Activities of Gunnar BECK related to 2020/2027(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Liability of companies for environmental damage (continuation of debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the liability of companies for environmental damage
Amendments (7)
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas in some cases, corporate board members are aware of activities with a high risk of causingbeing found liable for environmental damage, but put profit above responsible behaviourattribute a higher value to board unity compared to the risk of being found liable for the environmental damage;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. ObserBelieves that the discretionary powers set out in the ELD and the weak mechanisms for securing compliance and effective governance at national, regional and local level have led to implementation deficiencies, considerable variability between Member States in the number of, in accordance with internationally recognized legal principles, every company is liable under the national, regional and local law to which it causes, and an uneven playing field for operators; is therefore of the opinion that additional efforts are required to ensure regulatory standardisation in the EU and increased public confidence in the effectiveness of EU laws damage under the laws of the respective country; believes that regulatory diversity is a strength that deserves to be celebrated;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. RegretNotes that in many Member States, the budgets of environmental inspectorates have stagnated or decreased due to the financial crisis and that even large, well-resourced authorities can find it difficult to independently develop knowledge of the best ways to ensure compliance; is thus of the opinion that stronger support at EU level is needed, for example through accessible information portals, commonly used networks (EU networks for practitioners), best practice information and guidance, additional training programmes, training materials and guidance on skills, as this could increase the pressure on ‘black sheep’ companies and benefit companies that respect the law; respects the sovereignty of the member states in setting their national budgetary priorities;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Takes the view that one of the various cauStresses of the insufficient harmonisation of the ELD is the failure to provide for the application of a standard administrative procedure for notifying competent authorities of imminent threats of or actual environmental damage; regrets theprinciple that applies to all companies to behave correctly, to refpore that there is no obligation to publish such notifications or information about how cases are dealt with; notes that some Member States have identified this limitationt as transparently as possible on their activities in their national legislation and have consequently set up databases for notifications, incidents and cases; points out, however, that the practice varies greatly from Member State to Member State and is rather limid countries and to comply with the laws of the respective country in which they operated;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Is of the opinion that in cases of extremely widespread pollution, not just environmental liability instruments, but a multitude of instruments, including administrative measures, financial penalties and in some cases criminal prosecution, should be applied to remedy the problemnvites the Member States to examine the extent to which fines can be used as an additional means alongside criminal sanctions to prevent criminal offenses in the area of environmental pollution; notes that such measures apply not only to companies from EU Member States, but also to companies from third countries operating in one or more EU Member States;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission to come forward with a proposal for environmental inspections at the EU level without further delay, as proposed by the Environmental Compliance and Governance Forum in action nine of its work programme, but is of the opinion that a recommendation to establish minimum criteria forhanced cooperation between member states in the field of environmental inspections is not enough;