18 Amendments of Fabienne KELLER related to 2023/0264(BUD)
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Regrets the gradual decrease of the EU budget as a percentage of EU gross national income (GNI) and the excessive focus on capping overall spending at roughly 1 % of EU GNI; considers that this has made it difficult for the Union to deliver on its agreed ambitions and deprived it of the ability to respond to crises and emerging needs while ensuring democratic accountability; regrets that the Commission has been forced to resort to double counting methods and the re-use of existing funds, disguising the current situation of the EU budget;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Recalls its long-standing position that new policy priorities or tasks should be accompanied by fresh money; regrets for instance the redeployments made on CEF Digital to finance the Digital Europe Programme, as well as the planned earmarking and redeployment made on several lines of the Horizon Europe and Single Market Programmes in order to finance the creation of the European Net Zero Industry Academies to bring the necessary skills to workers and deploy learning programmes on net-zero technologies as part of the Net Zero Industry Act proposal;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. In the context of the European electoral year, reiterates the importance for direct funding for cities to implement EU programmes locally, as it will allow increased support for project applications, and gain higher visibility on EU priorities and EU programmes such as forthe fight against climate change, or to promote the Rule of Law;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Recalls the essential work carried out by decentralised agencies; considers that agencies must be properly staffed and adequately resourced so that they can perform their tasks; recalls that the tasks of agencies evolve in line with policy priorities and stresses that new responsibilities must be accompanied by corresponding levels of fresh resources;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Underlines that, as part of the STEP proposal designed to secure the open strategic autonomy of the Union, reduce dependence on non-EU countries and boost investment in key strategic sectors, additional appropriations are to be allocated to InvestEU and to the European Innovation Council (EIC); proposes, therefore, to increase appropriations for the InvestEU guarantee by EUR 1,05 billion and for the EIC by EUR 125 million in 2024 in line with its MFF interim report; proposes, furthermore, to make available again EUR 500 million in research decommitments under Article 15(3) of the Financial Regulation for the EIC under Horizon Europe, in addition to the EUR 95 million included in the DB; underlines that the STEP instrument will not be enough to ensure a common European response through the EU budget and to strengthen the Union’s open strategic autonomy, reducing dependencies in strategic sectors and financing investment in key related sectors; therefore, calls on the Commission to rapidly build upon the STEP instrument in order to create in the near future a robust Sovereignty Fund with a real financial capacity to achieve the objective of the Union’s open strategic autonomy;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Recalls that the recently agreed Chips Act has a significant impact on the budget under Heading 1, in particular for Horizon Europe and for Digital Europe; underlines that, in accordance with the political agreement on the Chips Act, an additional EUR 50 million is required to meet funding needs over the period 2024 to 2027; proposes, therefore, to cover 25 % of that shortfall by allocating EUR 12,5 million to the Chips Joint Undertaking in 2024; Moreover, underlines that financing for the Chips Act has just been agreed, making the Council cut especially difficult to understand as it goes against a clear Union priority.
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines the importantessential role played by the decentralised agencies active under this heading; proposes to increase appropriations and staffing for the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity and the European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators in line with their identified needs and expanding mandates;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Points, in this regard, to the flagship Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps (ESC) programmes, which play a vital role in supporting learning mobility opportunities, improving people’s skills and employability and promoting social inclusion; emphasises that both programmes aim to boost participation rates among people with fewer opportunities - an objective that is challenged by soaring inflation and the increased cost of living; calls also on Member States to reassess scholarship amounts in the light of the high inflation; is committed to ensuring that Erasmus+ does not become a de facto selective programme open only to those who can afford to participate and recalls that the Commission is required to put in place financial support measures for people with fewer opportunities; proposes, therefore, an increase of EUR 100 million for Erasmus+ and EUR 2 million for the ESC above DB specifically to ensure the programmes are accessible for all;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Underlines the importance of a stronger Health Union and enhanced preparedness in post-pandemic Europe, as well as the need to better understand and treat long COVID; highlights the vital role that the EU4Health programme plays in this respect, as well as in supporting actions to achieve universal health coverage across the Union, encompassing quality access to sexual and reproductive health services; proposes, therefore, to increase the programme’s appropriations by EUR 20 million above DB, including to help offset redeployments towards the European Health Emergency and Response Authority;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Is alarmed by the growing impact of natural disasters in Europe and its neighbourhood and concerned about the EU’s ability to respond effectively; underlines that these disasters are often linked to climate change and are therefore likely to occur with greater frequency and intensity in the future; is concerned about the EU’s ability to respond effectively; increases, therefore, appropriations for the Union Civil Protection Mechanism by EUR 20 million above DB in order to ensure an effective response and protect human lives, to enhance the Union’s response capacity and better protect its citizens, including capacities for the mobilisation of medical units in emergencies, and underlines the need to invest in climate mitigation and adaptation for particularly vulnerable regions; ;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Underscores that soaring energy prices and inflation, following on from the COVID-19 pandemic, have had a significant impact on the cultural and creative sectors, which are often made up of small organisations and individual artists; emphasises the key role that Creative Europe plays in supporting European creations and Union values as well as the recovery of the cultural and creative sectors, fostering media literacy and combatting disinformation; recalls that free press and media pluralism have been under attack in the European Union and that the digital shift creates additional hurdles for a diverse field of media to flourish, which leads the Union to significantly strengthen its support for pluralistic media as the essential basis for a functioning democracy; proposes, therefore, to increase financing for the Creative Europe programme by EUR 25 million above DB, with EUR 15 million for the Culture strand and EUR 10 million for the Cross-Sectoral strand, which plays a vital role in tackling disinformation and promoting media literacy;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Takes note that, in 2024, EUR 4.8 billion of the ESF+ budget under shared management would be allocated on food aid and basic material assistance for the most deprived persons, thus going beyond the actual objective of 4% and highlighting the worrying increase in the number of deprived persons; calls on Member States to allocate more of their ESF+ funds to organisations providing the most vulnerable and deprived persons with assistance and food aid, especially in context where the inflation is high and they face increasing demands;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Recalls the importantessential role played by the decentralised agencies under Heading 2b; increases funding and staffing levels for the European Institute for Gender Equality, the European Labour Authority and the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation in line with the agencies’ identified needs; proposes, furthermore, to reinforce the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in terms of financing and staff to allow the body to fulfil its duties andUnderlines the importance of protecting the Union budget against fraud, corruption and other prohibited conduct, which adversely affect the Union and national budgets; stresses, in this regard, the central role that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) plays in protecting the Union’s financial interests, including with respect to the use of NextGenerationEU funds, and ensuring compliance with the rule of law; decides, therefore, to apply targeted reinforcements to the EPPO and increase its staffing levels to allow the body to fulfil its mandate, thereby reinforcing efforts against fraud, corruption, money laundering and organised crime; calls on all the Member States to join the EPPO and ensure a better protection of the Union’s financial interests; recalls the importance of compliance with the general regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Underlines that the STEP proposal includes additional commitment appropriations in 2024 for the Innovation Fund under Heading 3 and a commensurate increase in the ceiling; considers that the proposed allocation for the Innovation Fund is not to the level of ambition needed but marks important progress towards its full budgetisation; proposes, therefore, to create a new budget line for the Innovation Fund, with appropriations of EUR 1,25 billion in line with its MFF interim report;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Stresses that the war has vastly increased pressure on asylum systems in the Member States and that the Union must provide longer-term support to the host Member States to address the ever increasing pressure on national asylum and migration systems, including at the external borders, due to a rise of applications for international protection in the Member States and the exceptional support of the EU to host refugees from Ukraine; stresses moreover that a strong budget is necessary for the reception of asylum seekers and the integration of refugees in their host societies, as well as for strengthening the effective returns of migrants with no right to stay in the EU, and other actions that need a coordinated response, such as resettlement or legal pathways; further stresses that a stronger AMIF budget is a key determinant for the successful implementation of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum the adoption of which is expected before the end of this mandate; reiterates the need to facilitate the reception and integration of refugees from Ukraine, and to help face the recent migration trends via the Mediterranean route and anticipate the financial implications of a timely agreement on the Pact on Asylum and Migration (AMIF); decides, therefore, to reinforce the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund by EUR 110 million above DB in 2024 given AMIF’s positive contribution in providing immediate support to refugees;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58
Paragraph 58
58. Reiterates its commitment to the international dimension of Erasmus+, whichin line with the need identified by the Commission to provide support to Ukrainian students and teaching staff, as well as to all students to cope with high inflation; recalls that Erasmus + enables learning mobility exchanges with partner countries around the world; increases, therefore, appropriations for the international dimension of Erasmus+ by EUR 10 million above DB, split evenly between the NDICI and IPA III; underlines that these appropriations will also help to flatten the heavily back loaded financial profile of Erasmus+, providing more consistent annual financing for a programme with stable year-on-year demand; calls also on Member States to reassess scholarship amounts in the light of the high inflation;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 69
Paragraph 69
69. CondemnsDisagrees with the Commission’s horizontal approach to reduce the estimates of the institutions in order to adhere to the principle of stable staffing, and to a maximum increase of 2 % for non-salary related expenditure, despite the inflationary pressures for a second year in a row and irrespective of new tasks given to the institutions by the Commission and the co- legislators;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72 – point c
Paragraph 72 – point c
(c) increase the establishment plans above the DB with the corresponding appropriations in line with the institutions’ requests for the European Data Protection Supervisor and European Data Protection Board to enable them to face new responsibilities and partially in line with the institutions’ requests for the European Committee of the Regions to enhance cybersecurity capabilities and the European External Action Service to enhance primarily cybersecurity and the fight against disinformation, and also to implement the Strategic Compass, and strengthen the crisis response centrer and enhance cybersecurity and the fight against disinformation.