9 Amendments of Ingeborg GRÄSSLE related to 2014/2005(INI)
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Strongly regrets the factConsiders that both the procedure leading up to the agreement on the MFF 2014-2020 and the political debate surrounding these negotiations demonstrated a clear lack of shared visionshowed that there are very divergent approaches as regards the EU budget and fell short ofs well as Parliament’'s increased role and prerogatives, as set out in under the Treaty of Lisbon; considers it of the utmost importance, therefore, that this report draw the necessary political and institutional lessons, which can serve as a basis for the preparation of future negotiations, notably in relation to the post-electoral revision of the MFF, due to be launched by the Commission before the end of 2016;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Acknowledges that the fiscal consolidation that Member States are currently facing did not facilitate a more ambitious agreement on the MFF 2014- 2020; deeply regrets, however, the fact that, as a result ofnotes that these negotiations, the role of the EU budget as an important and common policy instrument for overcoming the current economic and social crisis and coordinating and enhancing national eff revealed a wide gap between net contributorts to regain growth and generate employment in the whole EU has been largely disregardedand net recipients;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is deeply concerned at the facPoints out that any budgetary debates in the Council has been for many years poisontend to be influenced by the logic of ‘fair returns’; stresses that this situation is largely due to the current system of EU financing, whereby some 85 % of revenues stem from national contributions instead of genuine own resources; considers that such a system places disproportionate emphasis on net balances between the Member States and has led to the progressive introduction of complex and opaque rebates and other correction mechanisms for the financing of the EU budget;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Believes that this logic also prevailed in the way the MFF agreement was struck by the European Council on 8 February 2013; considers it regrettable that this was reflected in the fact that the national allocations, especially from agriculture and cohesion policy, were determined at that moment; deplorcriticises, in particular, the list of special allocations and ‘gifts’ granted in the course of negotiations between Heads of State and Government, which are not based on objective and verifiable criteria, but rather reflect the bargaining power of Member States, trying to secure their national interests and maximise their net returns; denounces the lack of transparency in striking this agreement;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Strongly rejects this purely accounting vision of the EU budget, which disregards the European added value, contradicts the principle of EU solidarity and underestimates the current and potential role of the EU budget in strengthening economic governance; stresses that the EU budget is predominantly an investment budget with a strong leverage effect and a catalyst for growth and jobs across the Union; considers it regrettable, therefore, that some Member States seem to regard national contributions to the EU budget purely as a cost to be minimised and flowback from the EU budget as an additional source of income at their free disposal;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recalls that, pursuant to Article 312 TFEU, the Council unanimously adopts the MFF Regulation after obtaining the consent of Parliament, while the three EU institutions ‘shall take any measure necessary to facilitate its adoption’; notes, therefore, that the Treaty does not set out any concrete procedure for the involvement of Parliament in the MFF negotiations and that these modalities were subsequently determined in practice through a number of ad hoc arrangements agreed at political level at Parliament’s initiative; stresses the need to reassess these working modalities, with a view to a future amendment of the TFEU;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers it regrettable that, prior to the European Council agreement on the MFF of 8 February 2013, no meaningful negotiations were held between Parliament and the Council; considers that the numerous meetings held between its negotiating team and the successive Council presidencies on the margins of the relevant General Affairs Council meetings, and its participation in informal Council meetings dealing with the MFF, facilitated only some information sharing between the Council and Parliament but, regrettably, had no impact; sees, therefore, the need for Parliament to critically analyse its own role in this process, and to discuss how to increase its influence on the spirit, calendar orand content of the negotiations within the Council; regrets the fact that its positions remained widely neglected or misunderstood among Council deleg and how to make its positions acknowledged among Council delegations in future negotiations;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Stresses the need to launch a broad and open discussion on the results achieved with the EU's funding programmes, and in particular an assessment of the extent to which these programmes attain the objectives defined by Parliament, namely, the stimulation of sustainable growth and the promotion of social cohesion;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Strongly believeConsiders that the High Level Group on Own Resources represents a unique opportunity to overcome the deadlock that has arisen over the reform of the current own-resources system; expectunderlines that it will contribute significantly to understandingneeds to assess the shortcomings of the current system and the benefits that can derive from an in-depth, comprehensive reform and the introduction of new and genuine own resources which can significantly reduce the share of GNI contributions to the EU budget;