61 Amendments of Josianne CUTAJAR related to 2020/2076(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)
Citation 3 a (new)
- having regard to Article 3(3) TEU which refers to internal market, sustainable development and social market economy,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 b (new)
Citation 3 b (new)
- having regard to the European Pillar of Social Rights,
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 c (new)
Citation 3 c (new)
- having regard to the Commission communication of 27 May 2020 entitled ‘Europe’s moment: Repair and Prepare for the Next Generation’ (COM(2020)456),
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 d (new)
Citation 3 d (new)
- having regard to the findings of the Digital Economy and Society Index 2020, published on the 11th of June 2020,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
- having regard to the Commission communication of 27 May 2020 entitled ‘Adjusted Commission Work Programme 2020’ (COM(2020)440),
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the EU’s SMEs have traditionally generated a high share of the EU’s employment and value added, and in so doing have ensured social and economic well-being and prosperity;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas SMEs have been hit the hardest by the economic crisis generated by the COVID-19 emergency and are witnessing a severe liquidity crunch, which is affecting their working capital and preventing many of them from carrying out their operations;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas the COVID-19 emergency has shown that Europe still needs to reach a full industrial autonomy and to promote its strategic value chains;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Union requires a new industrial strategy that makes its industries more globally competitive, resilient, digital and environmentally sustainable driven by knowledge-based innovation and equality principles; whereas such a strategy should cover the transition of European industries to digitalisation and climate-neutrality, prioritising the ‘energy efficiency first’ principles, energy savings and renewable energy technologies;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the social market economy model has importantly contributed to the prosperity of Europe; whereas such an approach should be preserved in the policies dealing with the digital and environmental transition;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that in supporting SMEs through the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) the goal should be, inter alia, an innovative and smart economic transformation, a greener and low carbon EU, as well as an EU which is more connected and aims to ensure long- term and sustainable employment; notes that ESIF can play a relevant role in supporting the digital transition of SMEs, many of which still lack the skills to successfully cope with the Forth Industrial Revolution;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Union’s industrial strategy should ensure the correct functioning of the single market, avoid market distortions, create a level playing field inside and outside EU and ensure easier access to finance, raw materials and markets, in addition to ensuring appropriate levels of investment, research and innovation, education and skills to boost competitiveness and sustainability;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas in the European Union there are still “missing entrepreneurs”, such as youth, migrants, senior, women, whose entrepreneurial potential still needs to be fully developed; whereas the Union’s industrial strategy could represent an opportunity to foster the entrepreneurial culture of under- represented or disadvantaged categories and to enable them to fully contribute to the digital and environmental transition;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report, 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new types of jobs that do not yet exist today; whereas education systems have to put in a position to impart the universal knowledge and skills required for this new form of careers;
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reiterates that the public sector has an important new role to play in facilitating a just transition by promoting a green and fair energy transition, green and blue investments, the circular economy, as well as climate adaptation and risk prevention in all EU regions; underlines in this regard that public procurement can be an effective tool in order to lead and promote the transition towards a cleaner economy;
Amendment 75 #
C. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout have created an unprecedented economic downturn in Europe; whereas in this context any future- looking industrial strategy should start by addressing industrial recovery that supports industrial reconstruction and transformation towards climate-neutrality objectives and resource efficiency with skilled workforces accompanying these transformations;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout have created an unprecedented economic downturn in Europe, which risks to exacerbate inequalities and social tension in the European Union, especially among the most vulnerable citizens; whereas in this context any future- looking industrial strategy should start by addressing industrial recovery;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the COVID-19 crisis has shown the crucial role of digital assets, including connectivity and networks, as well as of digital skills, as a tool enabling workers and companies to adapt the way they carry out their tasks and operations to the emergency situation; whereas the resilience of the digital infrastructure and the enhancement of the digital skills of the workforce are priority areas to boost the competitiveness of the European enterprises, especially SMEs;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Believes that ESIF should target more effectively those “missing entrepreneurs” such as youth, women and senior, whose entrepreneurial potential still needs to be fully developed; reiterates that, in order to increase the social cohesion and to reduce inequalities, it is crucial to enhance the entrepreneurial capacity of these categories as a powerful form of labour market participation;
Amendment 100 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that the EU should be attentive to preserving and developing an industrial strategy and production which ensure European strategic autonomy, as well as the availability and delivery of essential products and equipment for citizens if the need arises in the single market; recalls that social economy enterprises should be fully involved in the outcome of the industrial strategy since they create public value and leave an essential impact on the local communities they are grounded in;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Is of the opinion that digital and environmental transitions should be at the very core of all Unions strategies until 2050; in this context, calls on the Commission to define a comprehensive industrial strategy which manages these transitions, fosters transformation and guarantees the Union’s strategic autonomy, leaving no one behind;
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the initiatives the European Commission has undertaken since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to reduce the negative impacts on small and medium firms, including the increased level of flexibility in the use of the ESIF; recalls the importance of specifically targeting the SMEs among the main beneficiaries of the recovery phase measures.
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Is aware that market dynamics alone do not bridge the fractures created during the transformation process if there is no proper management of the transitions and no strong industrial policies; is, furthermore, aware that while markets, competition and innovation push fast towards transformation, it is society and the environment that face the impact of these transformations; considers that balancing out the number of jobs lost in traditional industries with new jobs created in the digital and environmental sectors is not enough in itself as these new jobs are neither created in the same regions nor taken up by the same workers; calls on the Commission, therefore, to ensure that these transitions are fair and socially just, and that every action aimed at accelerating a transformation process (digital, environmental, etc.) is accompanied by a corresponding initiative to up-skill and reskill workers, with the aim of managing the effects produced by that accelerated process on both regions and people; underlines in this regard the importance of lifelong learning to guarantee the permanence of workers in the labour market;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Considers the EU industrial policy of the Union can only succeed through integrated strategic planning, pooling the resources of European players, regional and local institutions, industrial clusters, social partners, universities and research groups; highlights in this context the importance of support structures such as SME networks, regional development agencies, innovation clusters and start-up counselling for the creation of local and regional industrial value chains;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Underlines that in order to gain or maintain global leadership in strategic industrial sectors and with regard to certain technologies, especially those with a high value-added, Europe needs to provide sufficient resources for research and innovation, including the Horizon Europe programme; recalls the positive spill-over effects of innovation efforts with regard to the quantity and especially the quality of jobs;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers, in the current context, that the Union requires a new, tailor-made industrial strategy that focuses on two distinct phases; the first aimed at recovery and the second aimed at reconstruction and transformation; calls on the Commission, therefore, to adapt the strategy published in March 2020 to the current situation and address both phases, while keeping the digital and environmental objectives as priorities throughout and ensuring synergies between the two to guarantee resource efficiency and achieve the circularity in industrial processes;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Believes that the new long-term strategy for Europe’s industrial future should contribute to combating the gender pay gap and the gender pension gap that still affect the European labour market and, more generally, the European society; calls on the Commission to take into due account the gender dimension in the implementation of the European industrial strategy - both in the recovery and in the reconstruction and transformation phases, including the use of gender budgeting tools in the definition of the financial instruments supporting the industrial and economic growth of the European Union;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Reiterates that, in order to ensure a long-term and sustainable industrial future for the European Union, it is key to focus on the enhancement of the skills and of the entrepreneurial capacity of the EU citizens as a powerful form to support their labour market participation;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – point a (new)
Paragraph 6 – point a (new)
a. Calls on the Commission to propose appropriate responses to strengthen the single market, due to its potential to reinforce the European industry. In addition to underline the need to address possible social reactions and develop concepts and ideas that can respond to the challenges we face, such as the jobs that will disappear.
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Highlights that, during this critical phase, the Union should protect its market in strategic sectors and block takeovers and FDI that could further increase its dependency on foreign powers; along with fostering energy and material efficiency to decrease dependence on imports and improve resilience to global crises;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Highlights that, during this critical phase, the Union should protect its market in strategic sectors and block takeovers and FDI that could further increase its dependency on foreign powers. For that reason, it is vital to create a minimum stock of key strategic products for the European Union;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses that in order to maintain a level playing field, its food sovereignty and sustainable practices, the EU must ensure that sensitive and essential sectors are not used as a bargaining chip in the negotiations of future trade agreements;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Emphasis that the leadership of European Industries in key sectors should be maintained and developed, especially for those that proved to be vital during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as health and the food sector;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the Commission to further improve measures to prevent imbalances in the European industrial supply chains and to assess the entity of disruptions in cross-border value-chains where unfair trading practices put at risk some of their links;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – point a
Paragraph 9 – point a
a. has sufficient financial capacity to offset the damage caused by the COVID- 19 crisis to European industries to mitigate the short-term working capital shortage and to push forward capital investment in the medium and long-term in order to support the transition to the green economy and catalyse the digital transformation;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – point a a (new)
Paragraph 9 – point a a (new)
aa. has a specific focus on small and medium enterprises, which have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 crisis, and support their access to finance;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – point b a (new)
Paragraph 9 – point b a (new)
ba. takes into account the specificities of the Member States, which have been hit by the crisis in diverse ways;
Amendment 322 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 – point f a (new)
Paragraph 9 – point f a (new)
fa. channels funding to high- multiplier, climate-friendly sectors that will contribute to the EU’s future economic resilience;
Amendment 328 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Highlights the need to support a sustainable and fair recovery, the digital and green transitions, the citizens' welfare and consumer rights as well as the need of businesses, including SMEs, micro enterprises and start-ups beyond the COVID-19 crisis in order to enhance growth in the EU by increasing investment in the digital and green transitions; asks the Commission to support an ambitious Recovery Fund that is within the framework of a stronger MFF and is integrated in the own resource decision, and to pursue fiscal policy coordination to strengthen the European fiscal framework; is of the opinion that, after the peak of the pandemic, the Fund should become a permanent Reconstruction Fund to foster the digital and green industrial transitions;
Amendment 343 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission to carry out a detailed impact assessment of the potential costs and burdens for European companies and SMEs and the impact in employment before presenting new proposals for legislation or adopting new measures; calls on the Commission to propose commensurate support to the affected sectors whenever a negative impact cannot be avoided;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Highlights that the automotive sector has been greatly affected by COVID-19 crisis, forcing industries and workers to adapt quickly to the changes in supply and new health requirements, in addition to the transformation process they were already undergoing before the pandemic. The transition to smart and clean mobility is essential as we evolve towards a climate-neutral, digital and more resilient economy. It is also an opportunity to generate green growth and clean jobs, which is particularly important in times of crisis, based on the global competitive advantage of European industry in vehicle technologies; calls on the Commission to set priorities related to research and innovation, digitisation and support for start-ups, micro, small and medium enterprises, including the automotive sector;
Amendment 352 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Stress that the tourism sector has been highly affected by the COVID-19 crisis, being practically paralyzed for three months. Calls on the Commission to set priorities related to helping and promoting the recovery of the sector, since it is one of the key sectors for the European Union representing 9.5 of the European GDP. It is vital to move towards a European tourism policy that contributes significantly to increasing the Union's competitiveness in this sector, promoting cooperation between Member States, regions and creating possibilities for new investments and innovations giving financial support to SMEs and their digitization process in order to achieve a European tourism ecosystem, sustainable, innovative and resilient that protect the rights of workers and consumers;
Amendment 372 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Highlights the importance of designing an industrial policy that addresses the demographic challenges of many EU regions through the promotion of industries that stimulate local regional employment and attract a new generation of workers;
Amendment 376 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Considers that the European Union must promote social dialogue in the elaboration of a new industrial strategy for Europe, guaranteeing the participation and accessibility of information to the civil society;
Amendment 380 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Highlights the potential of the circular economy for modernising the Union’s economy, reducing its energy and resource consumption and transforming whole industrial sectors and their value chains. Underlines that to reduce unnecessary consumption it is needed a fully circular economy in order to achieve climate-neutrality by 2050, to strengthen our economic competitiveness and to preserve our natural environment; an European circular economy model can only be useful if we have a common market to reuse prime and secondary raw materials;
Amendment 384 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Highlights the potential of the circular economy for modernising the Union’s economy, reducing its energy and resource consumption and transforming whole industrial sectors and their value chains; underlines that the renovation wave will represent another relevant opportunity for many sectors and for the European society during its environmental transition due to the very high multiplier and leverage effect of the construction industry on other economic sectors;
Amendment 393 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Highlights the potential of the circular economy for modernising the Union’s economy, reducing its energy and resource consumption and transforming whole industrial sectors and their value chains; improving autonomy and security of supply in the digital and green transitions;
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Considers that there is significant potential in domestic and global markets for, and global EU leadership in, low- emission technologies and sustainable products, processes and services throughout the whole value chain from raw materials to energy-intensive industries, manufacturing and the industrial services sector; considers that renewable energy technologies in particular should be considered strategic and prioritised by a new EU industrial policy; considers, moreover, that the Climate Law is a first step towards enshrining climate targets into Union legislation; believes that a more holistic and systematic target framework is also required in order to ensure policy coherence across all Union policies and a homogenous governance approach in all policy areas, paving the way towards a clear and stable strategy for European industries;
Amendment 431 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Highlights the potential of automotive electrification which should be encouraged through the use of renewable electricity, green hydrogen, smart charging and supporting research on batteries;
Amendment 465 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Highlights the importance of the science and innovation-led sustainable growth agenda, which promotes economic openness and innovation-friendly markets; stresses that it should be based on an holistic approach, in need of an ambitious policy mix with higher investment levels, including foreign direct investments, in research and innovation and the renewal of European industry both in new promising sectors and in mature sectors;
Amendment 505 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Highlights the need to support a just transition, and believes that a well- designed Just Transition Mechanism, including a Just Transition Fund, would be an important tool to facilitate the transition and reach ambitious climate targets while addressing social impacts; underlines that clean technology investments have a key role in this regard to support long-term economic development of regional economies; stresses that robust financing of this instrument, including additional budgetary resources, would be a key element for the successful implementation of the European Green Deal;
Amendment 544 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Considers it imperative to digitalise the Union’s industries, including traditional ones; calls on the Commission to invest, inter alia, in the data economy, artificial intelligence, smart production, mobility, and resilient and secure very high-speed networks, paying special attention to encouraging women's participation as these are areas in which women are still under-represented; invites the Commission, in this respect, to assess the effectiveness of co- financed National Tax Credit schemes that could complement or replace traditional ‘on demand’ grants/tender-based support, especially for SMEs; highlights the importance of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the CohesionStructural and Investment Funds (CESIF) in supporting job creation, business competitiveness, economic growth and sustainable development as well as in enhancing the skills of European workers and in boosting the capacity of small and medium enterprises to make them able to successfully cope with the twin transitions so that no one will be left behind;
Amendment 558 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Regrets the still significant gap between large and small/medium enterprises with reference to the integration of digital technologies in their business operations, underlines that bridging this gap would constitute an improvement of the functioning of the internal market and would be beneficial for the overall European industrial competitiveness; calls on the Commission to assess and enhance the outreach of the European Digital Innovation Hubs, which - due to their knowledge of the local economic ecosystems - can represent an effective way to help SMEs digitalise;
Amendment 579 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Considering the importance of digitalisation of the Union’s industries, calls on the Commission to implement a single European digital and data market, and to invest significantly in resilient, secure high speed networks and in artificial intelligence to promote the exchange of data among companies and among public institutions, to develop and process data on European soil, in particular data from public bodies, to build a better digital taxation system in which profits are taxed where companies have significant interaction with users, and to further develop European standards on cybersecurity, in particular for critical infrastructure;
Amendment 603 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Considers that industrial transformation requires the integration of new knowledge and innovation into existing markets and their use in the creation of new ones; regrets, in this respect, that the Union invests less in R&D as a percentage of GDP than its global competitors and that it suffers from a serious lack of innovative capacity in small and medium-sized enterprises due to a shortfall in the necessary risk capital; calls on the Commission to and to a shortage of adequate skills; calls on the Commission to enhance the pervasiveness of the innovation policies through the increase the budget for those programmes that underpin the transformation of the Union’s industry, including Horizon Europe, and to foster synergies between regional, national, European and private financial sources by taking advantage of synergies among all Union programmes;
Amendment 611 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Believes that social economy enterprises should be fully involved in the outcome of the industrial strategy since they create public value and leave an essential impact on the local communities they are grounded in; calls in this regard on the Commission to take into account the specificities of this category of enterprises in the design of the financial instruments under the Union investment programmes in order to support their access to finance;
Amendment 615 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls on the Commission to continue supporting the ability of European innovative companies to maintain effective protection for their R&D investments, secure fair returns, and in the longer term continue to develop open technology standards that support competition and choice; enhance Europe’s strategic autonomy and cybersecurity, as well as provide high- value employment;
Amendment 633 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Is of the opinion that ecosystems will be key components of the next industrial revolution, providing affordable and cleaner energy, transformative manufacturing and service-provision methods; believes, moreover, that supporting collaboration among industry, academia, SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups, trade unions, civil society, end-user organisations and all other stakeholders will be key to solving market failures and supporting efforts to cross the ‘valley of death’, including in areas not yet covered by industrial interests; recalls, in this regard, the importance of promoting the social dialogue and the consultation of workers in designing and implementing industrial policies, coherently with the European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment 664 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Is of the opinion that - in order to make the reconstruction and transformation phase truly effective - the public administration should play a key role to ensure a business-friendly economic environment and to reduce the administrative burden on enterprises while ensuring the highest standards of transparency and workers’ safety; believes that e-government tools, digital innovation policies and the enhancement of digital skills should be promoted within the public sector and among its employees; calls on the Commission to ensure the exchange of national and regional best practices in the field, with specific reference to the public management of economic competitiveness;
Amendment 677 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Commission to adopt a strong Key Performance Indicator (KPI) system to analyse the ex-ante impact of Union regulations and instruments, and to monitor progress and results; highlight the need to develop, assess and use harmonised standards to enhance the competitiveness of European industry, to reduce costs, improve safety and increase productivity;
Amendment 679 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Commission to adopt a strong Key Performance Indicator (KPI) system to analyse the ex-ante impact of Union regulations and instruments, and to monitor progress and results; underlines that the KPI system should be based on objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-oriented;