17 Amendments of Helmut SCHOLZ related to 2018/0058(COD)
Amendment 4 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) Given that a residual external financing gap remains in Ukraine’s balance of payments over and above the resources provided by the IMF and other multilateral institutions, the Union macro-financial assistance to be provided to Ukraine is, under the current exceptional circumstances, considered to be an appropriate response to Ukraine’s request for support to its economic stabilisation, in conjunction with the IMF programme. The Union’'s macro-financial assistance would support the economic stabilisation and tha socially responsible structural reform agenda of Ukraine, supplementing resources made available under the IMF’'s financial arrangement.
Amendment 5 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) The determination of the amount of the Union’s macro-financial assistance is based on a complete quantitative assessment of Ukraine’s residual external financing needs, and takes into account its capacity to finance itself with its own resources, in particular the international reserves at its disposal. The Union’s macro-financial assistance should complement the programmes and resources provided by the IMF and the World Bank. The determination of the amount of the assistance also takes into account expected financial contributions from bilateral and multilateral donors and the need to ensure fair burden sharing between the Union and other donors, as well as the pre-existing deployment of the Union’s other external financing instruments in Ukraine and the added value of the overall Union involvement.Does not affect the English version.)
Amendment 8 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 17
Recital 17
(17) A pre-condition for granting the Union’'s macro-financial assistance should be that Ukraine respects effective democratic mechanisms –— including a multi-party parliamentary system –— and the rule of law, and guarantees protection of freedom of expression and respect for human rights. In addition, the specific objectives of the Union’s macro-financial assistance should strengthen the efficiency, transparency and accountability of the public finance management systems in Ukraine and should promot, ensure effective combatting of corruption, money laundering and tax avoidance, ensure governance and supervision of the financial and banking sector, and promote socially responsible structural reforms aimed at supporting sustainable and inclusive growth, employment creation, the continued provision of basic services for the population and fiscal consolidation. Both the fulfilment of the preconditions and the achievement of those objectives should be regularly monitored by the Commission and the European External Action Service. and reported on.
Amendment 9 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) Given that a residual external financing gap remains in Ukraine’s balance of payments over and above the resources provided by the IMF and other multilateral institutions, the Union macro-financial assistance to be provided to Ukraine is, under the current exceptional circumstances, considered to be an appropriate response to Ukraine’s request for support to its economic stabilisation, in conjunction with the IMF programme. The Union’'s macro-financial assistance would support the economic stabilisation and tha socially responsible structural reform agenda of Ukraine, supplementing resources made available under the IMF’'s financial arrangement.
Amendment 9 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 17 a (new)
Recital 17 a (new)
(17a) If the precondition and the objectives are not met or if the aims and principles of the Association Agreement are generally disregarded, the Commission should temporarily suspend or cancel disbursement of the relevant tranche of the Union’s macro-financial assistance.
Amendment 12 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) The Union’s macro-financial assistance should be managed by the Commission. In order to ensure that the European Parliament and the Council are able to follow the implementation of this Decision, the Commission should regularly inform them of developments relating to the assistance and provide them with relevant documents. In the process, the Commission should also report in particular on social developments and the impact of the agreed reforms on socio- economic cohesion in Ukraine.
Amendment 13 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 23
Recital 23
(23) The Union's macro-financial assistance should be subject to economic policyconditions which do not jeopardise the country's socio-economic stability, which measurably seek to combat poverty and create jobs, and which do not reduce the population's access to health care and energy Those conditions, to should be laid down in a Memorandum of Understanding, including measurement criteria. In order to ensure uniform conditions of implementation and for reasons of efficiency, the Commission should be empowered to negotiate such conditions with the Ukrainian authorities in line with what is laid down by the European Parliament and after consultations with relevant Ukrainian stakeholders and social partners and under the supervision of the committee of representatives of the Member States in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011. The outcome should be communicated to the European Parliament without delay. Under that Regulation, the advisory procedure should, as a general rule, apply in all cases other than as provided for in that Regulation. Considering the potentially important impact of assistance of more than EUR 90 million, it is appropriate that the examination procedure be used for operations above that threshold. Considering the amount of the Union's macrofinancial assistance to Ukraine, the examination procedure should apply to the adoption of the Memorandum of Understanding, and to any reduction, suspension or cancellation of the assistance,
Amendment 14 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 1 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Article 1 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
The release of the Union’s macro-financial assistance shall be managed by the Commission in a manner consistent with the agreements or understandings reached between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Ukraine, and with the key principles and objectives of political, institutional, socio-economic and economic reforms set out in the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, including the DCFTA, agreed under the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP).
Amendment 15 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 1 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
Article 1 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
The Commission shall regularly inform the European Parliament and the Council of developments regarding the Union’s macro-financial assistance, including disbursements thereof and the degree of implementation by Ukraine of the agreements reached, and shall provide those institutions with the relevant documents in due time.
Amendment 18 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 1
Article 2 – paragraph 1
1. A pre-condition for granting the Union’'s macro-financial assistance shall be that Ukraine respects effective democratic mechanisms –— including a multi-party parliamentary system –— and the rule of law, and guarantees respect for human rightsprotection of freedom of expression and respect for human rights. Prior to disbursement of the second tranche, there shall be verification of, in particular, the degree of implementation of the agreed specific objectives of the Union’s macro-financial assistance with regard to strengthening the efficiency, transparency and accountability of the public finance management systems in Ukraine, to effectively combatting corruption, money laundering and tax avoidance, to ensuring governance and supervision of the financial and banking sector, and to socially responsible structural reforms aimed at supporting sustainable and inclusive growth, employment creation, the continued provision of basic services for the population and fiscal consolidation. Both the fulfilment of the preconditions and the achievement of those objectives shall be regularly monitored by the Commission and the European External Action Service and reported on to the European Parliament and the Council.
Amendment 20 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1
1. The Commission, in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 7(2), shall agree with the Ukrainian authoritiesGovernment on clearly defined economic policypolitical and financial conditions, focusing on structural reforms andocially responsible structural reforms, on ensuring that the population's basic needs are met as regards health care and energy and on sound public finances, to which the Union’'s macro-financial assistance is to be subject, to be laid down in a Memorandum of Understanding (“‘the Memorandum of Understanding”’) which shall include a timeframe and measurement criteria for the fulfilment of those conditions. The economic policypolitical and financial conditions set out in the Memorandum of Understanding shall be consistent with the agreements or understandings referred to in Article 1(3), including the macroeconomic adjustment and structural reform programmes implemented by Ukraine with the support of the IMF.
Amendment 23 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 2
Article 3 – paragraph 2
2. The conditions referred to in paragraph 1 shall aim, in particular, at enhancing the efficiency, transparency and accountability of the public finance management systems in Ukraine, including for the use of the Union’'s macro-financial assistance. Progress in mutual market opening, the development ofpromoting social cohesion in Ukraine, in mutual market opening, in lowering Ukraine's trade deficit and in developing rules-based and fair trade, and other pris well as conformities in the context of the Union’sy with the Union’s valuers-based external -policy priorities shall also be duly taken into account when designing the policy measures. Progress in attaining those objectives shall be regularly monitored by the Commission and reported on to the European Parliament and the Council.
Amendment 26 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 23
Recital 23
(23) The Union's macro-financial assistance should be subject to economic policy conditionsditions which do not jeopardise the country's socio-economic stability and are measurably also linked to the fight against poverty and job creation, to be laid down in a Memorandum of Understanding, including appropriate measurement criteria. In order to ensure uniform conditions of implementation and for reasons of efficiency, the Commission should be empowered to negotiate such conditions with the Ukrainian authorities after consultations with relevant Ukrainian stakeholders and social partners and under the supervision of the committee of representatives of the Member States in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011. Under that Regulation, the advisory procedure should, as a general rule, apply in all cases other than as provided for in that Regulation. Considering the potentially important impact of assistance of more than EUR 90 million, it is appropriate that the examination procedure be used for operations above that threshold. Considering the amount of the Union's macrofinancial assistance to Ukraine, the examination procedure should apply to the adoption of the Memorandum of Understanding, and to any reduction, suspension or cancellation of the assistance,
Amendment 26 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 8 – paragraph 2
Article 8 – paragraph 2
2. Not later than two years after the expiry of the availability period referred to in Article 1(4), the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and to the Council an ex-post evaluation report, assessing the results and efficiency of the completed Union’s macro-financial assistance and the extent to which it has contributed to the aims of the assistance. The report shall contain a separate chapter on social development and on the impact of the reforms on socio-economic cohesion in Ukraine.
Amendment 31 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 1 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Article 1 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
The release of the Union’s macro-financial assistance shall be managed by the Commission in a manner consistent with the agreements or understandings reached between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Ukraine, and with the key principles and objectives of political, institutional, socio-economic and economic reforms set out in the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, including the DCFTA, agreed under the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP).
Amendment 32 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 1 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
Article 1 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
The Commission shall regularly inform the European Parliament and the Council of developments regarding the Union’s macro-financial assistance, including disbursements thereof and the degree of implementation of the agreements reached by Ukraine, and shall provide those institutions with the relevant documents in due time.
Amendment 46 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1
1. The Commission, in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 7(2), shall agree with the Ukrainian authorities on clearly defined economic policypolitical and financial conditions, focusing on socially responsible structural reforms and sound public finances, to which the Union’'s macro-financial assistance is to be subject, to be laid down in a Memorandum of Understanding (“‘the Memorandum of Understanding”’) which shall include a precise timeframe and specific measurement criteria for the fulfilment of those conditions. The economic policypolitical and financial conditions set out in the Memorandum of Understanding shall be consistent with the agreements or understandings referred to in Article 1(3), including the macroeconomic adjustment and structural reform programmes implemented by Ukraine with the support of the IMF.