Activities of João ALBUQUERQUE related to 2022/2147(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
Assessment of the new Commission communication on outermost regions
Amendments (34)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas the outermost regions are especially vulnerable to negative impacts of climate change, like extreme weather events, rising sea levels or heat waves; whereas the outermost regions have an exceptionally high biodiversity value and focus should be put in protecting and restoring ecosystems;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas the decarbonisation of the maritime and aviation sector is necessary to achieve the goals set out in the European Green Deal and the European Climate Law, sufficient time to adapt to such a transition should be given to the outermost regions;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the outermost regions are highly dependent on transport, especially air and maritime connections, with additional costs with regard to the import and export of goods and the transport of passengers, and that, in the case of archipelagos, double insularity exacerbates these challenges;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the blue economy sector plays a vital role in the economic growth and prosperity of outermost regions, that, due to their insularity, are especially dependent on blue economy-based activities, such as maritime transport, shipping, and tourism, with ports being important hubs for the transport of goods and passengers;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
B b. whereas the tourism sector is highly important for the economies of these regions and that boosting this sector can have positive repercussions in terms of employment levels and economic growth;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic had severe negative impacts in the economies of the outermost regions, in particular sectors related with blue economy, of which outermost regions are highly dependent; whereas coastal and maritime tourism represents 60% of the employment in the blue economy and which needs highly qualified and skilled professionals; whereas the promotion of these “blue jobs” can boost the tourism sector and help in raising employment levels in the outermost regions;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Recital -A c (new)
Recital -A c (new)
-Ac. whereas the outermost regions (ORs) offer major assets to the EU; whereas many of the ORs have a young population, extensive maritime economic zones, unique biodiversity, rich renewable energy sources, location and climate suitable for space sciences and astrophysics activities, important space infrastructure and proximity to other countries while at the same time, they are facing challenges to their development such as remoteness, insularity, small size, vulnerability to climate change, and economic dependence on a few sectors;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas social inequalities are at the heart of theone of the greatest social challenges facing the outermost regions (ORs) of the EU; whereas the ORs collectively are disproportionately affected by high poverty, unemployment and school dropout rates and these issues are exacerbated by the particularities that are common to these regions; a gross domestic product (GDP), which is significantly below EU and national averages (60% in the ORs if the EU-27 average is put at 100%)1a; whereas these issues are exacerbated by the particularities that are common to these regions; _________________ 1a The Commission’s report: “Outermost regions at a glance – assets, challenges and opportunities” from May 2022 illustrates a GDP PPS per inhabitant percentage in 2020 of 60% in the ORs. https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sourc es/policy/themes/outermost-regions/rup- 2022/comm-rup-2022-glance_en.pdf
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the outermost regions, in the climate and energy transition, have great potential to develop key sectors such as sustainable mobility, renewable energy, and ecotourism;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Reiterates the need to ensure territorial cohesion of all outermost regions through maritime and air transport, which should not be affected by disproportionate high costs whether for passengers or goods;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure the mainstreaming of the outermost regions and their specificities in future legislative acts, including, when appropriate, by conducting dedicated impact assessments; calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure monitoring and reporting tools on the implementation of legislative measures in the outermost regions to assess their adequacy and tailor-made solutions;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the number of young people who are not in employment, education or training is at an alarming level in the ORs; (22% compared to 11% in the EU-27)2a; _________________ 2a The Commission’s report: “Outermost regions at a glance – assets, challenges and opportunities” from May 2022 illustrates average young people rates of early leavers, NEETs (not in employment, education and training double the rate on EU Level. https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sourc es/policy/themes/outermost-regions/rup- 2022/comm-rup-2022-glance_en.pdf
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. PHighlights that, due to their particularities and needs, outermost regions need additional support to guarantee a just green transition, especially in the policies of the Fit for 55 package; points out that, taking into account the dependence of the outermost regions on air connections, flights from thbetween an aerodrome located in an outermoset regions to the mainland of of a Member State and an aerodrome located in anotheir respective Member States should be exempt from the EU Emissions Trading System until 2030,gion of the EEA and flights performed between two aerodromes located within the same outermost region should be exempt from the EU Emissions Trading System until 2030; points out that, due to the dependence of these regions on maritime transport, a similar exemption until 2030 should apply to all voyages between a port located in an outermost region of a Member State and a port located in the same Member State, including ports within and between the outermost regions of the same Member State; and calls on the Commission to take into account the regions’ specific characteristics in the revision of all relevant legal acts, including the impacts of lifting such exemptions;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas young people from the outermost regions frequently need to travel and move to other regions to obtain specific training and education; whereas many who have moved away are not coming back later on;
Amendment 38 #
D. whereas women in the ORs too often face unstable and short-term employment; the employment rate of women in the ORs is significantly below the EU and national averages (47% compared to 62% in the EU-27)3a; _________________ 3a The Commission’s report: “Outermost regions at a glance – assets, challenges and opportunities” from May 2022 illustrates the female employment rates in the ORs compared to the average European levels. https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sourc es/policy/themes/outermost-regions/rup- 2022/comm-rup-2022-glance_en.pdf
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Calls on the Commission to establish a specific transport programme of options, similar to the POSEI model, in addition to existing EU programmes, as a supplementary support to the outermost regions to face any potential negative impacts in the sector and increase in the costs of transport of passengers and goods;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Calls on the Commission and Member States to support the development of sustainable mobility in the outermost regions, promoting alternatives to fossil fuels and the modernisation and decarbonisation of port and airport infrastructures, including through an increase in investments;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3 c. Calls on the Commission, Member States and regional authorities to promote and ensure the diversification of transport modes, supporting the establishment of necessary infrastructures, such as bicycle and pedestrian lanes, taking into account outermost regions’ specificities, such as their orography;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Encourages the Commission to support investments in tourism, to ensure EU funding for its recovery and sustainable development and to provide the sector with information on funding opportunities; recognises, in particular, the potential of ecotourism to reduce the environmental footprint of the sector, ensuring the protection of our climate and biodiversity, while contributing to the socioeconomic development of local communities in the outermost regions;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Calls on the Commission to present an EU common policy on tourism that should ensure the resilience of the sector against the impacts of future pandemics or any kind of events that put in risk tourism activities, such as climate change, and should take into account the particular case of outermost regions;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Member States to unlock the potential of the outermost regions through appropriate investments and reforms and by supporting the green and digital transitions.; highlights that the outermost regions can be important players in these transitions, with the potential of being hubs for green and digital projects, towards an economic model that values sustainability and innovation;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Highlights the need to prepare contingency plans in the outermost regions for the transport sector, with a view to ensuring its resilience, especially in terms of infrastructure and public services, taking into account the impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lessons learned, to avoid any future disruptions on essential services for passengers and goods, in particular in the case of sanitary crises, extreme weather events or conflicts such as the one on Ukraine;
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Highlights that the potential of the outermost regions can only be achieved through the cooperation of different stakeholders, including European, national, regional and local authorities, economic and social agents, the civil society, the academic community and nongovernmental organisations; highlights, in this regard, the positive contribution of the Conference of Presidents of Outermost Regions to identify priorities and challenges faced by these regions and incentivise further action; points out that collaboration between outermost regions is also essential to ensure an holistic approach which answers to their specific needs and the sharing of best practices;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that the social situation of young people is a central concern forin the ORs; calls, in this regard, for the reinforced Youth Guarantee to be fully deployed in the ORs; believes that an evaluation of the guarantee’s implementation is necessary in these territories is necessary, including an assessment of the existing barriers for young people;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Member States as well as the regional and local authorities concerned to put in place or strengthen measures to fight unemployment, poverty and social exclusion in the ORs, including through the strengthening of public employment services, the promotion of lifelong learning and other measures focused on professional development;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Highlights that education and training as well as the integration into the labour market is an important instrument to combat poverty and inequalities; urges the Commission and the Member States, therefore, to support measures aimed at disadvantaged and low-skilled groups in the ORs, with emphasis on education and training that allow for the development of social, scientific and professional skills, in particular basic digital skills; calls on the Member States as well as the regional and local authorities concerned to ensure the diversification of the education and training offers, according to the needs of the regions and to ensure equal opportunities;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Stresses the importance of enhancing public services in the ORs, through strengthened regional cooperation, economic diversification, investments in R&D and digitalisation, reinforced vocational education and training, upskilling and reskilling opportunities and active labour market policies, to tackle long-term unemployment and youth unemployment in particular (45,82% compared to 16,8% in the EU-27);4a _________________ 4a The Commission’s report: “Outermost regions at a glance – assets, challenges and opportunities” from May 2022 illustrates a comparison between the youth employment rates in the ORs in relation to the average EU-27 level. https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sourc es/policy/themes/outermost-regions/rup- 2022/comm-rup-2022-glance_en.pdf
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support youth employment in the ORs by working with local stakeholders, including within the private sector, universities and local authorities, to establish a digital one-stop shop in order to help young peoplejobseekers who are seelooking for their first job or lookingwant to establish or take over a businesses;
Amendment 90 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the need to ensure the empowerment of women in the ORs by promoting access to stable, high-quality jobs, including equal pay and fair remuneration;
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
Amendment 107 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to improve access toand the Member States to improve access to information regarding the European Social Fund Plus in the ORs by setting up masslaunching information campaigns aimed at institutional and associative partners, providing a support services for project leaders and financing training for managing authorities.;
Amendment 108 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Highlights that the outermost regions' economies are heavily dependent on the tourism and transport sectors, which were severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic; calls therefore on Member-States as well as regional and local authorities concerned to work together to best ensure the socio-economic recovery of the ORs, taking into account challenges such as rising prices due to inflation and disruption of supply chains;
Amendment 115 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to improve access to Union funding for the ORs and to advance with the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, including in the areas of quality employment, education, skills, social inclusion, and equal access to healthcare;
Amendment 117 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Welcomes the Commission’s intention to provide tailored support to the ORs to ensure they can make the most out of EU opportunities, as well as to organise specific workshops on EU programmes and strengthen the dialogue with relevant stakeholders in the ORs;