43 Amendments of Franc BOGOVIČ related to 2015/2324(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Considers mountainous areas as poles of development and innovation and recognises them as essential element to the well-being of rural populations as well as to the sustainable growth and balanced territorial development of the EU;

2016/03/21
Committee: AGRI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Laments the increase in abandonment of – and scrub encroachment on – farmland, which, given in addition that game and wild animal habitats are being altered and, moreover, sheep. goats, and cattle are increasingly being attacked by wild predators, adversely affects not just the landscape, but also water management, biodiversity and energy generation; urges the Commission and Member States to ensure that land and forests are managed in an environmentally friendly way that is adapted to local conditions and to encourage such a development so as to preserve cultural assets and biodiversity;

2016/03/21
Committee: AGRI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. points out the need for active synergistic cooperation between farming and other economic activities on areas, protected under the Natura 2000 network, as well as on other protected areas (national parks, countryside parks, etc.) lying in mountain regions;

2016/03/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas Alpine region plays an important role for the economic development of Member States and provide numerous ecosystem services for the urban areas nearby;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas depopulation is the main problem of some Alpine areas and most inhabitants of the Alpine region cannot survive solely on alpine tourism, so they must further develop agriculture, forestry and other environmentally friendly industries and services;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)

Eb. whereas considerable differences exist between regions included in the strategy, and therefore coordination of policies and sectors is required between different regions (horizontally) as well as within individual regions (vertically);

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas this region constitutes an interconnected macro-region with environmental, demographic, transport, tourism and energy-related issues, and whereas coordinated territorial planning could produce better results and added value for territorial cohesion of Alpine ~~and peri-Alpine~~ areas;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

Fa. whereas the Alpine region is criss- crossed by borders, and tackling these barriers is a prerequisite for cooperation in this area, for the free movement of persons, services, goods and capital and thus for economic, social and environmental interaction, and whereas the Alpine strategy also provides an opportunity to strengthen cross-border cooperation, to create links and networks of people and economic activities and thus to dismantle the borders and the barriers they create;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Stresses that it must remain possible to use traditional arable and livestock farming practices in mountainous areas, in order to preserve agrarian structures and settlements in those areas; calls for monitoring procedures and cross- compliance requirements to be harmonised, simplified and reduced, particularly for smallholders and mountain farmers;

2016/03/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

Fa. whereas this region with preserved ecosystems and its services can provide a basis for many economic activities, with the emphasis on farming, forestry, tourism and energy, taking into account the cultural and natural heritage of the region;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Considers it important to set up regional programmes to promote decentralised, macro-regional structures for processing and marketing agricultural and forestry products (e.g. cooperatives and producer organisations), in order to strengthen their position in the timber and food value chains and improve employment, food supply and innovation in the regions; believes that short supply chains in mountainous areas and local markets are of key importance for preserving agricultural production on small scale farms lying in these areas;

2016/03/21
Committee: AGRI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Believes that the marketing of agricultural products could be improved if they were included within the general tourism products of a given geographical area;

2016/03/21
Committee: AGRI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. recognises the consumers' demand for high-quality food products originating from mountainous areas; encourages the development of sustainable tourism and preservation of cultural value and heritage in mountainous regions;

2016/03/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the fact that the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs) offer potentially significant resources and a wide range of tools and options for the Strategy; notes the availability of other funds and instruments relevant to the Strategy pillars, notably the European Regional Development Fund, Horizon 2020, the Connecting Europe Facility, the LIFE programme, and the COSME programme for SMEs, for which the Commission should investigate the possible added value of specific calls focused on the particular challenges of the Alpine region;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Herbert DORFMANN, Claudia SCHMIDT, Elisabeth KÖSTINGER, Franc BOGOVIČ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. stresses that particular attention should be paid to small scale farms which are mostly family-run;

2016/03/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the Member States’ and the participating regions’ competent authorities to adapt their adopted operational programmes in order to ensure that future projects under the EUSALP strategy are promptly implemented and that managing authorities take due account of EUSALP priorities when implementing the operational programmes (e.g. by way of dedicated calls, bonus points or budget earmarking); calls further for the existing territorial cooperation instruments, such as that of the Alpine Space, to be coordinated with the Alpine strategy;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Highlights in this context the importance of cross-border and trans- national cooperation and invites the participating countries and regions concerned to make use of the existing best practices in these areas;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls on the Commission to present a report on the implementation of EUSALP to the Parliament and the Council every two years, with objective criteria and measurable indicators, in order to assess its functioning and its added value in terms of growth and jobs, reducing disparities and sustainable development;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Herbert DORFMANN, Claudia SCHMIDT, Elisabeth KÖSTINGER, Franc BOGOVIČ

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2

EJobs, economic growth and innovation

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls for a macro-regional Alpine strategy that will support the Alps as a location for business and hence allow an economic area and biosphere based on coexistence between nature and people, so as to avoid a further population exodus that would have a negative impact on the Alpine living space and on nature and landscape protection;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Herbert DORFMANN, Claudia SCHMIDT, Elisabeth KÖSTINGER, Franc BOGOVIČ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9b. Underlines that small and medium-sized businesses — very often family businesses — in tourism, agriculture, commerce, crafts and manufacturing form the core of economic activity in the Alpine region and thus constitute the backbone of the living, cultural and natural environment in the Alps;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Herbert DORFMANN, Franc BOGOVIČ, Claudia SCHMIDT, Elisabeth KÖSTINGER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Considers that innovation and new technologies, driven by smart specialisation strategies and financed by existing EU funding sources (e.g. the ERDF, the ESF, COSME, Horizon 2020 or Erasmus +), could help generate quality jobs and catalyse the establishment, upscaling and clustering of SMEs, which could, in turn, reverse the depopulation trend ~~in Alpine areas~~that is happening in certain areas and territories of the Alpine region;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Stresses the importance of preserving and providing incentives for small farm holdings as well as small processing enterprises, which are the main productive units in the mountainous areas of the Alpine region, creating high quality products and representing an important source of employment; calls on the Member States to support greater diversification of activities on small farms in connection with tourism with the aim of generating additional income throughout the year; emphasises the importance of structuring food chains either within associations of producer organisations or by setting up local markets and short supply chains as a supplementary tourist offer of the region;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Considers that increasing the qualifications of the workforce and creating new jobs in the green economy should be part of the investment priorities of the Alpine strategy, and stresses that the Commission and participating countries and regions concerned should support training in areas such as mountain agriculture, sustainable tourism, craft industries, sustainable forestry and renewable energy technologies;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Underlines that cooperation between regions, above all cross-border cooperation, is essential for the further development of tourism in the wider region; encourages the formulation of tourism strategies based on sustainability and innovation;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Herbert DORFMANN, Elisabeth KÖSTINGER, Franc BOGOVIČ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Supports the diversification of tourism supply by such means as tourist theme parks and routes, food and wine tourism and sporting, cultural, health and educational tourism, in order to prolong the tourist season, if possible over the entire year, enhance the competitiveness of tourist destinations, and promote new tourist activities that are better adapted to climate change;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Supports measures to help ease the pressure on transport infrastructure by staggering school holidays and related holiday periods, by smart road toll design and the provision of incentives by tourism providers during peak travel times and rush hours;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Herbert DORFMANN, Elisabeth KÖSTINGER, Franc BOGOVIČ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Recalls the importance of promoting the development of sustainable touristic activities in ~~peri-~~all Alpine ~~lake area~~regions;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Calls for exchange of best practices between participating countries in the field of managing natural and cultural heritage, including Natura 2000 areas and UNESCO sites, with an intention to create sustainable tourist attractions;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Calls on the participating countries to create incentives for a more active development of public-private partnerships in Alpine region, in the area of public utilities and services as well as in transport, communication and energy infrastructure, as the lack of economies of scale makes the provision of these services commercially unattractive; stresses that only better transport and other infrastructure and services of general interest (SGI) of sufficient quality can create economic growth and new jobs in the region;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Calls for a shift of freight and passenger traffic to the more environmentally friendly railways and also calls for an extension of the necessary infrastructure, including intermodal systems, in the transport chain of the Alpine region;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)

16b. Calls for the mandatory implementation by Member States of the Eurovignette Directive in line with the true cost principle, so that external costs are internalised and the proceeds are set aside for the development of efficient and environmentally friendly infrastructure and for reducing environmental pollution;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)

16c. Calls for the mandatory earmarking and cross-financing of revenue from infrastructure charges for the development of environmentally friendly and efficient passenger and freight rail transport, including intermodal systems, and calls for revenue to be set aside for investment in measures to reduce noise and CO2 emissions, such as the establishment of green corridors;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Calls the Commission to continue to support the transition of passenger and freight traffic to railways in Alpine regions and encourage the countries which are lagging behind in the development of railway infrastructure, to run the investments, also with the use of European funds;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Herbert DORFMANN, Franc BOGOVIČ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Calls on the Commission and participating countries to promote teleworking, e-commerce and the use of digital marketing channels in Alpine areas to improve companies' cost management, ensure development of long distance education programmes in areas with a shortage of teachers, as well as e- health services, in order to prevent the depopulation of these areas;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Underlines the importance of protecting biodiversity in the Alpine region, and calls for joint efforts to introduce innovative measures for preserving the environment and reducing pollution and calls for a thorough examination of the role of large predators and the possible introduction of adjustment measures to ensure the maintenance of biodiversity, the cultural landscape and the centuries-old practice of grazing in mountain areas;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Herbert DORFMANN, Franc BOGOVIČ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Underlines the need to develop new strategies to combat air pollution and climate change ~~in the peri-Alpine~~and work on preservation and maintenance of ecosystem services throughout the entire Alpine macro- regions;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Points out that there is heavy traffic in the Alps and that the Commission and Member States therefore need to adopt rules to reduce exhaust fumes and noise along the main transport axes, taking into account the particular vulnerability of the Alpine region;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Herbert DORFMANN, Claudia SCHMIDT, Elisabeth KÖSTINGER, Franc BOGOVIČ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Calls for renewable and alternative energy sources in the Alpine region to be tapped and for the model of decentralised energy production and energy supply to be expanded, inter alia through smart grid systems;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI

Herbert DORFMANN, Elisabeth KÖSTINGER, Franc BOGOVIČ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24b. Emphasises the importance of hydropower for energy supplies in mountain regions and calls therefore for the local population in the Alps also to be able to manage hydropower and exploit the added value it generates;

2016/04/27
Committee: REGI