Activities of Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE related to 2021/2252(INI)
Legal basis opinions (0)
Amendments (14)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Notes that EFAD is overly complex, indicating gaps and overlaps that undermine the EU's development impact and leadership. In this regard, welcomes the Council conclusions of 4 June 2021, where Member States endorsed the "Status Quo Plus" option to improve the current situation, for more effective cooperation between the EIB and the EBRD, together with DFIs in a "Team Europe" approach; reiterates that the latter could strongly contribute to the EU’s competitiveness in the global financial landscape; calls on the European Commission to encourage Member States to pool resources, finance, coordination and communication in common projects (Team Europe Initiatives);
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Underlines that new players have emerged in global financing, countries that have economic and geopolitical interests often contradicting those of the European Union and opposite to the Union’s concept of democracy, rule of law, peace and sustainability; in this respect calls the EIB, EBRD and other DFIs to create a framework for enhanced cooperation on joint financing projects and platforms and improve the effectiveness of their delivery in countries outside the European Union;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls on the Commission to move forward from the current status quo and provide a strong and clear policy steer to ensure consistency of EU action as Team Europe by applying the enhanced EFAD in the successful implementation of European initiatives, such as the Global Gateway strategy, the Green Deal or the Strategic Compass after its adoption, in order to strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy and promote the EU’s values through its partnerships; calls on the Commission to duly involve the Parliament in the decisions on the Global Gateway investment programmes and keep it regularly informed about the respective developments, including budgetary implications, as they unfold;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Calls for a stronger coordination between the European Commission and the EEAS and EU delegations, specifically in developing countries with the most fragile economies, to facilitate discussions and cooperation with relevant actors on the ground in order to identify the most effective projects;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Stresses that DFIs are encouraged to take more risk in their investment programmes through the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+), to also reach the most fragile economies; in this respect, calls on the European Commission to play a greater role in helping to develop the supply side of projects, providing support for project preparation and helping DFIs to coordinate, while ensuring the integration of smaller DFIs;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Reaffirms the specific role and responsibility of the European Investment Bank (EIB) as the EU’s financial arm with a global reach; calls for the EIB to be further capitalised on as an exclusively EU-owned tool for reinforcing the EU’s external policy priorities; welcomes, in this regard, the establishment of EIB Global; calls for a strengthening of the EIB's capacities on the ground to work with the European Commission in policy dialogue and project identification;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Welcomes that in the implementation of the EFSD blending projects between 2018 and 2020 the EIB has been the main financer of climate- related EU projects and that the EBRD has led Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) support in the neighbourhood;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Stresses that the EIB, needs to strengthen its capacities to support private sector development in Africa and, in this regard, calls on the EIB to dedicate more funds to African MSMEs through the EFSD+ blended budget;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that the Team Europe approach provides a unique opportunity to leverage EU impact and visibility in the world far more than is currently the case; expresses the need for an inclusive Team Europe spirit to also be put into action in the EFAD; notes that the key to the success of the Team Europe approach is EU policy- guided cooperation and coordination in a transparent and inclusive environment; emphasises that Parliament’s close involvement in the strategic orientation of Team Europe initiatives is key to preserving their democratic legitimacymaking publicly available information contained in Team Europe Initiatives (TEIs), such as intervention costs, financial instruments deployed and which investments are jointly owned by partner countries; emphasises that Parliament’s close involvement in the strategic orientation of Team Europe initiatives is key to preserving their democratic legitimacy; in this sense, highlights that the European Parliament should further reinforce the EFAD’s functioning under the Team Europe approach by expanding supervisory scope to the whole team;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Calls for a better geographical balance in the use of the EFSD+ blending and guarantees in line with NDICI and support for least developed and fragile countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recognises that the EFAD is focused on least developed and fragile countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, but uUrges that it be borne in mind that around two thirds of the EIB and EBRD’s combined external operations are concentrated in accession and neighbourhood countries where the EU needs to deliver on the recently launched Economic and Investment Plans for the Western Balkans as well as in the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods; calls in this regard for the EIB and EBRD’s operations and role to be strengthened.
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Reminds that the EU’s Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III) foresees a strong conditionality and funding must be modulated or even suspended in the case of significant regression or persistent lack of progress in the area of the so-called “fundamentals”, notably in the field of the rule of law and fundamental rights;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Reiterates that in order to address today’s global challenges, it is essential to make EFAD more relevant, coherent and responsive, but this cannot be at the expense and should adequately cater to the Parliament’s rights of scrutiny over the way the external action funds are used or on setting political priorities;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6 c. Regrets the growing irrelevance of the Latin America and Caribbean regions within the EU policy making, which corresponds to a reduction in the budget allocation for those regions in the Union's financial framework 2021-2027; at the same time is aware that geopolitical impact of funds allocated to any region does not necessarily depend on the overall amount of budget; in this regard, stresses that there must be adequate policy steering from the Commission to ensure that the available instruments offered by the EFSD+ are used to strengthen closer partnerships with the Latin America and Caribbean regions and contribute to their development;