38 Amendments of Olle SCHMIDT related to 2011/2212(DEC)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)
Citation 11 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 28 September 2006 on more and better cooperation: the 2006 EU aid effectiveness package1, 1 OJ C 306 E, 15.12.2006, p. 373.
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 b (new)
Citation 11 b (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 22 May 2008 on the follow-up to the Paris Declaration of 2005 on Aid Effectiveness1, 1 OJ C 279 E, 19.11.2009, p. 100.
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 c (new)
Citation 11 c (new)
- having regard to the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) report on aid effectiveness, which is a progress report on the implementation of the June 2009 Paris Declaration,
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 d (new)
Citation 11 d (new)
- having regard to the 'Tunis Consensus: Targeting Effective Development' of 4 and 5 November 2010, which is an African agenda for development effectiveness,
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 e (new)
Citation 11 e (new)
- having regard to the outcome document on the OECD high level meeting on Aid Effectiveness in Busan December 2011,
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas the development aid landscape is constantly evolving and whereas development aid is part of a larger context where trade, remittances and other sources of income are today more important than the total Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) payments for many developing countries;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
E b. whereas transparency and accountability – on the one hand between donor and partner countries and on the other hand between the partner state and its citizens – are prerequisites for aid effectiveness; whereas donors and partner countries have agreed in the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action on Aid Efficiency (AAA) to provide detailed information on current and future aid flows in good time to enable developing countries to draw up their budgets and audit their accounts more accurately;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
E c. whereas development aid is often delivered in a context of weak state institutions, high occurrence of corruption and insufficient internal control systems of the recipient state and whereas the audit of the Union development budget is therefore of particular importance;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E d (new)
Recital E d (new)
E d. whereas 2010 was a year of severe challenges to global development cooperation, due to e.g. the beginning of the global financial debt crisis, rising food prices, and the Haiti earth quake;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. RStrongly regrets that it was not possiblthe Commission in its communication 'A Budget for Europe 2010' (COM(2011)0500) did not propose to incorporate the EDF into the Union budget in the financial framework 2014-2020; insists that at the latest bysoonest possible time and by no later than 2020, when the Cotonou agreement expires, the EDF should be integrated into the Union budget; strongly supports the determination of the Commission to redefine the principles and the architecture of the EU-ACP partnership by 2010 andencourages the Commission to prepare the integration of cooperation with ACP- countries into the budget of the post- Cotonou periodwithout further delay;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Stresses that the incorporation of the EDF to the Union budget does not imply that total development cooperation spending may be reduced;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. RegretsIs concerned by the Court of Auditors' opinion on the legality and regularity of payments underlying the accounts according to which the payments were materially affected by error; recalls that the Court of Auditors' estimate for the most likely error rate for payments from the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth EDFs is 3,4 % which is above the materiality threshold of 2 %; deplores the fact that quantifiable and non-quantifiable errors were found for all types of projects, except for supply contracts;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Notes that staffing constraints and inadequate human resources which may have a negative impact on Union audit processes have been reported in the last three Court of Auditor's annual reports on the EDFs; is highly concerned about this recurrent problem;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17 b. Emphasises that competent staff in adequate numbers is a prerequisite for efficient implementation and high- quality monitoring and follow-up of Union development aid; in this regard calls on the Commission and the EEAS to give sufficient priority to the human resources aspects of their organisations as well as to cost efficiency, so as not to compromise any delegation's capacity for the monitoring and control tasks;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Is concerned that althoughRecalls that budget support has been used as an aid modality for almost two decades by the Commission, it is still needs considerable; notes that there is still scope for improvement in all aspects, that is in such as the design, efficiency and effectiveness of the implementation, control and reporting;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Acknowledges the potential advantages of budget support; believes, however, that it is not the right answer to every situation; considersstresses at the same time that this aid modality is meaningful only if ilike all others must provides sufficient transparency, accountability and effectiveness;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26 a. Acknowledges the effort made and improvements achieved by the Commission in demonstrating budget support eligibility in a better formalised and structured manner e.g. by introducing the revised framework for assessing progress in public financial management or the guidance on budget support to fragile states etc;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26 b. Welcomes the finding of the Court of Auditors that the previously high number of non-quantifiable errors relating to demonstration of progress in public finance management have decreased substantially following the introduction of a revised framework for monitoring and reporting on progress in public finance management in June 2010; calls on the Commission to continue its efforts to reduce non-quantifiable errors lastingly;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27 a. Stresses the double accountability for the budget support: between the donor and the partner country and between the partner state and its citizens; therefore emphasises the shared interest of taxpayers in the EU and the partner countries in transparent and correct audits and the continued need for enhanced support for the development of partner countries' own control capacity;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Is concerned about the conclusions of the Court of Auditors that insufficient attention has been given to the need to strengthen oversight bodies such as parliaments and civil society organisations in recipient countries, as strengthening parliamentary oversight and improving the involvement of civil society are essential parts of capacity building objectives concerning GBS; urges the Commission to invest more in improving the institutions, rule of law and democracy, democracy and good governance of the recipient countries;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Stresses that good governance, democracy and respect of human rights must be integrated goals of the implementing organisations in countries where EDF support is distributed;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41 a. Recalls the Arab Spring events during 2011 and the importance of a focus on democratic principles and democracy building support in all development aid;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 b (new)
Paragraph 41 b (new)
41 b. Reiterates its commitment to the principles of aid effectiveness built on genuine partnership, as defined within the OECD Paris Declaration and the AAA;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)
Paragraph 43 a (new)
43 a. Welcomes the fact that development aid is no longer the dominant source of income for many of the poorest countries in the world; stresses that aid effectiveness requires poor countries to be able to mobilise domestic revenues and deplores the fact that illicit capital flight from developing countries in sums exceeding the inflow of capital to these countries, e.g. through corruption and large scale tax evasion, is an acute and substantial problem hindering poverty reduction and prolonging aid dependency;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 b (new)
Paragraph 43 b (new)
43 b. Further stresses that long-term social and economic development requires sustainable sources of income other than aid; in this regard considers that sound and well-functioning trade relations in line with WTO principles is key for developing countries and therefore urges the Commission, the Council and the ACP states to find solutions to the outstanding issues concerning the proposed Economic Partnership Agreements and free trade between Europe and the ACP region;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Recalls the case of Afghanistan, where the security situation is extremely difficult, to the extent that Commission staff can no longer travel freely, which significantly limits the execution of a number of the ‘standard’ internal control procedures; considers that in this and similar cases it is not feasible to continue a strong, long- term commitment unless adequate control over spending is ensured;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47 a (new)
Paragraph 47 a (new)
47 a. Points out that the EU needs a wide range of tools for development cooperation adapted to different contexts as there is no one-size-fits-all in development aid; in particular, emphasises the need for specific tools and working methods in dealing with failed states or with deeply undemocratic countries such as Eritrea, which refuses aid to its people in spite of a rampant food crisis;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48
Paragraph 48
48. Believes that the current acute food crisis in the Horn of Africa is also the tragic consequence of failed coherence and complementary between the international humanitarian and development aid; points out that unlike natural disasters, this has been a slow-onset crisis that has gradually escalated to humanitarian disaster; recalls that unfortunately droughts and food shortage are of a chronic character in the Horn of Africa; deplores the fact that despite this and the vast amount of development assistance that has been flown to the region during the past decades, there are no visible results of a strengthening of self-sufficiency a the local farmers thus and that self-sufficiency of local farmers needs to be strengthened to ensuringe sustainability;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Paragraph 52
52. Is still surprised to learn, as mentioned inRecalls its previous discharge resolutions, which mention that a major problem in implementing specific development programmes is the lack of qualified staff in the Union Delegations and the support given by the Commission Headquarters: finds it unacceptable that despite perhaps reasonable answers concerning budgetary constraints and zero growth policies being given by the Commission, the effectiveness and the future of millions of children are affected by the non- availability of a couple of dozen experts in the Union Delegations; invites the Commission to discuss this with Parliament's competent committees to find a more permanent solution for this problem;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 57
Paragraph 57
57. Stresses that maximising growth is not equivalent to maximising development; bBelieves that economic growth policies cannot succeed without promotion of social and environmental standards and the implementation of social protection mechanisms;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58
Paragraph 58
58. Calls on the EIB to link its financing projects more directly to poverty reduction and the achievement of the MDGs, human rights, corporate social responsibility, decent work and environmental principles, democracy and good governance, through the implementation of Decision No 1080/2011/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council ;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 62
Paragraph 62
62. Recalls that a significant part of the funds from the Investment Facility are channelled via European financial institutions or joint ventures exceptionally consisting of European financial institutions which charge interest and serve as intermediaries between the EIB and the local partners in developing countries; questions whether such a complex structure is effective and appropriate in terms of contributing to the development of the private sector and the financial sector in developing countries, which is the primary goal of the Investment Facility;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64
Paragraph 64
64. Is highly concerned by the factNotes that according to the reports of a non- governmental organisation, there were cases when EIB funds flowed to companies, the leadership of which was either under investigation or accused of corruption and money laundering; stresses that investing mainly in the mining sector cannot be the key tocalls on the EIB to be informed on the substainable developmentnce of such cases;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 68 a (new)
Paragraph 68 a (new)
68 a. Notes furthermore that the present EIB Board of Directors consists of seven women and 19 men; encourages the Member States to nominate women candidates to fill the two presently vacant positions in order to achieve a more balanced representation on the Board;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 69
Paragraph 69
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 70
Paragraph 70
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 71
Paragraph 71
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 72
Paragraph 72