Activities of Francisco GUERREIRO related to 2022/0212(BUD)
Plenary speeches (2)
General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023 - all sections (debate)
2023 budgetary procedure: joint text (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023
Amendments (44)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6
Citation 6
— having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management, including the climate, biodiversity and gender-related provisions, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources5 , _________________ 5 OJ L 433 I, 22.12.2020, p. 28.
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
— having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 establishing the framework for achieving climate neutrality and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 (European Climate Law),
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 b (new)
Citation 6 b (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 17 May 2022 on the social and economic consequences for the EU of the Russian war in Ukraine – reinforcing the EU’s capacity to act(2022/2653(RSP))
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls the economic, social and environmental aspects of fisheries, aquaculture and maritime affairs; stresses their vital role in ensuring global food safety and resilience of food systems, but also in boosting the development of the sustainable blue economy and their contribution to developing and revitalising coastal areas; Takes the view that maintaining the competitive position of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors must go hand in hand with achieving social, environmental and economic objectives set out in the CFP as well as in the European Green Deal and subsequent strategies;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 c (new)
Citation 6 c (new)
— having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 11 December 2019, on “The European Green Deal” (COM(2019)0640),
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 d (new)
Citation 6 d (new)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 e (new)
Citation 6 e (new)
— having regard to the Agreement adopted at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP21) in Paris on 12 December 2015 (the Paris Agreement),
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that Russia’s military aggression has led to significant disruptions in trade flows and an increase in energy prices requiring the use of European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) crisis measures; calls on the Commission to further increase such efforts with the aim of compensating the sharp increase of fuel prices and other additional costs, which since March 2022 have doubled compared to the average price in 2021; welcomes the amending of the EMFF regulation1 aiming at alleviating the consequences of the war on the sector and on the markets; calls on Member States to fully and swiftly utilise the support provided; _________________ 1 COM(2022)179 final
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 f (new)
Citation 6 f (new)
— having regard to the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services,
Amendment 8 #
— having regard to the special report of the European Court of Auditors “Sustainable finance. More consistent EU action needed to redirect finance towards sustainable investment“, 2021,
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 h (new)
Citation 6 h (new)
— having regard to the special report of the European Court of Auditors Special Report 09/2022: Climate spending in the 2014-2020 EU budget - Not as high as reported, May 2022,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 i (new)
Citation 6 i (new)
— having regard to special report 10/2021 of the European Court of Auditors “Gender mainstreaming in the EU budget: time to turn words into action“,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 j (new)
Citation 6 j (new)
— having regard to the UN Sustainable Development Goals,
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Invites the Commission to expedite a strategy increasing the global share of sustainable EU aquaculture production which contributes to food supply and food security, especially against the backdrop of the Ukrainian crisis; calls on the Commission to make full use of the available financing resources of the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), as this is the funding instrument specifically dedicated to the objectives of EU fisheries and aquaculture management; urges Member States to earmark sufficient funding under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to support the innovation, sustainability and resilience of EU aquaculture sector;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Draws attention to the potential of sustainable European aquaculture, including in terms of food security and health benefits in the context of the Ukraine crisis; calls on the Commission to foster the sustainable growthdevelopment of this sector above the actual 2% of global aquaculture production with specific, acceptable and shared targets for 2030;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Draws attention to the potential of sustainable European aquaculture, including in terms of food security and health benefits in the context of the Ukraine crisis; calls on the Commission to foster the sustainable growth of this sector above the actual 2% of global aquaculture production with specific, acceptable and shared targets for 2030;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Insists on the necessity to improve scientific and technical knowledge to ensure the most reliable research-based solutions; reiterates the importance of ensuring sufficient financial resources for the collection, management, analysis, use and exchange of data in the fisheries sector by Member States' and European scientific entities;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that the Union and the EU citizens faces an extraordinarily complex set of challenges, including the direct and indirect repercussions of the war in Ukraine, high inflation, high energy prices and security of supply risks, and a worsening economic outlook, in particular for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the need to secure the recovery from the pandemic, crises in many other parts of the world, technological change, including increasing digitalisation, as well as climate change and its consequences; considers thatthe growing urgency to tackle climate change and the biodiversity crisis in the view of the latest IPCC reports and its consequences and the need to accelerate the just transition; considers that it is the role of the Union budget shouldto strongly contribute to tackling those challenges, while expressing heavily impacting the EU citizens in particular in the response to climate change and fighting biodiversity loss and degradation, in line with the political commitments taken in the context of the Green Deal, and ensure the much needed solidarity across the Union with all and in particular with the most vulnerable groups; stresses that the 2023 Union budget should ensure that adequate support is provided to the most vulnerable citizens and business that are most effected by the energy crisis and its social and economic consequences, including via dedicated energy efficiency and renewable deployment measures; expresses concern at the exceptionally limited margins, which are about one third of last year’s, or, in the case of Heading 6, the absolute lack of margin, and the limited flexibility and crisis response ability built into the budget; deplores the fact that the draft budget is an largely insufficient response to the current challenges; recalls that the multiannual financial framework (MFF) was not established to address a pandemic, a war with all its human, social and economic consequences inside the EU and at our borders, high inflation, high energy prices, high numbers of refugees, new accessions, food insecurity, and a humanitarian crisis nor for the needed funds for the private and public investment gap to cater for the green transition in the next decade as estimated by the Commission as well as for the much needed investments in the sustainable clean energy transition and energy efficiency;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Stresses the importance of allocating more resources for mitigating climate change, its negative impacts, and preventing further biodiversity loss. Climate change has severe impacts on oceans and fisheries, hence the need for adequate funding for the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems that act as carbon sinks and biodiversity hotspots;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Regrets and fails to understand the Council’s position on the DB, which cuts EUR 1,64 billion in commitment appropriations and EUR 530 million in payment appropriations for the MFF headings compared to the Commission’s proposal; considers that the cuts proposed by the Council are not driven by an objective assessment of either implementation trends or absorption capacities and run counter to core shared policy priorities, neither the reality of the current above mentioned challenges faced by the Union and its citizens including war in Ukraine, Covid-19 pandemics of climate change and biodiversity crisis and run counter to core shared policy priorities putting at risk the ability of the Union to successfully implement its key political objectives and priorities including the European Green Deal and decarbonisation of the EU's economy by 2050 the latest and the just transition or meeting its international obligations such as those stemming from the Paris Agreement; considers that the Council should not target programmes that benefit from the adjustment provided for in Article 5 of the MFF regulation for “rebalancing and stabilisation”, since that would contradict the objective of that MFF provision, which was to strengthen specific political priorities; recalls in particular that Article 5 of the MFF regulation does not provide “top ups”, as suggested by the Council; concludes that the Council’s position is far from Parliament’s expectations; decides therefore, as a general rule, to restore appropriations on lines cut by the Council to the level of the DB, for both operational and administrative expenditure, and to take the DB as the starting point for Parliament’s position;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses the importance of control in securing the objectives of the CFP;s in this regard, the increase in funding (0,8%) allocated to the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) is not even enough to match the inflation rate of the EU; hence considers that the increase is largely insufficient to ensure a level playing field, monitoring and control, and a credible combat against IUU fishing; underlines EFCA’s role ensuring a level playing field for and within the EU fleet, especially in discouraging and repressing IUU fishing in European waters but also at a global level, requires a more ambitious funding in the long term, if the objectives of the CFP are to be achieved;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls its long-standing position that new policy priorities or tasks should be accompanied by fresh resources; intends to follow that approach for the Chips Act and the proposal for a Union Secure Connectivity Programme; welcomes and expects to see the same for the priorities announced in the State of the Union speech when the Commission presents its Amending letter; welcomes in that sense the fact that the Commission proposal establishing the European defence industry reinforcement through common procurement act does not entail redeployments from, or earmarking within, other programmes;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers that the Union budget, on account of its size, structure and rules, has a very limited capacity to respond appropriately in 2023 to the challenges facing the Union or to adequately finance new shared Union policy ambitions or initiatives announced in the Commission’s President’s 2022 State of the Union address; recalls in particular that the Heads of State or Government have described the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine as a ‘tectonic shift in European history’ and that the Commission has stated that the ‘unforeseen needs created by war in Europe are well beyond the means available in the current multiannual financial framework’, necessitating new financing sources; is of the view that this is a further demonstration of the urgent need to revise the MFF, including to make it more flexible, raise the ceilings where necessary to reflect emerging needs and new priorities and to address the problems generated by including the European Union Recovery Instrument (EURI) financing costs in Heading 2b and reiterates its position, as defended in the 2021-2027 MFF negotiations, that the NGEU interest costs and repayments should be counted over and above the MFF ceilings;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Strongly believes that for the critical situation of the current MFF as well as the urgent need for more financing sources it is indispensable to further accelerate the work on the proposal as well as raise the ambition for the Next generation of EU own resources; reiterates its call on the Council to speed up the work on the first basket and find the agreement during the Czech Presidency; given the current situation, calls on the Commission to present the proposal for the second basket on the own resources no later than by the mid 2023.
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the need to respond to the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic at Union level; highlights that accelerating the implementation of the European Green Deal will reduce both the Union dependency from third countries as well as allowing us to achieve our climate and energy targets; recalls that cohesion and agriculture policy cannot be the main source of the financing of urgent priorities, jeopardising the implementation of long- term objectives; calls, on the Commission, in light of limited resources from the Union budget to respond to high energy prices, to analyse potential flexibilities in orderor finding additional resources in order to support SMEs and vulnerable households and SMEs including by strengthening their energy efficiency and energy independence;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Reiterates its call for the phase-out of harmful subsidies and for coherence between all EU funds and programmes; Insists that projects and programmes which are inconsistent with the objective of limiting global warming to under 1.5°C, or with the objective of halting and reversing biodiversity loss, should not be eligible for support under the EU budget in line with the do no significant harm; recalls that the 8th Environment Action Programme lays down the enabling condition of phasing out of environmentally harmful subsidies, including through setting a deadline for the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies consistent with the ambition of limiting global warming to 1,5°C as well as a binding Union framework to monitor and report on Member States’ progress towards phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, based on an agreed methodology;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7 c. Highlights the need to ensure that the do-no-significant-harm principle is mainstreamed in all Union activities through the budgetary implementation as agreed in the IIA and welcomes the Commission proposal for amending the Financial Regulation to include DNSH in the regulation in line with the Union’s commitment to sustainable financing and the green transition; calls on the Commission to monitor the proper implementation of the DNSH and to take immediate corrective measures if and when needed;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7 d. Welcomes the gender-budgeting classification undertaken by the Commission and calls on the Commission to focus on ensuring that an effective methodology for gender focuses on an accurate and comprehensive representation of the impact of programmes on gender equality and to achieve ensuring that we get the best gender equality impact from programs in the course of their implementation that are currently categorized as zero(star) and to take lessons learned for the design of programs, if possible in the context of the upcoming MFF revision; expects all gender relevant reporting to be done based on volumes and not number of actions;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines the significant contribution of Heading 1 to addressing the consequences of the war in Ukraine as well as to reaching the European Union climate and energy targets, inter alia to reduce Union dependence on fossil fuels, including from Russia, by supporting research and investment in sustainable energy and transport sectors; reiterates the potential of the programmes of this heading in anchoring Ukraine in the Single Market, infrastructure network and research area;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recalls that the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is key to spurring investment in the development of high performance and sustainable trans- European networks; stresses that CEF plays a crucial role in decarbonising the Union economy by supporting alternative fuel infrastructure and renewable energy, thereby accelerating the green transition and increasing the Union’s energy independence from fossil fuels, and promotes interconnectivity across the Union territory, including with the Iberian peninsula; demands that all energy and infrastructure investments be in line with the Energy Efficiency First Principle and resilient to adverse climate change impacts and as well as the objective of limiting global warming to under 1.5°C; calls for the integration of GHG emissions in the mandatory cost-benefit analysis over the lifecycle of the project against the most likely baseline and the explicit consideration of related additional investments and lock-in effects to avoid stranded assets; underlines that Russia's unprecedented and unprovoked military attack against Ukraine calls for urgent support to transport infrastructure in and towards Ukraine (“solidarity lanes”), to enable the transport of critical goods in both directions; proposes, therefore, to increase the funding of the Transport and Energy strands of CEF by a total amount of EUR 90 million in commitment appropriations above the level of the DB;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Underlines the pivotal role of cohesion policy as an essential Union investment policy and convergence instrument; anticipates that, after a delayed start to the programming process in the first two years of the 2021-2027 MFF, implementation will gather pace in 2022; calls on the Member States to accelerate the process of programming in order to allow 2023 to be the start of the implementation of the cohesion funds, that will help to address regional and social inequalities, boost our economy; help the public and private sectors, SMEs, and citizens during these difficult times;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Reiterates that, despite Parliament’s demands to place the EURI over and above the ceilings, the refinancing costs are paid from within Heading 2b; notes that, in a context of rising interest rates, the line dedicated to the EURI financing costs is likely to be needed in full and needs may well exceed the budgeted amount and the margin available in the heading; deplores the fact that this has a de facto impact on programmes under the same heading by constraining the Commission’s ability to propose above-financial programming reinforcements where they are needed; notes that EURI financing costs should not be taken from special instruments, which are intended to tackle unforeseen challenges, such as the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis; calls for the MFF revision to move EURI financing costs above the ceilings;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Stresses that the Covid-19 pandemic is not yet over and emphasises the need to maintain support for health systems to improve their resilience and bolster preparedness through the EU4Health programme; underlines, further, the key role that the programme plays in supporting the Beating Cancer Plan, the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe and the newly created Health and Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority; reiterates the need to reinforce budgetary allocations under the EU4health programme to support actions ensuring the gender aspect of health, including Sexual and Reproductive Health, an integral part of health care that must be placed at the heart of health policy to ensure universal access, as well as quality of services, especially considering the backlash against women’s rights and access to safe and legal abortion in several Member States, as well as the types of care and medicine that are essential to voluntary family planning and maternal and newborn health, and for research and treatment of gender-specific conditions such as fibroids, premenstrual syndrome and endometriosis with an intersectional perspective, in particular regarding diagnosis and treatment of black and minority ethnic women; reverses, therefore, the disproportionate and unjustified cut proposed by Council and reinforces the programme by EUR 25 million above the DB;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Highlights the increasingly numerous and severe natural disasters in Europe, as evidenced most recently by the record wild fires in the summer of 2022; regrets that, owing to climate change, such emergencies are likely to intensify and multiplyxtreme weather events resulting often in emergencies are going to intensify and multiply; stresses the importance to increase resources the Union Civil Protection Mechanism to enhance the protection of EU citizens and underlines the need to invest in climate mitigation and adaptation for particularly vulnerable regions; decides, therefore and in line with the Commission President’s pledge in her 2022 State of the Union address, to reinforce the Union Civil Protection Mechanism by EUR 20 million to enhance the Union’s response capacity;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Stresses the crucial role of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme in strengthening European citizenship and democracy, equality and gender equality and the rule of law in the Union, and in supporting victims of gender-based violence; reverses, therefore, the Council’s cuts to the programme; decides, further, to increase the Daphne strand by EUR 2 million above the DB to tackle gender-based violence, which has worsened since theespecially with regards to the measurable increase in cases of violence against women since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the ‘citizens’ engagement and participation’ strand by EUR 1.5 million above the DB, in particular to ensure proper follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Reiterates the importance of the LIFE programme in supporting climate action and environmental protection and its key role in designing exemplary intervention and catalysing measures towards climate mitigation and climate adaptation as well as towards halting biodiversity loss; calls for the level of budgetary support for LIFE to be increased across the various programme strands; highlights that any annual reinforcement for the LIFE programme will imply progress towards the mainstreaming targets and ambitions in the areas of climate and biodiversity; considers the present circumstances to justify a particular emphasis on the article covering the Clean Energy Transition;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Recalls that, in 2022, it was also necessary to provide top-up funding to the Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI) to enable additional support to be provided to frontline Member States in the context of the war; regrets, further,notes that the Commission has repeatedly proposed to erode the agreed financial envelope for the BMVI so as to find resources for justice and home affairs agencies with expanded mandates, including Europol in the DB; decides, on the basis of the above considerations, to increase the BMVI by EUR 25 million above the DB in 2023;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Highlights the need for a further increase in commitment appropriations and staff for eu-LISA in line with the agency’s identified needs, thus enabling it to continue implementing a number of critical Union projects for internal security and border management in 2023tasks in accordance with its mandate;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Underlines the importance of enhancing European cooperation in defence matters taking into account the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and the highly unstable international environment; considers that such cooperation not only makes Europe and its citizens safer but also leads to greater efficiency and potential savings; calls in that connection for increased funding for the capability development strand of the European Defence Fund in order todeplores the historic lows in collaborative defence investment which are 11% (2020) and 8% (2021), and which are far away from the 35% objective the Member States agreed to; calls in that connection for a new approach that would pool parts of national defence budgets at EU level and would guarantee increased funding for capability development and foster an innovative and competitive defence industrial base that will contribute to the strategic autonomy of the Union;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Proposes also to increaseassess the efficiency of EU budget funding for military mobility with the aim of helping Member States act faster and more effectively; notes that sufficient funding is needed to support missions and operations under the common security and defence policy, including by measures such as funding dual-use transport infrastructure and simplifying diplomatic clearances and customs rules; notes that military mobility could also be boosted by the urgent accession to the Schengen Area of Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia; recalls that the failure to resolve that matter has a detrimental economic and geostrategic impact;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Notes with deep concern that the Russian aggression against Ukraine and its worldwide effects have dramatically increased humanitarian assistance needs, which were already under pressure because of funding gaps and the multiplication of crises in the world; asks to significantly increase humanitarian aid to address the unprecedented gap between needs and available resources; deplores the fact that Heading 6 has no margin and is therefore not fit for the current situation or for tackling possible new emergencies ; regrets that the DB is not able to at least sustain the current level of response while humanitarian needs and emergencies are steeply increasing around the globe, notably worsening food insecurity on account of the impact of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, intensifying impacts of Climate change and increasingly severe climate-induced disasters and newly emerging conflicts; recallsis deeply concerned that, even with the increases proposed by Parliament, there would be insufficient resources to address the humanitarian aid needs in 2023;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Calls for continued and substantial support for the Eastern Neighbourhood, especially for countries helping refugees that are fleeing Ukraine and facing inflation and high energy and food prices; considers it necessary to support political, economic and social reforms and civil society actors, in particular human rights and democracy activists, civil society organisations defending women’s rights and the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community or providing assistance to persecuted persons and political prisoners, together with Ukrainian and Moldovan organisations which have been forced to restructure their activities as a result of Russia’s war of aggression, organisations contributing to the fight against corruption, and independent media which help expose disinformation and propaganda;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 51 a (new)
Paragraph 51 a (new)
51 a. Emphasize the negative impact of the inflation, rising energy prices and the economic situation on civil society organisations funded by the EU and their possible abilities to deliver their projects; is of the opinion that the Commission should consider temporally measures such as for example diminishing co- funding rates across relevant programmes and others and look into adjusting unit costs for travel allowances for already contacted activities1a; _________________ 1a Commission Decision C (2021) 35 on “authorising the use of unit costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence costs under an action or work programme under the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework”