11 Amendments of Isabel BENJUMEA BENJUMEA related to 2020/0101(COD)
Amendment 40 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) Member States have been affected by the crisis due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in an unprecedented manner. The crisis hampers growth in Member States, which in turn aggravates the serious liquidity shortages due to the sudden and important increase in public investments needed in their health systems and other sectors of their economies, as a result of the temporary closure of economic activity. This has created an exceptional situation which needs to be addressed with specific measures, their objective being job creation and the preservation of business fabric.
Amendment 45 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) In order to respond to the impact of the crisis, Regulations (EU) No 1303/2013 and (EU) No 1301/2013 were amended on 30 March 2020 to allow more flexibility in the implementation of the operational programmes supported by the European Regional Development Fund ('ERDF'), the European Social Fund ('ESF') and the Cohesion Fund (the 'Funds') and by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund ('EMFF'). However, as the serious negative effects on Union economies and societies worsened, both Regulations were amended again on 23 April 2020 to provide exceptional additional flexibility to enable the Member States to concentrate on the necessary response to the unprecedented crisis by enhancing the possibility to mobilise non-utilised support from the Funds and by simplifying procedural requirements linked to programme implementation and audits, so that final users may access financing that has so far been inaccessible.
Amendment 47 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) In order to redress huge shocks to the economy stemming from the exceptional restrictions put in place by Member States to contain the COVID-19 spreading and the risks of an asymmetric recovery stemming from the different national means available in different Member States resulting in serious impacts on the functioning of the Internal Market, the European Council endorsed on 23 April 2020 the “Roadmap for recovery” with a strong investment component, called for the establishment of the European Recovery Fund and mandated the Commission to analyse the needs so that the resources would be targeted towards the sectors and geographical parts of the Union most affected, as stated in the conclusions of the European Council on 21 July 2020 (EUCO10/20), while clarifying also the link with the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027.
Amendment 70 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) In order to allow maximum flexibility to Member States for tailoring crisis repair actions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic or preparing a green, digital and resilient recovery of the economy, allocations should be established by the Commission at Member State level, taking into account those regions most affected. Furthermore, the possibility for using any additional resources to support aid for the most deprived should also be provided for. In addition, it is necessary to establish ceilings concerning the allocation to technical assistance at the initiative of the Member States while allowing maximum flexibility to the Member States as to its allocation within operational programmes supported by the ERDF or the ESF. It should be clarified that there is no need to respect the ESF minimum share for the additional resources. Taking account of the expected quick spending of the additional resources, the commitments linked to those additional resources should only be decommitted at the closure of the operational programmes.
Amendment 79 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) In order to complement the actions already available under the scope of support of the ERDF, as extended by Regulations (EU) 2020/460 and (EU) 2020/558 of the European Parliament and of the Council5 , Member States should continue to be allowed to use the additional resources primarily for investments in products and services for health services, and socio-healthcare services (including elderly daily care centres and residences) for providing support in the form of working capital or investment support to SMEs, in operations contributing to the transition towards a digital, competitive and green economy, infrastructure providing basic services to citizens or economic support measures for those regions most dependent on sectors most affected by the crisis. Technical assistance should also be supported. It is appropriate that the additional resources are focused exclusively under the new thematic objective “Fostering crisis repair in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and preparing a green, digital and resilient recovery of the economy”, which should also constitute a single investment priority, to allow for simplified programming and implementation of the additional resources. _________________ 5Regulation (EU) 2020/460 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 March 2020 amending Regulations (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013 and (EU) No 508/2014 as regards specific measures to mobilise investments in the healthcare systems of Member States and in other sectors of their economies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak (Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative) (OJ L99, 31.3.2020, p. 5); Regulation (EU) 2020/558 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2020 amending Regulations (EU) No 1301/2013 and (EU) No 1303/2013 as regards specific measures to provide exceptional flexibility for the use of the European Structural and Investments Funds in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, (OJ L 130, 23.4.2020, p. 1).
Amendment 90 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) For the ESF, Member States should primarily use the additional resources to support job maintenance, including through short-time work schemes and support to self-employed, job creation, in particular for people in vulnerable situations, support to youth employment measures, education and training, skills development and to enhance access to social services of general interestincluding self-employment and entrepreneurship policies, education, training and lifelong learning, skills development, as well as reskilling and upskilling, and to enhance access to social services of general interest, for those that have been hit harder by this pandemic, the elderly population and those with mental health illness, including foralso children. It should be clarified that in the present exceptional circumstances support to short-time work schemes for employees and the self- employed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic can be provided even when that support is not combined with active labour market measures, unless the latter are imposed by national law. Union support to those short- time work schemes should be limited in time and focused on improving the employability of that population on a medium basis.
Amendment 121 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) In order to enable Member States to deploy the additional resources for crisis repaithe economic and social crisis and recover quickly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and preparing a green, competitive, digital and resilient recovery of the economy within the current programming period, it is justified to exempt, on an exceptional basis, Member States from the need to comply with ex ante conditionalities and requirements on the performance reserve and application of the performance framework, on thematic concentration, also in relation to the thresholds established for sustainable urban development for the ERDF, and requirements on preparation of a communication strategy for the additional resources. It is nevertheless necessary that Member States carry out at least one evaluation by 31 December 20242 to assess the effectiveness, efficiency and impact of the additional resources as well as how they contributed to achieving the goals of the new dedicated thematic objective. To facilitate the availability of comparable information at Union level, Member States are encouraged towill make use of the programme-specific indicators made available by the Commission. In addition, while carrying out their responsibilities linked to information, communication and visibility, Member States and managing authorities should enhance the visibility of the exceptional measures and resources introduced by the Union, in particular by ensuring that potential beneficiaries, beneficiaries, participants, final recipients of financial instruments and the general public are aware of the existence, volume and additional support stemming from the additional resources.
Amendment 129 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) With a view to allow the targeting of these additional resources to the geographic areas where they athat were most needaffected, as an exceptional measure and without prejudice to the general rules for allocating Structural Funds resources, the additional resources allocated to the ERDF and the ESF are not to be broken down per category of region. However, Member States are expected to take into account the different regional needs and development levels in order to ensure that focus is maintained on less developed regionsthose most affected, in accordance with the objectives of economic, social and territorial cohesion set out in Article 173 TFEU. Member States should also involve local and regional authorities, as well as relevant bodies representing civil society, in accordance with the partnership principles.
Amendment 175 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013
Article 92 b – paragraph 8 – subparagraph 1
Article 92 b – paragraph 8 – subparagraph 1
8. The additional resources not allocated to technical assistance shall be used under the thematic objective set out in paragraph 10 to support operations fostering crisis repair in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic or preparing a green, competitive, digital and resilient recovery of the economy. (This amendment applies throughout the text.) Or. en (See wording on proposed recitals.)
Amendment 184 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013
Article 92 b – paragraph 8 – subparagraph 3
Article 92 b – paragraph 8 – subparagraph 3
For the ERDF, the additional resources shall primarily be used to support investment in products and services for health services, and socio-healthcare services (including elderly day-care centres and residences) to provide support in the form of working capital or investment support to SMEs, investments contributing to the transition towards a digital, competitive and green economy, investments in infrastructure providing basic services to citizens, and economic measures in the regions which are most dependent on sectors most affected by the crisis. (This amendment applies throughout the text.) Or. en (See proposed recitals.)
Amendment 197 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013
Article 92 b – paragraph 8 – subparagraph 4
Article 92 b – paragraph 8 – subparagraph 4
For the ESF, the additional resources shall primarily be used to support job maintenance, including through short-time work schemes and support to self- employed, even when that support is not combined with active labour market measures, unless the latter are imposed by national law. The additional resources shall also support job creation, in particular for people in vulnerable situations, youth employment measures, education and training, skills development including self- employment and entrepreneurship policies, education, training, lifelong learning, skills development, as well as reskilling and upskilling, in particular to support the twin green, competitive and digital transitions, and to enhance access to social services of general interest to those that have been hit hardest by this pandemic, the elderly population and those with mental health illness, including foralso children. (This amendment applies throughout the text.) Or. en (See proposed recitals.)