11 Amendments of Bas BELDER related to 2016/2323(BUD)
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Reiterates its call for thematic concentration when setting priorities for the EU budget 2018, following a similar call in the most recent European Parliament report on the discharge (regarding budget year 2014); acknowledges that the new challenges and crises require also setting negative priorities, thus enabling effective delivery on key issues as well as a more modest development of the EU-budget;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines the important role and potentialAcknowledges the role of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) in reducing the investment gap in Europe, and recognises the positive results achieved so far; welcomes also. Calls on the Commission to report with an objective impact assessment on the actual effects of the fund in a transparent manner. Acknowledges the Commission´s proposal for extending the EFSI until 2020, which will serveconsiders there is room to further improve its functioning, especially as regards the additionality principle and the geographical balance;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Strongly supportAcknowledges regional policy as one of the main investment instruments of the EU budget that enables economic, social and territorial cohesion; underlines that this policy generates growth and jobs in all Member States; is concerned, however, about the unacceptable delays in implementation of operational programmes at EU level; calls on the Commission and the Member States to cooperate in order to ensure that the designation of managing and certifying authorities is concluded and implementation accelerates;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Is convinced that, under the current circumstances, where the ceiling in Heading 3 is too low, the EU budget has maximised its impact in dealing with the effects of the migratory and refugee crisis; points out, however, that as a precondition for further budget increases there has to be adopted a clear strategy for tackling the migratory and refugee crisis including clear, measurable and comprehensible objectives; on this basis, a sustainable solution must be found to this issue, as it has been shown by the repeated mobilisation of special instruments, such as the flexibility instrument, that the EU budget was not initially designed to address crises of such magnitude;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Strongly supports initiatives in the field of defence research with the aim of encouraging better cooperation between Member States; recalls that, while respecting provisions enshrined in the Treaties, strengthened cooperation in the field of defence is neededan option in order to meet the security challenges that the EU is facing, which are generated by prolonged instability in the EU neighbourhood and uncertainty regarding the commitment of certain EU partners towards NATO objectives;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Reaffirms its conviction that in order to tackle the root causes of the migratory and refugee crisis, the EU needs to step up its role through investments in the countries of origin of the refugees and migrants; calls therefore on the Commission to design a real roadmap to tackle the migration crises in an effective way; notes that investments in infrastructure, housing, education, medical services and support for SMEs are part of the solution to tackle the root causes of migration; welcomes thereforeacknowledges the External Investment Plan ascould be a coherent and coordinated framework to promote investments in Africa and the Neighbourhood countries;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Underlines that one of the conditions for preserving stability and prosperity in the EU is a stable EU Neighbourhood; calls on the Commission therefore to ensure that priority is given to investments in the EU Neighbourhood in order to support efforts to tackle the main issues that this area is facing: the migration and refugee crisis in the Southern Neighbourhood and Russian aggression in the Eastern Neighbourhood; reiterates that supporting countries which are implementing association agreements with the EU is key to facilitating political and economic reforms; but stresses that this support should only take place as long as these countries meet the eligibility criteria;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Reiterates its previous calls for providing the EU budget with an adequate level of payment appropriations in order to allow it to fulfil its main purpose as an investment budget; stresses that the main aim of the budget should be to become efficient, targeted and sustainable; is convinced that this role cannot be fulfilled if the EU does not deliver on its commitments, thus endangering its credibility;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Reiterates its longstanding position that the payments and commitments of special instruments (the Flexibility Instrument, the EU Solidarity Fund, the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and the Emergency Aid Reserve) must be counted over and abovewithin the scope of the MFF payment ceiling, as is the case for commitments; underlines, in the context of the MFF mid- term revision, the progress achieved on the issue of budgeting the payments of the MFF special instruments with the revision of the 2014 Contingency Margin decision, even if this matter was not unequivocally resolved;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Underlines that predictability and long-term sustainability of the EU budget is a prerequisite for a strong and stable European Union; draws attention to the fact that the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU will provide an opportunity to address the long-standing issues which have preventedreform the EU budget from reaching its real potential, especially as regards the revenue side of the budget; reaffirms its position in favour of an in- depth reform of EU own resources, and welcomes in this respect the presentation of the final report of the High-Level Group on Own Resources (HLGOR); invites all involved parties to draw the appropriate conclusions from this report and analyse the feasibility of implementing the recommendations of the HLGOR that would help make; stresses that real and clear identified added value for the citizens has to be created in order to justify the expenditure of the EU budget more stable and predictable; welcomes the conclusion of the HLGOR regarding the ‘juste retour’ approach, which should end, as it has been shown by the report that all Member States benefit from the EU budget, irrespective of their ‘net-balance’; stresses that a lot of Member States are struggling to keep up with the commitments to the EU budget and to increase the fiscal burden on EU taxpayers;