Activities of Xabier BENITO ZILUAGA related to 2017/2044(BUD)
Plenary speeches (2)
2018 budgetary procedure (debate) ES
General budget of the European Union for 2018 - all sections (debate) ES
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2018
Amendments (19)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. NotesConsider the increase of 5,5 % in commitment appropriations and 5,3 % in payment appropriations in budget lines related to the remit of ITRE Committee under Heading 1a of the Union budget compared to 2016; welcom not sufficient; notes the focus of 2018 budget on the success of young generations; calls on the Commission to provide new increased levels of support for young researchersresearch, specially for research in the field of renewable energy;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Rejects the establishment of the European Defence Fund and consequently the financing of military research;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. IDeeply regrets the significant Council cuts in commitment appropriations of 0.5 billion EUR and of 120 million EUR in payment appropriations in the Common Strategic Framework for Research and Innovation with an overwhelmingly negative impact on Horizon2020; notes that these cuts are a contradiction to current lack of R&D investments of approximately 150 billion EUR per year; therefore intends to completely reverse the cuts proposed by the Council; is concerned that insufficient funding for Horizon 2020 has resulted in a low success rate for applications; calls the Commission to respect the breakdown of Horizon 2020 budget as described in Annex II of Regulation (EU) 1291/2013;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Stresses that the Union budget should give priority to policies of real convergence, integration and cohesion, based on social progress and solidarity, safeguarding and promoting the creation of decent, quality and stable jobs, prioritising the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the environment; insists that the Union budget has proven to be scarce despite its potential to become a key resource in tackling crises and responding to measures which were not anticipated during the negotiation of the MFF 2014- 2020, such as the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the migration and refugee humanitarian challenges or geopolitical tensions in Europe's neighbourhood causing a number of serious challenges and emergencies, while within the Union the pace of economic recovery and the continuous sluggishness of both public and private investment levels led to an investment gap and the aggravation of inequalities between the Member States, its regions and its citizens;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Calls on the Commission to exclude financing fossil fuels infrastructure projects, specially natural gas, from the CEF funding;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reminds that the goals of the Energy Union and the European climate goals are among the current main legislative priorities; calls on the Commission to provide the necessary financial resources for investments in this field and political urgencies; calls on the Commission to exclude financing research dedicated to fossil fuels and nuclear; calls on the Commission to provide the necessary financial resources for investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy, in particular for active customers and local energy communities;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Stresses the need to immediately put an end to the austeritarian policies trend, both at national and Union level; insists on a new strategy for the Union, to enable a social Europe, a path for decent, quality, long-term employment, to enlarge social protection and ensure health and education coverage to all, based upon social cohesion, integrative communities and robust public sectors, guaranteeing the highest levels of living one path that pays heed to the development needs of each region, each Member State, in particular the least developed ones, favouring real convergence between regions, Member States and enhancing all efforts to efficiently reduce the current economic and social gaps;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Stresses that the goals of the Digital Single Market need to be achieved to promote digital inclusion for our economy, public sector and our people and that for this, legislative initiatives such as WIFI4EU are crucial;calls on the Commission to provide sufficient funding for related budget lines and to keep its investment commitment for WIFI4EU between 2017 and 2020;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Rejects any use of the Union budget to finance a militarist EU program; recalls that EU funds, including research grants from the Commission, cannot fund military projects; stresses that the concept of dual-use technology shall not be used as a loop-hole to fund projects with a de facto military aim such as drones for high-tech warfare and security surveillance; insists in an alternative set of programmes that support a more social Europe reinforcing sustainable development, strengthened, environment-friendly internal demand based on progressive wages, full employment with rights, social welfare, eradicating poverty and social exclusion and improved social and economic cohesion;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Reiterates that part of the solution to the migratory and refugee crisis as well as to the security concerns of Union citizens lie in addressing the root causes of forced migration and devoting sufficient financial means to external instruments that aim at tackling issues such as poverty, lack of employment, education and economic opportunities, instability, conflict and climate change; is of the opinion that the Union should make an optimal use of financial means under Heading 4 which proved to be insufficient to equally address all external challenges;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Concludes that, for the purpose of adequately financing all pressing needs, and considering the very tight MFF margins in 2018, all means available in the MFF Regulation in terms of flexibility and in terms of substantial raising of the ceilings will need to be deployapplied; expects that the Council will share this approach and that an agreement will easily be reached in conciliation, allowing the Union to rise to the occasion and effectively respond to the challenges ahead;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23 a. Insists on criticizing and denouncing the EFSI as it failed in bridging the investment gap across the Union; insists that instead a major and more ambitious public investment plan should have been implemented across the territories of the Union to help implement strategic, structural investments which would provide a high level of added value to the economy, the public sector, the environment and society;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Decides, in line with its Europe 2020 targets and with its international commitments to tackle climate change, to propose an increase of EUR 21,2 million above the level of the DB for climate- related actions; raises that the new expenditure devoted to address climate change has to be implemented exclusively in renewable resources under a democratic economic model, prioritizing the development of social, decentralised and cooperative economy;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30 a. Poses the need of adopting a rather different approach for migration and refugees crisis, on one hand, and for the raising of terrorism cases, on the other; states clearly that, concerning forced migration, the Union has to give a solidarity response from the origin, allowing to those affected countries to go ahead freely and in equality, for taking the opportunity to give a better future for its population, forming safe routes in the transit, to finalise with the circumstances which make human traffic a business, and providing duly social and labour integration for the people which have not other remedy that staying with us in the destination; considers, as regards terrorism, that the Union and its Member States should halt any economic transaction with those countries which promotes extremist fanaticism, and pursuing those groups which were showing dangerous behaviour through police intelligence means; finally, considers that defence investment should be adjusted, as it hasn't nothing to do with the mentioned issues;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 a (new)
Paragraph 47 a (new)
47 a. Stresses the need for the urgent establishment of a European authority empowered to fight tax evasion;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58 a (new)
Paragraph 58 a (new)
58 a. Considers that the Union budget should already integrate a new line for Own Resources of the Union, in the form of new taxes such as a corporate tax for multinationals, a carbon tax, or a tax on financial transactions;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 62 a (new)
Paragraph 62 a (new)
62 a. Stresses that the need for greater transparency regarding GEAs for MEPs makes it advisable for each MEP to submit end-of-year public reports of the accounts relating to those allowances; calls, in addition, for such public reporting to become mandatory as from 2019 following the revision of the Statute for Members;