Activities of Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE related to 2016/2064(INI)
Legal basis opinions (0)
Amendments (11)
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that, having been fully operational for less than a year, the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) has kicked off successfully, delivering some initialmany concrete results and acting as a pboositive instrument to overcome the lack ofng investment in Europe through coordinated action; stresses, however, that the pace needs to be accelerated and its initial results need to improve significantly in the near futureto bring even more tangible results in order for the instrument to fully achieve its objectives fully;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Underlines that the guiding principle of EFSI is to mobilise private, market-based investments on a fully demand-driven basis and therefore urges the Commission to explore the opportunities to use the EFSI guarantees to encourage participation of wider investment sources such as pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and social investments as co-financiers on key projects;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Urgnderlines that EFSI should ensure greater additionality for its projects in relation to normal EIB activities as defined in Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2015/1017; underlines that given the fact that EFSI funds have been redirected from EU programmes for research, innovation and infrastructure, it should support strategic investments related to projects that cannot obtain funding because of market failures, suboptimal investment situations or high levels of risk; recalls, furthermore, that when determining the criteria for use of the EU guarantee, EFSI should consider not only the profitability factor, but also the positive long-term effects in terms of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, job creation and cohesion;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. In this regard, urges the Commission to do a thorough assessment of the additionality of the projects already funded under EFSI and, based on the results, to set clear rules and criteria for defining the additionality in terms of eligibility for receiving EFSI funding;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that, while the SMEs window of the EFSI represented a good opportunity for start-ups, SMEs and mid- caps, there is a lack of big investment; emphasises, thereforein particular, the need to improve the financing of digital infrastructure and innovation projects;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that the EFSI commitments in digital sector projects are highly insufficient in the context of the positive effect that a fully operational DSM will have for the EU economy; therefore, calls for the Member States and stakeholders to further explore and promote investment opportunities in the area of digital content and services, high-speed broadband and telecommunications infrastructure;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for better coordination between EFSI and other EU funds, in particular the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs), so as to promote more effective spending of EU financing, stronger cohesion in Europe and ensure that EFSI has wide geographical coverage; calls, also, for closer cooperation with national promotional banks, local and regional authorities and relevant stakeholders, including further encouragement to establish investment platforms to aggregate sectorial and geographical investment opportunities;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes that Article 6(2) of Regulation (EU) 2015/1017 stipulates that there should be no restriction on the size of projects eligible for EFSI support; in the meantime, finds that a disproportionately low number of projects of total investment under €100 million are approved under EFSI; therefore, calls for more targeted communication and advisory efforts in attracting also mid- range projects, which are in most cases more high-risk and innovation oriented and bring growth in the short and medium-term;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Underlines the need to increase the transparency of EFSI operations and to further improve information about projects and their qualityresults to citizens and potential beneficiaries; points to the need to enhance the European Investment Project Portal (EIPP) and the European Investment Advisory Hub (EIAH) in order to establish a link with the real economy, give visibility to projects and provide high-quality technical assistance to potential promoters;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers that EFSI is instrumental in completing and restructurboosting the Single Market; underlines, in this light, the importance of strengthening the third pillar of the ‘Investment Plan for Europe’, also in the context of the European Semester process, in order to make the EU regulatory environment more certain, homogeneous and favourable to investments by focusing especially on strategic objectives such as completion of the Single Market and the development of a well-functioning Digital Single Market, and on key actions that support these objectives;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the recent Commission proposal to extend EFSI beyond 2018 and to reinforce it in order to overcome the current investment gap in Europe and continue to mobilise private sector capital, these being crucial steps to ensure sustainable growth, competitiveness, quality job creation and social and territorial cohesion in Europe.