85 Amendments of Reinhard BÜTIKOFER related to 2013/2006(INI)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
- having regard to the Commission communication of 31 July 2012 entitled 'Strategy for the sustainable competitiveness of the construction sector and its enterprises' (COM(2012)433),
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18
Citation 18
– having regard to the Commission Staff Working Document of 26 September 20112 entitled ‘'Competitiveness of European high-end industries’' (SWD(20132)0286),
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 a (new)
Citation 23 a (new)
- having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 17 April 2013 entitled 'Sustainable competitiveness of the construction sector' ('CCMI/107),
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 b (new)
Citation 23 b (new)
- having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 6 June 2013 entitled 'Employee involvement and participation as a pillar of sound business management and balanced approaches to overcoming the crisis' (2013/C 161/06),
Amendment 11 #
- having regard to its resolution of 2 July 2013 on the contribution of cooperatives to overcoming the crisis1,
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A (new)
Recital A (new)
A. whereas the EU needs a strategy to tackle the economic and financial crisis and kick-start a new economic dynamic;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B (new)
Recital B (new)
B. whereas Europe's industry plays a key role and is an important part of the solution to this crisis;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C (new)
Recital C (new)
C. whereas Europe's industrial competitors have for years developed strong industrial strategies;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D (new)
Recital D (new)
D. whereas the Commission is to be commended for embarking on an industrial policy with its Communication aiming to organise an industrial turnaround;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E (new)
Recital E (new)
E. whereas Europe's common future as an industrial location lies in a modernisation offensive that strengthens innovation centres and eliminates the development deficits of industrially and structurally weak regions;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F (new)
Recital F (new)
F. whereas an European industrial policy must find the right mix of policies to improve the framework environment taking into account the different national and regional (including cross-border) economic and social realities and circumstances; industrial policy must be embedded in a market where government sets the regulatory framework but does not directly intervene to pick winners;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G (new)
Recital G (new)
G. whereas the reduced availability of credit limits investments, obstructing innovation as well as the adoption of new efficient technologies; an industrial policy in Europe therefore requires a robust financial architecture that promotes investments;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H (new)
Recital H (new)
H. whereas the financing conditions in southern Europe are more stringent, requiring tailor-made financing solutions;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I (new)
Recital I (new)
I. whereas the EU needs an industry policy approach that combines competitiveness, sustainability and decent work in order to tackle the major societal challenges;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J (new)
Recital J (new)
J. whereas labour productivity has developed much faster in recent decades than resource productivity, while estimates show that labour costs represent less than 20% of a product and resources costs represent 40%;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K (new)
Recital K (new)
K. whereas, in the face of the global challenges, it is essential that energy and resource efficiency are at the basis of the European industrial renewal if European industry intends to maintain its competitiveness in the future;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L (new)
Recital L (new)
L. whereas the European Union needs an ambitious, eco-efficient and green industrial strategy in order to recreate manufacturing capacity and to generate highly qualified and well-paid jobs;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M (new)
Recital M (new)
M. whereas only the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors could create 5 million jobs by 2020;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N (new)
Recital N (new)
N. whereas the European Union is also home to an immense innovation capacity with 6 EU Member States being in the top 10 of the 50 most innovative countries in the world;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O (new)
Recital O (new)
O. whereas industrial policy is a transversal issue and the Commission therefore needs to clearly integrate its industrial policy into the EU2020 strategy, the development of the Roadmap for a Low-Carbon Economy by 2050, the SET- Plan industrial initiatives and the 2050 vision in the Roadmap to a Resource- Efficient Europe;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P (new)
Recital P (new)
P. whereas a European industrial policy requires a strong workforce while on average only 7% of the low-skilled workforce has had training;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that Europe's future industrial strength lies in a Renaissance of Industry for a Sustainable Europe (RISE) strategy that pursues technological, business and social innovation towards a third industrial revolution including a low-carbon modernisation offensive; argues that RISE will create new markets, business models and creative entrepreneurs, new jobs and decent work, bringing an industrial renewal with economic dynamism, confidence and competitiveness; believes that energy and resource efficiency are key pillars of such a strategy; notes that a reliable future- oriented infrastructure for transport, energy production and distribution as well as telecommunications are also of great importance;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that RISE must be embedded in an ecological and social market economy in accordance with the principles of fair competition, the internalisation of externalities and environmentally conscious Ordnungspolitik; states that Europe’s future industrial competitiveness must be guided by the vision of sustainability; notes the crucial role played by industry and companies as promoters of sustainability;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises that RISE needs a stable and secure long-term framework based on clear targets, indicators and a life-cycle and circular economy approach that steers investments into creativity, skills, innovation, sustainable technologies and promotes modernisation of Europe's industrial base through a value chain- conscious policy that also includes the basic industries and provides incentives for investments;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recognises that IP must tackle the grand societal challenges set out in the Europe 2020 strategy and must be effectively integrated into the European Semester processtargets, including future energy, resource and climate objectives, and must be effectively integrated into the European Semester process and the National Reform Programmes in order to promote investment and create good jobs particularly for young people;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Believes that the target should reflect the new industrial realities such as the integration of manufacturing and services (manu-services) as well as a shift to data- driven economy and value-added production; calls on the Commission, therefore, to assess and substantiate its works on targets and rethink the classification of industrial sectors;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Emphasises that RISE will only succeed if underpinned by an adequate macroeconomic framework and the necessary budgetary resources in order to leverage public and private investment; demands, in this context, a European green growth strategy and deplores the Council's cuts to MFF heading 1A, in particular of Horizon 2020, COSME and the Connecting Europe Facility; calls on the Member States to substantially strengthen the financial power of those programmes;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Agrees with the Commission that IP must have an effective, integrated governance structure including monitoring; recalls the EP's recommendation in the Lange report on industry to establish a permanent Commission IP task force of relevant DGs that takes into account stakeholders' input and coordinates and monitors implementation; asks the Commission to report annually to EP on the progress of RISE; stresses that RISE needs an alliance of and partnership with stakeholders from industry from different sectors, trade unions, academia, and civil society, such as consumer watchdogs and non-governmental organisations; calls on the Commission to make full use of Article 173(2) of the Treaty to advance RISE;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Commends Vice-President Tajani's work in coordinating IP more closely with the Competitiveness Council; stresses that RISE has toacknowledges that an IP for RISE should form a common basis for the EU but stresses that it must take into account the different national and regional circumstances and be coordinated with the IP of the Member States;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Stresses that the European Parliament (EP) should regularly be informed on IP developments and welcomes the Commission's annual progress report; regrets that the EP has so far not been mentioned in the governance structures proposed by the Commission; proposes that the taskforces for the priority action lines publish an annual report alongside the one from the Commission to the EP;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Emphasises that only with an innovation, efficiency and sustainable technology offensive can the EU's industrial base modernise and increase its core competitiveness; believes that innovation needs to be promoted across the board including all stakeholders ranging from shop-floor and non- technical innovation to high-tech R&D in research labs;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Believes that EU research and innovation funds should act as a catalyst and be used in synergy with other national and regional funds; recalls the 3 % R&D target with two thirds coming from the private sector; supports the establishment of public-private partnerships (PPPs) under Horizon 2020 and calls on the Commission to ensure sufficiento leverage of private sector investment;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the Commission's action lines as well as possible PPPs; stresses that efficiency and sustainability are transversal competitiveness priorities that should be an integral part of each action line; is concerned, however, that big data and ICT developments are not adequately included; calls on the Commission to integrate them properly; asks the Commission to support cluster-formation across the action lines, promoting synergies and spill-overs between them;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission to propose a cluster policy in the form of cooperation, particularly in value chains, between connected companies, suppliers, service providers and research centres; stresses the importance of establishing transnational clusters, particularly in order to integrate structurally weaker regions into the European industrial value chain; believes this to be a crucial aspect to be integrated into regional industrial policies;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Welcomes the strategy for key enabling technologies where the EU holds strong competitive advantage; supports the proposed actions to improve coordination and synergies between policies and instruments including the EU Structural FHorizon 2020, the EIB, the EU Structural Funds and other public and private funds; welcomes initiatives enhancing KETs-related cluster- specific actions and increased transregional cooperation; calls on the Commission to avoid establishing closed-shops for individual consortia or individual companies; notes that financing of research infrastructure must be for the benefit and use of multiple actors;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Welcomes the action line on advanced manufacturing; believes it would benefit from PPPs such as SPIRE; believes that launching a Knowledge and Innovation Community by 20146 in the field of added value manufacturing is a priority; asks the Commission to integrate the experiences of the EPEC (the European PPP Expertise Centre of the EIB) in future PPP; encourages the Commission to create synergies in advanced manufacturing also between Member States (MS), industry and research institutes; asks the Commission to consider to what extent the US National Network for Manufacturing Innovation could serve as a model;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Welcomes the Commission's focus on ecodesign; calls on it to set ecodesign specifications for recyclability and resource efficiency; welcomes the proposal to develop and promote new sustainability criteria for construction products and processes; 1 Economic Benefits of the EU Ecodesign Directive, Ecofys, 2013, see: http://www.ecofys.com/en/publication/economic-benefits-of-the-eu-ecodesign-directive/ notes that ecodesign has the potential to save European consumers and businesses EUR 90 billion per year in 2020 and could reduce natural gas imports by 23% thus increasing security of supply1; welcomes the proposal to develop and promote new sustainability criteria for construction products and processes; believes that ecodesign policies should also be integrated in the other action lines; welcomes a faster and cheaper delivery of ecodesign policy objectives through sectoral voluntary agreements;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Believes that the action line on smart grids is too narrow with too few proposals; recommends that its work should also include the aspects of an adequate infrastructure, mentioned by the Commission, such as a high-efficiency electricity grid with interconnectors aiding the completion of the internal market for power and capable of handling renewable power sources such as from offshore wind as well as a high-tech digital infrastructure;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Notes the predominant "technology- push" orientation of the Commission research and innovation programmes; believes that there is a general need to strengthen the "market pull" type of measures and activities, which are able to effectively bring the solutions into the markets;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. SCalls on the Commission to develop a strategy that ensures Europe attracts foreign talent while simultaneously maintaining relations with top European talent abroad; stresses the importance of connecting with EU expatriate communities, encouraging them to use their knowledge for business opportunities in the EU;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. CStresses that the single European market plays the central role as the home market for European industry; calls on the Commission and the Member States to urgently complete the single market for energy, telecoms, green products and venture capital;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Stresses that an internal market strategy fostering demand-driven innovation needs to be developed in order to promote the uptake of new technologies thereby helping create new markets, business models and industrial sectors; emphasises that this is particularly pertinent when it comes to diffusing R&D results into the market;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Welcomes the Commission's intention to develop a horizontal action plan to boost demand for innovative goods and services as well as the Commission's single market for green products initiative; calls on the Commission to use the environmental footprint to set sustainability and efficiency benchmarks for products; notes that products meeting or exceeding such benchmarks could then be eligible for market incentives, such as access to public procurement;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Stresses that public procurement should be an innovation driver; believes that state aid guidelines should be open for innovation-enhancing policy measures; believes that standardisation and ecolabelling have an important role to play in boosting the uptake of new technologies;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Calls for swift implementation of the Small Business Act to support Europe's SMEs; notes the importance of the Enterprise Europe Network in supporting SMEs in cross-border EU trade;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. CAcknowledges that market surveillance is a crucial pillar in ensuring product safety and quality within the internal market; calls on the Commission to harness the power of the internet in its work on market surveillance, allowing people to participate by providing feedback on products; calls on the Commission to investigate the proposal of financing public consumer watchdogs via the fees accrued through cartel injunctions;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Stresses that industrial policy should make full use of the instruments of competition policy in order to create a level-playing field and foster competitive markets;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Believes that the current IPR regime is not favouring innovation; believes that increased transparency, innovative management and licensing practices can bring faster market solutions; welcomes the work initiated by the Commission in this context;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Welcomes the recognition of the problem of patent thickets and patent ambushes; supports amending the regulatory system to foster pro-competitive cross-licensing and patent pools arrangements; believes that rules and principles for patent pools need to be geared towards the acceleration of deployment of innovation especially those aiming at tackling major societal challenges and aimed towards the maximum benefit for society; supports, in this context, the work undertaken by the JRC and calls for the involvement of its expertise in the development of policies for improving technology and knowledge transfer rules and practices;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Notes the intention of the Commission to explore how firms can ensure the effective recognition of the value of patents, including in their financial statements and explore potential benefits of enhanced disclosure in terms of access to finance; warns against the establishment of an unregulated IPR market that would lead to the financialisation of IPR;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Notes the importance of an EU trade strategy; asks the Commission, together with the VP/HR, to develop a strategy of including SME desks at EU Missioncalls on the Commission to ensure the Union's trade and competition policy is compatible with the objectives of European industrial policy; asks the Commission, together with the VP/HR, to develop a strategy of including SME desks at EU Missions; notes that these SME desks should take into account the work of chambers of commerce and should integrate lessons learned from the European Business Centres;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Acknowledges the importance of the TTIP undertaking; advocates that it should endeavour to phase out fossil fuel subsidies in a step-by-step manner that takes into account the societal context and the need for a secure energy supply; advocates newly defining the likeness of products by distinguishing them on the basis of their carbon footprint;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Calls on the Commission to develop a European export strategy for resource- and energy- efficient technologies and corresponding services, which includes a standardisation diplomacy to ensure that European standards are promoted worldwide;
Amendment 334 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Points out that standards and technical regulations play a crucial role in ensuring that the EU leads the way in innovative sectors, including green technologies; calls, therefore, on the Commission to strengthen the EU's capacity to establish standards and international technical rules in innovative sectors; urges the Commission, furthermore, to improve cooperation with key third countries – including the emerging countries – with a view to establishing common standards and technical rules;
Amendment 335 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 b (new)
Paragraph 35 b (new)
35b. Stresses the need to retain fiscal responsibility while financing the proposed policy measures and actions necessary for RISE;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36a. Believes that new alternative and creative financing avenues need to be investigated in particular with regards to private and equity financing; notes that the promotion of financial literacy also plays an important role in this regard and that financial literacy should be integrated into school curricula;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Calls on the Commission to investigate how the asset-backed securities market could be leveraged to facilitate SME financing; notes the role that publicbusiness development and infrastructure banks can play in investing in bank-issued structured covered bonds, combining such investment with increased SME lending targets; welcomes the proposal of private-private lending partnerships in which an insurance company and a bank combine to provide short and long-term loans;
Amendment 350 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. CPoints to the flourishing of crowd- funding initiatives and e-platforms for loans in Europe and the financial and non-financial benefits this funding brings for SMEs and entrepreneurs such as the provision of start-up funding, product validation, customer feedback, and a stable and committed shareholding structure; calls on the Commission to launch a communication on crowd- funding; calls on the Commission to develop a robust regulatory framework for crowd-funding on a basis of up to EUR 1 million per project; calls on the Commission to consider making some limited funds available to crowd-funding services, as some of the Member States have done;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Calls on the Commission to support the creation of local bonds markets for SMEs in order to provide adequate long-term financing, particularly in credit- constrained regions; believes that local bonds markets such as the Stuttgart Stock Exchange could serve as a potential model;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Is in favour of better coordination of company tax systems in the EU through the introduction of harmonised tax base; believes that unfair tax competition between Member States is not adequate for the development of a strong European IP; in addition, SMEs are often disadvantaged in the tax regimes compared to larger companies, thus stifling their potential growth and investments; believes that lowering tax burdens for SMEs should be accompanied by action to reduce tax evasion, avoidance and fraud, particularly affecting southern countries as well as large multinational companies; action at the EU level needs to be taken to ensure that large multinational companies may not undertake aggressive tax planning for achieving tax avoidance;
Amendment 359 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Welcomes the EIB's capital increase; believes that it should have a 60 % low- carbon investment target by 2020; asks the Commission and EIB to study a financing model for eco-efficiency that would provide loans for such investments plus an advance on the efficiency gains to be realised (for example a loan of 120%) which could be used to finance other non- efficiency related investments and be repaid inter alia through the remaining efficiency gains;
Amendment 364 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 a (new)
Paragraph 42 a (new)
42a. Believes that a phase-out of harmful subsidies would help alleviate public budgetary constraints and make more financing available for innovation and R&D;
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Stresses the importance of VC and business angel networks; welcomes EU support to the establishment of networks of business angels and incubators; welcomes in particular the establishment of an equity facility under Horizon 2020 and COSME to support the increase in quantity and quality of VC supply; believes that the European Investment Fund has a crucial role to play in the development of VC markets in particular for deployment of sustainable technologies; believes that the distinction for tax purposes between equity and debt should be removed;
Amendment 370 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)
Paragraph 43 a (new)
43a. Recognizes that over the years there has been a financialisation of the real economy which can further a corporate culture with a short-term outlook rather than long-term views; highlights that an end to quarterly earnings reporting, as undertaken by multinational corporations such as Unilever, could facilitate more medium to long-term perspectives on investments and earnings; underlines, in this context, the EU's recent decision to eliminate legally binding quarterly reporting;
Amendment 373 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 b (new)
Paragraph 43 b (new)
43b. Calls on multinational corporations to increase the share of their spending to SME suppliers and take the example of HP, which aims to increase its spending on suppliers that are SMEs from 10 to 15% this year;
Amendment 374 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 c (new)
Paragraph 43 c (new)
43c. Notes that bankruptcy legislation should be designed in a way as to promote second chances;
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44
Paragraph 44
44. Stresses that RISE is an opportunity for stable employment with good jobs and decent pay; emphasises the indispensable partnership with stakeholders, especially social partners, chambers and youth organisations, in the context of integrating the young into the workforce; calls on the Commission and the Member States to intensify social dialogue; believes that the involvement of social partners at the earliest possible state in any legislative procedure would be of great benefit;
Amendment 399 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Emphasises that workplace democratisation needs to be expanded and that workers should have an individual right to training; notes that employers and workers have a shared responsibility regarding life-long learning;
Amendment 404 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Calls on the Commission to work closely with the Member States and the sectoral social partners concerned in order to draw up medium- and long-term forecasts regarding the skills required by the employment market;
Amendment 409 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 49
Paragraph 49
49. BCalls on the Member States with the support of the Commission to consider setting national targets to increase the number of students studying STEM as is the case in the Netherlands; believes that the creation of national STEM platforms to exchange best practice between regions, universities and industry, could be beneficial in setting STEM targets; highlights that basic ICT skills should also be fostered in schools and vocational training programmes in this context; believes that the creation of national STEM platforms to exchange best practice could be beneficial in setting STEM targets;
Amendment 419 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Paragraph 52
52. Welcomes the decisions to implement the Youth Guarantee and promote an Alliance for Apprenticeships; calls on industrythe Commission to develop common social investment indicators, especially regarding youth unemployment; calls on industry to play an active part in implementing the Youth Guarantee on the respective national levels and to offer quality employment or traineeships to young people where possible, and to create quality internships with decent pay;
Amendment 423 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53
Paragraph 53
53. Highlights that Member States with strong vocational training systems have had relatively robust employment markets during the crisis; invites all Member States to examine and introduce such systems together with the social partners and other relevant stakeholders like chambers; notes the challenge of harmonising the ECVET with the ECTS;
Amendment 424 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 53 a (new)
Paragraph 53 a (new)
53a. Calls on the Member States to devise, in cooperation with the social partners, and to implement vocational guidance programmes for young people in science and technology disciplines to promote the development of a viable and sustainable economy, and to realise information and awareness-raising measures in relation to ecological and environmental issues, both through the formal education system and in the framework of measures by local and regional authorities;
Amendment 426 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 54
Paragraph 54
54. Believes that enhancing the image of vocational education and training could be done by linking it to a possible transition to university or other higher education; notes that this also necessitates that high- quality vocational education and training qualifications acquire upper level classification in the National Quality Frameworks by the Member States;
Amendment 429 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56
Paragraph 56
56. Calls on the Member States, in dialogue with the social partners and relevant stakeholders, to consider policies to make working hours more flexible during economic downturns;
Amendment 448 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58
Paragraph 58
58. Welcomes the Resource Efficiency Roadmap; highlights the need to address resource scarcity for crucial resources such as water; calls on the Commission to include the waste policy goals in the European Semester and National Reform Programmes; calls on the Commission to further develop sectoral benchmarks for resource efficiency, particularly for public procurement purposes; calls on the Commission to promote a 3R strategy (reduce, re-use, recycle); stresses the importance of a global certification scheme for first-treatment recycling of hazardous waste and for WEEE materials; points out that relevant building collection and recycling schemes exist in some Member States;
Amendment 452 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58 a (new)
Paragraph 58 a (new)
58a. Calls on the Commission to extend the ecodesign approach to raw materials with regards to recyclability and efficiency; calls on the Commission in its waste policy review and construction action plan to also focus on building deconstruction and dismantling in order to increase collection and adequate sorting of valuable waste; outlines that recycling and building collection schemes such as the VRN system in the Netherlands could serve as a model for other Member States; calls for a phase- out of landfilling and a prevention of illegal exports;
Amendment 457 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59
Paragraph 59
59. Calls for the swift implementation of the energy efficiency directive and the national action plans supported by appropriate financial incentives; calls for the creation of a block exemption for all energy efficiency schemes which have been notified to the European Commission as part of the Member States' Energy Efficiency Action Plans; believes that Member States should set out ambitious strategies to particularly renovate the existing building stock; stresses that financial instruments, such as an energy efficiency feed-in tariff could further promote an efficiency agenda; calls on the EU to follow-up on the Reul report on renewable energy, setting an ambitious renewable energy target for 2030;
Amendment 483 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 61
Paragraph 61
61. Advocates a multi-regional industrial policy approach that relaunches sustainable growth in contracting economies; supports a high value added strategy in the integration of southern economies into global value chains; believes that smart specialisation strategies are particularly relevant in this context and that existing industrial strengths need to be promoted via increased innovation and specialisation; believes that concurrently with regards to access to finance an investment strategy for the south is needed;
Amendment 489 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 62
Paragraph 62
62. Notes that the EU's south is affected by peripheral location and that the lack of adequate and well-connected infrastructures affect their capacity to be competitive within the internal market and outside the Union; calls on the Commission to promote a full infrastructure integration of southern economies, in particular rail, energy and ICT, and stresses the need to gear the Connecting Europe facility to this effect; deplores the fact that the Iberian Peninsula is not fully integrated in the European energy and rail markets;
Amendment 496 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 63
Paragraph 63
63. Emphasises the importance of best- practice sharing and market replication mechanisms; welcomes proposals to increase cooperation, industrial symbiosis and develop networks of resource efficiency advisory services; believes that industrial symbiosis efforts could help create more value and efficiencies; notes that the United Kingdom’s industrial symbiosis model could serve as a template for other Member States;
Amendment 497 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 63 a (new)
Paragraph 63 a (new)
63a. Stresses that lending has to be improved in the crisis states and holds that a microcredit programme funded by the EIB or national development banks could be introduced that allows SMEs to process orders;
Amendment 499 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64
Paragraph 64
64. Underlines that the transformation of capital enterprises into cooperatives has been successful in some regions; effectively ensuring a longer-term approach and anchoring them in the local economy and giving them a stake in local sustainable development; notes that cooperatives represent an important economic reality in the EU, where more than 160.000 cooperative enterprises are owned by 123 million members including more than 50.000 cooperative enterprises in industry and services providing jobs for 1.4 million persons and contributing on average around 5% to the GDP of each Member State; believes, therefore, that cooperatives' business models should also be taken into account and that their specificities should be taken into consideration in the relevant EU policies;
Amendment 500 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 64 a (new)
Paragraph 64 a (new)
64a. Points out that southern regions have a great potential for the development of the strategic sector of renewable energy sources; calls for measures to stimulate the markets in these regions, including actions to encourage micro-generation by enterprises who would like to produce their own electricity and sell the residual energy on the grid;
Amendment 505 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 65
Paragraph 65
65. Believes that southern economies are strategically located to benefit from new export markets in the Maghreb; calls for tapping into the entrepreneurial spirit of migrants to create businesses that can access those markets; welcomes also Vice- President Tajani's Missions for Growth;