38 Amendments of Monica SEMEDO related to 2020/0006(COD)
Amendment 94 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) In order to be successful, the transition has to be fair and socially acceptable for all. Therefore, both the Union and the Member States must take into account its economic and social implications from the outset, and deploy all possible instruments to mitigate adverse consequences. The Union budget has an important role in that regard. When it comes to the implementation and use of the Just Transition Fund, the Member States should pay particular attention to the principles set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Amendment 105 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) As set out in the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan, a Just Transition Mechanism should complement the other actions under the next multi-annual financial framework for the period from 2021 to 2027. It should contribute to addressing the social and economic consequences of transitioning towards Union climate neutrality by bringing together the Union budget’s spending on climate and social objectives at regional level, focusing on social impact investment and targeting the regions and areas of society which will be at the greatest risk of economic instability due to the transition.
Amendment 117 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) This Regulation establishes the Just Transition Fund (‘JTF’) which is one of the pillars of the Just Transition Mechanism implemented under cohesion policy. The aim of the JTF is to mitigate the adverse effects of the climate transition by supporting the most affected territories and workers concerned and creating a balanced socio-economic transition that avoids creating or furthering the risks of social precarity or an unstable business environment. In line with the JTF specific objective, actions supported by the JTF should directly contribute to alleviate the impact of the transition by financing the diversification and modernisation of the local economy and by mitigating the negative repercussions on employment. This is reflected in the JTF specific objective, which is established at the same level and listed together with the policy objectives set out in Article [4] of Regulation EU [new CPR].
Amendment 122 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) This Regulation establishes the Just Transition Fund (‘JTF’) which is one of the pillars of the Just Transition Mechanism implemented under cohesion policy. The aim of the JTF is to mitigate the adverse effects of the climate transition by supporting the most affected territories and workers concerned. In line with the JTF specific objective, actions supported by the JTF should directly contribute to alleviate the impact of the transition by financing the diversification and, modernisation and reconversion of the local economy and by mitigating the negative repercussions on employment. This is reflected in the JTF specific objective, which is established at the same level and listed together with the policy objectives set out in Article [4] of Regulation EU [new CPR].
Amendment 135 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) In view of the importance of tackling climate change in line with the Union’s commitments to implement the Paris Agreement, the commitment regarding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the increased ambition of the Union as proposed in the European Green Deal, the JTF should provide a key contribution to mainstream climate actions. Resources from the JTF own envelope are additional and come on top of the investments needed to achieve the overall target of 25% of the Union budget expenditure contributing to climate objectives. Resources transferred from the ERDF and ESF+ will contribute fully tomplement the achievement of this target.
Amendment 137 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6 a (new)
Recital 6 a (new)
(6a) As the JTF is part of the European Green Deal, financial allocation under the JTF should be conditional on the Member State having a commitment to a target of climate neutrality by 2050.
Amendment 140 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) The resources from the JTF should complement the resources available under cohesion policy. and focus specifically on the issue of transitioning to a green economy in the regions most heavily dependent on coal or other such unsustainable fuels, for example the Jiu Valley Region, prioritising social impact investment that fosters both business development and the positive development of social indicators, with a care to avoid social shocks or sudden closures of businesses or the loss of human capital and the depopulation of the vulnerable regions.
Amendment 148 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) Transitioning to a climate-neutral economy is a challenge for all Member States. It will be particularly demanding for those Member States that rely heavily on fossil fuels or greenhouse gas intensive industrial activities which need to be phased out or which need to adapt due to the transition towards climate neutrality and that lack the financial means to do so. The JTF should therefore cover all Member States, but the distribution of its financial means should reflect the capacity of Member States to finance the necessary investments to cope with the transition towards climate neutrality, including their promotion of alternatives to the fossil economy through bio-based circular economy, which offers opportunities for new jobs, regional economic development, improved territorial cohesion and boosting local rural economies.
Amendment 172 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) This Regulation identifies types of investments for which expenditure may be supported by the JTF. All supported activities should be pursued in full respect of the climate and environmental priorities of the Union. The list of investments should include those that support local economies and are sustainable in the long- term, taking into account all the objectives of the Green Deal. The projects financed should contribute to a transition to a climate-neutral and circular economy. For declining sectors, such as energy production based on coal, lignite, peat and oil shale or extraction activities for these solid fossil fuels, support should be linked to the phasing out of the activity and the corresponding reduction in the employment level. As regards transforming sectors with high greenhouse gas emission levels, support should promote new activities through the deployment of new technologies, new processes or products, leading to significant emission reduction, in line with the EU 2030 climate objectives and EU climate neutrality by 205013 while maintaining and enhancing employment and avoiding environmental degradation. Particular attention should also be given to social impact investment and activities enhancing innovation and research in advanced and sustainable technologies, as well as in the fields of digitalisation and connectivity, provided that such measures help mitigate the negative side effects of a transition towards, and contribute to, a climate- neutral and circular economy. __________________ 13 As set out in “A Clean Planet for all European strategic long-term vision for a prosperous, modern, competitive and climate neutral economy”, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Investment Bank - COM(2018) 773 final.
Amendment 176 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10 a (new)
Recital 10 a (new)
(10a) With a view to tackling climate change and to achieving a climate-neutral economy, the JTF should support the development of a strong circular bioeconomy and the necessary skills, knowledge, innovation and new business model.
Amendment 189 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) To protect citizens who are most vulnerable to the climate transition, the JTF should also cover the up-skilling and reskilling of the affected workers, with the aim of helping them to adapt to new employment opportunities, as well as providing job-search assistance and counselling to jobseekers and their active inclusion into the labour market.
Amendment 199 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) In order to enhance the economic diversification, modernisation and reconversion of territories impacted by the transition, the JTF should provide support to productive investment in SMEs. Productive investment should be understood as investment in fixed capital or immaterial assets of enterprises in view of producing goods and services thereby contributing to gross-capital formation and employment. For enterprises other than SMEs, productive investments should only be supported if they are necessary for mitigating job losses resulting from the transition, by creating or protecting a significant number of jobs and they do not lead to or result from relocation. Investments in existing industrial facilities, including those covered by the Union Emissions Trading System, should be allowed if they contribute to the transition to a climate-neutral economy by 2050 and go substantially below the relevant benchmarks established for free allocation under Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council14 and if they result in the protection of a significant number of jobs. Any such investment should be justified accordingly in the relevant territorial just transition plan. In order to protect the integrity of the internal market and cohesion policy, support to undertakings should comply with Union State aid rules as set out in Articles 107 and 108 TFEU and, in particular, support to productive investments by enterprises other than SMEs should be limited to enterprises located in areas designated as assisted areas for the purposes of points (a) and (c) of Article 107(3) TFEU. __________________ 14Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 2003 establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community and amending Council Directive 96/61/EC (OJ L 275, 25.10.2003, p. 32).
Amendment 205 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) In order to provide flexibility for the programming of the JTF resources under the Investment for jobs and growth goal, it should be possible to prepare a self- standing JTF programme or to programme JTF resources in one or more dedicated priorities within a programme supported by the European Regional Development Fund (‘ERDF’), the European Social Fund Plus (‘ESF+’) or the Cohesion Fund. In accordance with Article 21a of Regulation (EU) [new CPR], JTF resources should be reinforced with complementary funding from the ERDF and the ESF+. The respective amounts transferred from the ERDF and the ESF+ should be consistent with the type of operations set out in the territorial just transition plans.
Amendment 218 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) The JTF support should be conditional on the real need for external support in the green transition and a present dependence on unsustainable business cycles and provide the needed support for local authorities to begin the effective implementation of a transition process in a specific territory in order to achieve a climate-neutral economy. In that regard, Member States should prepare, in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders and supported by the Commission, territorial just transition plans, detailing the transition process, consistently with their National Energy and Climate Plans. To this end, the Commission should set up a Just Transition Platform, which would build on the existing platform for coal regions in transition to enable bilateral and multilateral exchanges of experience on lessons learnt and best practices across all affected sectors.
Amendment 235 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) The territorial just transition plans should identify the territories most negatively affected, where JTF support should be concentrated and describe specific actions to be undertaken to reach a climate-neutral economy, notably as regards the conversion or closure of facilities involving fossil fuel production or other greenhouse gas intensive activities. Those territories should be precisely defined and correspond to NUTS level 3 regions or should be parts thereof. The plans should detail the challenges and needs of those territories and identify the type of operations needed in a manner that ensures the coherent development of climate-resilient economic activities that are also consistent withprioritise the alleviation of any socio- economic shocks from the transition to climate-neutrality and the objectives of the Green Deal. Only investments in accordance with the transition plans should receive financial support from the JTF. The territorial just transition plans should be part of the programmes (supported by the ERDF, the ESF+, the Cohesion Fund or the JTF, as the case may be) which are approved by the Commission.
Amendment 239 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) In order to enhance the result orientation of the use of JTF resources, the Commission, in line with the principle of proportionality, should be able to apply financial corrections in case of serious underachievement of targets established for the JTF specific objectiveensure that regions with low performance from the point of view of JTF specific objectives are helped not to fall too much behind in order to avoid the risk of further geographical unbalances, with previously well performing regions or regions which are already on their way to a green transition or are not as dependent on coal or other fuels receiving more funds while the regions still heavily relying on unsustainable energy mixes or slow in beginning their green transition would fall even further behind and receive even less funds to assist in their transition.
Amendment 240 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) In order to enhancoptimise the result orientation of the use of JTF resources and to enhance the result orientation of the JTF, the Commission, in line with the principle of proportionality, should be able to apply financial corrections in case of serious underachievement of targets established for the JTF specific objective.
Amendment 248 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1
Article 1 – paragraph 1
1. This Regulation establishes the Just Transition Fund (‘JTF’) to provide support to territories facing serious socio-economic challenges deriving fromin the transition process towards a climate-neutral and circular economy of the Union by 2050.
Amendment 268 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
The resources for the JTF under the Investment for jobs and growth goal available for budgetary commitment for the period 2021-2027 shall be EUR 7.5 billion in 2018 prices, which may be increased, as the case may be, by additional resources allocated in the Union budget, and by other resources in accordance with the applicable basic act.
Amendment 269 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 3
Article 3 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 3
Amendment 271 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Access to the JTF shall be conditional on the Member State having a commitment to a target of climate neutrality by 2050.
Amendment 272 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 4
Article 3 – paragraph 4
Amendment 277 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1
Article 4 – paragraph 1
1. The JTF shall only support activities that are directly linked to its specific objective as set out in Article 2 and which contribute to the implementation of the territorial just transition plans established in accordance with Article 7.
Amendment 297 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point c a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point c a (new)
(ca) social impact investments which foster the development of businesses that can have a positive social impact in their immediate area, providing alternative income sources to citizens affected by the transition to a greener economy;
Amendment 299 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point d
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point d
(d) investments in the deployment of technology and infrastructures for affordable clean energy, in greenhouse gas emission reduction, the conversion to natural gas as a transitional energy source from coal, energy efficiency and renewable energy;
Amendment 309 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point e a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) investments in social and health care infrastructure and enhancing the equal and timely access to quality, sustainable and affordable social and health care services;
Amendment 313 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point f a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point f a (new)
(fa) investment in smart, energy efficient local transportation infrastructure;
Amendment 321 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point h a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point h a (new)
(ha) investments in the circular bioeconomy;
Amendment 327 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point i
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point i
(i) job-search assistance toand counselling for jobseekers;
Amendment 330 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point j
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point j
(j) active inclusion of jobseekerand socioeconomic integration of people and communities;
Amendment 359 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point d
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point d
(d) investment related to the production, processing, distribution, storage or combustion of fossil fuels, with the exception of natural gas as a transitional, intermediate fuel between coal and green energies;
Amendment 368 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
The Commission shall only approve a programme where the identification of the territories most negatively affected by the transition process, contained within the relevant territorial just transition plan, is duly justified and the relevant territorial just transition plan is consistent with the National Energy and Climate Plan of the Member State concerned, and corresponds to the objectives of the European Green Deal.
Amendment 370 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2
Article 6 – paragraph 2
Amendment 380 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2
Article 6 – paragraph 2
2. The JTF priority or priorities shall comprise the JTF resources consisting of all or part of the JTF allocation for the Member States and the resources transferred in accordance with Article [21a] of Regulation (EU) [new CPR]. The total of the ERDF and ESF+ resources transferred to the JTF priority shall be at least equal to one and a half times the amount of support from the JTF to that priority but shall not exceed three times that amount.
Amendment 389 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 1
1. Member States shall prepare, together with the relevant authorities and stakeholders of the territories concerned, one or more territorial just transition plans covering one or more affected territories corresponding to level 3 of the common classification of territorial units for statistics (‘NUTS level 3 regions’) as established by Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 868/201417 or parts thereof, in accordance with the template set out in Annex II. Those territories shall be those most negatively affected based on the economic and social impacts resulting from the transition, in particular with regard to expected job losses in fossil fuel production and use and the transformation needs of the production processes of industrial facilities with the highest greenhouse gas intensity. __________________ 17 Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) (OJ L 154 21.6.2003, p. 1).
Amendment 442 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 1
Article 9 – paragraph 1
Where the Commission concludes, based on the examination of the final performance report of the programme, that there is a failure to achieve at least 6575 % of the target established for one or more output or result indicators for the JTF resources, it may make financial corrections pursuant to Article [98] of Regulation (EU) [new CPR] by reducing the support from the JTF to the priority concerned in proportion to the achievements.
Amendment 458 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point a – point ii
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point a – point ii
(ii) employment in mining of coal and, lignite, oil shale and peat (weighting 25%),
Amendment 470 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point b
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) the allocations resulting from the application of point (a) are adjusted to ensure that no Member State receives an amount exceeding EUR 2 billion. The amounts exceeding EUR 2 billion per Member State, respectively 5 billion for a Member State that can justify through clear indictors that it holds a larger proportion of vulnerable regions where the transition to an environmentally sustainable energy policy would create tangible socio- economic risks than the median of other Member States. The amounts exceeding EUR 2 billion per Member State, respectively 5 billion for heavily affected Member States, are redistributed proportionally to the allocations of all other Member States. The Member States’ shares are recalculated accordingly;