24 Amendments of Younous OMARJEE related to 2015/2074(BUD)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
- having regard to the 2013 Social Investment package;
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 b (new)
Citation 6 b (new)
- having regard to articles 174 to 178 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that, in its resolution of 11 March 2015, Parliament placed the creation of decent and quality employment and the development of enterprises and entrepreneurship for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth across the Union (the ‘three Es'), together with internal and external solidarity within a secure Europe, at the centre of its priorities for the 2016 budget; reiterates Parliament's attachment to respecting legal as well as political commitments and its call on the institutions to deliver on their promises;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. WelcomesTakes note of the fact that the Commission Draft General Budget of the European Union for the financial year 2016 reinforces those priorities and proposes to step up EU support for investment, knowledge, decent jobs and growth- orientated programmes, and in particular for an emblematic mobility programme such as Erasmus+; is not satisfied that, in addition to duly expected increases throughout Heading 3 (Security and Citizenship) and Heading 4 (Global Europe), the Commission is not duly taking up the challenge of responding to new developments such as thethe humanitarian criseis in Ukraine, Syria and the Mediterranean by responding to the EU's and Member States' needs in the area of security and migration and by demonstrating strong political will in the field of external actionadopting a comprehensive and human rights-based approach linking migration with development and guaranteeing the integration of migrant workers and asylum seekers and refugees;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. WelcomesTakes note of the inclusion of the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) in the Draft Budget for 2016 and, in particular, the mobilisation of the Global Margin for Commitments to cover part of the expenditure needed, instead of relying only on the cuts to Horizon 2020 and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF); stresses that the deal struck by the co-legislators further reduces those cuts by EUR 1 billion overall, sparing in particular fundamental research; expects the final agreement to be reflected as soon as possible in the 2016 budget on the basis of an amending letter aiming at minimising to the maximum extent the impact of theavoiding reductions on these two programmes; points out, however, that the cuts remain significant and commits to further offsetting them through a reinforcement of Horizon 2020 and the CEF in the context of the budgetary procedure, in order to allow these programmes to fully accomplish the objectives agreed only two years ago as a result of the negotiations on their respective legal bases;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. RDeeply regrets that the programme for the competitiveness of enterprises and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (COSME) is the only new programme of the 2014-2020 MFF undergoing a nominal cut in commitment appropriations from 2015 to 2016, together with Horizon 2020 under the Commission's initial proposal; highlights the very negative signal such a decrease would give at a time when SMEs and social enterprises' potential as innovators and quality job creators is badly needed in order to stimulate EU recovery and reduce investment gaps; recalls that promoting entrepreneurship, improving the competitiveness and access to markets of Union enterprises, and improving access to finance for SMEs and social enterprises are priorities clearly shared by all the institutions, which have been the justification for frontloading and reinforcing COSME appropriations over the past two years, taking into account the programme's high rates of implementation; intends, therefore, to ensure that this programme evolves positively in 2016;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reiterates its concerns about the funding of the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) as a key tool for the fight against youth unemployment in the Union, which is a top priority for all European decision-makers; notes that, owing to the frontloading of the YEI top-up allocation in 2014 and 2015, no new commitments are proposed in 2016; recalls that the MFF has provided for a global margin for commitments to be made available over and above the ceilings as of 2016 for policy objectives related to growth and employment, in particular youth employment; recalls that, consequently, the Regulation on the European Social Fund has provided that the resources for the YEI may be revised upwards for the years 2016 to 2020 in the framework of the budgetary procedure; callurges, therefore, for the Youth Employment Initiative to be continued, in particular by making use of anythe flexibility provision contained in the MFF;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Is deeply concerned at the slower-than- planned take-off of new programmes under the 2014-2020 MFF period owing to the late approval of the legal bases and of the operational programmes as well as to the shortages of payment appropriations in 2014 and 2015, due to the payment backlog of the 2007-2013 EU programs; underlines the negative impact caused by the delays in payments to local, regional and national authorities, in particular those which are facing social, financial and economic constraints; undertakes to examine whether the requested commitment and payment appropriations will in fact enable those new programmes to reach cruising speed; urges the Commission and the Member States to take all necessary measures in order to make good the delays in their implementation;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that the EU Draft Budget for 2016 amounts to EUR 153.5 billion in commitment appropriations (including EUR 4.5 billion reprogrammed from 2014) and EUR 143.5 billion in payment appropriations; points out that, disregarding the effect of the reprogramming in 2015 and 2016, this corresponds to an increase of +2.4% in commitments and +1.6% in payments as compared to the 2015 budget; stresses that these are overall moderateinsufficient increases following the path set by the MFF;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recalls that payment shortages, largely due to insufficient payment ceilings and under-budgeting, reached unprecedented heights in 2014 and remain acute in 2015; fears that this continues to penalise the beneficiaries and to jeopardise the proper implementation of the new 2014-2020 MFF programmes; while supporting active management of payments by the Commission, is deeply concerned at the postponement of calls for proposals, at the reduction of pre-financing and at late payments which will aggravate discrepancies and jeopardise the objectives of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, quality job creation, economic, social and territorial cohesion;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. WelcomesTakes note of the fact that the EU Draft Budget reflects the joint statement on a payment plan 2015-2016 agreed between Parliament, the Council and the Commission following the shared diagnosis and commitment entered into by the three institutions to reduce this backlog; recalls that, according to article 310 TFEU, the revenue and expenditure shown in the EU budget shall be in balance; according to the Commission's estimations, the payment appropriations requested in the Draft Budget would bring the backlog of unpaid bills down to EUR 2 billion for the cohesion programmes 2007- 2013, and would also reduce the abnormal backlog in other headings; undertakes to fully support the Commission proposal and expects the Council to respect its commitments in this regard;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16 b. Recalls that the Student Loan Guarantee Facility should be implemented on favourable terms for students, regardless of their social background and that this additional and innovative tool for learning mobility should neither replace any current, nor impede the development of any future grant or loan system supporting student mobility at local, national or Union level;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Takes note of the proposed EUR 50.8 billion in commitments (+3.2% compared to 2015, with the impact of the reprogramming neutralised) and EUR 49.1 billion in payments (-4%) for subheading 1b, leaving a small margin of EUR 15.3 million under the ceiling for commitments; recalls that cohesion policy represents the main EU investment policy and its legal objective of reducing disparities between European regions by strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Highlights the fact that 44% of the proposed 2016 payment appropriations cover outstanding payment claims for previous programming periods, leaving only EUR 26.8 billion in payments for the start-up of the new 2014-2020 cohesion programmes; considers the proposed payment appropriations, therefore, to beunderlines that instruments such as the ESF, the ERDF, the Cohesion Fund or the Youth Employment Initiative are crucial to support the creation of quality and sustainable jobs, to ensure investment for targeted social and cohesion policies, to foster convergence and narrow the development gap while reducing social, economic, local, regional and national disparities; recalls the need to enhance the fight against poverty, unemployment, social exclusion and inequalities (income) through instruments such as the Aid to the most Deprived and Fruit and Milk for Schools; insists, therefore, on the need to increase the proposed payment appropriations to the bare minimum needed in this subheading;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Recalls that an amount of EUR 21.6 billion is needed in the 2016 budget to bring down the level of outstanding payment claims for the 2007-2013 cohesion programmes from EUR 24.7 billion at the end of 2014 and EUR 20 billion at the end of 2015 to around EUR 2 billion by the end of 2016, as described in the Commission's assessment annexed to the joint statement on a payment plan 2015-2016; recalls the conclusions of the 6th Cohesion Report, in particular that regional disparities in the EU widened dramatically during the period 2008-2011, and insists that the cohesion policy needs to be significantly increased; urges avoiding a similar ‘abnormal' build-up of unpaid bills in the future;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Highlights that the EU austerity policies have created a downward pressure on real wages in Member States and that this will prolong impact of the economic and social crisis; underlines that the EU budget shall be used to underpin efforts to increase real wages as well as to fight social-dumping in the Member States;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21 b. Expresses its disapproval for the institutionalisation of the principles of macroeconomic conditionality and performance reserve and the link between cohesion policy and Structural Funds on the one hand and Stability and Growth Pact, package of economic governance and any economic agreement of Member States, on the other; the assumptions underlying them are undeniably different and their objectives diametrically opposed; emphasises that the purpose of cohesion policy should not be to impose stringent macroeconomic and financial conditions necessitating austerity measures or to penalise Member States and regions; stresses that cohesion policy is designed to ensure balanced growth and eliminate inequalities with a view to achieving genuine convergence; indicates that funding for European regions cannot be suspended for non-compliance by Member States with macroeconomic conditions and suspending funding for Member States in difficulties will make the situation worse;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22 a. Urges the Commission, to put forward specific measures to enhance support to sustainable development, stronger, environment-friendly domestic demand based on quality employment, social well-being, eradication of poverty and social exclusion, fostering economic and social cohesion, ensuring the EU budget is used to supplement action taken by Member States;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Takes note of the proposed EUR 63.1 billion in commitments (-0.1% compared to 2015, with the impact of the reprogramming neutralised) and EUR 55.9 billion in payments (-0.2%) for Heading 2, leaving a margin of 1.2 billion under the ceiling for commitments and a margin of 1.1 billion under the sub-ceiling for the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund; points out that the financial discipline mechanism is applied only in order to establish the reserve for crises in the agricultural sector; awaits the Commission's Letter of Amendment, expected in October, which should be based on updated information on the EAGF funding; emphasises that transfers between the two pillars of the CAP result in an overall increase in the amount available for rural development; calls on the Commission to deliver before September 2015 a first assessment on the implementation of cross-compliance and revisions to standards of Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions and whether any additional environmental benefit has been delivered through the restructuring and the greening of CAP;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Reiterates its backing for the enhancement of the EU's means and the development of a culture of fair burden- sharingincreased sharing of responsibility in the areas of asylum, migration and the management of external bordersintegration, and therefore praises the increases in commitment appropriations for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and for the Internal Security Fund; welcomes the Commission proposal to mobilise the Flexibility Instrument with EUR 124 million in order to respond to the current humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean; queries if the proposed funding will be sufficient to allow for the full-financing of an adequate relocation mechanism and resettlement programme in the Union that responds to the current needs;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Recalls also the strong support consistently given by the European Parliament to adequate funding for culture and media programmes; welcomes, therefore, the increase for the Creative Europe Programme, including multimedia actions, compared with the 2015 budget; also supports the proposed increase in ‘Europe for Citizens', and recalls in particular the need to reinforce the support of its bottom-up actions; points out that the present level of funding is still far too low as this programme is vital to civic participation in the democratic process in Europe; takes the view that the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) is a central instrument for participatory democracy in the EU and calls for its visibility and accessibility to be improved;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Welcomes the increase in payment appropriations requested by the Commission across all programmes under Heading 4 (+28.5% up to EUR 9.5 billion), whereby payments exceed commitments especially in the areas of development, humanitarian aid and EU assistance to Palestine and to UNRWA; believes that such increases are fully justified by the need to redress the effects of the dramatic payment shortages encountered in that heading in 2014 and 2015, which have led the Commission to decrease pre-financings and postpone legal commitments; recalldeeply regrets that EUR 1.7 million in interest for late payments had to be paid in 2015 under Heading 4; expects the gap between commitments and payments to be progressively reduced and the backlog of unpaid bills to be brought back to a normal level; stresses that such a move is indispensable for the financial sustainability of the vulnerable beneficiaries and for the EU to act as a reliable partner vis-à-vis international organisations;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Believes that external financing instruments should provide tools to address, in a multifaceted manner and alongside their respective objectives, the root causes of those internal securitye humanitarian and migration challenges which are at the core of next year's budget, with particular reference to the southern and eastern borders of the Union and more generally to conflict- stricken areas; points, in particular, to the Development Cooperation Instrument and the European Neighbourhood Instrument but also to policies which are unfortunately undergoing more moderate increases such as humanitarian aid, the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, Common Foreign and Security Policy and the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights; calls on the Commission to clearly identify areas which can help in coping with those topical challenges and where potential reinforcements can be efficiently absorbed;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Recalls that, with programmes expected to reach full swing, with the integration of new major initiatives in the areas of investment and migration, with the opportunity to settle issues of the past such as payments and special instruments, and with the first activation of new MFF provisions such as the global margin for commitments, the 2016 budgetary procedure will be a test case for the assessment of the current MFF, which will culminate in the process of; insists that to attain the Union objectives of smart, green-sustainable inclusive growth, to boost quality job creation while enhancing the levels of social, health, environmental protection, economic, social and territorial cohesion in the Union the process of the MFF 2014-2020 review/revision needs to be launched next year;