Activities of Sira REGO related to 2020/0006(COD)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Just Transition Fund
Amendments (28)
Amendment 60 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) The transition to a climate-neutral and circular economy constitutes one of the most important policy objectives for the Union. On 12 December 2019, the European Council endorsed the objective of achieving a climate-neutral Union by 2050, in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. While fighting climate change and environmental degradation will benefit all in the long term and provides opportunities and challenges for all in the medium term, not all regions and Member States start their transition from the same point or have the same capacity to respond. Some are more advanced than others, whereas the transition entails a wider social and economic impact for those regions that rely heavily on fossil fuels - especially coal, lignite, peat and oil shale - or greenhouse gas intensive industries. Such a situation not only creates the risk of a variable speed transition in the Union as regards climate action, but also of growing disparities between regions, detrimental to the objectives of social, economic and territorial cohesion. The Fund should also take into account territories that already made an effort to transition and must still complete it.
Amendment 105 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) The resources from the JTF should complement and not substitute the resources available under cohesion policy or under MS budgets..
Amendment 113 #
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, as well as efforts of transition already made during the last programming periods (2007-2014 and 2014-2020).
Amendment 149 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) In order to enhance the economic diversification 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. In the case of energy power plants transitioning from fossil fuels to renewables, maintenance of former jobs would be mandatory. 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, are not merely dismantling operations, 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. As affected territories suffer often problems to attract private investments, JTF should also support public-owned or shared productive investments. __________________ 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 166 #
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, +, and/or with MS own funds.. 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 170 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) The JTF support should be conditional on 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. These Plans must be ruled by principles of transparency, internal democracy, citizen participation and control by social partners and stakeholders in the territories. 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 250 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point a
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point a
(a) productive investments in SMEs, including start-ups, cooperatives and third sector entities, leading to economic diversification and reconversion;
Amendment 257 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point b
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point b
(b) investments in the creation of new firms, including sustainable tourism or services to people, including through business incubators and consulting services;
Amendment 269 #
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, energy efficiency and renewable energy; if the investment takes place as result of dismantling of existing fossil fuelled facilities, every jobs in these plants should be kept in new ones.
Amendment 306 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point f
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – point f
Amendment 350 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
Additionally, the JTF may support, in areas designated as assisted areas in accordance with points (a) and (c) of Article 107(3) of the TFEU, productive investments in enterprises other than SMEs, including public-owned or shared companies, provided that such investments have been approved as part of the territorial just transition plan based on the information required under point (h) of Article 7(2). Such investments shall only be eligible where they are necessary for the implementation of the territorial just transition plan.
Amendment 369 #
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;, including the dismantling of installations or reduction of their capacity
Amendment 377 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) Investments related to defence of weapon industry.
Amendment 403 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 1
1. Member States shall prepare, together with the relevant authorities 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, the historic job losses 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 420 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – point c
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – point c
(c) an assessment of the transition challenges faced by the most negatively affected territories, including the social, economic, and environmental impact of the transition to a climate-neutral economy, identifying precisely the potential number of affected jobs and job losses (both expected and historical), the development needs and objectives, to be reached by 2030 linked to the transformation or closure of greenhouse gas-intensive activities in those territories; the inclusion of territories among the typologies covered by Art. 174 TFEU.
Amendment 433 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – point f a (new)
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – point f a (new)
(fa) a description of the participatory process carried out for its elaboration.
Amendment 439 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – point i
Article 7 – paragraph 2 – point i
(i) where support is provided to investments to achieve the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from activities listed in Annex I to Directive 2003/87/EC, an exhaustive list of operations to be supported and a justification that they contribute to a transition to a climate neutral economy and lead to a substantial reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions going substantially below the relevant benchmarks established for free allocation under Directive 2003/87/EC and provided that they are necessary for the protection of a significant number of jobs in short, medium and long term;
Amendment 449 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 3
Article 7 – paragraph 3
3. The preparation and implementation of territorial just transition plans shall involve the relevant partners, including local national authorities, social partners and stakeholders in affected territories, in accordance with Article [6] of Regulation (EU) [new CPR].
Amendment 454 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1
Territorial just transition plans shall be consistent with the territorial strategies referred to in Article [23] of Regulation (EU) [new CPR], with relevant smart specialisation strategies, and Rural Development Programmes, the NECPs and the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Amendment 476 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point a – point i
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point a – point i
(i) greenhouse-gas emissions of industrial facilities in NUTS level 23 regions where the carbon intensity, as defined by the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions of industrial facilities as reported by Member States in accordance with Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council28 compared to the gross value added of the industry, exceeds by a factor of two the EU-27 average. Where that level is not exceeded in any NUTS level 2 regions in a given Member State, greenhouse-gas emissions of industrial facilites in the NUTS level 2 region with the highest carbon intensity is taken into account (weighting 49%), __________________ 28Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 January 2006 concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register and amending Council Directives 91/689/EEC and 96/61/EC (OJ L 33, 4.2.2006, p. 1).
Amendment 478 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point a – point i
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point a – point i
(i) greenhouse-gas emissions of industrial facilities in NUTS level 23 regions where the carbon intensity, as defined by the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions of industrial facilities as reported by Member States in accordance with Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council28 compared to the gross value added of the industry, exceeds by a factor of two the EU-27 average. Where that level is not exceeded in any NUTS level 2 regions in a given Member State, greenhouse-gas emissions of industrial facilities in the NUTS level 2 region with the highest carbon intensity is taken into account (weighting 49%), __________________ 28Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 January 2006 concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register and amending Council Directives 91/689/EEC and 96/61/EC (OJ L 33, 4.2.2006, p. 1).
Amendment 484 #
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 (weighting 215%),
Amendment 487 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point a – point ii a (new)
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point a – point ii a (new)
(iia) employment in mining of coal and lignite in a year of reference (2010-2012) (10%).
Amendment 489 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point a – point iii
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point a – point iii
(iii) employment in industry in the NUTS level 2 regions taken into account for the purposes of point (i) (weighting 215%),
Amendment 493 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point a – point iii a (new)
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point a – point iii a (new)
(iiia) Unemployment rate at NUTS3 level compared with the average unemployment rate in the Member State (5%).
Amendment 494 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point a – point iii b (new)
Annex I – paragraph 1 – point a – point iii b (new)
(iiib) Inclusion of the NUTS3 regions within categories of Art. 174 TFEU (regions which suffer from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps such as the northernmost regions with very low population density and island, cross-border and mountain regions) (5%).
Amendment 509 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 1 – introductory part
Annex II – point 1 – introductory part
1. Outline of the transition process and identification of the most negatively affected territories within the Member State, including the historical transition.
Amendment 513 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 2 – point 2.1 – introductory part
Annex II – point 2 – point 2.1 – introductory part
2.1. Assessment of the economic, social and territorial impact of the historic and foreseen transition to a climate-neutral economy