Activities of Tineke STRIK related to 2024/0176(BUD)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2025
Amendments (11)
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) acts as the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza and provides stability to the region through the provision of essential services amid increasing needs;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas the Union must continue to provide long-term support to Ukraine in its struggle for independence and self- defence against Russia’s war of aggression and respond to other urgent global needs as they evolve;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Member States to double the budget allocated to the development of capabilities under the Common Security and Defence Policy in order to make cooperation in defence at the EU level the rule to ensure the safety of its citizens, and maintain stability both within Europe and globally;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that the unprecedented challenges in the global environment, along with the threats the EU is facing must be met by a substantial EU reaction, matched by appropriate and sufficient budgetary means for the EU to protect itself and the citizens and live up to the geopolitical challenges; welcomes the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) earlier this year which led to an increase in Heading 6; furthermore welcomes the adoption of two new instruments, namely the Ukraine Facility and the Western Balkans Facility, which will provide additional targeted support to Ukraine and the six Western Balkans countriesis, however, concerned about the significant increase of budgetary allocations dedicated to the external dimension of migration; in this context, urges the Commission to increase transparency and ensure full human rights compliance with regards to this funding, including through the use of monitoring and application of human rights conditionality; furthermore welcomes the adoption of two new instruments, namely the Ukraine Facility and the Western Balkans Facility, which will provide additional targeted support to Ukraine and the six Western Balkans countries; against this background, warns that the growing costs of Ukraine’s sustainable reconstruction and recovery will tremendously transcend the 50 billion euros budget of the Facility, especially as Russia continues escalating its destruction of Ukraine, particularly targeting residential areas and the country’s natural environment; expresses concern about the growing humanitarian needs in Ukraine over the course of 2024 and calls for sustained sufficient EU funding for both emergency and long- term humanitarian aid in Ukraine; urges Hungary to lift its blockade of the European Peace Facility funding for Ukraine, including the agreed reimbursement for Member States for military assistance already delivered;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. NRegrets that, with the exception of the Southern Neighbourhood, the Commission and the Council foresee reductions in the commitments for all geographic programmes under NDICI; in this context, notes with concern the reductions for the Neighbourhood East in NDICI which is underfunded by EUR 150 million for the remainder of this MFF; considers it therefore necessary for the 2025 Union budget to increase this budget line by EUR 50 million;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Urges the HR/VP and the Commission to team up in order to double the funding for peacebuilding, conflict prevention, mediation and reconciliation;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recognises that is still necessary to increase the financial support of the EU to UNRWA in 2025, due to the agency’s critical financial situation that jeopardizes its ability to fulfil its important role effectively, namely its crucial and irreplaceable role in alleviating human suffering in Gaza, providing vital services to millions of Palestinian refugees and contributing to regional stability; in this regard and in view of the unprecedented and extremely dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the ongoing instability in the Middle East, urges the Commission to substantially increase the funding by EUR 60 million to the UNRWA’s Programme Budget in 2025;
Amendment 92 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Reminds that the EU’s support and assistance to the enlargement countries foresees a strong conditionality element and funding must be modulated or even suspended in the case of significant regression or persistent lack of progress in the area of the “fundamentals”, notably in the fields of the rule of law and fundamental rights; stresses the need to prioritise the alignment of accession countries with the EU’s common foreign and security policy and consider any funding in this light in order to ensure that this funding is fully in line with the EU’s strategic goals and interests;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Stresses the need to sufficiently and consistently fund the implementation of the principles of the EU’s Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, including promoting women’s empowerment and gender equality in international partnerships, in dialogues with third countries and in the EU’s trade policy;
Amendment 95 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Emphasises that the protection and promotion of human rights globally is at the core of the EU’s external action; in this context, reiterates the need for increased funding dedicated to supporting human rights worldwide, especially where there is a closure of civic spaces and with a particular focus on the protection of human rights defenders and journalists at risk;
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7d. Believes that the support of third countries in the fight against climate change needs to be substantially increased as a matter of urgency; stresses that the 2025 Union budget should be aligned with the Union’s ambitions of making the Union climate neutral by 2050 at the latest, as well as with the Union’s international commitments, and should significantly contribute to the implementation of the European Green Deal; stresses the need to ensure consistency between climate and biodiversity funding and calls on the Commission to publish the amounts and shares of expenditure that will contribute to both targets per programme when presenting the draft budget; highlights the urgent need to ensure the respect of the ‘Do No Significant Harm’ principle through the entire budget and to take necessary corrective measures if and when needed without undue delay;