Activities of Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS related to 2016/2304(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on increasing engagement of partners and visibility in the performance of European Structural and Investment Funds
Amendments (15)
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes with concern that in 2015 only 34 % of Europeans said that they had heard about projects co-financed by the EU to improve the area in which they live and to foster sustainable, inclusive growth and high-quality jobs, and that this proportion has remained unchanged since June 20101; __________________ 1 Flash Eurobarometer 423: Citizens’ awareness and perceptions of EU regional policy.
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Highlights how important it is to provide information about the potential of the funds concerned, especially in the most deprived regions, given that 75% of the people who were aware of the funds said that they had had a positive impact, and only 9% said that the impact had been negative;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Calls on the Commission to introduce impact indicators in addition to the quantitative analysis that is already required – such as the number of beneficiaries or the cost of projects – that focus on the long-term achievements of projects that receive the funding concerned;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Points out that the Structural and Investment Funds comprise five different funds that are geared towards improving European citizens’ quality of life; emphasises that those funds can support development via investment in areas such as research and development, infrastructure, job creation and training, agriculture and fisheries development;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Commission, in close cooperation with the local, regional and national managing authorities, to monitor regularly that all legal provisions as regards information and communication are being implemented thoroughly in order to ensure transparency and the widespread dissemination of information about the achievements of the Funds, paying close attention to cross-border regional funds; recognises that the best way of raising awareness about projects co-financed by the EU is to ensure there is more of a trickle-down effect through to society at local level, to get stakeholders involved, to mount public participation campaigns, and to use the mass media, local media and social networks;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Recognises the importance of the European code of conduct on partnership, which governs the participation of local authorities, the social partners and other interested parties at all stages of planning, implementation and follow-up with regard to the European Structural and Investment Funds;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to improve the visibility of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) by communicating, avoiding disproportionate investment for that purpose and guaranteeing transparent and honest communication with citizens in order to communicate the European added value of the projects, particularly in terms of job creation and social integration;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recognises the need to take a pedagogical approach with regard to the funds concerned so as to prevent nationalist reactions to an instrument that is based on solidarity with the most deprived regions or with the people who need that solidarity most, such as the unemployed or those at risk of social exclusion;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Calls on the Commission to promote partnerships, agreements and initiatives via the networks and communications channels used by the stakeholders who are most closely involved, such as the social partners and NGOs;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Recognises the importance of the ESF in promoting employment and boosting social and economic cohesion in the Member States, especially with regard to the regions and people who are most vulnerable; underscores the added value of the ESF and the need to bolster it so that it accounts for a minimum of 30% of total ESIF funding, and draw up communication plans to ensure better optimisation of the resources invested in visibility;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to reduce the administrative burden on authorities and beneficiaries with a view to ensuring a better absorption rate, in particular for SMEs, which have created around 85 % of new jobs within the Union in the past five years, and for civil society organisations that are responsible for helping to reintegrate the most vulnerable people into society and into employment; calls for the action taken to reduce the administrative burden to be subject to the audits and checks required to guarantee that the funds are used in a transparent manner;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Emphasises the importance of guaranteeing full participation, at EU, national and regional level, of the social partners, thereby facilitating their involvement, particularly where trade unions are concerned, in all stages of planning, implementation, supervision and assessment of the use of the Structural Funds;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Member States to devote an appropriate share of ESF resources to strengthening the institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders in Member States where needed; calls on the Commission to assess the improvements made by the Member States in this respect., providing information and access to municipal authorities which have limited resources or are in outlying areas; calls on the Commission to assess the improvements made by the Member States in this respect, and to assess and take the steps necessary to ensure that the funds are flexible enough to adapt in line with fluctuations in the economy;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls for participatory outcome assessments to be carried out with beneficiaries, local and regional authorities, associations, the social partners and other stakeholders in order to gather relevant data with a view to boosting active participation and visibility with regard to future action;