Activities of Frances FITZGERALD related to 2023/2010(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals
Amendments (44)
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)
Citation 18 a (new)
— having regard to its Report of 25 January 2023 on Policy Coherence for Development (2021/2164 (INI)),
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Citation 21 a (new)
— having regard to the Council conclusions of 21 June 2022 on The transformative role of education for sustainable development and global citizenship as an instrumental tool for the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs),
Amendment 40 #
— Having regard to the Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on Learning for the Green transition and sustainable development;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24 a (new)
Citation 24 a (new)
— having regard to the opinion of the European Committee of the Regions on Progress in the implementation of the SDGs (COR-2022/04274)
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24 b (new)
Citation 24 b (new)
— having regard to the 'United Nations Secretary-General's SDG Stimulus to Deliver Agenda 2030' of February 2023,
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas the Parliament, the Council and the European Council have repeatedly called on the Commission to adopt an overarching strategy for the implementation of the SDGs since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015; whereas the Report on the implementation and delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (2022/2002(INI)) repeated this call;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas any EU strategy proposed by the Commission with the objective of achieving the SDGs should contain EU wide, measurable, time-bound targets and concrete measures for achieving the SDGs, which should include an updated monitoring system which takes into account the EU's internal and external impact on the SDG process;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
A c. whereas policy coherence for sustainable development is a critical component of successful implementation of the SDGs, in particular coherence between the internal and external policies of the Union; whereas, notably, the EU is obliged to incorporate development cooperation objectives into all internal and external policies that are likely to affect developing countries, as set out in Article 208 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
A d. whereas there is a lack of integration of the SDGs into the National Recovery and Resilience Plans; whereas, in particular, very few Member States have explicitly linked National Recovery and Resilience Plans to the SDGs;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
A e. whereas, for medium and large countries, the assessments of the national progress towards the implementation of the SDGs do not reflect the reality on the ground as there are large disparities in the progress towards SDG implementation within countries;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A f (new)
Recital A f (new)
A f. whereas the United Nations estimate that $500 billion annually needs to be delivered to provide the necessary SDG stimulus1a _________________ 1a United Nations Secretary’s General’s SDG Stimulus to Deliver Agenda 2030, February 2023.
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A g (new)
Recital A g (new)
A g. whereas the achievement of the SDGs must be achieved through a combination of concessional and non- concessional finance in a mutually reinforcing way;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A h (new)
Recital A h (new)
A h. whereas only 24% of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have a specific plan to reduce their carbon footprints1a _________________ 1a European Commission, 2022: Eurobarometer: EU SMEs working towards sustainability: https://single- market- economy.ec.europa.eu/news/eurobaromet er-eu-smes-working-towards- sustainability-2022-03-28_en.
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A i (new)
Recital A i (new)
A i. whereas the private sector will continue to play a critical role in the achievement the SDGs, notably on blended finance to fill the growing SDG financing gap;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses its commitment to the 2030 Agenda, especially in light of the new geopolitical landscape and the ongoing climate, biodiversity and health crises; warns against further polarisation in the distribution of wealth and income, which would lead to increased inequality and povertynotes that increasing inequality in recent years has resulted in fragmented societies in many parts of the developed and developing world; highlights, against this backdrop, the importance of the SDGs, which provide a universal compass for people’s prosperity and to protect the planet; recalls that a pledge to leave no one behind lies at the heart of the 2030 Agenda and that the achievement of the SDGs should benefit all countries, people and segments of society;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Notes with deep concern the violent conflicts that continue to affect many parts of the world, especially the developing countries, and more so the negative spill-overs demonstrated by the war in Ukraine on the other SDGs, particularly exacerbating poverty (SDG 1), food insecurity (SDG 2) and access to affordable energy (SDG 7) which are further amplified by the impact of the health, climate and biodiversity crises; stresses the transformative role and importance of SDG 16 as an 'absolute pre-requisite' for progress on the SDGs; reiterates that peace, diplomacy, and international cooperation are fundamental conditions for the world to progress on the SDGs towards 2030 and beyond;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that the implementation process for almost all the SDGs is lagging and that two consecutive years of regression have been recorded for many indicators9; reaffirms the importance of each SDG and highlights the key challenges that persist for sustainable development, particularly in relation to poverty (SDG 1), hunger (SDG 2), health (SDG 3), education (SDG 4), equality (SDG 5),climate change (SDG 13), oceans (SDG 14) and biodiversity (SDG 15); underlines the strategic role that SDG 10, on reducing inequality, can play in the global implementation of the 2030 Agenda; _________________ 9 UN Sustainable Development Report 2022, ‘From Crisis to Sustainable Development: the SDGs as Roadmap to 2030 and Beyond’: https://resources.unsdsn.org/2022- sustainable-development-report.
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Underlines the significant potential of Public-Private-Partnerships and microfinancing towards sustainable development; recognises the Commission’s efforts through the Global Gateway in this regard, to catalyse private sector engagement to leverage investments for a transformational impact in line with the UN’s Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the Paris Agreement, through private sector finance and expertise and supporting access to sustainable finance;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Stresses the significance of the growing young population in the Global South for sustainable development; reiterates that access to quality education (SDG 4) including vocational training is a critical tool to enable the continent empower the growing young population; strongly stresses the creation of stronger linkages between education, skills development and employment, to allow access to decent work in the rapidly changing labour market; emphasises that quality education for all must be ensured, regardless of gender, socio-economic status, cultural background and religion;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Encourages the EU to support the implementation of the AfCFTA, acknowledging the role it plays in boosting trade and investment which in turn will create new opportunities for African countries to create jobs for its growing population; reiterates that trade policy can be an instrument for fostering regional integration and stability, economic development, migration, combating climate change as well as fostering peace and security;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Calls on the Commission to adopt a high-level EU 2030 Agenda implementation strategy which contains EU wide, measurable, time-bound targets and concrete measures for achieving the SDGs, and which includes an updated monitoring system which takes into account the EU's internal and external impact on the SDG process;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Once again calls for the implementation of the SDGs to be an agenda item for the weekly College of Commissioners meeting not less than every three months;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10 b. Recalls that the European Commission has yet to implement the proposal of the Parliament to appoint a Special Envoy for the SDGs, answerable to the Commissioner responsible, to promote consistent action on the SDGs globally through the EU’s external actions;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10 c. Notes with regret that a standing rapporteur of the Parliament who has the responsibility of assessing the implementation of the SDGs has not yet been instated;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines the importance of enhanced cooperation with partners in the Global South, particularly the African Union and civil society representatives, in order to implement the 2030 Agenda globallyCalls for greater commitment and advocates for a new and more effective partnership between the EU and the Southern Neighborhood with strategic priorities, structured and effective cooperation to truly deliver on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); stresses, in this regard, sufficient alignment with partner countries’ own efforts and local needs, when it comes to partnerships on development cooperation; calls further for coherence of policies as instruments for fostering sustainable development; advocates for a regular review with partner countries on jointly agreed development objectives in order to address shortcomings;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses, in this regard, that the EU and its Member States must avoid negative spillover effects at the expense of the Global South, which occur as a result of their past economic and technological model; advocates cooperation with global partners to turn any negative spillover effects into virtuous circles; calls for all EU policies to be subject to a mandatory SDG check to provide more insight on and address any negative effects and ensure that change in this area is measurableCalls for the EU to minimise possible contradictions and build synergies with development cooperation policy and to assess on a regular basis the compliance of EU policies with the SDGs;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Recognises the important role of the ACP-EU partnership notably in fostering sustainable development in ACP countries and ensuring the existence of stronger alliances to tackle global challenges; strongly supports the signing of the new agreement (Post-Cotonou Agreement) which will serve as an opportunity to rejuvenate and strengthen the EU’s relationship with OACPS countries while considering the new realities and global challenges, as well as an opportunity to increase its commitment to sustainable development and climate action, building on the UN 2030 Agenda;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12 b. Once again calls for an audit by the European Commission to ensure coherence between its internal and external policies;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Points out that, in order to assess the Member States’ progress on the SDGs, the Eurostat sustainable development indicators must be improved by filling the gaps for some SDGs and; points out, however, that, since they are used to assess the SDGs at national level, they do not reflect reality on the ground; believes, therefore, that NUTS-2-level data should also be used to better measuringe policies’ impact on territories and specific vulnerable groups;
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Welcomes the annual Eurostat monitoring reports on the SDGs; notes with regret that this report is not based on measurable, time-bound targets; highlights that Eurostat and the reports published by Eurostat are largely dependent on the data made available by national institutes;
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13 b. Calls on Member States to enhance their data collection with respect to the implementation and achievement of the SDGs, including a minimum level of data and a statistical disaggregation monitoring framework, which covers the progress achieved in the implementation of SDGs; stresses that the indicators used to assess SDGs are at national level;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13 c. Calls on Member States to make data available on the progress towards the implementation of SDGs at the local and regional level, as well as the national level;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Highlights the disruption of data production and data accuracy as a result of the global crises; Notes, furthermore, that important data remains unavailable on global, national and regional development policies in the Global South, particularly with regard to the poorest and most marginalised people;
Amendment 341 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Recognises the importance of education for global citizenship and sustainable development as an enabler of all of the goals, and calls on the Commission to include this as a priority in all relevant calls for funding;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to present the summary dashboard and indicator set measuring ‘beyond GDP’ dashboard without delay, as set out in the 8th environment action programme;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Recalls the broad recognition, when the SDGs were adopted, of the need to ‘go from billions to trillions’ in financing for development; is alarmed by the fact that the SDG financing gap has instead grown from USD 2.5 trillion to USD 4 trillion per year10stresses, in this regard, the need for a reformed global plan to finance the SDGs; _________________ 10 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Global Outlook on Financing for Sustainable Development 2023: No Sustainability Without Equity, OECD Publishing, Paris, 2022: https://doi.org/10.1787/fcbe6ce9-en.
Amendment 365 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Notes with regret that the absence of a plan that includes clearly defined, quantifiable targets prohibits comprehensive SDG expenditure tracking under the EU budget;
Amendment 374 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls for the preparation of an EU financing plan for the SDGs; underlines that the 2030 Agenda should guide all EU financing tools and their programming; calls on the Commission to put forward a proposal for a social taxonomy to complement the green taxonomy and help implement the European Green Deal;
Amendment 379 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Calls for better linkages between SDGs and National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs); recalls that funding is the main obstacle for 47% of cities and regions in the implementation of the SDGs; recalls that Member States have EUR 225 billion available to them from the Recovery and Resilience Fund to help finance the heightened need for accelerated progression towards the attainment of the SDG goals, given the negative impact of the pandemic towards the progression of the SDGs1a _________________ 1a CoR (2022) Synergies between the Sustainable Development Goals and the National Recovery and Resilience Plans – Best practices from local and regional authorities, page 16.
Amendment 386 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Amendment 387 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18 c. Calls on Member States to establish significant support mechanisms to assist SMEs in their implementation of sustainability strategies in their business, including through industry mentorship and expert advice; proposes that this should include advice on how critical decisions such as raw material use and value chain management can be changed to improve sustainability;
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Calls for more effective dissemination of information concerning financing opportunities that may be available to business to support the implementation of SDG strategic plans at local and regional level from the European Investment Bank;
Amendment 467 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23 a. Strongly advocates for the urgent need for the revitalisation of the global partnerships particularly between governments, the private sector, and civil society in the pursuit of realizing the Agenda 2030; calls for, in this regard, a strong commitment to global partnership and enhanced multistakeholder cooperation for sustainable development;