Activities of Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS related to 2023/0264(BUD)
Plenary speeches (3)
General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024 - all sections (debate)
General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024 - all sections (debate)
2024 budgetary procedure: Joint text (debate)
Shadow reports (2)
REPORT on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024
REPORT on the joint text on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2024 approved by the Conciliation Committee under the budgetary procedure
Amendments (21)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17 a (new)
Citation 17 a (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 15 January 2020 on the European Green Deal,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17 b (new)
Citation 17 b (new)
– having regard to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals,
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17 c (new)
Citation 17 c (new)
– having regard to the European Pillar of Social Rights and its resolution of 19 January 2017 thereon,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17 d (new)
Citation 17 d (new)
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, following on from the COVID-19 pandemic, has brought further substantial economic and social consequences for the people of Europe, pushing up inflation, generating energy insecurity and energy poverty, driving up food and energy prices and resulting in a cost of living crisis for millions, especially for the most vulnerable; underlines that the new geopolitical and economic context has given rise to new policy needs, notably in climate and energy, social investments, defence and industrial policy;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. NoteRegrets that, despite the Commission’s proposal to revise the MFF, the Council chose to formulate its position on the 2024 budget assuming no change to the framework; deeply regrets that, despite the drastic constraints, the Council elected to cut commitment appropriations in the DB by EUR 772 million and payment appropriations by EUR 515 million across the MFF headings; considers that the cuts proposed by the Council are totally unjustified, not driven by an objective assessment of needs or absorption capacity and run counter, in many instances, to shared policy ambitions and political agreements; decides, therefore, to restore appropriations on all lines cut by the Council to the level of the DB;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that the budget can only be adopted in accordance with the MFF regulation in force; reiterates its firm conviction that a revised MFF regulation must provide the framework for the 2024 budget and, in order to ensure democratic decision-making in accordance with the spirit of the Treaty, considers it appropriate for Parliament to formulate its position on the basis of a revised framework; decides, therefore, to draw up its reading on the 2024 budget in alignment with its interim report on the MFF revision;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Reaffirms the importance of the horizontal principles concerning climate, biodiversity and gender equality that underpin the MFF and all related EU policies; recalls that targets related to climate and biodiversity, as well as the obligation to respect the ‘do no significant harm’ principle and to promote gender equality are laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 and insists that these provisions must also underpin the updated MFF; calls on the Commission to fulfil its obligation under the IIA to take concrete action to ensure that the agreed targets and policy objectives are fully met;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Underlines that swift progress on new own resources is essential both for the repayment of EURI borrowing costs and for the financial robustness and implementation of the current and future multiannual financial frameworks; reiterates the need to fully respect the timeline of the legally-binding roadmap for the introduction of new own resources annexed to the IIA and urges the Commission to continue the efforts to identify fresh, new and preferably genuine own resources and other revenue sources for the Union budget beyond the IIA;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that the Council, in its position on the 2024 budget, reduces appropriations set aside for EURI borrowing costs; shares the Council’s based on the hope that borrowing costs are ultimately lower than forecast in the DB, but; insists that, in accordance with the principle of budgetary prudence, the budgetary authority should rely on the Commission’s objective forecasting and the updates in the Amending Letter; proposes, therefore, to restore the DB amount and, in line with its MFF interim report, to delete the line from Heading 2b and place the full amount in the EURI special instrument over and above the MFF ceilings;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Underlines that budgetary flexibility has been key for the Union to respond to unforeseen events and to adjust its spending priorities in light of evolving political and, economic and social needs; highlights, however, that the Union budget is not equipped with the flexibility it requires; reiterates, therefore, its view that the Flexibility Instrument should be increased by EUR 1,457 billion in 2024 in line with its MFF interim report;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Recalls that programmes under Heading 1 play a key role in supporting research and innovation, in boosting the sustainability and competitiveness of the EU economy, in supporting SMEs and in investing in cross- border infrastructure, thus contributing significantly to the green and digital transitions and to driving fair, inclusive and sustainable growth, economic and social development and job creation;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses that a well-functioning Single Market is critical for the Union’s competitiveness and to enhance access to markets for EU businesses, especially SMEs; emphasises that SMEs in particular have been hit hard by high inflation and energy prices and proposes, as a result, an increase of EUR 10 million above the DB for the SME strand of the Single Market programme; reiterates, furthermore, the programme’s role in contributing to human, animal and plant health; proposes, in that regard, an increase of EUR 5 million to ensure effective implementation of veterinary programmes for animal diseases and zoonosis, in particular to combat bovine tuberculosis;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Underscores that the just green and digital transitions and a refocusing of industrial policy require significant investment in skills development, including reskilling and upskilling, for example through the Net Zero Academies; proposes, therefore, to increase appropriations for skills development under the Single Market programme by EUR 10 million;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Highlights the vital role that Horizon Europe plays in supporting research and innovation and in helping to turn research results and innovative ideas into products and services that stimulate job creation and boost the global competitiveness of EU business; recalls that the programme remains heavily over- subscribed and is therefore unable to support a large number of research projects evaluated as ‘excellent’; proposes, therefore, to increase allocations for the programme by a total of EUR 140 million compared to the DB (excluding the STEP- related increases), with reinforcements for the European Research Council, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and Clusters ‘Health’, ‘Culture’ ‘Climate, Energy and Mobility’ and ‘Food’;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Underlines the key role cohesion policy plays in delivering on EU policy priorities and boosting the EU economy by contributing to fair, inclusive and sustainable growth and development, promoting economic and social convergence between countries and regions, supporting the just green and digital transitions, and fostering innovation and employment; regrets that, due to the limited flexibility of the current MFF, the Commission has resorted to reorienting cohesion policy, which is not a crisis response tool but has been repeatedly called on to make up for shortcomings in budgetary flexibility or crisis response mechanisms in the MFF to the detriment of its long-term policy objectives; calls on the Commission and the Member States to accelerate implementation of cohesion policy;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses the importance of adequate funding for programmes under Heading 2a in order to ensure that regcohesional policy, as the EU’s main investment policy, delivers on its objectives; underlines that local and regional authorities are key to ensuring effective implementation of EU programmes and calls for the local and regional level, on the one hand, and the EU level, on the other, to be strengthened, including through adequate financing for relevant actions and institutions;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Underlines that placing EURI borrowing costs over and above the MFF ceilings would have the effect of restoring some margin within Heading 2b and creating budgetary space in the Flexibility and Single Margin Instruments; underlines that programmes under Heading 2b have been impacted by the EURI line’s presence within the same heading since the Commission has been de facto prevented from proposing reinforcements where they are needed; insists that the EURI Instrument should cover all EURI repayment costs, not only those above the programmed amount under Heading 2b, thus also freeing up considerable budgetary space for policies under this Heading;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Is alarmed by the growing impact of natural disasters in Europe and its neighbourhood and concerned about the EU’s ability to respond timely and effectively; underlines that these disasters are often linked to climate change and are therefore likely to occur with greater frequency and intensity in the future; increases, therefore, appropriations for the Union Civil Protection Mechanism by EUR 20 million above DB in order to ensure an effective response and protect human lives;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Stresses that effective and fair management and protection of the Union’s external borders are key to ensuring the security of the Union, guaranteeing the smooth and efficient implementation of the Union’s migration and asylum policy and preserving the free movement of people within the Union and the proper functioning of the Schengen area; underlines that the Union’s migration and asylum policy should be based on solidarity, shared responsibility and respect for human rights, promote safe and legal pathways and provide certainty, clarity and decent and dignified conditions for people arriving in the EU, in line with Union values and international commitments; stresses, moreover, the need to better prevent irregular migration to protect vulnerable people from smuggling and trafficking networks and address the instrumentalisation of migrants as part of hybrid attacks; underlines the vital role that the Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI) plays in that regard; notes that the Commission proposes to reinforce the BMVI above financial programming levels in the DB, though points out that this ‘reinforcement’ only partially offsets repeated redeployments from the BMVI to finance revised agency mandates; proposes to increase appropriations for the BMVI by EUR 60 million above DB, including to support Romania and Bulgaria in their preparations for accession to the Schengen area;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53
Paragraph 53
53. Stresses the importance of the Southern Neighbourhood line in supporting political, economic and social reforms in the region, in providing assistance to refugees, in particular Syrian and Palestinian refugees, and in enabling support along the southern migration routes; proposes, therefore, to increase appropriations for the line by EUR 650 million above DB, including to ensure predictable funding for UNWRAadditional, predictable and sufficient funding for UNRWA in light of its growing needs and its crucial role in protecting and ensuring the essential needs of Palestinian refugees as well as in promoting development and stability;