Activities of Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS related to 2020/1998(BUD)
Plenary speeches (1)
General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2021 – all sections (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2021
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2021
Amendments (32)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Calls for a strong and ambitious budget for the year 2021 to support fair, inclusive and sustainable growth, mitigate the socio-economic impact of the COVID- 19 crisis, enhance economic, social and regional convergence, cohesion and resilience and accelerate the implementation of core European objectives, such as the European Green Deal, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, the European Pillar of Social Rights, digital transformation and the just transition to a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 at the latest;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recognises the need for the EU budget to continue toCalls for a strong and ambitious Union budget for the 2021 to mitigate the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis and support the recovery, convergence, fair and of the Union, enhance economic, social and regional convergence, cohesion and resilience, support fair, inclusive and sustainable growth and competitiveness of the European economy and other EU prioritiesaccelerate the implementation of core Union priorities and objectives, such as social, economic and territorial cohesion and regional development, climate action, digitalisation and innovation, security and the management of migration, while acknowledgingthe European Green Deal, the Paris Agreement, the “do no significant harm” principle, the just transition to a carbon-neutral economy by 2050, the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Pillar of Social Rights, digital transformation, innovation and the management of migration on the basis of solidarity, cooperation and shared responsibility; stresses that the COVID-19 pandemic has provided amultiple new and unexpected socio-economic challenges that the EUnion and its Member States need to respond determinedly and provide solutions at the EUfair and effective solutions at both Union and Member State level;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1a. Reiterates its position for the 2021 budget of EUR 192.1 billion in current prices in commitment appropriations and its call for major additional appropriations on top of this position in order to respond to the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis; deplores, in this regard, the lack of ambition and decisiveness shown by the Commission in its 2021 Draft Budget proposal, which represents a reduction by 9.8% compared to the 2020 budget in terms of commitments and incorporates significant cuts to core EU policies and programmes, such as cohesion, agriculture, SMEs support, health, research and innovation; underlines that these cuts cannot be considered counter-balanced by the Next Generation EU top-ups and calls for the significant enhancement of the above policies and programmes in the 2021 budget;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 b (new)
Paragraph -1 b (new)
-1b. Stresses that the symmetric shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has caused asymmetric consequences between Member States; is extremely worried about the Commission summer 2020 economic forecast, which predicts deeper recession with wider divergences than initially projected, as well as about the significant rise of unemployment; stresses, therefore, the need for solidarity, ambition and decisiveness at European level to overcome the negative effects of the crisis;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls for thean increased 2021 Union budget to make an ambitious and effective contribution to the fair, inclusive, sustainable and resilient recovery of the Union economy in view of the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak; welcomes the proposal for a new recovery instrument, Next Generation EUacknowledges the European Council agreement on a new recovery instrument, Next Generation EU, as an important first step towards this end; deplores, however, the massive cuts to the grant component of the Next Generation EU in the final agreement that seriously upset the balance between grants and loans; regrets the massive cuts to the top-ups for Horizon Europe, InvestEU, Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Just Transition Fund (JTF), the withdrawal of top-ups for EU4Health, the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) and humanitarian aid, as well as the complete cancellation of the Solvency Support Instrument; stresses that these cuts will seriously undermine the recovery efforts;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that in its resolution of 19 June 2020 on general guidelines for the preparation of the 2021 budget, Parliament stressed that the primary focus of the 2021 budget should be to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and support the recovery, built on the European Green Deal and digital transformation, in order to promote fair, inclusive and sustainable growth and high-quality job creation;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Reiterates its position for a 2021 budget of EUR 192,1 billion in current prices in commitment appropriations and its call for major additional appropriations on top of this position in order to respond to the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis; deplores, in this regard, the lack of ambition and decisiveness shown by the Commission in its 2021 Draft Budget proposal, which represents a reduction of 9,8 % compared to the 2020 budget in terms of commitments and incorporates significant cuts to core Union policies and programmes, such as cohesion, regional development, agriculture, SMEs support, health, research and innovation; underlines that these cuts cannot be considered counter-balanced by the Next Generation EU top-ups and calls for the significant enhancement of the above policies and programmes in the 2021 budget;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls for thea more ambitious 2021 Union budget to support the rapid implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which aims to address the challenges identified in the European Semester, in which the Sustainable Development Goals shall be integrated; multiple socio-economic challenges faced by the Member States; calls for the increase of grants and a flexible conditionality for loans, well beyond the austerity oriented rules of the Stability and Growth Pact; calls for the Facility to support investments that promote fair, inclusive and sustainable growth and enhance convergence, cohesion and resilience, in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal, the Paris Agreement, the “do no significant harm” principle, the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Pillar of Social Rights and the objective of a just transition to a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 at the latest; stresses the need for the swift implementation of the Facility and calls for payments to start the soonest possible in 2021; deplores the macro- economic conditionalities attached to the Facility, the exclusion of the European Parliament from its governance, which moves away from the community method and endorses an intergovernmental approach, and the emergency brake procedure adopted by the European Council, which could lead to detrimental delays;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. RemUnderlindes that cohesion is a shared competence between the EU and Member States and that aconstitutes a main public investment policy ithat will play a major role in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic; emphasises that cohesion policy is based on a solidarity and its goal is to reduce economic, social and territorial disparities between Member States and within the EU and regions; emphasizes in that context that programmes managed under European Structural and Investments (ESI) Funds support and contribute significantly to sustainable solutions for fair and, inclusive and resilient economic growth, and investments and competitiveness, as well as high quality, safe and secure working and living conditions of the citizens, including equal opportunities, social justice and non- discrimination; rejects, in this regard, the massive cuts to cohesion in the 2021 Draft Budget proposed by the Commission;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that the budget for the year 2021 starts the new programming period 2021-2027 and that it should reflect the principles and priorities of an updated and reoriented Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and contribute effectively to the mitigation of the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in a fair, inclusive, sustainable and resilient way, while carefully considering available resources as well as budgetary rules and principles that will ensure ambitious, realistic, immediate and satisfactoryeffective implementation;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Stresses the need for enhanced and targeted emergency measures to swiftly and effectively support citizens, workers, the self-employed and sectors hit harder by the COVID-19 crisis in order to avoid even wider divergences among Member States and regions; calls for significantly increasing resources to fight social and gender inequalities, poverty and unemployment, paying particular attention to the youth and vulnerable groups;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. UnderlinesStresses the need for enhanced and targeted emergency measures to swiftly and effectively support citizens, workers, the self-employed and sectors hit harder by the pandemic; underlines, in this regard, the importance of supporting companies, especially SMEs, with solvency issues as a result of the COVID- 19 pandemic; highlights the Commission proposal for a Solvency Support iInstrument and calls for fast-acting supportdeplores its complete abolishment by the Council;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines the necessity to provide a sufficient level of payment appropriations in the budget for the year 2021 in order to avoid the accumulation of unpaid claims from MFF 2014-2020that will take into account the volume of outstanding commitments at the end of 2020 in order to avoid the accumulation of unpaid claims from MFF 2014-2020 and a new payment crisis, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; notes that due to the delays in implementation of the programming period 2014-2020 most of the refundlevant payments will be donesettled in years 2021- 2022; stresses, however, that this should not hinder the launch of new programmes;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Reiterates that the revision of the EU’s own resources system and the introduction of a basket of new own resources as of 1 January 2021, based on a legally binding timetable, is extremely essential to meet the increased financial needs of supporting the recovery and delivering other Union priorities and objectives; urges Member States to swiftly agree on an increase of the own resources ceilings and to adopt rapidly the legislative proposals that will introduce new own resources;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the State aid Temporary Framework in the context of COVID-19; calls for reinforced resources to ensure full and fast application of Union competition policyactivation of the general escape clause to suspend the Growth and Stability Pact and the introduction of the State aid Temporary Framework in the context of COVID-19, including its amended version allowing public support to micro and small companies, even in cases where the companies were already in financial difficulty on 31 December 2019; points out, however, the uneven capacity of Member States to provide financial support to sectors and citizens hit harder by the pandemic, which could lead to distortions of the European level-playing field and calls for specific measures to minimise the side-effects of the state aid rules’ relaxation that intensify inequalities and jeopardise single market; calls for the repeal of the Growth and Stability Pact and its replacement by a Sustainable Development and Employment Pact that will promote fair, inclusive and sustainable growth, high- quality employment and environmental protection;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the enhanced flexibility in cohesion policy – increased co- financing, anti-crisis use of EU funds - introduced in March and April 2020 and believes that it - should be maintained also in MFF 2021-2027, while ensuring full respect of the applicable rules for the sound management of the resources and for the transparency of their spending;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. In order to finance this budget, reminds that, as expressed in its legislative resolution of 16 September 2020, the new categories of own resources should be introduced as of 2021 and that any amounts generated by new own resources beyond the level necessary to cover the repayment obligations of the NGEU in a given year should remain in the Union budget as general revenue notably to top-up the 15 EU flagshipEU policies and programmes as of 2021 accompanied by the corresponding rise of the MFF ceilings;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the European Green Deal as one of the main pillars for the transformation of the EU economy to a fair, inclusive, sustainable, resilient and carbon-neutral economy; calls for adequate funding to allow economic, social and environmental challenges related to sustainable development to be met, including through the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan; reiterates its position for a climate mainstreaming spending level of 30% and a biodiversity spending level of 10% for 2021;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls for increased resources to fight social and gender inequalities, poverty and unemployment, paying particular attention to the youth and vulnerable groups;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for sufficient resources to fight both at EU and at Member States level against tax fraud, tax evasion and tax avoidance as well as against financial crime and money laundering and for adherence to the economic governance framework and deal in an effective and coordinated way with the tax havens issue, including Member States;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Welcomes the proposal for the creation of the REACT-EU programme that will make additional funds available to the ERDF and the ESF as well as to the FEAD in the fight against the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; calls for the rapid implementation of the programme and for payments to start as early as possible in 2021;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Emphasises that funding to accounting entities and tax authorities should continue, including to support the Union action to fight tax fraud, tax evasion and tax avoidance; welcomes the creation of the EU Tax and Financial Crimes Observatory; calls for adequate funding and human resources for the relevant programmes and agencies;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Welcomes the activation of the general escape clause to suspend the Growth and Stability Pact that allows for further flexibility as well as the introduction of the State aid Temporary Framework in the context of COVID-19; points out, however, the uneven capacity of Member States to provide financial support to citizens and sectors hit harder by the pandemic, which could lead to even wider divergences among Member States; calls for specific measures to minimise such side-effects;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8 c. Calls for the rapid implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which aims to address the multiple socio- economic challenges faced by the Member States; calls for the increase of grants and a flexible conditionality for loans; calls for the Facility to support investments that promote fair, inclusive and sustainable growth and enhance convergence, cohesion and resilience, in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal, the Paris Agreement, the “do no significant harm” principle, the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Pillar of Social Rights and the objective of a just transition to a carbon- neutral economy by 2050 at the latest; calls for payments to start the soonest possible in 2021; deplores the macro- economic conditionalities attached to the Facility, the exclusion of the European Parliament from its governance, which moves away from the community method and endorses an intergovernmental approach, and the emergency brake procedure adopted by the European Council, which could lead to detrimental delays; stresses the need for transparency and scrutiny in the distribution and use of the funds that will be provided through the Facility;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalliterates that the introduction of a basket of new own resources isrevision of the EU’s own resources system and the introduction of a basket of new own resources as of 1 January 2021 according to a legally binding timetable is extremely essential to meet the increased financial needs of supporting the recovery and for other Union priorities.
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Emphasises the urgent need to allocate additional resources to the EU4Health Programme, given the inexplicable cuts of the NGEU top-ups by the Council, contributing in particular to address the significant structural needs identified during the COVID-19 crisis, setting out key action areas such as the improvement of national health systems, the availability and affordability of medicines and other crisis-relevant products and to ensure continued and timely provision of accessible and safe sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Recalls that the COVID-19 crisis affects women, groups of people who are subject to systematic gender-based discrimination and other vulnerable groups disproportionately and calls for reinforcement of the Employment and Social Innovation strand to support programmes and trainings targeted at advancing women'stheir participation and tackling their precarity on the labour market;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Deeply regrets that the Commission still has not responded to Parliament's call for a comprehensive review of the budget line for multimedia measures, particularly with regard to the framework contract with Euronews; decides to put its budgetary allocation in reserve until the Commission has answered the concerns raised by the Court of Auditors; notes however that the Court of Auditors does not point to any shortcomings on Euronews’s part in its contractual reporting duties under the current framework; regrets that such a reserve of 18 million euros endangers the financial viability of Euronews, and consequently its staff, while it is highly important that the EU supports independent and high-quality journalism on EU affairs;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Stresses the importance of a progressive framing of the EU’s common security and defence policy; underlines the importance of enhancing European cooperation in defence matters since it not only makes Europe and its citizens safer, but also leads to a cost reduction; calls for increased funding for the European Defence Fund in order to fully foster an innovative and competitive defence industrial base that will contribute to the much-needed strategic autonomy of the EU;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 51
Paragraph 51
51. Points to the persistent challenges in the Union’s Eastern and Southern neighbourhood, as well as the importance of endowing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East with adequate financial resources and therefore calling for an increase of EU’s support to the Agency in recognition of its essential role as a unique provider of vital services for millions of Palestine refugees; recalls the importance of developing stable relations and strong cooperation between the EU and Africa and deems appropriate to dedicate sufficient financial resources to the development of this continent, which would contribute inter alia to mitigating the root causes of forced migration;