Activities of Gunnar BECK related to 2020/2058(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Sustainable Europe Investment Plan - How to finance the Green Deal (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan - How to finance the Green Deal
Amendments (33)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11
Citation 11
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. WelcomeRejects the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan (SEIP) as central in ensuring the success of the Green Deal and the transition towards a more sustainable and resilient economythe financial arm of the European Green Deal scam, created for centrally planning the economies of the Member States and funnelling taxpayers' money and artificially cheap credit to politically desirable sectors and undertakings;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses the importance to provide for an economically viable transition, in particular for SMEs and micro- enterprises in terms of time and conversion tools;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Stresses that an equitable transition to a sustainable and resilient economy cannot be separated from an effective digitalization plan. As the facts demonstrated during the Corona virus pandemic, digitization allows doing many remote activities, such as working, attending school or university’s lessons, having a medical consultation; consequently, it could be possible to greatly reduce the pollution from today's very high mobility and would allow repopulating many areas currently depopulated; so stresses that the repopulation of ex populated areas would benefit the environment in terms of ordinary maintenance of the territory, avoiding the hydrogeological risk to which some areas are now more exposed;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. WelcomeRejects the Commission’s European Recovery Plan with the European Green Deal at its heart; endorsestakes not of the underlying principleassumption that public investments will respect the oath to ‘do no harm’; emphasises that national recovery and resilience plans should put the EU on the path to a 50 % to 55 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 and climate neutrality by 2050, since they are the result of central planning by elected and mostly unelected government officials redistributing taxpayers' money and could do more harm to a sustainable economy than informed investment decisions by entrepreneurs dealing with their own capital or capital voluntarily entrusted to them by market investors;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that the success of the EU’s aim to achieve climate neutrality will depend on the adequacy of the financingreduce negative externalities detrimental to the environment, will depend on the adequacy of the financing, which has become increasingly difficult under the ultra-accommodative monetary policies of the European Central Bank;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that the success of the EU’s aim to achieve climate neutrality will depend on the adequacy of the financingmust be reached with the lowest social and economic impact;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recalls that Article 311 TFEU prohibits the EU from contracting debt; underlines that issuing debt is a defining feature of sovereign states;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Questions whether the SEIP, as currently constituted, will enable the mobilisation of the surprisingly round amount of EUR 1 trillion by 2030, given the negative economic outlook following the COVID-19 crisis and seemingly completely arbitrary nature of that number; requests the Commission to ensure full transparency on equity and debt financing issues, such as the optimistic leverage effect or the lack of clarity over the extrapolations of certain amounts and the no debt clause of Article 311 TFEU; furthermore questions how the new MFF as proposed by the Commission in its revised proposals of 27 and 28 May 2020 would enable the achievement of the SEIP targets;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Wishes to see it ensured that funding from the SEIP, at EU and national level, goes towards the policies and programmes with the highest potential to contribute to the fight against climate change, and looks forward to the Commission’s upcoming climate tracking methodology using appropriately the criteria established byreturn on investment, without crowding out private investment, and looks forward to the Commission’s follow-up on the statement by Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis of 5 June 2020 on the potential conflict of interest of BlackRock´s involvement in the EU taxonomy regulation;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that public and private finances should adhere to the EU taxonomyStability and Growth Pact, if it ever is revived, and to the Do Not Significantly Harm (DNSH) principle, in order to ensure that EU policies and financing, including the EU budget, the programmes financed through Next Generation EU, the European Semester and EIB financing do not contribute to objectives, projects and activities that significantly harm social or environmental objectivesthe economy, sovereign debt sustainability and the no debt clause enshrined in Article 311 TFEU;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for the phasing-out of public and private investments in highly polluting and harmful industries for which economically feasible alternatives are available, while fully respecting the rights of Member States to choose their energy mix;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the central role of the EU budget in delivering the SEIP; reiterates its long-standing position that new initiatives should always be financed through additional appropriations and should not negatively affect other policiesown resources, as enshrined in Article 311 TFEU;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Underlines the fact that, in order to meet its obligations under the Paris Agreement, the EU’s contribution to the climate objectives should be underpinned by sound economics and ambitious minimal share of climate-related expenditure in the EU budget, going beyondpreferable below the levels of targeted spending shares of at least 25 % over the MFF 2021- 2027 period and of 30% as soon as possible and at the latest by 2027, given the severe economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 lockdown measures, and the ongoing economic crisis, which prompts a more moderate and realistic approach by the EU;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. WelcomeRejects the proposal to top up the Just Transition Fund (JTF), since money does not grow on trees or can be printed without consequences, including with additional funds from Next Generation EU, and the two additional pillars of the Just Transition Mechanism, namely a dedicated scheme under InvestEU and a public sector loan facility, which will contribute to alleviating the economic effects of the transition to climate neutrality on the most vulnerable regioninject even more artificially cheap credit in our already credit-addicted economy, without substantial effects ion the EUreal economy;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. WelcomeRejects the role of InvestEU in the implementation and functioning of the SEIP and considerdeplores that it should be at the heart of the Union’s green, fair and resilientcentrally-planned and economically unsound recovery; welcomerejects, therefore, the Commission’s proposal to increase the programme’s size and scope; welcomerejects the proposal to create a Strategic Investment Facility within InvestEU to promote sustainable investments in key technologies and value chainsinvestments dubiously labelled as sustainable or green in technologies and value chains which are deemed to be "key", by political decree;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that the Innovation Fund and the Modernisation Fund should make a significant contribution to the sustainable transition, and welcomes in particular the fact that the Modernisation Fund is designed to support investments to improve energy efficiency in 10 lower- income Member States and is therefore an important tool in ensuring a just transitionModernisation Fund is designed to funnel EU money into Eastern-European Member States, several of which have been downgraded in Transparency´s International Corruption Perceptions Index during recent years;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. SuppDeplortes the Commission’s innovativesneaky approach in stating that the EU budget will contribute to achieving climate objectives also through its revenue side, which means more and new taxes, and underlines that Article 113 TFEU should be fully respected;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reaffirms its previous position regarding candidates for new own resources, and calls on the Commission to proposejects the introduction of new EU own resources, which correspond to essential EU objectives including the fight against climate change and the protection of the environment; asks, therefore, for the introduction of new own resources based on the auction revenues of the Emissions Trading System, a contribution on non-recycled plastic packaging waste, the future Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base or a precursor based on operations of large enterprises, a tax on digital companies, and a financial transaction taxwill ultimately lead to further taxation of businesses and increased tax pressure on citizens;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reaffirms its previous position regarding candidates for new own resources, and calls on the Commission to propose new own resources which correspond to essential EU objectives including the fight against climate change and the protection of the environment; asks, therefore, for the introduction of new own resources based on the auction revenues of the Emissions Trading System, a contribution on non-recycled plastic packaging waste, the future Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base or a precursor based on operations of large enterprises, a tax on digital companies, and a financial transaction taxcalls that for a nation to tax itself into prosperity, is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle; rejects the ever more innovate efforts of the Commission in pursuit of own resources;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Deplores the Commission's approach to creating new European taxes such as the "carbon tax" or the "plastic tax", which would have a very negative impact on consumers and businesses at an already difficult time for the recovery of the economy hit hard by the crisis of the Coronavirus;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomesarns that the efforts of the European Investment Bank (EIB) to revise its energy lending policy and to devote 50 % of its operations to climate action and environmental sustainability; calls on the EIB to commit to the sustainable transition towards climate neutrality while taking into account the different energy mixes of Member States and devoting particular attention to the sectors and regions most affected by the transitionould lead to asset bubbles in those markets concerned; calls on the EIB to respect the different energy mixes of Member States;
Amendment 363 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Recognises the important role of the national promotional banks and institutions and of international financial institutions (IFIs) in the financing of sustainable projects, thereby contributing to the achievement of the goals of the Paris Agreementsound monetary polices, a stable money supply, stable prices and normal interest rates in the financing of sustainable projects, which require longer time horizons and have lower time preference;
Amendment 375 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. RecallsTakes note of the statement of the ECB President that the ECB is supporting the development of a taxonomy as a way of facilitating the incorporation of environmental considerations in central bank portfolios; calls on the ECB to evaluate the feasibility of including sustainability criteria in its collateral framework and its annual stress testing exercise, while assessing ways to guide lending towards energy transition investments and to rebuild a sustainable economy in the aftermath of the COVID- 19 crisisquestions whether these operations fall within the scope of the mandate of the ECB, as enshrined in article 127 TFEU;
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Supports a renewed sustainable equity- finance strategy; underlines the need for an EU eco-label for financial products, for an EU Green Bond Standard (EU GBS), and for more reliable, comparable and accessible sustainability data obtained by harmonising sustainability indicators and creating a public sustainability data register based on sound economics; underlines the need for more reliable, comparable and accessible sustainability data obtained by independent market research;
Amendment 406 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
Amendment 421 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Insists on the integration of governance objectives in the sustainability framework, including withrough additional voting rights for long-term shareholders, reform of remt creating extra red tape and costs for both underation structures and fiduciary duties for top-line management, and mandatory sustainability reporting and due diligence for financial institutions and large corporates; welcomes the preparation of a sustainable corporate governance initiativetakings, shareholders and customers, like we have seen in the aftermath of the chaotic implementation of MiFID II;
Amendment 459 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls for the introduction of an enabling framework for public sustainable investments to achieve the goals set out in the European Green Deal, but sStresses that whatever financing model is chosen, it must not underminerespect the sustainability of public finance in the EU; supports the commitment by EVP Dombrovskis to explore how taxonomy can be used in the public sector, especially the no debt clause enshrined in Article 311 TFEU; warns that applying taxonomy to the public sector can undermine national sovereignty of Member States and curb their exclusive competences; calls for public support for airlines to be used in a sustainable and efficient manner;
Amendment 491 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Recalls that the European Semester is a futile framework for EU Member States to coordinate their budgetary and economic policies; believes that it couldsince it has not been able to keep Member States in line with the Stability and Growth Pact, it could a fortiori not facilitate the implementation of the European Green Deal, the European Pillar of Social Rights and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); believes that the SDGs should be at the heart of EU’s po within the framework of the Stabilicty making processand Growth Pact;
Amendment 514 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. SupporRejects the Solvency Support Instrument to level the playing field in the single market, and the introduction of centralised ‘transition plans’ for certain politically favoured companies to increase the sustainprofitability of their activities; considers that society can ask for a quid pro quo when providing support to companies; believes that transition plans should be obligatory for companies seeking state aid or EU-level support unless it is clear that they do not engage in environmentally or socially harmful activities; urges the Commission to only approve transition plans that set businesses on the path to the climate- neutral and circular economy without significantly harming any other environmental or social objectivbelieves that taxpayers should ask for a quid pro quo when providing support to companies;
Amendment 530 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
Amendment 533 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Invites the Commission to revise the Energy Tax Directive and coordinate a kerosenot to coordinate a kerosene tax because it would affect mostly the consumer rather than the airline companies; underlines tax that could also feed into the EU budgehe importance of incentivizing the use of alternative means of transport to the air carriers through facilitations for greener transport;
Amendment 554 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Wishes it to be ensured that all contribute and profit equitably to the post- corona recovery and the transition to a sustainable economy; seeks an intensified fight against tax fraud, tax evasion and tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning; calls on the Commission to create a blacklist of EU Member States facilitating tax avoidance; calls for EU-level coordination to avoid aggressive tax planning by individuals and corporates; seeks in this context an ambitious strategy for business taxation for the 21st centuryrecalls that only innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, unlike taxation and regulation, can foster economic recovery and innovation;