32 Amendments of Josianne CUTAJAR related to 2021/2101(INI)
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas the MFF, coupled with NGEU, constitute the largest stimulus package ever financed in the EU and will help rebuild a greener, more digital and more resilient post-COVID-19 EU;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
C b. whereas the new cohesion policy presents an unprecedented opportunity for Member States to boost digitalisation as it requires them to allocate minimum amounts to the digital transition and to ensure that certain conditions are in place to receive such funding;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas 10% of households in rural areas are not covered by any fixed network and 41% by any fast broadband technology; whereas, besides poor ICT connectivity, rural and peripheral areas often face other structural challenges such as lack of infrastructure and services, low incomes or a lack of education and cultural assets, which cause highly skilled people to move to more promising areas (brain drain)1a; _________________ 1a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/ docs_autres_institutions/commission_eur opeenne/swd/2020/0111/COM_SWD(2020 )0111_EN.pdf
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
D b. whereas only 17% of SMEs have successfully integrated digital technologies into their businesses, compared to 54% of large companies; whereas some industries and traditional sectors such as construction, agrifood, textiles or steel are lagging behind in their digital transformation1a; _________________ 1a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/ etudes/BRIE/2019/633171/EPRS_BRI(20 19)633171_EN.pdf
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas to contribute to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, the ESF+ should support investments in people and systems in the areas of employment, education and social inclusion, thereby supporting economic, territorial and social cohesion in accordance with Article 174 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU);
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas although the European Skills Agenda set the objective of having 70 % of the EU’s adult population possess at least basic digital skills by 2025, 42 % of the EU population still does not have basic digital skills and 37 % of workers still lack sufficient digital skills according to the Commission; whereas severe geographical disparities in people’s ICT skills still exist; whereas women across Europe are less likely to have specialist digital skills and work in areas related to ICT; whereas less than 25% of enterprises in the EU 27 provided ICT training to their personnel in 2019, with significant differences between Member States1a; _________________ 1a https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/sites/jrcsh/files/jrc 120945_policy_brief_- _covid_and_telework_final.pdf
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Reminds that ERDF-CF support under PO 1 is available to Member States to make investments in innovation in line with the concept of smart specialisation; calls on national and regional authorities.to upgrade their approach to smart specialisation by focusing on the most promising areas and projects in terms of innovation opportunities and sustainable development;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Emphasises the importance of the ‘smart villages’ concept in tackling the Union’s digital and climate-related challenges and welcomes its integration into the future CAP, cohesion and regional policies; insists that Member States include the smart villages approach in their cohesion policy programmes at national and regional level;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Reminds that, under the ERDF- CF regulation, Member States are required to allocate at least 8% of their resources to the investment for jobs and growth to achieve sustainable urban development; notes, in this regard, that the regulation states that special attention shall be given to tackling environmental and climate changes and to harnessing the potential of digital technologies for innovation purposes, allowing for regional authorities to focus funding in the area of sustainable urban development; deplores that a similar allocation for rural areas could not be established yet;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Stresses the importance of ensuring consistency between the numerous EU initiatives and programmes tackling digitalisation, as well as synergies between them and cohesion policy instruments, so as to maximise the opportunities in this area;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Notes that an effective mobility system is one of the prerequisites for regional economic development, territorial cohesion and the development of regional potential; points out that it is therefore necessary to provide the requisite funding for the development and maintenance of transport links, which could encourage the older generation to stay in agriculture for longer and attract young people from regional centres to work in rural areas;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4 d. Underlines the need to support the development of digital solutions not only for climate prevention (e.g. reduction of GHG emissions through digital resource efficiency and smart innovation) but also for climate adaptation, as well as the development of digital warning tools and apps to reduce for citizens the negative effects of natural disasters (e.g. floods, mudslides, heat waves, forest fires etc.);
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Notes with great interest the Commission’s Digital Compass to translate the EU’s digital ambitions for 2030 into concrete targets along three main sectors: digital infrastructures, digital transformation of business, and digitalisation of public services; asks the Commission to regularly report on the progress made in these four areas;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Is convinced that digitalisation represents an opportunity to improve quality of life and promote education opportunities, job creation, innovation and better accessibility to public services in rural and lagging regions, thus contributing to revers depopulation trends and brain drain;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Urges the Member States to use the financial resources available through both the ERDF-CF and the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument to the fullest extent possible to give regions that are lagging behind the targeted support that they need to overcome the digital divide; draws attention to the risk of increasing disparities by failing to properly support the most vulnerable areas, which often have a weaker capacity to plan and spend the funds effectively, even though they have the strongest needs;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Underlines the challenges peripheral regions, including European islands, are facing in terms of digital connectivity; considers such connectivity to be one of the most essential pillars of any strategy on European islands; calls for further action to make the digital transition inclusive for all local communities;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes with concern that the expanded use of digital solutions and TICTM as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the pre-existing inequalities caused by digital divides across population groups; stresses, however, that digitalisation has the potential to benefit vulnerable groups; draws attention to the fact that the digitally excluded face dual exclusion as the digital exclusion may lead to difficulties of access to education opportunities, the labour market or essential public services;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Stresses that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of digital solutions, particularly teleworking; urges the Commission to present a directive on minimum standards and conditions for fair teleworking, to protect the health and safety of workers and to ensure decent working conditions, including its voluntary nature, respect for working hours, leave, work-life balance and other digital rights at work such as the right to disconnect, the protection of worker’s privacy, including through remote monitoring or any other tracking, and the prohibition of microchip implants on workers and of the use of artificial intelligence in recruitment processes, while taking into consideration the European Social Partners Framework Agreement on Digitalisation;
Amendment 116 #
12 a. Urges the Commission and the Member States to move faster forward on the digitalisation of public services including schools, universities and research institutes, public transport, e- government and efficient administration;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the rise of e-health solutions; highlights the need to empower patients, especially the elderly and socially disadvantaged citizens, to use digital health services as well as to tackle the e- skills gap among health professionals; warns that some people, such as the elderly or socially disadvantaged, who may be less able to use or afford the necessary technologies, may be left behind;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Acknowledges that fair, socially sustainable work, and real employee participation in shaping working conditions are more important than ever, in digital platforms as in all other sectors, and that workers must have democratic influence over the governance of work; underlines that the benefits of digitalisation must be shared broadly and equitably, and that workers in the digital sector must enjoy the same rights and working conditions as those in other sectors; calls on the Commission to propose a directive on decent working conditions and rights in the digital economy;
Amendment 129 #
14 a. Regrets the fact that the vast majority of SMEs in the EU have not yet fully embraced digital transformation; calls for the Commission to ensure that Member states in their operational programmes target SMEs located in areas with lower digital development; reminds that that different types of SMEs require different types of support and incentives at EU, national, regional and local levels, depending on their circumstances and level of technology adoption;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. Reminds that the Digital Europe Programme Regulation establishes that the synergies between this programme and the ERDF-CF need to contribute to the development and strengthening of regional and local innovation ecosystems, industrial transformation and digital transformation of society and public administrations;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14 c. Highlights the Court of Auditors' view on ERDF-CF that SMEs deliver innovative solutions to challenges such as climate change, resource efficiency and social cohesion, and help to spread this innovation throughout Europe’s regions; which makes them essential to the EU’s transition to a sustainable and digital economy;
Amendment 139 #
15 a. Notes with concern the rising cybersecurity threat for SMEs and public administration and calls on stronger efforts in providing support against hacking and similar risks;
Amendment 141 #
16. Stresses the need to fill the digital skills gaps across the EU so that all individuals and businesses can make the most of the digital transformation; calls for the progressive implementation of the Commission’s Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 for promoting better digitalisation skills, which would guarantee relevant education, training and job opportunities, including for entrepreneurship, for everyone;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes a critical digital skills divide between adults residing in rural areas and those living in cities; notes, furthermore, the disproportionate prevalence of TICTM among city-based, well-educated, service sector employees with strong digital skills; observes the lack of opportunities to acquire digital skills in rural areas; urges the Member States and the Commission to adopt measures to offset this imbalance;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Notes that the ESF+, under policy objective 4 (PO 4),includes a specific objective which covers digital skills, inclusiveness and training systems, including through validation of non- formal and informal learning;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18 b. Encourages the Commission to reinforce its efforts to tackle the digital skills gaps by reaching out to all stakeholders through the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Welcomes the Just Transition Fund (JTF) and its focus on training and skills, its possibility to invest in social infrastructure such as training centers for better job opportunities and quality employment for all regions in transition to a climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest and underlines that a special focus should be put forward regarding digital skills; calls in this regard to evaluate the needs and possibility for a JTF 2.0 to tackle the current challenges;