Activities of Richard ASHWORTH related to 2013/2010(BUD)
Plenary speeches (1)
Guidelines for the 2014 budget - Section III (debate)
Amendments (15)
Amendment 8 #
1. Takes note of the incapacitythat the of Heads of State and Government to comdid not manage to anfind agreement acceptable to all 27 Member States on the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) at the European Council of 22 and 23 November 2012, recalls that such summits rarely find agreement at the first attempt, notes in this regard that Heads of State and Government will be meeting once more on the 7th of February with a view to finding an accord;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Believes that in the context of continued challenging economic circumstances, the European Union should freeze its budgets; emphasises, however, the need to respect legally binding obligations and possible subsequent increases, on the basis that increases be offset to maintain the level of an overall freeze;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Believes realistic budgeting to be the key principle of sound financial management given the fiscal and economic challenges facing the Union; takes the view, moreover that the 2014 appropriations should be based on a careful analysis of payment appropriation outturn in 2012 as well 2013, with a view to view to making savings on lines where problems have arisen in implementation, considers that real savings can be made by identifying overlaps and inefficiencies across budgetary lines;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Attaches the greatest political importance to the joint statements signed by Parliament, the Council and the Commission at their highest political level in December 2012, which are an integral part of the agreement between the two arms of the budgetary authority on the 2013 budget and according to which the necessary additional resources will be provided by Member States next year in order for the Union to be able to pay its bills and preserve its institutional credibility and solvability;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Contends that the difficulties experienced by the two arms of the budgetary authority in agreeing the annual budget since the entry into force of Lisbon stem, in part, from legal changes and technical constraints to the annual budgetary procedure, considers that in future the idea of returning the procedure to two readings merits serious consideration;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Is concerned about the high level of unused appropriations (RALs) accumulated at the end of the year 2012, which stood at €217bn; proposes to organise once again this year inter- institutional meetings on the difference between commitment and payment appropriations, to establish a dialogue with the Commission in order to fully clarify the composition of RAL; insists that the Council refrain from deciding a priori the level of payments, without taking account of actual needs and legal obligations; notes further that accruing RAL actually undermines a transparent EU budget in which the relation between commitments and payments in any specific budgetary year is clearly visible;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Notes that problems have arisen where programmes have experienced above expected implementation, realises that this can lead to a situation where Member States are unable to agree large requests to meet any prospective shortfall in the level of payment appropriations, believes the idea of using only non- differentiated appropriations across the EU budget, should be explored which at the once would prevent both such undesirable situations from arising in future in addition to preventing excessive accumulation of unused appropriations (RALs);
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Recalls that 2014 is scheduled to be the first year of implementation of the new MFF and is therefore important for the successful start of the new programming period; is of the opinion that the priority of the European budget in 2014 should thus be to sustainpromote economic growth and competitiveness and strengthen the efficiency of the administration;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Recalls that the EU budget is an investment budget and that 94 % of it goes back to the Member States and European citizens through its policies and programmes, and therefore should not be seen as an additional burden but as a tool to boost investment, growth and jobs in Europe; emphasises that, for the regions and Member States, public investment would be minimised or impossible without the contribution of the EU budget; believes that any decrease inin times of fiscal consolidation at Member State level the EU budget wshould inevitably increase imbalances and hamper the growth and competitive strength of the entire Union economy, as well as its cohesiveness, and would undermine the principle of solidarity as a core EU valuefocus on spending more efficiently in order to reduce imbalances by directing funding to those areas who need it most, thus, ensuring the growth and competitive strength of the entire Union economy;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Acknowledges the persistent economic and budgetary constraints at national level, and the fiscal consolidation efforts undertaken by the Member States at the request of the Union; underlines, however, that the EU budget is an effective tool for investment and solidarity with proven added value at both European and national level; is convinced that the budget’sose areas of the budget with the ability to trigger economic growth, competitiveness and job creation isare even more important in times of economic difficulty and that the EU budget should be seen as an instrument to exit the crisis;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Highlights the strategic effect of the choice of priorities for 2014, as the first year of the coming MFF; emphasises the urgent need for the EU to foster growth and competitiveness, with the objective of creating jobs whilst underlining the crucial importance of sound public finances, deep structural reform and targeted up front investment for sustainable growth;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Recalls, in this regard, that the EU 2020 strategy should be at the heart of the next MFF (2014-2020) and invites the Commission to clearly prioritise it already in 2014 and to place emphasis on spending for SMEs, research, broadband infrastructure and mobile communication technologies, development and innovation, renewable energy, sustainable deveyouth unemplopyment, and skills;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Takes the view that the promotion of growth and jobs will above all require a concentration of scarce available funds to support competitiveness, innovation and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), since most of the EU economic potential lies in its 23 million SMEs, which, according to latest studies, created 85 % of net new jobs in the EU between 2002 and 2010 and are the backbone of our economic growth, considers that strengthening EIB support for SMEs and infrastructure should also be considered a key priority;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Takes note ofWelcomes the letter dated 7 January 2013 from the Commissioner for Budgets and Financial Programming confirming that 2014 will be the second year in which the Commission will reduce its staffing levels by another 1 %, meaning that any new tasks will be met through available (and decreasing) human resources and by counting on the simplification of delivery modes, as proposed in the new generation programmes; takes note of the Commission’s call on all other institutions to introduce a nominal freeze at 2013 level of all non-salary related expenditure; intends to continue a close examination of the Commission’s intention of reducing by 2018 the staffing level in EU institutions and bodies by 5 % as compared with 2013, and recalls that this is to be seen as an overall goal; recalls that any change to the establishment plan has a direct impact on the budget and should in no way compromise the budgetary prerogatives of the Committee on Budgets and of the European Parliament; considers that any short-term or long-term reduction in staff should be based on a prior impact assessment and should take full account of, inter alia, the Union’s legal obligations and the institutions’ new competences and increased tasks arising from the Treaties as well as the current developments regarding civil services in the Member States;