Activities of Jordi SOLÉ related to 2023/0207(COD)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Decision (EU) 2017/1324 as regards the continuation of the Union’s participation in the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) under Horizon Europe
Amendments (12)
Amendment 10 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 3 a (new)
Recital 3 a (new)
(3a) The Programme is implemented by the PRIMA-implementation structure (PRIMA-IS), established in Barcelona, and this location has been instrumental to the effectiveness and efficiency of the Partnership.
Amendment 11 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) Since the initial rationale and objectives of PRIMA partnership are still valid, especially, as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has further destabilised already fragile Southern Mediterranean agriculture markets, making the transition to unpolluted natural resources and healthy, equitable, resilient and sustainable food systems an even more urgent priority for Mediterranean societies and the interim evaluation report20 concluded that PRIMA is a successful instrument with an added value for the Union, the Union should continue to provide financial support to allow PRIMA to fund research and innovation actions under the same thematic scope until 2027, and bring that instrument in synchronisation with the Union’s multiannual financial framework (MFF) and MFF-aligned programming cycles of R&I programmes. Moreover, the overall duration of PRIMA should be extended until 2031 to allow for the full implementation of supported research and innovation actions. _________________ 20 COM(2023) 285final
Amendment 13 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 4 a (new)
Recital 4 a (new)
(4a) According to the 6th Assessment Report of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Mediterranean ecosystems are expected to be among the most impacted by the consequences of the progressing climate change. Therefore, the share of funding for climate-related projects must increase further.
Amendment 15 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 5 a (new)
Recital 5 a (new)
(5a) Although the thematic scope of PRIMA should be maintained, changes are necessary in the management of the program. The assessment of the program reveals some potential for improvement. The success rate in Section 1 is so low that this may discourage potential applicants in the future. Additional resources, smaller but numerous projects, more tailored calls and further refinement of the call procedure in a two-stage call process could improve the situation and make participation in the Section 1 calls more attractive.
Amendment 16 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 5 b (new)
Recital 5 b (new)
(5b) Another worrying finding of the interim assessment is that South Mediterranean Participating States (SM PS) received only 28% of total funds. It is imperative that PRIMA supports a range of research and innovation activities, including capacity building, training, awareness-raising and dissemination actions in order to increase the absorption rate of the SM PS.
Amendment 22 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) The Union’s financial contribution to the PRIMA Partnership should be subject to a formal commitment by the Participating States to make a financial contribution at least at the level of the Union contribution. For that reason, compliance with the formal financial commitments should be closely monitored by the PRIMA implementation structure (PRIMA-IS) on a regular basis. The Commission should assess on a regular basis the fulfilment of commitments undertaken by the Participating States and, following this assessment, should be authorised to take appropriate measures, where necessary.
Amendment 25 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 14 a (new)
Recital 14 a (new)
(14a) To maximise the impact of the programme, as well as to utilise the value of science diplomacy, there is a need to strengthen communication and dissemination activities that would increase the awareness about the programme and ensure the broad diffusion of its results.
Amendment 35 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point c
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 4 – point c
Decision (EU) 2017/1324
Article 4 – paragraph 3
Article 4 – paragraph 3
The Commission shall assess on an ongoing basis the fulfilment of commitments undertaken by the Participating States and, following this assessment, may take appropriate measures, including those in Article 9. particular the measures defined in Article 9, including the decision to terminate, reduce or suspend the Union financial contribution;
Amendment 37 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 6
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 6
Decision (EU) 2017/1324
Article 6 – paragraph 1
Article 6 – paragraph 1
1. PRIMA shall support a wide range of research and innovation activities, addressing a wide range of Technology Readiness Levels and ensuring an appropriate balance between small and large projects, including capacity building and training in South Mediterranean Participating States (SM PS), as described in its annual work programme, by means of:
Amendment 38 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 6
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 6
Decision (EU) 2017/1324
Article 6 – paragraph 10 – point b
Article 6 – paragraph 10 – point b
(b) the proposals shall be selected following transnational calls for proposals and shall be evaluated by at least three independent experts, on the basis of the following award criteria: excellence, impact, andfulfilment of sustainability criteria, quality and efficiency of the implementation;
Amendment 42 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 14
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 14
Decision (EU) 2017/1324
Article 14 – paragraph 1
Article 14 – paragraph 1
1. The activities of PRIMA, efficiency and transparency of PRIMA as well as evaluation of the success rates shall be continuously monitored and subject to periodic reviews to ensure the highest impact, scientific excellence and the most effective and efficient use of resources. The outcome of the monitoring and of the periodic reviews shall feed into the monitoring of European partnerships as part of the Horizon Europe evaluations, pursuant to Articles 50 and 52 of Regulation (EU) 2021/695.
Amendment 44 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 14
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 14
Decision (EU) 2017/1324
Article 14 – paragraph 4
Article 14 – paragraph 4
4. The interim and final evaluations referred to in paragraph 3 shall examine the success rates and the absorption rates of the SM PS as well as how PRIMA fulfils its mission and objectives, cover all its activities and evaluate its European added value, effectiveness, efficiency, including its openness and transparency, the relevance of the activities pursued, including in NGOs, civil society, industry and by SMEs, and their consistency and complementarity with relevant regional, national and Union policies, including synergies with other parts of Horizon Europe, such as other partnerships, missions, clusters and thematic or specific programmes. The evaluations shall take into account the views of all relevant stakeholders, at both Union and national level. They shall include, where relevant, an assessment of the most effective policy intervention mode for any future action, as well as the relevance and coherence of any possible renewal of PRIMA, given the overall policy priorities and the research and innovation support landscape, including the positioning against other initiatives supported through Horizon Europe. When carrying out those evaluations, the Commission shall fully consider the administrative impact on PRIMA and shall seek to reduce the administrative burden and to ensure that the evaluation process is kept simple and fully transparent. Interim and final evaluation shall also examine the possibility of adding new climate-related R&I topics.