Activities of Per CLAUSEN
Plenary speeches (12)
Organised crime, a major threat to the internal security of the European Union and European citizens (topical debate)
Possible extradition of Paul Watson: the danger of criminalisation of environmental defenders and whistle-blowers, and the need for their protection in the EU (debate)
Situation in Sudan (debate)
The rise of religious intolerance in Europe (debate)
EU actions against the Russian shadow fleets and ensuring a full enforcement of sanctions against Russia (debate)
Need to strengthen rail travel and the railway sector in Europe (debate)
Protecting our oceans: persistent threats to marine protected areas in the EU and benefits for coastal communities (debate)
Reinforcing EU’s unwavering support to Ukraine against Russia’s war of aggression and the increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia (debate)
Continued escalation in the Middle East: the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank, UNRWA’s essential role in the region, the need to release all hostages and the recent ICC arrest warrants (debate)
Right to clean drinking water in the EU (debate)
Use of rape as weapon of war, in particular in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan (debate)
Promoting social dialogue and collective bargaining and the right to strike in the EU (debate)
Institutional motions (6)
JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on continued financial and military support to Ukraine by EU Member States
JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the cases of unjustly imprisoned Uyghurs in China, notably Ilham Tohti and Gulshan Abbas
JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Iraq, notably the situation of women’s rights and the recent proposal to amend the Personal Status Law
JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on EU actions against the Russian shadow fleets and ensuring a full enforcement of sanctions against Russia
JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on reinforcing EU’s unwavering support to Ukraine against Russia’s war of aggression and the increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia
JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the increasing and systematic repression of women in Iran
Oral questions (2)
The Commission’s plans to include the revision of the outstanding proposals on animal welfare in its work plan for 2025
ICC arrest warrants issued on 21 November 2024
Written questions (24)
Posting of foreign workers to Tesla service centres facing industrial action
The EU’s actions following the ICJ opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation
Use of Frontex firearms and ammunition
The much delayed proposal for asbestos screening of buildings
Denmark’s failure to comply with the Water Framework Directive
EU diplomats smuggling cigars and alcohol for personal profit
Resolution adopted by the UN on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories
Resolution adopted by the UN on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories
Protection of wild animals during the harvest season
Human rights violations by EU-funded forces in Tunisia
Support from the Horizon Europe programme for Israeli companies involved in the ongoing genocide in Palestine
Delays to the framework for sustainable food systems
Brutality of Croatian border police
Conditional loans to the Palestinian Authority
Commission position on genocide in Palestine
Situation of Can Atalay, imprisoned MP in Türkiye
Launch of European humanitarian corridors from Lebanon to the EU
Endorsement of two anti-UNRWA bills by the Israeli Knesset
EU-supported human rights violations against asylum seekers
The ongoing conflict in Sudan
Illegal settlements and settler violence
Potential downgrade of the protection status of the wolf
Rule of law violations in Croatia
Situation in Syria and protection of minorities in the country following the fall of Assad to HTS
Amendments (176)
Amendment 18 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Citation 49 a (new)
Citation 49 a (new)
– having regarded to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) report of 24 November 2020 entitled ‘Updated analysis of the non-CO2 climate impacts of aviation and potential policy measures pursuant to EU Emissions Trading System Directive Article 30(4)’,
Amendment 21 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Citation 63 a (new)
Citation 63 a (new)
– having regard to the outcomes of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture1a, _________________ 1a A shared prospect for farming and food in Europe. The final report of the Strategic Dialogue on the future of EU agriculture. https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/common- agricultural-policy/cap-overview/main- initiatives-strategic-dialogue-future-eu- agriculture_en#strategic-dialogue-report
Amendment 26 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Parliament has declared a climate and environmental emergency and has committed to urgently fight and contain this threat before it is too late; whereas biodiversity loss and climate change are interlinked and exacerbate each other, representing equal threats to life on our planet, and as such should be tackled together as a matter of urgency;
Amendment 32 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Paris Agreement entered into force on 4 November 2016; whereas to date, 193 states plus the EU have joined the agreement, representing over 98 % of global emissions;
Amendment 33 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the richest 1 % of the global population are set to generate per capita consumption emissions in 2030 that are still 30 times higher than the global per capita level, while the footprints of the poorest half of the world population are set to remain several times below that level1a; _________________ 1a Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and Oxfam, ‘Carbon Inequality in 2030’, November 2021
Amendment 35 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas, according to UNEP’s 2023 emissions gap report, fully implementing unconditional NDCs made under the Paris Agreement for 2030 would put the world on course to limit the temperature rise to 2.9 °C this century; whereas fully implementing conditional NDCs would lower the temperature rise to 2.5 °C; whereas the report underlines that the world is witnessing a disturbing acceleration in the number, speed and scale of broken climate records;
Amendment 41 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas inadequate progress has been made towards achieving the long- term goals of the Paris Agreement since it was adopted in 2015; whereas the 2023 UNFCCC synthesis report on NDCs states that the total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions level in 2030 is projected to be 2 % below the 2019 level; whereas the IPCC concludes that in scenarios limiting warming to 1.5 °C, GHG emissions need to be 43 % below their 2019 level by 2030;
Amendment 47 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas on 16 October 2023 the EU and its Member States submitted their update of the NDC committing to reduce their net GHG emissions by at least 55 % by 2030 compared to 1990;
Amendment 51 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the first global stocktake (GST) completed in 2023 at COP28 underlined the urgent need to address the interlinked global crises of climate change and biodiversity loss in the broader context of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the vital importance, for sustainable climate action, of protecting, conserving, restoring and sustainably using nature and ecosystems; whereas the outcome of the stocktaking exercise should subsequently spur on the Parties to ratchet up their level of ambition and drive climate action;
Amendment 61 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas marine biodiversity is seriously endangered, despite the ocean playing a unique and vital role as a climate regulator; whereas the ocean is the planet’s greatest carbon sink and absorbs excess heat and energy released from rising greenhouse gas emissions, having until now absorbed around 90 % of heat generated by rising GHGs trapped in the earth’s system, and taken in 30 % of carbon emissions; whereas a healthy ocean is key for both climate adaptation and mitigation;
Amendment 68 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas methane has been responsible for around 30 % of the rise in global temperatures since the industrial revolution; and rapid and sustained reductions in methane emissions are key to limiting near-term warming and improving air quality1a; whereas according to the IPCC’s 6th Assessment Report, keeping global warming under 1,5 °C requires major reductions in anthropogenic methane emissions by 20301b; whereas methane is a potent GHG which is 28 times more powerful than CO2 in terms of its climate impact over a 100- year time frame and 80 times more potent over a 20-year time frame; whereas according to the UNEP emissions gap report, methane and nitrous oxide emissions remained steady from 2019 to 2021, and fluorinated gases continued to surge; whereas stronger action to reduce methane emissions is one of the most cost- effective measures for cutting GHG emissions in the short term1c; whereas the agriculture and livestock sector emits 145 million tonnes of methane a year, making it the largest and most significant sector for methane emissions; whereas methane emissions in agriculture are primarily driven by increasing livestock numbers; whereas livestock emissions from manure and enteric fermentation account for roughly 32 % of all anthropogenic methane emissions; _________________ 1a https://www.iea.org/reports/global- methane-tracker-2022/methane-and- climate-change 1b https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/downlo ads/report/IPCC_AR6_SYR_LongerRepor t.pdf 1c UNEP report of 6 May 2021 entitled ‘Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions’
Amendment 71 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas the IPCC’s AR6 conclusions warn that climate change impacts are already and increasingly affecting the productivity of all agricultural and fishery sectors, exacerbating water scarcity and threatening food security, nutrition and livelihoods; whereas global food systems account for 31 % of global emissions; whereas over 100 million tonnes of synthetic fertiliser are applied to crops worldwide every year1a; whereas most emissions from synthetic nitrogen fertilisers occur after they are applied to the soil and enter the atmosphere as nitrous oxide (N2O) – a persistent GHG with 265 times more global warming potential than CO2 over a 100 year period; whereas the synthetic nitrogen fertiliser supply chain was responsible for an estimated 2.1 % of global greenhouse gas emissions1b; _________________ 1a https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/ core/bitstreams/42d5a668-f44c-4976- 8540-8efdb0f4d17b/content 1b Menegat, S. et al., ‘Greenhouse gas emissions from global production and use of nitrogen synthetic fertilisers in agriculture’, Scientific Reports, 2022
Amendment 75 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas the production of animal feed for the EU intensive livestock sector is one of the key drivers of land use change, linked to deforestation in third countries;
Amendment 76 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas moving away from intensive livestock farming practices towards sustainable, extensive agriculture will deliver an immense reduction in methane emissions from the agricultural sector and reduce negative consequences on the environment, biodiversity, animal welfare and public health, with drastically reducing the number of farmed animals kept in the EU being an essential step in this process;
Amendment 78 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital H c (new)
Recital H c (new)
Hc. whereas six of nine planetary boundaries to keep the planet habitable are already exceeded and the other three are nearly crossed, with intensive agricultural practices being one of the main drivers of the climate and biodiversity crises, undermining food security and availability;
Amendment 79 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital H d (new)
Recital H d (new)
Hd. whereas the IPCC special report on climate change and land demonstrates that a transition towards more plant-based diets provides significant potential for both adaptation to climate change and substantial GHG emissions reductions; whereas such dietary changes come with notable co-benefits for human, animal and environmental wellbeing and health;
Amendment 81 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the OECD’s seventh assessment of progress towards the UNFCCC climate finance goal finds that in 2022 developed countries provided a total of USD 115.9 billion in climate finance for developing countries; whereas mitigation finance continues to account for the majority of finance, representing 60 % of the total; whereas adaptation finance reached USD 32.4 billion in 2022;
Amendment 83 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the UNEP’s 2023 adaptation gap report highlights that the current adaptation finance gap is estimated at USD 194 billion to USD 366 billion per year; whereas the report finds that the adaptation finance needs of developing countries are 10-18 times as big as international public finance flows, which is over 50 % higher than the previous range estimate;
Amendment 93 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas soils are the largest terrestrial carbon pool on the planet; whereas ensuring healthy soils strengthens resilience and reduces vulnerability to climate change; whereas, globally, 500 000 hectares of peatlands a year are lost, while already drained and degraded peatlands contribute around 4 % of annual global human-induced emissions1a; whereas despite only covering 3-4 % of the world’s land surface area, peatlands are responsible for storing nearly one third of the world’s soil carbon, which is more than double that of all the world’s forests combined; _________________ 1a https://www.unep.org/news-and- stories/press-release/global-assessment- reveals-huge-potential-peatlands-climate- solution
Amendment 100 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)
Recital K b (new)
Kb. whereas there are scientifically proven interlinkages between health and the environmental and climate crises; whereas the European Climate and Health Observatory identifies serious health effects from heat, wildfires, flooding, vector-borne diseases, water and food-borne diseases, pollution, air pollution, UV radiation, aeroallergens, ground-level ozone, mental health effects and occupational safety and health effects; whereas extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, land degradation and water scarcity are displacing people and having a dramatic impact on their health and their ability to fully enjoy their human rights;
Amendment 106 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital K c (new)
Recital K c (new)
Kc. whereas water scarcity is becoming endemic as a result of the local impact of physical water stress coupled with the acceleration and spread of freshwater pollution;
Amendment 113 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes note ofHighlights the outcome of the first GST at COP28, which recognises that limiting global warming to 1.5 °C with no or limited overshoot requires deep, rapid and sustained reductions in global GHG emissions of 43 % by 2030 and 60 % by 2035 relative to the 2019 level, reaching net zero GHG emissions by 2050;
Amendment 141 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Expresses concern at the findings of the UNEP’s 2023 emissions gap report that fully implementing current unconditional NDCs would put the world on track for 2.9 °C global warming while the additional implementation and continuation of conditional NDCs would lead to 2.5 °C global warming by the end of the century; underlines that current policies are insufficient to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and emphasises that climate risks will be magnified by any further delay in implementing ambitious and effective measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change;
Amendment 173 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes that the EU and its Member States are the largest providers of public climate finance, with all EU climate finance reaching an all-time high in 2022 of EUR 28.5 billion; reiterates its call for a dedicated EU public finance mechanism that provides additional and adequate support towards delivering the EU’s fair share of international climate finance goals;
Amendment 175 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Highlights that significant financial resources from a variety of sources are needed to implement the goals of the Paris Agreement in developing countries, also considering that many developing countries have conditional NDCs, the achievement of which depends on sufficient financial support; recalls that the Glasgow Climate Pact urges developed country Parties to significantly scale up their provision of climate finance as a matter of urgency;
Amendment 179 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Stresses that financing from the developed countries responsible for a large share of historical emissions will also be crucial to build trust for a more ambitious dialogue on climate mitigation targets; calls on historical emitters to help developing countries adapt to climate change, inter alia, through grants-based financing and technical support;
Amendment 183 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that developed countries provided and mobilised a total of USD 115.9 billion in climate finance for developing countries in 2022, exceeding the UNFCC annual USD 100 billion climate finance goal for the first time, two years after the target year of 2020; notes that there is still a significant imbalance between adaptation and mitigation finance and that the adaptation finance gap is growing;
Amendment 187 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on all Parties to agree on a post-2025 new collective quantified goal (NCQG) on climate finance at COP29 with safeguards to reach the agreed quantum and timeframe; calls also for dedicated sub-goals for mitigation, adaptation and Loss and Damage in the NCQG in order to bring greater resources to where they are most needed and to improve climate finance tracking; believes that the NCQG should be firmly anchored in both the qualitative and quantitative needs of developing countries, with a target and structure that respond to lessons learned from the annual USD 100 billion goal; believes that the Core Goal of the NCQG should be measured on a grant-equivalent basis and delivered by additional contributions from developed countries; considers that a fair and effort-sharing approach could be used among developed countries, using for example GNI;
Amendment 202 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes that many climate-vulnerable countries are in debt distress or at significant risk of debt distress; calls on other countries and multilateral development banks, including the EIB, to adopt climate resilience debt clauses in future lending; looks forward to the conclusions of the global expert review on debt, nature and climate as proposed by France, Colombia and Kenya during the Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact; considers it necessary to have solutions that jointly tackle the climate and debt crises; reiterates the need to clearly prioritise grants-based climate finance to ensure that climate finance does not contribute to unsustainable debt levels in developing countries and calls on the Parties to engage in discussions and undertake the necessary measures to alleviate the debt burden of developing countries; stresses that many developing countries are in great fiscal need and require investments in order to transition their energy systems and undertake effective climate mitigation and adaptation efforts; highlights the importance of increasing grants-based finance, especially for adaptation, and that climate finance provided in the form of loans can exacerbate developing countries’ debt distress; notes that 50 % of the EU’s total climate finance in 2020 was provided in the form of grants and urges the EU and all Member States to increase grants-based finance, particularly for adaptation and especially for least developed countries and SIDs;
Amendment 210 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers it essential to advance the Bridgetown Agenda without delay; calls on all the major international financial institutions and multilateral development banks to align their portfolios and lending policies with the Paris Agreement, integrate tackling climate change and preserving nature and biodiversity into their practices and priorities, phase out direct and indirect support to fossil fuels and gather and use high-quality climate risk, vulnerability and impact data to guide the direction of investments towards 1,5 °C aligned investments;
Amendment 227 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Regrets that fossil energy subsidies in the EU remained stable between 2010 and 2020, at around EUR 50 billion per year, and even increased to EUR 123 billion in 2022; recalls that the 8th Environmental Action Programme requires the Commission and the Member States to ‘highlights the necessity to bring the fossil fuel era to an end and believes that the EU and it’s Member States must lead by example in this process; demands the Commission to propose, without delay, a binding Union framework at Union, national, regional and local level to monitor and report on Member States’ progress towards phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, based on an agreed methodology and to set a deadline for the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies consistent with the ambition of limiting global warming to 1.,5 °C’ in accordance to Decision (EU) 2022/591;
Amendment 247 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Subheading 3 a (new)
Subheading 3 a (new)
Stresses that the restoration and rehabilitation of high-carbon ecosystems previously converted for agriculture, aquaculture or human development can benefit both mitigation and adaptation and should be encouraged;
Amendment 282 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the decision at COP28 to use theestablish a loss and damage (L&D) fund to address and respond to the economic and non-economic impacts of climate change for particularly vulnerable developing countries;
Amendment 286 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Urges all Parties to deliver on making the loss and damage fund fully operational in order to ensure new, additional, adequate and predictable funding to avert, minimise and address loss and damage associated with the adverse impacts of climate change; strongly believes that loss and damage funding should prioritise grants and be additional to and distinct from humanitarian aid; urges the Commission and the Member States, together with other major emitters, to contribute their fair share to the loss and damage fund to ensure global climate justice;
Amendment 289 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Highlights that climate change has been affecting cultural heritage at an unprecedented speed and scale; stresses the need to strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the worlds cultural and natural heritage focusing on risk preparedness and on strengthening resilience to climate change; considers it important to incorporate the loss and damage of cultural heritage in the UN climate talks and negotiations, which has so far been neglected;
Amendment 291 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Reiterates its call for L&D to be a standing agenda item at COPs, in order to monitor and make progress on this issue, and for the full useoperationalisation of the Santiago Network in order to effectively catalyse technical assistance for adequately addressing L&D;
Amendment 293 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Calls on the Loss and Damage Transitional Committee to ensure that the Loss and Damage Fund is gender- sensitive and transformative, is guided by the needs of those most impacted and responds to specific losses suffered by women; believes that women should be centrally engaged in the design, management and disbursement of the new fund;
Amendment 295 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Subheading 5 a (new)
Subheading 5 a (new)
Commends the many millions of people, including millions of young people, who have took to the streets to demand climate action now; underlines that the climate movement will not be stopped until the science that underpins it is translated into binding targets and effective political and legislative actions;
Amendment 296 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Recalls the importance of the full involvement of all Parties in the UNFCCC decision-making processes; calls on the COP29 presidency and future presidencies to better enable the participation of all delegates, with a special focus on developing countries and delegates from the least developed countries, and to allocate additional resources to this, in order to eliminate financial and other access barriers and to avoid inequalities in the COP process;
Amendment 297 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Recalls the importance of the full involvement of all Parties in the UNFCCC decision-making processes; calls on the COP29 presidency and future presidencies to better enable the participation of developing countries and delegates from the least developed countries and to allocate additional resources to this; denounces the barriers to participation from previous COPs;
Amendment 299 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Stresses the powerful role of youth mobilisations in driving climate ambition in their relevant jurisdictions; commends and expresses its solidarity with those seeking to raise awareness about the climate crisis and campaigning for meaningful action;
Amendment 310 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Recalls its resolution of 25 April 2024 on Azerbaijan and calls on the UNFCCC, all Parties and the authorities of Azerbaijan to ensure equitable access to COP29 and full and unrestricted participation for all citizens and civil society organisations; reiterates its call on the UNFCCC Secretariat to develop human rights criteria that countries hosting future COPs must commit to as part of the host agreementexpresses its utmost concerns over COP29 host Azerbaijan’s human rights records and reports over intensified crackdown of the country’s independent media, civil society, and activists under the preparations of COP29 summit; demands that civil society and independent media actors' privacy, participation, freedom of expression and safety must be guaranteed in this and future COP summits; reiterates its call on the UNFCCC Secretariat to develop human rights criteria for COP host agreements and stresses that the respect for human rights and freedom of expression and safety of independent media and civil society actors must be a prerequisite for any country to be able to host COP summits in the future;
Amendment 313 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Recalls its resolution of 25 April 2024 on Azerbaijan and calls on the UNFCCC, all Parties and the authorities of Azerbaijan to ensure equitable access to COP29 and full and unrestricted participation for all citizens and civil society organisations; reiterates its call on the UNFCCC Secretariat to develop human rights criteria that countries hosting future COPs must commit to as part of the host agreement; calls attention to Azerbaijan’s restrictions on free speech and strongly calls for freedom of expression to be respected;
Amendment 317 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Considers it vital that Global South voices, including governments and civil society, are not side-lined and have meaningful opportunities to participate fully and influence; considers it essential that perspectives and experiences of countries most suffering from climate change must be heard and acted upon;
Amendment 319 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Subheading 6 a (new)
Subheading 6 a (new)
Points out that switching to a more plant- based diet has a positive impact on the climate; calls on the Presidency of COP29 to endorse the climate-friendly catering concept of ‘plant-based by default’, which promotes a more plant-based diet without restricting people’s freedom of choice, by offering plant-based food to participants unless they have requested meat or fish in advance; stresses that the current habit of serving meat by default should be reversed to reduce the climate footprint and set a climate-friendly example for society;
Amendment 320 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Welcomes the preparation of the first biennial transparency reports under the Paris Agreement; stresses the importance of this granular and transparent reporting assessing progress on the NDCs; takes note of the launching of the Baku Global Platform for Climate Transparency;
Amendment 321 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Calls attention once again to the appointment of a COP president with links to the state’s oil company, and stresses that this is again cause for concern; underlines that Azerbaijan plans to increase its gas production threefold over the next decade; urges the Commission and the Member States to take all necessary actions to ensure that this and upcoming COP presidencies are free of conflicts of interest; calls for clear conflict of interest, lobbying and anti- corruption rules for the UNFCCC process, including the selection of the COP president;
Amendment 324 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Considers that as a prerequisite for meaningful action at the UNFCCC, the decision-making process must be made free from fossil fuel interests;
Amendment 326 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Reiterates its strong support for the call by UN experts for the UNFCCC Secretariat to develop human rights criteria that countries hosting future COPs must commit to meeting as part of the host agreement;
Amendment 330 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Expresses concern that more than 2 400 fossil fuel lobbyists were accredited attendees at COP28; calls for the UNFCCC and the Parties to ensure that the decision- making process is protected from interests that run counter to the goal of the Paris Agreement and to ensure that fossil fuel companies do not exert any undue and improper influence over public officials and the UNFCCC public decision-making process that may compromise the goals of the Paris Agreement; urges the UNFCCC to take the lead in proposing an ambitious Accountability Framework that would protect the UNFCCC’s work from undue influence from corporate actors with proven vested interests, based on the model contained in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control with regard to the tobacco industry;
Amendment 334 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Strongly rejects COP29 summit’s chief executive and Azerbaijan’s deputy energy minister Elnur Soltanov’s claims that continued fossil fuel extraction is compatible with the goals of the Paris agreement, especially as the International Energy Agency (IEA) has stated already in 2021 that no new fossil fuel projects are compatible with limiting warming to 1.5°C1a; is highly concerned over fossil fuel industry’s ties with Azerbaijan’s government and influence over the preparation of COP, for example through the inclusion of president of the state oil company of the Azerbaijan Republic, Rovshan Najaf, to the organizing committee of COP29; points out that on the 20th of March 2024 over 150 civil society organisations published an open letter expressing grave concerns over fossil fuel industries influence and clear conflict of interest in the preparation of COP291b; _________________ 1a https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by- 2050 1b https://350.org/wp- content/uploads/2024/03/OpenLetter_CO P29.pdf
Amendment 335 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Strongly endorses the idea that all companies participating in COPs be required to submit an audited corporate political influencing statement to the UNFCCC secretariat, made public on the UNFCCC website; considers that this statement should disclose all climate related lobbying, campaign contributions, and funding of trade associations and organisations active on energy and climate issues; considers that these statements should be reviewed, publicly disclosed, and scrutinised prior to any engagement in UNFCCC climate policymaking processes;
Amendment 338 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Strongly insists that the Host Country Agreements (HCA) for future COPs must be made public as soon as possible and must contain guarantees that human rights will be respected, inside and outside the COP venue, including the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly; calls on the UNFCCC secretariat to publish all past and future HCAs;
Amendment 342 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Strongly believes that the current rules governing the UNFCCC are not fit for purpose as they allow excess influence of private sector polluters over UNFCCC processes, in particular in the case of fossil fuel industry; while acknowledging that engaging with industry can play a role, strongly demands to take immediate action to limit the influence of polluting industries and establish a robust accountability framework to protect against undue influence of corporate actors with vested interests that contradict the goals of the Paris Agreement in UNFCCC gatherings;
Amendment 343 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Stresses the need for additional measures to establish a robust accountability framework to protect against undue influence of corporate actors with proven vested interests that contradict the goals of the Paris Agreement; stresses that such reforms would bring much-needed transparency to corporate climate-related political influencing activities and would help restore faith in the COP process;
Amendment 345 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
Paragraph 24 c (new)
24c. Underlines the importance of leaders leading by example and urges all participants at COP29, including from the EU institutions, to refrain from using private jets and to choose the least polluting transport option possible to reach their destination; reiterates its encouragement to all Parties to introduce such bans on short-haul flights;
Amendment 347 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Takes note of the EU’s updated NDCRegrets that EU’s updated NDC is not compatible with 1.5°C target of the Paris agreement and falls short of the Union’s and it’s Member States fair share of global climate change mitigation efforts; highlights that the EU’s current climate legislation will reduce in theory the EU’s net GHG emissions by only around 57 % compared to 1990, but especially the developments of emission reductions in the sectors covered by Regulation (EU) 2018/842 and decrease of net sinks covered by Regulation (EU) 2018/841 threaten the achievement of Union’s 2030 climate goals;
Amendment 353 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Takes note of the EU’s updated NDC; highlights that the EU’s current climate legislation will reduce the EU’s net GHG emissions by around 57 % compared to 1990; stresses the need to adopt the post-2030 target in a timely manner in order to be able to submit it as an NDC;
Amendment 355 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Demands the Commission to propose an intermediate 2040 EU climate target that is aligned with the goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C; reminds that United Nations chief António Guterres has urged developed countries to hit net- zero emissions by 2040; strongly believes that EU’s 2040 climate target and revised sectoral legislation must be designed mainly on the basis of technologies that have already been proven to deliver greenhouse gas emission reductions, while also strongly focusing on demand- side measures; stresses that the development and utilisation of expensive and yet to be proven novel climate mitigation technologies must focus on hard-to-abate sectors; believes that the recommendations of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change must be an integral part of developing the Union’s climate policy;
Amendment 362 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Reminds that the Union and its Member States cannot achieve their climate targets unless the transition is just and leaves no one behind, as policies are dependent on public support; strongly believes that more focus and a stronger framework is needed to tackle short and medium term socio-economic impacts of the transition, especially for low income households; points out that intergenerational climate justice requires a swift and permanent mitigation of greenhouse gas emission, as the pursuit of welfare by the current generation should not diminish opportunities for a good and decent life for succeeding generations;
Amendment 382 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Emphasises that an agricultural system dependent on massive imports of soy and maize which harms the environment, biodiversity, public health and animal welfare is inherently unsustainable; stresses the need for the agricultural sector, with particular emphasis on the industrial livestock industry, to take responsibility for their contribution to the climate crisis; calls on the Commission and the Member States to swiftly commit to concrete, sustained and binding measures to reduce agricultural GHG emissions and calls for a global commitment on a significant and swift reduction of all agricultural GHG emissions;
Amendment 383 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26b. Encourages the Commission to set measurable targets to reduce the consumption of meat in the EU, more in line with dietary guidelines and the sustainability challenges;
Amendment 400 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Stresses that the current geopolitical situation further highlights the urgency of cutting the EU’s dependence on fossil fuels and the need to boost the deployment of renewables;
Amendment 412 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. NotWelcomes the Council Decision of 4 March 2024 on the approval of the withdrawal of the European Atomic Energy Community from the Energy Charter Treaty;
Amendment 419 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Underscores that the climate and biodiversity crises are interlinked; emphasises the importance of protecting, conserving and restoring biodiversity and ecosystems and of managing natural resources sustainably in order to enhance nature-based climate change mitigation; and that the responses to both crises need to be aligned; recalls that, currently, 80 % of habitats in the EU are in a bad state1a; emphasises the importance of protecting, conserving and restoring biodiversity and ecosystems, in particular soils, forests, agricultural ecosystems, freshwater bodies, oceans and other carbon-rich ecosystems, and of managing natural resources sustainably in order to enhance nature-based climate change mitigation and build resilience, which are necessary for achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement; firmly believes that the Paris Agreement goals cannot be met without restoring nature, including in the Union; calls for the swift implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Law; stresses that agriculture should contribute to protecting and restoring biodiversity; _________________ 1a https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/newsroom/ news/ecosystems-need- restoration#:~:text=According%20to%20t he%20EEA%27s%20latest,a%20poor%20 or%20bad%20state
Amendment 420 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Underscores that the climate and biodiversity crises are interlinked and the mitigation of one environmental problem cannot undermine the efforts to tackle the other; emphasises the importance of protecting, conserving and restoring biodiversity and ecosystems and of managing natural resources sustainably in order to enhance nature-based climate change mitigation; believes that environmental policies should be designed with full alignment with the One Health approach; points out that Decision (EU) 2022/591 of the European Parliament and the Council on General Union Environmental Action Programme to 2030 holistically recognises the interconnections between human health, animal health and the environment through integration of the One Health approach in policy making;
Amendment 427 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Stresses the complementarity between the roll-out of renewable energy and nature conservation and restoration both inside and outside EU; stresses that the environmental transition should be carried out with the least environmental cost, and that synergies between renewable energy and nature conservation and restoration should be maximised; underlines the support of the renewable energy industry in the EU for a nature-positive roll-out of renewable energy infrastructure;
Amendment 440 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Recognises that healthy ecosystems and rich biodiversity underpin human survival and provide life-critical services such as food and clean water, and highlights the fact that climate change is one of the direct drivers of biodiversity loss; points to how climate change has already altered terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems all around the world, causing species losses and declines in key ecosystem services; recognises that these climate-driven impacts on ecosystems have caused measurable economic and livelihood losses around the world; notes that the IPPC’s 6th Assessment Report concludes that climate change has reduced food security and affected water security due to warming, changing precipitation patterns, the reduction in and loss of cryospheric elements, and the greater frequency and intensity of climatic extremes; stresses that the world’s land and ocean sinks have absorbed 56 % of the human-induced GHG emissions of the past 60 years, and that according to the IPCC, maintaining the resilience of biodiversity and ecosystem services on a global scale depends on effective and equitable conservation of approximately 30 % to 50 % of the Earth’s land, freshwater and ocean areas1a; _________________ 1a https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment- report/ar6/
Amendment 442 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Recognises that healthy ecosystems and rich biodiversity have a high intrinsic value but also provide life-critical services, and highlights the fact that climate change is one of the direct drivers of biodiversity loss; points to how climate change has already altered terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems all around the world, causing species losses and declines in key ecosystem services;
Amendment 444 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 b (new)
Paragraph 31 b (new)
31b. Calls for more ambitious targets to be set in the medium-long term to ensure that at least 50 % of marine and terrestrial areas are protected and to ensure that non-protected areas are ecologically managed, underlines that in addition to increasing protected areas, the quality of protected areas should be ensured, protected areas should be ecologically connected and clear conservation plans implemented;
Amendment 447 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Underlines that the conservation and restoration of high-carbon ecosystems such as peatlands, wetlands, rangelands, and blue carbon ecosystems (salt marshes, seagrasses, mangroves), and the species that enable these ecosystems to function, offer a wide range of mitigation and adaptation benefits; calls on the Commission to develop the mapping of these ecosystems and developin order to work further on the identification of robust, transparent and science-based methodologies for the proper accounting of carbon removals and emissions from those ecosystems in a manner that does not undermine other biodiversity objectives;
Amendment 453 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Stresses the need to protect the rights and interests of indigenous peoples and local communities; stresses the need to support and protect environmental defenders by ensuring effective and robust regulatory protection of the environment, land rights and indigenous peoples’ rights, livelihoods and cultures, including the right to free, prior and informed consent; stresses the central role of indigenous communities in climate action, implementation, data collection, decision-making and knowledge-sharing; calls on the Parties to ensure that all commitments made at COP28 to implement the Paris Agreement align with existing international human rights obligations and standards applicable to business operations, and respect indigenous people’s rights; stresses the need to support and protect environmental defenders and calls for those responsible for murders, defamatory attacks, acts of persecution, criminalisation, imprisonment, harassment and intimidation against them to be held accountable;
Amendment 458 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33a. Acknowledges that the needed deployment of renewable energy will significantly increase the demand of certain critical raw materials; underlines the need to avoid and minimise the environmental effects of mining operations in their locations and to ensure consultation and free prior consent, human rights and health protection of affected communities; points out that large shares of these materials are located on or near indigenous peoples’ lands1a; stresses the need to strengthen indigenous peoples’ rights on land and resources, as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ILO Convention 169, and to comply with the principle of free, prior and informed consent; _________________ 1a https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893- 022-00994-6
Amendment 462 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Stresses the importance of effectively, swiftly and fully implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework; recalls the failure in achieving the Aichi targetsunderlines that its implementation can maximise the ability of nature to help mitigate and adapt to climate change and to minimise negative impacts of climate action on biodiversity; reminds that conserving highly biodiverse, intact ecosystems on land and in the ocean is the most cost-effective nature- based action to tackle climate change; recalls the failure in achieving the Aichi targets, owing largely to the lack of implementation; insists therefore on the need to translate the 4 goals and 23 targets of the GBF into nationally driven action;
Amendment 467 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Stresses that in line with international standards all industrial and extractive activities should be prohibited in protected areas;
Amendment 468 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Welcomes all efforts by governments and non-governmental actors to maximise the potential of soils to mitigate climate change and to improve water availability; underlines the transboundary impacts of soil degradation that warrant joint international efforts to tackle all soil degradation threats; draws attention to the huge importance of peatlands for climate change mitigation; calls for efforts globally and within the EU to swiftly restore peatlands, so that they can be a sink rather than a source;
Amendment 475 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Emphasises the importance of protecting, conserving and restoring water and water-related ecosystems; highlights the devastating environmental, social and economic impacts of desertification, droughts, floods and water pollution; and the need for common approaches to properly prevent and adapt to this phenomenon and overcome it; underlines, therefore, the importance of water availability and sustainable water management for climate change mitigation and adaptation; highlights that water stress is becoming a major and growing concern in Europe and that droughts and water scarcity are no longer rare or extreme events, with about 20 % of the European territory and 30 % of Europeans affected by water stress during an average year according to the EEA1a; highlights the need to prevent excessive pressures from economic activities on river bodies in some regions of Europe affecting their ecological flow; calls for the efficient use, reuse and recycling of water and for the protection and restoration of ecosystems supporting groundwater resources; stresses the need for the speedy and full implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive in order to achieve its objectives and better manage Europe’s water resources; _________________ 1a EEA report entitled ‘Water resources across Europe – confronting water stress: an updated assessment’, October 2021
Amendment 484 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Welcomes the adoption of the historic UN High Seas Treaty (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement); calls on the Parties to continue work on the UN Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue; stresses that climate mechanisms depend on the health of the ocean and marine ecosystems currently affected by global warming, pollution, overexploitation of marine biodiversity, acidification, deoxygenation and coastal erosion; stresses that the IPCC recalls that the ocean is part of the solution to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change; recalls the importance of ocean-based solutions also in restoring ecosystems, ensuring food security and providing resources;
Amendment 490 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Stresses the need to combat plastic pollution; welcomes the ongoing work on the Global Plastics Treaty because of the climate impact of plastic throughout its life cycles; welcomes the ongoing work on the Global Plastics Treaty; and calls on the UN member states to reach an ambitious and effective agreement, consistent with the Paris Agreement, at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental negotiating committee in Busan this year; underlines the necessity to address plastic pollution by reducing waste at its source, cutting down on plastic use and consumption, and increasing circularity; calls for a systemic approach in order to appropriately address plastic pollution in the environment, including microplastics, and its impact on climate change;
Amendment 499 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. Emphasises that voluntary industry initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions have not yielded significant results and will be utterly insufficient to tackle the climate crisis; stresses the importance of regulatory measures and binding emissions reduction targets for all relevant sectors;
Amendment 500 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Welcomes the fact that 158 countries have become signatories to the Global Methane Pledge to date; calls for a quantified, science-based assessment of the progress made since its adoption at COP26; strongly urges, in particular, the large methane-emitting Parties that have not joined the pledge to do so as soon as possible; urges all signatories to ensure that they reduce methane emissions within their territories by at least 30 % from 2020 levels by 2030 and to adopt national measures to achieve this aim; calls for the signatories of the pledge to enhance governance on methane by drawing up an overarching framework to make progress towards the collective commitment; calls for more attention at the upcoming and future COPs to be given to mitigating non-CO2 GHGs;
Amendment 510 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Calls on all Parties also to include specific methane reduction targets in their NDCs; notes that no Parties have set any quantified targets to address methane emissions from livestock; reiterates its call to ensure ambitious reductions of GHG emissions in the agriculture sector along with tackling competitive disadvantages among different global regimes beyond the EU;
Amendment 512 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Calls on all Parties also to include specific and ambitious methane reduction targets in their NDCs, which should cover all sources;
Amendment 515 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Recalls the EU regulation on methane emissions reduction in the energy sector which will apply, from 1 January 2027, also to EU importers of crude oil, natural gas and coal; reiterates its call on the Commission to propose, based on an impact assessment, a 2030 EU binding methane emissions reduction target covering all relevant emitting sectors and including methane among the regulated pollutants in the National Emission Reduction Commitments Directive1a; _________________ 1a Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2016 on the reduction of national emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants, amending Directive 2003/35/EC and repealing Directive 2001/81/EC (OJ L 344, 17.12.2016, p. 1)
Amendment 519 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Highlights the fact that the transport sector is the only sector in which emissions have risen at EU level since 1990 and that this is not compatible with the EU’s climate goals, which require greater and faster reductions in emissions from all sectors; is concerned by the slow progress achieved in the IMO and the ICAO in addressing emissions from international shipping and aviation;
Amendment 536 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Acknowledges the significant potential for GHG emissions reduction in the agricultural sector; emphasises the importance of developing a more sustainable agriculture, including by giving farmers alternatives in order to reduce the use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides; emphasises that reducing the overall production and use of synthetic fertilisers and increasing the use of natural carbon sequestration in soils and soil organic matter can offer multiple benefits by increasing soil fertility and biodiversity restoration while providing substantial mitigation potential; points, moreover, to the need to tackle in parallel competitive disadvantages among different global regimes beyond the EU that undermine the GHG emissions reduction efforts;
Amendment 544 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Paragraph 44 a (new)
44a. Highlights the immense impact of the agricultural sector, particularly the intensive livestock industry, on the climate and on biodiversity loss in the EU and worldwide due to land-use changes for grazing and in particular the massive production of feed crops; stresses the additional negative impact of these practices on soil, air and water pollution, human and animal health and animal welfare; underlines the need for a rapid phase-out of intensive livestock farming and a significant reduction in the amount of farmed animals and calls on the Commission, the Member States and the non-EU Parties to introduce suitable and effective legislative and non-legislative measures to achieve this;
Amendment 553 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 b (new)
Paragraph 44 b (new)
44b. Stresses the need for the agricultural sector to swiftly phase-out its dependency on fossil fuels, emphasises that this requires phase-out goals for chemical pesticides and artificial fertilisers;
Amendment 555 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 c (new)
Paragraph 44 c (new)
44c. Underlines the fact that the Strategic Dialogue on the future of EU Agriculture calls for urgent, ambitious, and feasible action at all levels to guarantee that the agricultural sector operates within planetary boundaries; and welcomes their acknowledgement that a shift towards balanced and more plant- based diets that are healthier and more sustainable is essential for a successful transition;
Amendment 556 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 d (new)
Paragraph 44 d (new)
44d. Emphasises that adapting our diets and drastically reducing the production and consumption of animals while developing alternative protein sources to substitute meat, dairy and other animal products is a cost-effective, quick, healthy and easy measure to fight climate change and will realise countless co-benefits for human, animal and ecosystem health and welfare;
Amendment 557 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 e (new)
Paragraph 44 e (new)
44e. Recalls the significant impact of the agricultural sector, particularly the intensive livestock industry on climate change and biodiversity loss; emphasises that intensive industrial agriculture and livestock farming should not receive funding, nor be incentivised or rewarded; stresses instead the importance of supporting the development of agro- ecological and plant-based agricultural practices, reducing animal density and the amount of farmed animals, stimulating local production and investing in the development of regional infrastructure for a more sustainable agricultural sector;
Amendment 558 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 f (new)
Paragraph 44 f (new)
44f. Stresses that the IPCC underlined that balanced diets, featuring plant-based foods, such as those based on coarse grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and animal-sourced food produced in resilient, sustainable and low-GHG emission systems, present major opportunities for adaptation and mitigation while generating significant co-benefits in terms of human health; underlines that the IPCC concluded that by 2050, dietary changes could free several million km2 of land and provide a technical mitigation potential of 0.7 to 8.0 GtCO2eq yr-1, relative to business-as- usual projections1a; _________________ 1a IPCC, 2019: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change and Land: an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems
Amendment 560 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Stresses that all sectors must contribute to the reduction of emissions, including the defence sector, while maintaining operational effectiveness, and that the development of decarbonisation technologies and strategies in the defence sector should be accelerated; notes that the inclusion of disaggregated military emissions in UNFCCC submissions is voluntary and it is not currently possible to identify reported military GHG emissions from the submitted UNFCCC data; calls on the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Commission and the Council to formulate a proposal for the transparent accounting of military emissions to the UNFCCC which acknowledges the adoption of the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence, and in order to fully implement the Climate Change and Defence Roadmap;
Amendment 567 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 a (new)
Paragraph 45 a (new)
45a. Points to the disproportionate climate impact of the use of private jets; stresses that private jets are up to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes per passenger; notes again with concern that private jet use in Europe is estimated to have increased by 30 % compared to the pre-pandemic level; calls on all Parties, including the EU Member States, to take measures to discourage the use of private jets;
Amendment 581 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Stresses the need to address the climate and environmental impact of the textile sector; recognises that the textile industry needs to play an important role in the transformation to a circular economy and tackle challenges related to, for example, waste prevention, waste management, microplastic shedding, water usage, overproduction and the overall durability and non-toxicity of the production process and recyclability of textile products, including by ensuring that textiles are designed to be long- lasting and recyclable; stresses that working towards establishing global standards for when brands can make green claims about a product is imperative; highlights, in this regard, that consistent and transparent mandatory criteria will help consumers make informed choices and prevent greenwashing and ensure that sustainability claims are backed by verifiable evidence;
Amendment 592 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49
Paragraph 49
49. Stresses that climate change and environmental degradation lead to scarcity of natural resources, can increase conflicts and tensions, as well as food shortages and natural catastrophes, and are major drivers of human displacement and threat multipliers; highlights the fact that women are disproportionately affected by this and that 80 % of people displaced by climate change are women1a; expects COP29 to pay more attention to climate-induced displacement; calls on the Commission and the Member States to recognise the needs and vulnerability of people affected by climate displacement and step up efforts to find solutions; _________________ 1a https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke3 26/files/publications/UNDP%20Linkages %20Gender%20and%20CC%20Policy%2 0Brief%201-WEB.pdf
Amendment 599 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49 a (new)
Paragraph 49 a (new)
49a. Recalls that aviation accounts for 2 to 3 % of global CO2 emissions and according to The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) the sector’s international CO2 emission could triple by 2050 compared to 2015; points out that according to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) the non- CO2 climate impacts of aviation activities are, in total, at least as significant as those of CO2 alone and are currently unregulated both in EU and globally; underlines the need to mitigate all aviation emission with climate impact and swiftly put in place regional and global binding policies to mitigate non-CO2 emissions of aviation;
Amendment 602 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49 b (new)
Paragraph 49 b (new)
49b. Notes that inclusion of disaggregated military emissions in UNFCCC submissions is voluntary and it is not currently possible to define reported military GHG emissions from the submitted UNFCCC data; supports introducing disaggregated compulsory reporting of military emissions to the UNFCCC; calls on the Member States to lead by example by publishing national data on the GHG emissions of their militaries and military technology industries as standard practice;
Amendment 609 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50
Paragraph 50
50. Emphasises the need for more concrete actions by all PartiesBelieves that the transformation towards a sustainable society has to be done in an inclusive, fair and equal manner, and that the gender balance and the empowerment of women and girls are key to that transformation; emphasises the need for more effective gender mainstreaming throughout all relevant targets and goals; reiterates its call on the Commission to design a concrete action plan to deliver on the commitments of the renewed Gender Action Plan agreed at the 25th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 25) and to create a permanent EU gender and climate change focal point, with sufficient budgetary resources, to implement and monitor gender-responsible climate action in the EU and globally; believes this could set an example for other Parties to adopt similar measures;
Amendment 614 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 a (new)
Paragraph 50 a (new)
50a. Points to the fact that people are impacted by climate change in different ways, depending on factors such as gender, age, disability, ethnicity and poverty; notes that vulnerable populations, such as the poor, indigenous peoples, women and the elderly are the hardest hit by its consequences; believes that gender balance and the empowerment of women and girls are key to an inclusive and just transition; emphasises the need for more effective gender mainstreaming throughout all relevant targets and goals;
Amendment 617 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 b (new)
Paragraph 50 b (new)
50 b. Calls on all Parties, including the EU and its Member States, to increase efforts to integrate gender equality in the implementation of their NDCs, as well as in climate and environmental policies and to increase the meaningful involvement of women’s groups in the design and implementation; stresses the need for more concrete actions by all Parties, including the EU, to deliver on the commitments contained in the renewed Gender Action Plan agreed at COP25; urges the Member States and the Commission to increase efforts to achieve the goals set out in the EU Gender Action Plan III;
Amendment 619 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 c (new)
Paragraph 50 c (new)
50c. Stresses the need to accelerate action for gender-responsive disaster risk reduction and therefore for a gender- responsive implementation of the Sendai Framework; calls for further efforts to be made to prioritise and account for gender in disaster preparedness, particularly using disaggregated disaster risk reduction data sets;
Amendment 620 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 d (new)
Paragraph 50 d (new)
50d. Considers that women’s access to inclusive climate finance must be increased and enabled; highlights the fact that gender-responsive climate financing is critical for a just transition; emphasises the importance of a gender- transformative approach in climate finance; urges the EU and its Member States to report on the gender responsiveness of its climate finance contributions and to increase the coherence between support for gender and climate through external action instruments and through the EIB, including through enhancing the participation of women and women’s organisations in governance, decision- making and programmes which support the role of women in climate governance;
Amendment 621 #
2024/2718(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 e (new)
Paragraph 50 e (new)
50e. Highlights the importance of increasing women’s participation in decision-making in the climate diplomacy context, including in COP delegations and leadership at all levels of climate action; regrets that women made up less than 34 % of country negotiating teams at COP28, less than one in five Heads of Delegation (19 %) was a woman, only 2 % of delegations had equal numbers of men and women and that 79 % of delegations had more men than women; calls on all Parties to aim for gender parity in their delegations and at all levels of climate change decision-making and negotiations; urges all Parties to nominate a national gender and climate change focal point and increase their resources, training and support, including in the EU;
Amendment 2 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
– having regard to the Liege Declaration on Affordable, decent and sustainable housing for all signed by the 27 Housing Ministers on 5 March 2024,
Amendment 8 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)
Citation 15 a (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 10 of February 2021 on reducing inequalities with a special focus on in- work poverty,
Amendment 14 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) supports, complements and adds value to the policies of the Member States in order to ensure equal opportunities, equal access to the labour market and to social infrastructure (such as social housing, education, healthcare), fair and high-quality working conditions, social protection, cohesion and inclusion;
Amendment 18 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the ESF+ is the only EU fund primarily focused on social policies, and is therefore unique in itself and is strongly effective and necessary in achieving social inclusion, together with the cohesion policy; whereas the ESF+ by itself is not enough to tackle structural inequalities and exclusion, and it is crucial to develop more holistic social policies at European Union level to guarantee its success;
Amendment 20 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas cohesion policies, the European Structural and Investment Funds and, in particular, the European Social Fund+ are strong tools for cohesion between southern and northern Member States, and whereas it is highly desirable to continue to strengthen southern border countries in migration crisis processes; Whereas the approach to cohesion policies and the distribution of funds, in particular the European Social Fund, must take into account the development of disparities not only between Member States but also within Member States and the disparities between urban and rural areas;
Amendment 23 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas different vulnerable groups have different needs, such as women in poverty, labour migrants, childrenmigrant people and refugees, victims of traffic in human beings, children, young people, homeless, Roma people, people with disabilities and elderly people; whereas the digital and green transition is much needed but also brings challenges for all people and all workers, and whereas to succeed in this endeavour, the EU must ensure a just transition that does not lose sight ofputs workers and vulnerable people in the center;
Amendment 32 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas in 2023, 94.6 million people in the EU-27 (21.4% of the population) were living in households at risk of poverty or social exclusion, with an at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rate of 24.8 % for the EU-27: whereas almost one in four children in the EU as a whole is therefore at risk of poverty or social exclusion;
Amendment 34 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas 22.3% of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion are women, compared with 20.3 % of them that are men; whereas women in the EU-27 earn 12.7 % less than men on average; whereas decades of the gender pay gap have resulted in a 29.5% gender gap in pension income, a situation that creates an unequal level of economic independence between elderly women and men; whereas the impact of poverty on women and men differs and whereas indicators to better understand the feminisation of poverty such as age, life expectancy, income inequality, the gender pay gap, type of household and social transfers therefore also need to be considered; whereas synergies between various actions carried out and political measures supporting gender equality in employment, education, taxation policies and housing can help to combat deep- rooted causes of poverty and social exclusion more effectively;
Amendment 42 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the availability and affordability of decent housing is decreasing because of over-liberalisation of the market, real-estate speculation, unregulated short-term rentals and the lack of social and public housing, amongst other reasons; whereas the EU will have its first ever Commissioner for tackling the housing crises, and the first ever European affordable and sustainable housing plan, expected in 2025; whereas such proposals need to go hand in hand with national measures to reduce the short-stay rentals and to allow the intervention of the market in highly stressed areas;
Amendment 51 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas migrant people and refugee’s inclusion into society and the labour market can only be achieved if there is solidarity among, and united commitment of, all Member States and their societies; whereas successful inclusion requires not only the equal access in the labour market, but also complete social and political participation, access to housing, education, social protection and healthcare, including mental health support, with the objective of reaching full citizenship;
Amendment 58 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas persons with disabilities living in the EU continue to face discrimination, including the denial of decent accommodation and multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination in all areas of their lives; whereas persons with disabilities in all their diversity are entitled to enjoy their fundamental rights on an equal basis; whereas the full and effective participation of persons with disabilities in all areas of life and society is crucial to reach an EU without barriers;
Amendment 62 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Ec. whereas there are vulnerable people within the European Union who are left on the margins of social policies and ESF+ funded programmes; whereas extraordinary efforts and structural changes are needed to reach all vulnerable people and to prevent this number from increasing;
Amendment 69 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Insists that the ESF+ must continue to be thean strategic key and primary financial instrument for supporting the Member States, people and regions in strengthening the social dimension of the Union;
Amendment 79 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Insists that the main objectives of the ESF+ should be to achieve high employment levels with high-quality jobs, adequate wages, decent working conditions, healthy working environments and social security coverage, in order to develop a skilled, competitive and resilient workforce, ready for the twin transition and the future world of workensure the wellbeing of the workers, and to build fair social protections and inclusive and cohesive societies, with the aims of eradicating poverty and delivering on the principles and the headline targets set out in the EPSR;
Amendment 88 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for a strong, reinforced, stand- alone ESF+ with significantly increased public support for existing instruments aimed at providing for the poorestvulnerable groups in our societies; insists, therefore, on doubling the funding for the ESF+ post- 2027;
Amendment 94 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Expresses strong concerns over attemptsits rejection to split or merge the existing ESF+ with other funds, since that would create serious risks for the implementation of its objectives and those of the EPSR and its action plan, and the reaching of the ESPR’s headline targets; warns that unifying or simplifying funds may not improve their effectiveness and could lead to an exponential increase in poverty and social exclusion in the EU;
Amendment 102 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Believes that a different ESF+ governance would lead to the loss of priority given to social aspects, including employment and social inclusion projects, and to the funding not reaching local levels and those most in needvulnerable group, while increasing the risk of reallocation of funds for other purposes;
Amendment 111 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the participation, information and consultation of social partners, civil society organisations (CSOs) and representatives of the target groups in all design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation stages of the ESF+, to allocate adequate funding for this purpose and to prevent the exclusion of smaller actors;
Amendment 115 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes that the current ESF+ programme was adopted before the emergence of crises that have caused high inflation and increased costs of living and complicated the access and keeping affordable housing, and therefore require higher public and social investment such that the existing ESF+ cannot meet current needs; calls on the Commission to ensure that a comprehensive, stable and large- scale needs- and rights-based budget is guaranteed for the ESF+ in the next multiannual financial framework; calls on the Commission to protect the budget allocation of the ESF+ from possible eventualities, such as emergencies or crises;
Amendment 121 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines that the ESF+ post-2027 should invest in tackling enduring social challenges and stay close to the general and specific objectives set out in the current ESF+, being flexible to new social realities as they emerge; emphasises the importance of the fund’s principles of shared management, clear objectives and thematic concentrations, and that most of the fund should be spent as close as possible to those using the fund;
Amendment 134 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Underlines that horizontal principles, such as gender equality, anti- discrimination based on sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief, nationality, or racial or ethnic origin, and freedom of movement, should be integral to the ESF+; stresses the importance of an intersectional approach throughout the entire development and implementation of the fund;
Amendment 148 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Insists that the ESF+ should target the most disadvantaged people in our societies, regardless of their sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief, nationality or racial or ethnic origin – in particular marginalised communities such as Roma people, people with disabilities or chronic diseases, homeless people, children and elderly people; calls for a cross- cutting gender approach along the ESF+; underlines that the ESF+ must be inclusive, with special attention given to all kinds of families, including single-parent families, families with more than two parents and rainbow families in diversity;
Amendment 156 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Commission, in the light of current challenges, to include in the specific objectives of the ESF+ the promotion of thea just transition, at the socio- economic integration of migrants, including labour migrants, the social inclusion of women who are victims of gender-based violence and the integratervice of the people, the social inclusion of migrants people, refugees, of victims of trafficking in human beings, of women who are victims of gender-based violence, of young people, of people with disabilities , while avoiding the exclusion of older people;
Amendment 167 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Stressed that the European Pillar of Social Rights is a tool with sufficient potential to improve the lives of people living in the European Union; Underlines the need to turn its principles into obligations for Member states;
Amendment 171 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Insists that the eradication of poverty should be achieved with binding poverty-reductions targets at EU level; Stresses that reaching the EPSR’s targets on poverty becomes challenging, unless specific support is dedicated to alleviating the pressure on social protection systems andwhile reinforcing welfare systems, to mitigating the social impact of crises and to tackle the structural causes of inequalities; insists on dedicating support to ensure decent living conditions for all, with access to high-quality essential public services and to adequate minimum income; calls for the EU anti-poverty strategy, outlined in Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s political guidelines for the 2024-2029 term, to be implemented via the ESF+, with its binding poverty- reduction targets, national living wage indices and reference budgets used as benchmarks, applying a multidimensional approach;
Amendment 201 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Shares the ambition to prioritise the tackling of the housing crises, and insists that the ESF+ post-2027 should enhance timely and equal access to affordable, decent, sustainable and high-quality services promoting access to housing; ensuring the development of enough social and public housing; believes that all the Member States must invest at least 5 % of their ESF+ resources into tackling homelessness;
Amendment 209 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Emphasises the need to ensure sufficient financing of the ESF+ post-2027 for high-quality and public education for all, as well as the option for workers to skills development, upskilling, reskilling and lifelong learning, and for the addressing of skills shortages, ensuring that individuals can successfully navigate labour market transitions;
Amendment 223 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls for a strengthening of efforts to support the implementation of the Youth Guarantee with an increased earmarking for all Member States that dedicate at least 15 % of their ESF+ resources; repeats in this context its call on the Member States to ban unpaid traineeships; and the need to ensure the social security rights and contributions of the trainees;
Amendment 237 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines the importance of the ESF+ in focusing on different groups with different needs; stresses, therefore, the importance of allocating support to projects on the socio-economic position of migrants, including labour migrants, the social inclusion ofal inclusion of migrant people, refugees, victims of trafficking in human beings, people with disabilities, Roma people, the ageing population in society, women and children, and female-headed households; insists that the ESF+ post- 2027 incorporate other aspects of social inclusion, such as housing, health and family circumstances and the support of community-based services;
Amendment 256 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls for the ESF+ to boost the implementation of the European care strategy by investing in quality early childhood education and care through community-based, person-centred, high- quality, affordable and accessible care systems; insists on the ESF+ to reinforce the deinstitutionalisation of care;
Amendment 261 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. StresseRecalls that the implementation of the EPSRonly way to ensure upward social convergence is through public expenditure and the reforms needed to comply with the country-specific recommendations in the European Semester are alsoe austerity measures would jeopardise the EPSR targets; stresses that the implementation is dependant on the strong support of the ESF+ for certain policy measures, especially those related to strengthening social welfare systems, ensuring inclusive and high-quality public education, reducing child poverty and eradicating homelessness;
Amendment 274 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Commission to allocate consistent financial resources to capacity- building, with the aims of empowering social partners and CSO’s to play a relevant role in areas of their competence, of strengthening their capacity to engage in social dialogue and civil dialogue both at EU and national level and of enhancing social partners’ actions – and include technical assistance for these three purposes – with an adequate minimum percentage investment obligation from the Member States; further insists that social partners and CSOs should be guaranteed access to funding for social policy objectives in all the Member States on an equal basis;
Amendment 278 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Underlines that it is of the utmost importance that small social enterprises and CSOs have access to all aspects of the ESF+; calls for an increased co-financing rate from Member States of at least 90 % for measures targeting the most deprivedvulnerable people implemented by CSOs, and at least 70 % for those implemented by social enterprises;
Amendment 289 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the Member States to ensure thatcoordination between regional and local authorities and organisations have a say in projects financed from national budgets;
Amendment 300 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls for strong and more effective social and environmental conditionalities in rules on public procurement and concessions, with effective sanctions; encourages the Commission to create a comprehensive database, supplementing the Eurostat data, to allow for timely and reliable monitoring of the developments in employment, living conditions and industrial relations;
Amendment 306 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls for the reduction of the administrative burden and bureaucracy, notably by simplifying the application processes for accessing funds and the reporting procedures for organisations, in particular for civil society and social economy organizations, and those of a smaller size; warns that simplification must not compromise the fundamental principles of shared management, transparency and accountability, ensuring the proper administration of public funds;
Amendment 4 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Considers that regular visits to and from the Agencies are a key aspect of the scrutiny exercised by the European Parliament over them; notes to this regard the success of the ENVI delegation to EMA in February 2023 and to ECHA in April 2023;
Amendment 8 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the measures taken by the aAgencies in light of the European Parliament recommendations in its discharge for the financial year 2022; stresses the importance of increasing the Agencies’ efforts in terms of cooperation with other agencies and international organisations, digitalisation, and gender and geographical balance in senior management positionsstresses the importance of intensifying efforts to achieve gender and geographical balance among institutional staff and in senior management positions, reminds the Agencies in this regard of the importance of protecting the work-life balance not least among parent staff and to continously develop strategies to protect workers' health and well-being;
Amendment 19 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Notes the discrepancy between ECDC and ECA on the 2022 qualified opinion provided by ECA demonstrating that the accounts were reliable but that the transactions underlying the accounts were partly not legal and regular; stresses the importance of such discrepancies to be harmonised, urges ECDC to adhere to the standards provided by ECA 1a; _________________ 1a https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/fi les/documents/consolidated-annual- activity-report-2023_1.pdf , page 56
Amendment 25 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Encourages ECDC to further cooperate with Member States to ensure an approach based on the solidarity principle in vaccine distribution and preparedness, notes that in the case of Mpox Member States undermined the ECDC capacity to face transmittable diseases by withholding vaccines;
Amendment 31 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recalls the necessity of ensuring adequate staffing reflecting the needs of the European Green Deal and the Union Chemical Strategy for Sustainability, Circular Economy Action Plan and, in particular, the zero pollution target, and the associated increase in tasks; laments indicators from the 2023 internal staff survey showing that only 42% agree fully that their units operate in an efficient manner1b, reiterates the need for ECHA to continuously work with staff satisfaction, worker health and well-being, ensuring gender and geographical balance in the work place and facilitating the participation in the work life by parent staff; _________________ 1b https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/ 7362407/annual_Report_2023_en.pdf/ca1 6f5a4-a8ae-ac22-21f1- 57af476f0bb1?t=1713865234883 , page 57
Amendment 40 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the ECHA’s efforts to promote the use of alternatives to animal testing for the regulatory assessment of chemicals and to foster understanding of the opportunities and challenges in moving away from animal testing while ensuring a high level of protection of human health and the environment and encourages ECHA to promote the use of non-animal testing methods;
Amendment 41 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes with concern the difficulty to recruit sufficient experts from Member States to the ECHA’s Scientific Committees, posing a risk to the ECHA’s ability to meet legal deadlines and targets in regulatory processes that are dependent on the Committees’ outputs, in particular in the light of increasing tasks being attributed to the ECHA, stresses the importance of the Commission working actively to ensure Agencies can recruit adequate competence to fulfil their missions, encourages in this regard an increased cooperation with universities and other relevant institutions;
Amendment 47 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that the EEA provides sound, independent information on the environment; commends the quality of its outputs released in 2023, such as Pathways towards circular plastics in Europe — good practice examples from countries, business and citizens, Assessing the costs and benefits of climate change adaptation and European forest ecosystems: key allies in sustainable development, acknowledges the outmost importance of the EEA to reach the Union’s climate goals;
Amendment 64 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Reiterates the need for the EEA to adequately hire staff able to carry out the immense task devoted to the Agency, encourages in this regard the Commission to intensify its measures to assist Agencies in ensuring the competence required, reminds the EEA of the importance of achieving gender and geographical balance among staff, ensuring a healthy work-life balance for everyone but not least for parent staff and to continuously work with improving workers' health and well-being;
Amendment 66 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the EFSA's' contribution to the safety of the Union food and feed chain, and its considerable efforts in providing risk managers with comprehensive, independent and up-to- date scientific advice on questions linked to the food chain, communicating clearly to the public on its outputhowever expresses deep concern over some of the aspects of the Agency's work relating to inadequate actualisation of regulation regarding pesticides and othe information on which they are based, and cooperating with interested parties and institutional partners to promote coherence and trustr toxins, deplores the close ties between the agency and agrochemical industry and reiterates the need for a thorough investigation into the food safety systemse ties;
Amendment 69 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Believes that EFSA should continue to pay special attention to the public opinion, and commit itself to increased openness, transparency and scrutiny to and by the public and independent scientists;
Amendment 72 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Reiterates its regrets that the EFSA, in relation to the two-year cooling off period, still includes in its independence policy the obligation to screen experts' interests only in relation to the mandate of the scientific group to which the expert is applying, and reiterates its regrets that the research funding from companies in the Authority's remit is not considered relevant to the cooling off period as long as amounts at stake do not rise above 25 % of the total research budget managed by the expert and/or their research team, and that the threshold is applied to individual sources as opposed to all private sources combined; highlights that the Authority's refusal to address these two very serious issues in relation to the Authority's prevention and management of conflicts of interests is unacceptable and needs to be resolved immediately;
Amendment 75 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Highlights the need for the EFSA to develop strong cooperation with all its stakeholders, including the other Agencies for better connection and outputs dissemination; welcomes the fact that the EFSA developed cooperation with Member States, including with the increase support of focal points, mainly focusing on support in the area of data collection and communication; encourages EFSA to even further increase its efforts to protect animal welfare and promote the use of non-animal testing methods, also in its cooperation with other institutions;
Amendment 91 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Expresses deep concern over reports of conflict of interest and influence of the pharmaceutical industry over EMA 1d, reiterates that the agency serves the public interest of safe and affordable medicine, regrets inaction shown by the agency to tackle accusations of "revolving doors" in the case of scientific experts and their involvement with big pharmaceutical companies, regrets with profound concern the unwillingness of the Agency to challenge financial interests and to properly prioritise public health concerns; _________________ 1d https://www.investigate- europe.eu/posts/deadly-prices-big- pharma-influence-hangs-over-europes- medicines-regulator
Amendment 94 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the EMA’s efforts to contribute to Union priorities, including via inter alia the implementation of the Union Beating Cancer Plan, the Union Chemical Strategy for Sustainability and the European One Health Action Plan against Antimicrobial Resistance.; urges the EMA to further cooperate with relevant agencies and actors to combat new, rare and difficult-to-diagnose cancers; reiterates the need to pay special attention to often misdiagnosed conditions among women and girls and to be conscious of class bias in health related issues and pharmacological needs;
Amendment 95 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that the EMA is a fee- funded agency, with 88,21 % of its 2023 revenue stemming from fees for applications for marketing licenses for pharmaceutical products and for post- authorisation activities, 11,43 % stemming from the Union budget and 0,36 % from various other sources; highlights the need to ensure transparency of these revenues and welcomes the fact that in the future the EMA will have the obligation to publish in its activity report the annual revenue received per type of fee and charge according to Regulation (EU) 2024/5682 ; reiterates the importance of scientific integrity and patient safety; commits to supporting the EMA to guard these principles regardless of the levels of fee- based incomes to the agency; _________________ 2 Regulation (EU) 2024/568 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 February 2024 on fees and charges payable to the European Medicines Agency, amending Regulations (EU) 2017/745 and (EU) 2022/123 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Regulation (EU) No 658/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EC) No 297/95 (OJ L, 2024/568, 14.2.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/568/oj).
Amendment 100 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Acknowledges that accessibility to medicine at affordable rates is a national competence; commits however to assuring that the EMA contributes to these ends; encourages the agency to find methods and practices that manages development costs of new pharmacological products;
Amendment 105 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recommends, based on the facts available, that discharge should not be granted to the Executive Directors of the Agencies EFSA and EMA in respect of the implementation of the budget of the EU agencies for the financial year 2023, recommends that discharge be granted to all other Executive Directors of the Agencies .
Amendment 1 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Is satisfied withNotes with concern the lack of increased climate ambition in the Commission's overall implementation of the budget in the areas of environment, climate action, public health and food safety in 2023;
Amendment 5 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Is mostly satisfied with the work carried out by the five decentralised agencies which are under its remit, whichunder the conditions in which they operate, carrying out technical, scientific or managerial tasks that help the Union institutions elaborate and implement policies in the area of environment, climate action, public health and food safety, as well as with the way in which those agencies' budgets are implemented; stresses that, given the scale and importance of their current tasks and the increase of responsibilities some of them are facing, adequate funding and staffing must be guaranteed for the agencies and the Commission Directorates- General working in the areas of environment, climate action, public health and food safety;
Amendment 18 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Notes with grave concern how the mismanagement of the RRF negatively influences the EU's credibility in both fiscal and environmental matters; demands a thorough examination of the structure of the RRF, urges the commission to commit to a better controlled and more sustainable financial instrument in the future;
Amendment 25 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Notes with great concern the special report by the European court of Auditors titled Green transition - Unclear contribution from the Recovery and Resilience Facility, according to which the contribution by the RRF to the green transition appears to be heavily overestimated; notes further how the RRF has an unclear implementation structure in the field of green transition; notes how the RRF funds appears to have been grossly disconnected from actual costs and results in the green transitions; concludes that the RRF mismanagement and poor design has severely hindered an ambitious green transition and severed the reputation of green investment within the EU framework; regrets the missed opportunity to advance green investment through the RRF;
Amendment 37 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Insists on an ambitious and well- managed environmental policy with the highest regard for biodiversity, sustainability, social progress and animal welfare in the works of the decentralised agencies, building on successful methods and tools from the past year while continuously developing strategies to face current challenges;
Amendment 50 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Is of the opinion, on the basis of the data and reports available, that discharge cannot be granted to the Commission in respect of expenditure in the areas of environment, climate action, public health and food safety for the financial year 2023.
Amendment 5 #
2023/0455(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) To ensure the coherence and efficiency of assessments related to chemicals across Union legislation, it is also important to enable data interoperability and easy exchange of data between the relevant Union agencies, as well as to encourage cooperation on the development of standard formats and controlled vocabularies. Thus, to facilitate data exchange between agencies, any new data formats defined by the European Food Safety Authority or by the European Environmental Agency should be set in cooperation with other relevant Union agencies working on chemicals. To this end, relevant provisions should be introduced in Regulation (EC) No 401/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council and, in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council, existing provisions should be strengthened and, where relevant, new ones be introduced. Similar provisions should also be considered to be proposed for a strengthened mandate of the European Chemicals Agency in its founding regulation, which should be proposed as soon as possible and no later than 31 December 2025.
Amendment 6 #
2023/0455(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) To promote the transition towards a toxic-free environment and zero pollution, and the robustness, coherence and efficiency of assessments related to chemicals across Union legislation, steps should be taken by the relevant Union agencies to avoid divergent scientific opinions. Existing cases of divergent opinions have lead to increased uncertainty for operators, as well as to declined public trust in the scientific robustness and coherence of scientific decision making. Proposals to address and strengthen procedures for resolving divergence of scientific opinions concerning the European Medicines Agency with other scientific bodies is proposed as part of the revision of Union pharmaceutical legislation. Similar provisions should also be considered to be proposed for a strengthened mandate of the European Chemicals Agency in its founding regulation, whilst such provisions are not relevant and applicable to the European Environmental Agency, since this agency does not issue scientific opinions on individual chemicals such as to be part in divergent outcomes.
Amendment 8 #
2023/0455(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) Correspondingly, this Regulation aims to address the eventual divergence between scientific opinions of the European Food Safety Authority and those of other Union agencies. Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and Council already contains provisions establishing a procedure to solve divergent scientific opinions. Those resolution procedures should be reinforced, in that the European Food Safety Authority and the other dissenting agency should be bound to make their best effort to resolve the divergence on general scientific issues, and ooptimising the protection of health and the environment. Diverging scientific opinions and their causes, including in methodological differences, should be duly explained and clarified. Where diverging scientific opinions exist, the most protective opinion from the One Health perspective should be agreed on. Only when they are not able to resolve the divergence, should they refer to risk managers.
Amendment 11 #
2023/0455(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) In the more specific case of scientific divergence pertaining to the hazard identification of chemical substances, a new procedure enabling the resolution of the divergence should be established. This procedure should enable the Commission to request the European Chemicals Agency, as the Union agency most equipped with expertise and capacity in hazard assessment, as well as long- standing experience with the harmonised classification and labelling process, to develop a proposal for harmonised classification and labelling, in accordance the Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and Council, moving closer to the ‘one substance, one assessment’ vision as regards uniformity of hazard assessments of chemicals across the Union, optimising the protection of health and the environment. This possibility should be reflected in the relevant provision providing for the resolution of diverging scientific opinions laid down in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002.
Amendment 14 #
2023/0455(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) To comply with the obligation laid out in Section 10.4.4. of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2017/745, the Commission should mandate the relevant scientific committee to prepare guidelines for substances other than phthalates and which are classified as either carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction category 1A or 1B, or which have endocrine disrupting properties for which there is scientific evidence of probable serious effects to human health or the environment and which are identified in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 59 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
Amendment 15 #
2023/0455(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) Taking account of the new hazard classes and criteria for classification, labelling and packaging of substances introduced by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/707 of 19 December 20227 , reference to endocrine disruptors for human health or the environment, of Category 1, should be specified in 10.4.1., point (b) of Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2017/745 in light of the relevance of that hazard class to the type of substances in medical devices. _________________ 7 Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/707 of 19 December 2022 amending Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 as regards hazard classes and criteria for the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (OJ L 93, 31.3.2023, p. 7–39).
Amendment 21 #
2023/0455(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Regulation (EC) No 178/2002
Article 30 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
Article 30 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
The Authority and the body concerned shall cooperate to resolve the divergence, with the aim of optimising the protection of health and the environment, prioritising the most protective opinion. If the Authority and the body concerned are not able to resolve the divergence, they shall draw up a joint report. The report shall clearly outline the contentious scientific issues and, identify the relevant uncertainties in the data and the possible causes for the diverging opinions, including on methodological differences and be made publicly available.
Amendment 25 #
2023/0455(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Regulation (EC) No 178/2002
Article 30 – paragraph 3
Article 30 – paragraph 3
3. Where relevant, and where the divergence concerns conflicting scientific opinions of the Authority and another Union body or agency on whether a substance fulfils the criteria laid out in Annex I of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council11 , the Commission may request the European Chemicals Agency to prepare a proposal for harmonised classification and labelling of substances and, where appropriate, specific concentration limits, M-factors or acute toxicity estimates, or a proposal for revision thereof following the procedure laid out in Article 37 of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, with the aim of optimising the protection of health and the environment. The Authority and the Union body or agency concerned shall co-operate with the European Chemicals Agency in developing that proposal.. _________________ 11 Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, amending and repealing Directives 67/548/EEC and 1999/45/EC, and amending Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006. OJ L 353 31.12.2008, p. 1 – 1355.
Amendment 27 #
2023/0455(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1 a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1 a (new)
Regulation (EC) No 401/2009
Article 15 – paragraph 4
Article 15 – paragraph 4
Amendment 28 #
2023/0455(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Regulation (EC) No 401/2009
Article 15 – paragraph 5
Article 15 – paragraph 5
5. The Agency shall cooperate with other scientific bodies established under Union law, notably the European Chemicals Agency, the European Food Safety Authority, and the European Medicines Agency, on the exchange of data and information on chemicals, including the possible establishment of related data formats and controlled vocabularies to facilitate such an exchange, and on the development of scientific methodologies for the assessment of chemicals. This cooperation shall aim to support the development of innovative methods and tools, notably non animal approaches and aim to ensure that animal testing takes place only as last resort.
Amendment 29 #
2023/0455(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 1
Regulation (EU) 2017/745
Annex I – Section 10.4.1 – point b
Annex I – Section 10.4.1 – point b
(b) substances which are identified as endocrine disruptors for human health or the environment, of Category 1, in accordance with Part 3 of Annex VI to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council12 andor substances having endocrine-disrupting properties for which there is scientific evidence of probable serious effects to human health or the environment and which are identified in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 59 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council or substances having endocrine disrupting properties relevant to human health or the environment identified in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 528/2012. _________________ 12 Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, amending and repealing Directives 67/548/EEC and 1999/45/EC, and amending Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006( OJ L 353 31.12.2008, p. 1 ).
Amendment 31 #
2023/0455(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Regulation (EU) 2017/745
Annex I – Section 10.4.3
Annex I – Section 10.4.3
When deemed appropriate based on the latest scientific evidence, but at least every 53 years, the Commission shall request the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to update guidelines on the benefit-risk assessment of the presence of phthalates which belong to either of the groups of substances referred to in Section 10.4.1., points (a) and (b). The benefit-risk assessment shall consider the intended purpose and context of the use of the device, as well as any available alternative substances and alternative materials, designs or medical treatments