45 Amendments of Álvaro AMARO related to 2020/2120(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)
Citation 18 a (new)
- having regard to the Joint Declaration by the Presidents of the Outermost Regions of the European Union (CPOR), resulting from the mid- term meeting of 3 May 2021;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the outermost regions (ORs) are connected to three Member States (Spain, and whereas they currently number nine (Fraence and Portugal) and whereas they currently number nineh Guiana, Guadeloupe, Mayotte, Martinique and Saint Martin (France), the Azores and Madeira (Portugal) and the Canary Islands (Spain)), spread across two oceans (the Atlantic and Indian oceans), with more than 4.8 million inhabitants;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the ORs add to the maritime dimension of the European Union;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas there are concerns aboutthat the current COVID-19 crisis has exposed the already vulnerable OR economies and whereas, given the long-term social, economic, environmental and cultural consequences on the ORs of the COVID-19f this crisis and Brexit, and whereas these crises legitimately reinforce the demand that Article 349 TFEU, which provides for a special status for the ORs, be applied and complied with;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the current health crisis has also exposed the weaknesses of the regional health services in the ORs, particularly the archipelagic ORs where many islands do not have a hospital, with the evacuation of emergency cases depending on air or sea transport and weather conditions; whereas this situation restricts the ability to combat the pandemic in the ORs;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas the school drop-out rate among young people aged between 18 and 24 in the ORs exceeds 20%, which is significantly higher than the EU average (10%)1a; _________________ 1a https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files /demography_report_2020_n.pdf
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes with satisfaction the extension and maintenance until 2027 of several tax derogations for the ORs (AIEM, dock dues, reduced tax rates on liqueurs, rum and eaux-de-vie from the Azores and Madeira, etc.), and recalls the importance of maintaining the arrangements based on Article 349 TFEU for the ORs, which must reconcile the twin imperatives of protecting local production and tackling the high cost of living;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for the establishment of a new communication strategy which would, in particular, involve young people and inform them about the opportunities offered by the EU and raise their awareness of the usefulness of Europe in their daily lives; calls for a Commission office to be set up in each OR, taking into account the archipelagic nature of many of these regions and their multiple (and geographically separated) territories;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission to help build a new strategy for the ORs, based on respect for their specific characteristics, consolidation of what has been achieved and optimisation of existing arrangements, innovation and an appreciation of the ORs as ‘territories offering solutions’, which responds to their concerns and reflects the recommendations made by the European Parliament; recommends that an action plan be defined, in collaboration with the regional and local authorities, for this new strategic partnership;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 5
Subheading 5
Investing in the battle for jobs, harnessing the potential of the territories and focusing on youth
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to invest in the ORs and to make the fight against poverty, social exclusion and unemployment the priorities of European solidarity, while investing in future projects focusing on innovation and reskilling;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reiterates the fact that in the ORs the strength of youth is a major asset which is often insufficiently valued and that it should be a priority for building tangible solutions through the large-scale mobilisation of EU funding for education, training and support for young people, and that it is therefore important to offer full support for mobility and exchange in the ORs within the ERASMUS+ programme, as well as increased funding, including within the DiscoverEU initiatives;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the European Commission to create a preparatory action with a view to developing an ERASMUS+ programme that allows mobility with third countries in the geographical, cultural and historical area of each OR;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Stresses the need to prioritise investment in all levels of education and lifelong training in the ORs as a way of preventing school drop-out and reversing the impact of this trend in the ORs; urges the European Commission to regard education as the ‘key element’ in the development of remote regions such as the ORs, by helping regional and local authorities to design public policies that encourage young people and offer them attractive educational, training, skilling and reskilling options at local and regional level, including digital skills, whether through face-to-face learning or distance learning, so that they continue their studies and may therefore remain in the ORs;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Calls on the European Commission and Member States to support the recovery and growth of the tourism sector in the ORs by enabling the necessary social, environmental and digital transformation, with particular emphasis on SMEs in this sector, by using existing EU funds and by creating pilot projects for sustainable and smart remote destinations;
Amendment 71 #
Protecting health and strengthening the social dimension of development in the ORs
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15c. Emphasises the key role played by the social economy in the ORs, which partners the regional and local authorities in tackling the constraints caused by their remoteness, combating poverty and social exclusion, generating jobs in these regions and developing initiatives, in line with the various European strategies; calls for this situation to be recognised at European level and for this non-profit sector to have direct access to EU subsidies enabling it to continue helping the regions, such as the ORs, to achieve the EU’s goals;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 7
Subheading 7
Agricultural and fisheries policy and the green and blue economy
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for the specific measurefinancial allocations under the CAP throughfor the POSEI scheme and within the EMFAF to be strengthento be increased, in order to achieve the objective of food autonomy and to support the green and blue growth in the ORsgrowth of the ORs, as the current amount allocated to this scheme is not sufficient to meet local needs or enable agriculture in the ORs to contribute to a green, digital and inclusive transition; points out, in this respect, that the POSEI amounts have not been adjusted for inflation, unlike the other payments under the CAP;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Reiterates the importance of keeping the EAFRD cofinancing rates for the ORs at 85%; deplores the fact that, following the interinstitutional negotiations on reforming the CAP, the OR cofinancing rate may be reduced to 80%;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Deplores the turmoil and delay that have occurred in the CAP reform negotiations, particularly with regard to the POSEI programme, which have led to uncertainty and distrust in the agricultural sector of the ORs;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Reaffirms the need to make professions connected with agriculture, livestock farming, fisheries and the sea, and the environment in the ORs more attractive, particularly to young people, on account of their structural importance in economic, social and environmental terms;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Urges the European Commission to increase the total amounts allocated to campaigns to promote, raise awareness of and recognise EU quality schemes, particularly those relating to: (i) products with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG), and also voluntary certification schemes; (ii) organic production methods; (iii) logos for specific quality agricultural products from the ORs;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 7 a (new)
Subheading 7 a (new)
Fisheries policy and the blue economy
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Stresses the need for the EMFAF to offer simple, accessible and red tape- free support for the purchase of new vessels under the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, as a way of renovating the small-scale fishing fleet and therefore attracting young people to the fishing sector in the ORs; reiterates the importance of reprising a POSEI Fisheries programme, with funding for the specific needs of the ORs in the fishing sector;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Considers that the fishing sector in the ORs should seek complementarity with other sectors, such as tourism; reiterates, in this respect, the need for the Member States and their regions to cut red tape associated with tourist fishing; considers, further, that the European Commission should support the restoration of the material and non- material heritage associated with various maritime activities, with the aim of preserving the identity of coastal communities in the ORs and developing the use of this heritage for tourism purposes;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)
Paragraph 17 d (new)
17d. Calls for specific measures under the CFP within the EMFAF to be strengthened in order to achieve the objective of food autonomy and support the blue growth of the ORs;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 e (new)
Paragraph 17 e (new)
17e. Calls on the European Commission to set up pilot projects in the ORs focusing on the blue economy and literacy, which would give these regions a leading position in ocean governance;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 f (new)
Paragraph 17 f (new)
17f. Calls on the European Commission to establish a centre for combating marine pollution in one of the nine ORs, and to support the development of infrastructure for collecting and treating marine litter in these regions;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 g (new)
Paragraph 17 g (new)
17g. Considers that universities, marine research centres and sea schools in the ORs should participate in European and international research networks due to their knowledge of the unique characteristics of these regions, with a view to strengthening their innovation systems and creating more ‘blue jobs’; urges the European Commission to make an effort to equip these regions with the means to study and better understand their ecosystems and biodiversity;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 h (new)
Paragraph 17 h (new)
17h. Calls again on the European Commission, in cooperation with national and regional authorities and stakeholders in the sector, to find an effective air transport solution for fish products in the ORs, so that they can quickly reach the relevant markets, bearing in mind their perishable nature;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the fact that the Green Deal takes into account the exceptional potential of the ORs, but points out that the starting positions of these regions mean that the EU’s legislative framework must take account of their particular circumstances and, if necessary, grant derogations and financial and technical incentives;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls on the European Commission to invite applications for OR projects under the Horizon Europe programme, following on from the achievements of the Horizon 2020 programme;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Considers that, with the need to ensure a form of territorial continuity, derogations for the ORs should be envisaged in the CO2 quota trading scheme for both maritime and air transport, and, if necessary, financial and technical incentives;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Calls on the European Commission to provide the technical support needed to set up European digital innovation hubs in the ORs, as envisaged in the Digital Europe Programme;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)
Paragraph 27 b (new)
27b. Urges the European Commission to ensure that the Connecting Europe Facility involves a call specific to the ORs with adapted eligibility criteria, so that support can be provided for alternative and sustainable fuel supply infrastructure in the regions’ main ports, as well as for urban mobility and aviation;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 c (new)
Paragraph 27 c (new)
27c. Calls on the European Commission to include the ORs in priority corridors, relax the conceptual framework of motorways of the sea and include the rail network when revising Regulation (EU) No 1315/2013 on trans-European transport networks;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 d (new)
Paragraph 27 d (new)
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 e (new)
Paragraph 27 e (new)
27e. Calls on the European Commission to consider establishing a POSEI Transport programme as additional support to compensate for all the disadvantages and losses resulting from increased passenger and goods transport costs during the pandemic;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 f (new)
Paragraph 27 f (new)
27f. Reiterates the importance of increasing the flexibility of public aid for airport, port and road infrastructure in the ORs, and calls on the European Commission to consider this approach for all economic sectors;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the ORs benefit fully from international agreements (EPAs, FTAs, etc.) concluded between the EU and third countries; calls for vigilance with regard to the consequences of these agreements and recommends that effective measures be put in place as part of trade policy, including safeguard clauses and specific checks by the Chief Trade Enforcement Officer, while ensuring that the principle of ‘equivalence’ does not lead toto prevent situations which discriminate against the ORs;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Calls for the characteristics of the Atlantic ORs to be used to foster the relationship between the European and American continents, in particular by capitalising on the advantages offered by the geostrategic position of some of them and by their historical links with the American continent;