20 Amendments of Robert HAJŠEL related to 2023/0199(COD)
Amendment 85 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) The EU industry has proven its inbuilt resilience but is being challenged. High inflation, labour shortages, post- COVID supply chains disruptions, rising interest rates, and spikes in energy costs and input prices are weighing on the competitiveness of the EU industry. This is paired with strong, but not always fair, competition on the fragmented global market. The EU has already put forward several initiatives to support its industry, such as the Green Deal Industrial Plan,40 the Critical Raw Materials Act41 , the Net Zero Industry Act42 , the new Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework for State aid,43 and REPowerEU.44 While these solutions provide fast and targeted support, the EU needs a more structural answer to the investment needs of its industries, safeguarding cohesion and the level playing field in the Single Market and to reduce the EU’s strategic dependencies. This structural answer should take the form of an increase in funding towards industrial policy and the development of a dedicated financial mechanism in the future. _________________ 40 Communication on A Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age, COM(2023) 62 final. 41 COM(2023) 160 final 42 COM(2023) 161 final 43 Communication on a Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework for State Aid measures (OJ C 101, 17.3.2023, p. 3). 44 Regulation (EU) 2023/435 as regards REPowerEU (OJ L 63, 28.2.2023, p. 1).
Amendment 88 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) The EU industry has proven its inbuilt resilience but is being challenged. High inflation, labour shortages, post- COVID supply chains disruptions, rising interest rates, and spikes in energy costs and input prices are weighing on the competitiveness of the EU industry. This is paired with strong, but not always fair, competition on the fragmented global market. The EU has already put forward several initiatives to support its industry, such as the Green Deal Industrial Plan,40 the Critical Raw Materials Act41 , the Net Zero Industry Act42 , the new Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework for State aid,43 and REPowerEU.44 While these solutions provide fast and targeted support, the EU needs a more structural answer to the investment needs of its industries, safeguarding cohesion, quality job creation, and the level playing field in the Single Market and to reduce the EU’s strategic dependencies. _________________ 40 Communication on A Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age, COM(2023) 62 final. 41 COM(2023) 160 final 42 COM(2023) 161 final 43 Communication on a Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework for State Aid measures (OJ C 101, 17.3.2023, p. 3). 44 Regulation (EU) 2023/435 as regards REPowerEU (OJ L 63, 28.2.2023, p. 1).
Amendment 90 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) The uptake and scaling up in the Union of deep and digital technologies, clean technologies that contribute to the objectives of the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030, net-zero technologies as defined in the Net-Zero- Industry Act, and biotechnologies will be essential to seize the opportunities and meet the objectives of the green and digital transitions, thus promoting the competitiveness of the European industry and its sustainability. Therefore, immediate action is required to support the development or manufacturing in the Union of such technologies, safeguarding and strengthening their valuesupply chains thereby reducing the Union’s strategic dependencies, and addressing existing labour and skills shortages in those sectors through lifelong learning, trainings and paid apprenticeships and the creation of attractive, quality jobs accessible to all.
Amendment 112 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) Strengthening the manufacturing capacity of key technologies in the Union will not be possible without a sizeable skilled workforce. However, labour and skills shortages have increased in all sectors including those considered key for the green and digital transition and endanger the rise of key technologies, also in the context of demographic change. Therefore, it is necessary to boost the activation of more people to the labour market relevant for strategic sectors, in particular through the creation of jobs anquality jobs and decently paid apprenticeships for young, disadvantaged persons, in particular, young people not in employment, education or training. Such support will complement a number of other actions aimed at meeting the skills needs stemming from the transition, outlined in the EU Skills Agenda.45 _________________ 45 Communication on a European Skills Agenda for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience, COM(2020) 274 final.
Amendment 133 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) To that end, it should be possible to rely on assessments made for the purposes of other Union programmes in accordance with Articles 126 and 127 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046,52 in order to reduce administrative burden for beneficiaries of Union funds and encourage investment in priority technologies. Provided they comply with the provisions of the RRF Regulation,53 Member States should consider including actions awarded the Sovereignty Seal when preparing their recovery and resilience plans and when proposing their Recovering and Resilience Plans and when deciding on investment projects to be financed from its share of the Modernisation Fund. The Sovereignty Seal should also be taken into account by the Commission in the context of the procedure provided for in Article 19 of the EIB Statute and of the policy check laid down in Article 23 of the InvestEU Regulation. In addition, the implementing partners should be required to examine projects having been awarded the Sovereignty Seal in case they fall within their geographic and activity scope in accordance with Article 26(5) of that Regulation. Authorities in charge of programmes falling under STEP should also be encouraged to consider to support for strategic projects identified in accordance with the Net Zero Industry and the Critical Raw Materials Acts that are within the scope of Article 2 of the Regulation and for which rules on cumulative funding may apply. The Sovereignty Seal should facilitate access to dedicated funds without replicating existing EU instruments. _________________ 52 Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (OJ L 193, 30.7.2018, p. 1). 53 Regulation (EU) 2021/241 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility (OJ L 57, 18.2.2021, p. 17).
Amendment 143 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) While the STEP relies on the reprogramming and reinforcement of existing programmes for supporting strategic investments, it is also an important element for testing the feasibility and preparation of new interventions as a step towards a European Sovereignty Fund. TAlso in order to path the way towards a Sovereignty Fund that eventually contributes to shaping and strengthening a European industrial policy, the evaluation in 2025 will assess the relevance of the actions undertaken and serve as basis for assessing the need for an upscaling of the support towards strategic sectors.
Amendment 149 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) Directive 2003/87/EC54 should be amended to allow for additional financing with a financial envelope for the period 2024-2027 of EUR 5 billion. The Innovation Fund supports investments in innovative low-carbon technologies, which is a scope that is to be covered by the STEP. The increase in volume of the Innovation Fund should therefore allow to provide financing responding to the objective of supporting the development or manufacturing in the Union of critical clean technologies, in particular, this increase in volume should reinforce the budget dedicated to the European Hydrogen Bank. In line with the objectives of ensuring cohesion and promoting the Single Market, and in order to support the green transition and the development of clean technologies throughout the Union, the additional financial envelope should be made available through calls for proposals open to entities only from Member States whose average GDP per capita is below the EU average of the EU-27 measured in purchasing power standards (PPS) and calculated on the basis of Union figures for the period 2015-2017. Technical assistance to Member States with a low level of participation as provided for in the latest revision of the ETS Directive should be maintained throughout these calls for proposals. _________________ 54 Directive 2003/87/EC establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading (OJ L 275, 25.10.2003, p. 32).
Amendment 157 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) In order to extend support possibilities for investments aimed at strengthening industrial development and reinforcement of value chains in strategic sectors, the scope of support from the ERDF should be extended by providing for new specific objectives under the ERDF, without prejudice to the rules on eligibility of expenditure and climate spending as set out in Regulation (EU) 2021/106055 and Regulation (EU) 2021/105856 . In strategic sectors, it should also be possible to support productive investments in enterprises other than SMEs, which can make a significant contribution to the development of less developed and transition regions, as well as in more developed regions of Member States with a GDP per capita below the EU average. Such investments in enterprises other than SMEs should be directed in a way that limit excessive profit and with the possibility of implementing a clawback mechanism. Managing authorities are encouraged to promote the collaboration between large enterprises and local SMEs, supply chains, innovation and technology ecosystems. This would allow reinforcing Europe’s overall capacity to strengthen its position in those sectors through providing access to all Member States for such investments, thus counteracting the risk of increasing disparities. _________________ 55 Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 laying down common provisions (OJ L 231, 30.6.2021, p. 159). 56 Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 on the European Regional Development Fund and on the Cohesion Fund (OJ L 224, 24.6.2021, p. 31).
Amendment 165 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) In order to help accelerate investments and provide immediate liquidity for investments supporting the STEP objectives under the ERDF, the ESF+59 and the JTF, an additional amount of exceptional pre-financing should be provided in the form of a one-off payment with respect to the priorities dedicated to investments supporting the STEP objectives. The additional pre-financing should apply to the whole of the JTF allocation given the need to accelerate its implementation and the strong links of the JTF to support Member States towards the STEP objectives. The rules applying for those amounts of exceptional pre-financing should be consistent with the rules applicable to pre-financing set out in Regulation (EU) 2021/1060. Moreover, to further incentivise the uptake of such investments and ensure its faster implementation, the possibility for an increased EU financing rate of 100% for the STEP priorities should be available. When implementing the new STEP objectives, managing authorities are encouraged to apply certain social criteria orand promote social positive outcomes, such as creating quality jobs, decently paid apprenticeships and quality jobs for young disadvantaged persons, in particular young persons not in employment, education or training, applying the social award criteria in the Directives on public procurement when a project is implemented by a body subject to public procurement, and paying the applicable wages as agreed through collective bargaining. _________________ 59 Regulation (EU) 2021/1057 establishing the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) (OJ L 231, 30.6.2021, p. 21).
Amendment 183 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1
Article 1 – paragraph 1
This Regulation establishes a Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (‘STEP’ or ‘the Platform’) to support critical and emerging strategic technologies and their respective supply chains and thus help the implementation of European legislation in these fields (NZIA, CRMA, Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030).
Amendment 194 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a – introductory part
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a – introductory part
(a) supporting the development or manufacturing throughout the Union, or safeguarding and strengthening the respective valuesupply chains, of critical technologies in the following fields:
Amendment 196 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a – point i
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a – point i
(i) deep and digital technologies contributing to the objectives of the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030
Amendment 200 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a – point ii
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a – point ii
(ii) cleannet-zero technologies as defined in the Net-Zero-Industry Act
Amendment 220 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 4
Article 2 – paragraph 4
4. The valuesupply chain for the manufacturing of critical technologies referred to in the first paragraph relates to final products, as well as key components, specific machinery and critical raw materials as described in Annex I of the Critical Raw Materials Act which are primarily used for the production of those products.
Amendment 247 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1
Article 4 – paragraph 1
1. The Commission shall award a Sovereignty Seal to any action contributing to any of the Platform objectives, provided the action has been assessed and complies with the minimum quality requirements, in particular eligibility, exclusion and award criteria, provided by a call for proposals under Regulation (EU) 2021/695, Regulation (EU) 2021/694, Regulation (EU) 2021/697, Regulation (EU) 2021/522, or Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/856. Projects that have been identified as "strategic project" under NZIA or CRMA shall automatically be awarded a Sovereignty Seal.
Amendment 255 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
Article 4 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
2. The Sovereignty Seal mayshall be used as a quality label, in particular for the purposes of:
Amendment 265 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 4
Article 4 – paragraph 4
4. When deciding on investment projects to finance from their respective shares of the Modernisation Fund in accordance with Article 10d of Directive 2003/87/EC, Member States shall consider as a priority project for critical clean technologiesnet-zero technologies as defined in the NZIA which have received the Sovereignty Seal in accordance with paragraph 1. In addition, Member States may decide to grant national support to projects with a Sovereignty Seal contributing to the Platform objective referred to in Article 2(1), point (a)(ii).
Amendment 284 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 6 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. For funding opportunities managed by the EU and linked to the Platform objectives, application shall be made possible directly via the Sovereignty Portal.
Amendment 286 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 6 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. The Sovereignty Portal shall include a rapid simulator to assess the eligibility for EU funding of projects; such a simulator could be used by the industry, especially SMEs, but should not deliver legally binding opinion nor request confidential information.
Amendment 297 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 3
Article 8 – paragraph 3
3. Where appropriate, and in the light of the foreseen European Sovereignty Fund that will help shaping and strengthening a European industrial policy, the evaluation shall be accompanied by a proposal for amendments of this Regulation.