27 Amendments of João FERREIRA related to 2012/0337(COD)
Amendment 80 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) It is essential that Union priority objectives for 2020 are established, in light of a long-term vision for 2050. The new programme should buile founded on policy initiatives that are not based on market solutions for the environment in the Europe 2020 strategy, includingsuch as the EU climate and energy package, the Roadmap for moving to a low-carbon economy in 2050, the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, the Roadmap to a resource-efficient Europe and the Innovation Union Flagship Initiative.
Amendment 87 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) EngagementCooperation with non-government actors is important in ensuring the success of the programme and the achievement of its priority objectives.
Amendment 89 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) Biodiversity loss and the degradation of ecosystems in the Union have important implications for the environment and are costly for society as a whole, particularly for economic actors in sectors that depend directly on ecosystem services.
Amendment 98 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 24 a (new)
Recital 24 a (new)
(24a) Further steps to enhance the sustainability of agriculture would be beneficial. Greater emphasis should be given to improving soil quality through the use of rotations, legumes, green manure and integrated crop-livestock systems. The use and pollution of water could be reduced by rearing animals in mixed and grazing systems rather than in industrial systems. Biodiversity could be promoted by the adoption of less intensified farming.
Amendment 115 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
(ga) to shape a harmonious and sustainable relationship between nature and society;
Amendment 117 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – paragraph 2
Article 2 – paragraph 2
2. The programme shall be based on the polluter-pays principle, the precautionary principle and preventive action, and the principle of rectification of pollution at source, whereby the principles of economic democracy shall always be placed above the laws of the market.
Amendment 240 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 31
Annex 1 – point 31
31. All sectors of the economy will need to contribute to reducing GHG emissions for the EU to deliver its fair share of global efforts. The EU needs to agree the next steps for its climate and energy framework beyond 2020 in order to prepare itself for international negotiations on a new legally binding agreement, but also to provide Member States and industry with a clear framework to make the medium-term investments needed. Hence the EU needs to consider policy options for delivering the reductions set out in the Low-Carbon Economy Roadmap for the period beyond 2020. The 2050 Energy roadmap and the White Paper on transport need to be underpinned by strong policy frameworks. Moreover, Member States need to develop and put in place long-term, cost-effectiveconomically viable low-carbon development strategies aimed at achieving the EU objective of reducing GHG emissions by 80% to 95% by mid- century, compared to 1990, as part of a global effort to limit average temperature increase to below 2°C. The EU Emissions Trading System will continue to be a central pillar of EU climate policy beyond 2020.
Amendment 254 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 36
Annex 1 – point 36
36. In addition to mandatory green public procurement requirements for certain product categories, most Member States have adopted voluntary action plans and many have set targets for specific product groups. There is, however, considerable scope for administrations at all levels to further reduce their environmental impact through their purchasing decisions. Member States and regions should take further steps to reach the target of applying green procurement criteria to at least 50% of public tenders. The Commission will assess the possibility of introducing further sector- specific legislation to set mandatorystandards to promote green public procurement rules for additional product categories.
Amendment 257 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 37
Annex 1 – point 37
37. There is also considerable potential for improving public waste management in the EU to make better use of resources, open up new markets, create new jobs and reduce dependence on imports of raw materials, while having lower impacts on the environment. Each year in the EU, 2.7 billion tonnes of waste are produced, of which 98 million tonnes is hazardous. On average, only 40 % of solid waste is re- used or recycled. The rest goes to landfill or incineration. In some Member States, more than 70 % of waste is recycled, showing how waste could be used as one of the EU’s key resourcesa secondary source of resources for the EU, replacing or complementing primary extraction. At the same time, many Member States landfill over 75 % of their municipal waste.
Amendment 265 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 38
Annex 1 – point 38
38. Turning waste into a resource, as called for in the Resource Efficiency Roadmap, requires the full implementation of EU waste legislation across the EU, based on strict application of the waste hierarchy and covering different types of waste. Additional efforts are needed to: reduce per capita waste generation in absolute terms, limit energy recovery to non-recyclable materials, phase out landfilling, ensure high quality recycling, and develop markets for secondary raw materials. Hazardous waste will need to be managed so as to minimise significant adverse effects on human health and the environment, as agreed at the Rio+20 Summit. To achieve this, market-based instrumentlegal and economic incentives that privilege prevention, recycling and re-use should be applied much more systematically across the EU. Barriers facing recycling activities in the EU internal market should be removed and eExisting prevention, re-use, recycling, recovery and landfill diversion targets should be reviewed so as to move towards a ‘circular’ economy, with a cascading use of resources and residual waste close to zero.
Amendment 276 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 39
Annex 1 – point 39
39. Resource efficiency in the water sector will also be tackled as a priority to help deliver good water status. Even though droughts and water scarcity are affecting more and more parts of Europe, an estimated 20-40 % of Europe’s available water is still being wasted, for instance, through leakages in the distribution system. According to available modelling, there is still considerable scope for improving water efficiency in the EU, in particular by maintaining ownership of this resource as a public asset, in relation to abstraction and management. Moreover, rising demand and the impacts of climate change are expected to increase the pressure on Europe’s water resources significantly. Against this background, the Union and Member States should take action to ensure water abstraction respects available renewable water resource limits by 2020, including by improving water efficiency through the use of market mechanisms such as water pricing that reflects the true value of water. Progress will be facilitated by accelerated demonstrationg and rolling out of innovative technologies, systems and businessmanagement models building on the Strategic Implementation Plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Water.
Amendment 287 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 41 – subparagraph 1 - point c a (new)
Annex 1 – point 41 – subparagraph 1 - point c a (new)
(ca) The environmental impact of the food, housing and mobility sectors is lessened at the same time as the costs for the public are reduced, through spatial planning measures, high-quality and low- cost public transport, a reduction in transport during the life cycle of products, and rules and economic incentives that favour local food production and proximity between home and workplace.
Amendment 299 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 41 – subparagraph 2 - point b a (new)
Annex 1 – point 41 – subparagraph 2 - point b a (new)
(ba) Reducing the use of packaging and transport during the life cycle of products.
Amendment 319 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 41 – subparagraph 2 - point f
Annex 1 – point 41 – subparagraph 2 - point f
(f) Improving water efficiency by setting and monitoring targets atin river basin level and using market mechanisms, such as water pricingmanagement plans, strengthening the public administration of water resources, creating more skilled jobs and equipping services with adequate budgets and investment capacities.
Amendment 325 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 41 – subparagraph 2 - point f a (new)
Annex 1 – point 41 – subparagraph 2 - point f a (new)
(fa) Guaranteeing the quantity and quality of water reserves, focusing on the sources of water for human use, in particular by maintaining and improving natural and artificial reservoirs, paying particular attention to the management of underground aquifers and the storage capacity of soil, monitoring and checking the variation in water storage and quality.
Amendment 328 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 44
Annex 1 – point 44
44. Access to water of satisfactory quality remains problematic in a number of rural areas in the EU, while ensuring the good quality of Europe’s bathing waters benefits both human health and the EU’s tourism industry. Adverse consequences of floods for human health and economic activity are being experienced more frequently, partchiefly due to changes to the hydrological cycle and land useinadequate territorial policies and the occupation of floodplains.
Amendment 338 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 49 a (new)
Annex 1 – point 49 a (new)
49a. Draws attention to the effects of international trade deregulation and liberalisation, which have led to increased energy consumption and flows of goods at world level, thus increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere; considers that defending and promoting local energy production and consumption through shorter supply chains furthers complementarities in international trade instead of competition among products, producers and countries;
Amendment 339 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 49 b (new)
Annex 1 – point 49 b (new)
49b. Recommends that an assessment be made, in the short term, of the impact of the EU's common policies, in particular the CAP, CFP and trade policy, on the potential for reducing the carbon intensity of EU economies. The results of this assessment should be taken into account when these policies are revised.
Amendment 345 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 52 – subparagraph 1 – point c
Annex 1 – point 52 – subparagraph 1 – point c
(c) CAll citizens throughout the EU benefit from high standards for safe drinking andjoy safe drinking water and wastewater treatment, at adequate quality and in sufficient quantity, as well as hygienically safe public bathing water.
Amendment 356 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 52 – subparagraph 2 – point c
Annex 1 – point 52 – subparagraph 2 – point c
(c) Boosting efforts to implement the Drinking Water Directive, in particular for small drinking water suppliers, andEnsuring the necessary funding for the universal supply and treatment of water and boosting efforts to comply with the plans for recovery, monitoring and checks on the sources of water for human consumption and implement the Bathing Water Directive.
Amendment 367 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 55
Annex 1 – point 55
55. Improving the implementation of the EU environment acquis at Member State level will therefore be given top priority in the coming years. There are significant differences in implementation between and within Member States. There is a need to equip those involved in implementing environmental legislation at national, regional and local levels with the budget, posts, knowledge and capacity to improve the delivery of benefits from this legislation.
Amendment 421 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 72
Annex 1 – point 72
Amendment 423 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 73
Annex 1 – point 73
73. Attracting investment in some areas is currently difficult because of the lack of price The implementation of environment policies requires a public budget and an increase in posts with proper professigonals from the market, or distorted price signals arising from a failure to account properly for environmental costs or from public subsidies for careers in national, regional and local public administration, something that has been made impossible by the 'austerity' policies and public spending cuts imposed on some Member States; the EU will have to review these policies in order to achieve the environmentally harmful a objectivities.
Amendment 424 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 74
Annex 1 – point 74
74. The Union and Member States will need to put in place the right conditions to ensure that environmental externalities are adequately addressed and that the right market signals are sent to the private sector, with due regard to any adverse social impacts. This will involve applying the polluter-pays principle more systematically, through phasing out environmentally harmful subsidies and shifting taxation away from labour towards pollution. As natural resources become increasingly scarce, the economic rent and profits associated with their ownership or exclusive use may increase. Public intervention to ensure that such rents are not excessive and that externalities are taken into account will lead to more efficient use of these resources and will help to avoid market distortions, as weraise the status of nature and the community above the private accumulation of capital, as a guarantee of equality and social justice, placing the principles of economic democracy above the laws of the market, as well as providing the conditions to ensure that environmental externalities are adequately addressed and that the right signals of a regulated market are sent to the private sector, with due regard to any adverse social impacts. As natural resources become increasingly scarce, it is increasingly important that their ownership is in the public domain or is gradually made public in order to ensure universal access that respects the environment, which are features of a high-quality public service. Public intervention will ensure that the rents associated with these services are not excessive, guaranteeing efficient and universally as generate public revenueccessible use of these resources. Environment and climate priorities will be pursued in the framework of the European Semester where these are relevant to thenecessary sustainable growth prospects of individual Member States to which country-specific recommendations are addressed. Other market-based regulation instruments, such as payments for ecosystem services, should be used more extensively at EU and national level to incentivise privateublic sector involvement and sustainable management of natural capitalresources.
Amendment 431 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 75
Annex 1 – point 75
75. The private sector should also be encouraged to take up opportunities offered under the new EU financial framework to step up their involvement in efforts to achieve environmental and climate objectives, especially in relation to eco- innovation activities and the uptake of new technologies, with a particular focus on SMEs. Public-private initiatives for eco- innovation should be promoted under European Innovation Partnerships, such as the Innovation Partnership on Water. Through the new framework for Innovative Financial Instruments, private sector access to finance for investments in environment – notably biodiversity and climate change –should be facilitated. European enterprises should be further encouraged to disclose environmental information as part of their financial reporting, beyond the extent required under existing EU legislation.
Amendment 438 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 82 – subparagraph 2 – point a
Annex 1 – point 82 – subparagraph 2 – point a
Amendment 445 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 82 – subparagraph 2 – point f
Annex 1 – point 82 – subparagraph 2 – point f