often high in added sugars, salt and fat, the Union aid to finance the supply to children in educational establishments of selected agricultural products should therefore continue to exist.

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3

(3) The analysis of different policy options points out that a unified approach, based on the distribution of products derived solely from Member States, under a common legal and financial framework is more appropriate and effective in meeting the specific objectives that the Common Agricultural Policy is pursuing through school schemes. This would allow Member States to maximise the impact of distribution within a constant budget and increase the management efficiency. However, in order to take into account the differences between the fruit and vegetables ~~including bananas~~ and milk products and their supply chains, certain elements should remain separate, such as the respective budgetary envelopes. In light of the experience with the current schemes, the participation in the scheme should continue to be voluntary for Member States. Taking into the account the different consumption situations across Member States, the possibility should be given to participating Member States to choose whether they want to distribute all or just one of the products eligible for the supply to children in educational establishments.

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3

(3) The analysis of different policy options points out that a unified approach under a common legal and financial framework is more appropriate and effective in meeting the specific objectives that the Common Agricultural Policy is pursuing through school schemes. This would allow Member States to maximise the impact of distribution within a constant budget and increase the management efficiency. However, in order to take into account the differences between the fruit and vegetables including bananas and milk products and their supply chains, certain elements should remain separate, such as the respective budgetary envelopes. In light of the experience with the current schemes, the participation in the scheme should continue to be voluntary for Member States. Taking into the account the different consumption situations across Member States, the possibility should be given to participating Member States to choose, in agreement with the interested Regions, whether they want to distribute all or just one of the products eligible for the supply to children in educational establishments.

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4

(4) A trend of declining consumption in particular of fresh fruit and vegetables ~~including bananas~~ and drinking milk has been identified. It is therefore appropriate to focus the distribution under the school schemes on these products. This would in turn also help reduce the organisational burden for schools, increase the impact of the distribution within a limited budget and would be in line with the current practice, as these products are most frequently distributed.

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4 a (new)

(4 a) Given the slump that the European fruit and vegetable sector has suffered and taking note of the damage caused to the dairy products sector by the Russian embargo, financial actions must make provision for the supply of fruit, dairy and agricultural products that are solely of European origin. Supply line traceability will ensure that the health of European citizens is protected whilst also promoting the economic and social recovery of the sectors affected by these actions.

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5

(5) Educational measures that support the distribution are necessary in order to make the scheme effective in reaching its short- and long-term objectives of increasing the consumption of selected agricultural products and shaping healthier diets. Considering their importance, these measures should support both ~~the~~ fruit and vegetables ~~including bananas~~ and milk distribution. They should be eligible for the Union aid. As supporting measures they represent a critical tool to reconnect children with agriculture and its different products and to meet the objectives that the scheme is pursuing, Member States should be allowed to include a wider variety of agricultural products into their thematic measures. However, so as to promote healthy eating habits, the national health authorities should be involved in this process and approve the list of these products, as well as the two groups of products eligible for the distribution, and decide on their nutritional aspects.

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5

(5) Educational measures that support the distribution are necessary in order to make the scheme effective in reaching its short- and long-term objectives of increasing the consumption of selected agricultural products and shaping healthier diets. Considering their importance, these measures should support both the fruit and vegetables including bananas and milk distribution. They should be eligible for the Union aid. As supporting measures they represent a critical tool to reconnect children with agriculture and its different products and to meet the objectives that the scheme is pursuing, Member States should be allowed to include a wider variety of agricultural products into their thematic measures. However, so as to promote healthy eating habits, the national health authorities should be involved in this process and approve the list of these products, as well as the two groups of products eligible for the distribution, and decide on their nutritional aspects. The related educational measures must aim to increase pupils' knowledge of the route ‘from land to table’ and be in synergy and coordinated with food education schemes pursued in the local regions.

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6

(6) In order to ensure a sound budgetary management, a fixed ceiling of the Union aid towards the distribution of fruit and vegetables ~~including bananas~~ and milk, supporting educational measures and related costs should be provided for. This ceiling should reflect the current situation. In light of the experience gained and with a view to simplify the management, the financing models should be approximated and based on a single approach as regards the level of Union financial contribution. It is therefore appropriate to limit the level of Union aid towards the price of products through a maximum Union aid per portion both for fruit and vegetables ~~including bananas~~ and milk and abolish the principle of obligatory co-financing for fruit and vegetables ~~including bananas~~. Considering the price volatility of products in question, the power to adopt certain acts should be delegated to the Commission in respect of measures setting the levels of the Union aid towards the price of a portion of products and laying down the definition of a portion.

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6

(6) In order to ensure a sound budgetary management, a fixed ceiling of the Union aid towards the distribution of fruit and vegetables including bananas and milk, supporting educational measures and related costs should be provided for. This ceiling should reflect the current situation. In light of the experience gained and with a view to simplify the management, the financing models should be approximated and based on a single approach as regards the level of Union financial contribution. It is therefore appropriate to limit the level of Union aid towards the price of products through a maximum Union aid per portion both for fruit and vegetables including bananas and milk and abolish the principle of obligatory co-financing for fruit and vegetables including bananas. Considering the price volatility of products in question, the power to adopt certain acts should be delegated to the Commission in respect of measures setting the levels of the Union aid towards the price of a portion of products and laying down the definition of a portion. Moreover, in order to ensure sound budgetary management it is important for the distribution programme for milk and vegetables in schools to take place throughout the entire school year, so that students can enjoy a wider range of types and varieties of fruit and vegetables according to the seasons, favouring local production, also from the perspective of environmental education.

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7

(7) In order to ensure the efficient and targeted use of Union funds, the power to adopt certain acts should be delegated to the Commission in respect of measures fixing the indicative allocations of the Union aid to each Member State and the methods for reallocating aid between Member States on the basis of aid requests received. The indicative allocations should be fixed separately for the fruit and vegetables ~~including bananas~~ and milk in line with the voluntary approach to distribution. The allocation key for fruit and vegetables ~~including bananas~~ should reflect the current allocations by Member States, based on the objective criteria of the number of children in the age group of six- to ten-year olds as a proportion of the population, taking into the account also the development status of regions concerned. In order to allow Member States to maintain the scale of their current programmes and with a view of encouraging others to take up the distribution of milk, it is appropriate to use the combination of two keys for the allocation of the funds for milk, namely the historical use of funds by Member States under the School Milk Scheme and the objective criteria of the number of children in the age group of six- to ten-year olds as a proportion of the population used for the fruit and vegetables including bananas. In order to find the right proportion for these two keys, the power to adopt certain acts should be delegated to the Commission in respect of adopting additional rules concerning the balance between the two criteria. Furthermore, considering the recurrent changes in the demographic or development situation of regions in Member States, the power to adopt certain acts should be delegated to the Commission in respect of assessing every three years whether the Member States’ allocations, based on those criteria, are still up to date.

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7

(7) In order to ensure the efficient and targeted use of Union funds, the power to adopt certain acts should be delegated to the Commission in respect of measures fixing the indicative allocations of the Union aid to each Member State and the methods for reallocating aid between Member States on the basis of aid requests received. The indicative allocations should be fixed separately for the fruit and vegetables including bananas and milk in line with the voluntary approach to distribution. The allocation key for fruit and vegetables including bananas should reflect the current allocations by Member States, based on the objective criteria of the number of children in the age group of six- to ten-year olds as a proportion of the population, taking into the account also the development status of regions concerned. In order to allow Member States to maintain the scale of their current programmes and with a view of encouraging others to take up the distribution of milk, it is appropriate to use the combination of two keys for the allocation of the funds for milk, namely the historical use of funds by Member States under the School Milk Scheme and the objective criteria of the number of children in the age group of six- to ten-year olds as a proportion of the population used for the fruit and vegetables including bananas. In order to ensure the efficient and targeted use of European funds, in managing the Programme each Member State shall take regional differences into account regarding the organisation of schools and different nutritional education schemes in order to provide a tailored service. In order to find the right proportion for these two keys, the power to adopt certain acts should be delegated to the Commission in respect of adopting additional rules concerning the balance between the two criteria. Furthermore, considering the recurrent changes in the demographic or development situation of regions in Member States, the power to adopt certain acts should be delegated to the Commission in respect of assessing every three years whether the Member States' allocations, based on those criteria, are still up to date.

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8

(8) In order to allow the Member States with a limited demographic size to implement a cost effective scheme, the power to adopt certain acts should be delegated to the Commission in respect of setting the minimum amount of the Union aid that Member States are entitled to receive for fruit and vegetables ~~including bananas~~ and milk.

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9

(9) In the interest of sound administration and budget management, Member States wishing to participate in the distribution of fruit and vegetables including bananas and/or milk should apply every year for the Union aid. With a view of simplifying the procedures and management, this application should be done on the basis of separate aid requests. Following the requests of the Member States, the Commission should decide on the definitive allocations for fruit and vegetables including bananas and milk within the appropriations available in the budget and after taking into account limited transfers between their allocations, which encourage prioritising of distribution based on the nutritional needs, The power to adopt certain acts should be delegated to the Commission in respect of the measures setting the conditions and the limits concerning these transfers.

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 5

Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013
Article 24 – paragraph 1 – point c

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 5

Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013
Article 24 – paragraph 2 – point a

(a) the indicative allocation of aid between Member States for fruit and vegetables including ~~bananas and~~ milk and where appropriate its revision following the assessment referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 23a(2), the minimum amounts of Union aid for each Member State, the method for reallocating the aid allocation between Member States based on aid applications received, and the additional rules concerning how the criteria referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 23a(2) shall be taken into account for the allocation of the funds,

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 5

Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013
Article 24 – paragraph 2 – point b

(b) the conditions concerning the transfers between the allocations for fruit and vegetables ~~including bananas~~ and milk;

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)

Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 5

Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013
Article 25 – point a

(a) the definitive allocation of aid for fruit and vegetables ~~including bananas~~ and/or milk between participating Member States within the limits set out in Article 23a(1), taking account of the transfers referred to in Article 23a(4);

2015/02/05
Committee: AGRI

2014/0014(COD)