10 Amendments of Reinhard BÜTIKOFER related to 2019/2210(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights that successfully opening, conducting and concluding accession talks with the Western Balkan countries is one of the EU’s core priorities in the region; Recalls that the environmental ambition of the Green Deal and the ecological transition for Europe can only be fully effective if the EU’s immediate neighbourhood also takes effective action and calls on the EU to use its influence, expertise and financial resources to mobilise Western Balkan countries to join it on a sustainable path;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Recalls the principles of the Stabilisation and Association Agreements (SAA) and encourages the parties to undertake all efforts towards opening their second phase implementation;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that the EU is the main trade partner of the Western Balkan countries and that bilateral trade doubled between 2006 and 2016; notes, however, that the EU continuously runs an unsustainable trade surplus with the Western Balkans; as the World Bank has also noted in its study "Rising Uncertainties"1a _________________ 1a World Bank Group study "Western Balkans regular economic report, Rising Uncertainties", No.16, Fall 2019.
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Urges the European Commission to put in place a strategic economic and investment plan with a view to improving competitiveness and sustainable development in the whole Western Balkans region, in line with the commitments made under the Paris Agreement and the strategic objective of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 as part of the European Green Deal, as the growth in the Western Balkans is slowing down after a short-lived revival on investments in previous years and the contribution of investments and of exports to growth are fading in the region;1b _________________ 1b World Bank Group study "Western Balkans regular economic report, Rising Uncertainties", No.16, Fall 2019.
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Notes with concern that according to the World Bank, there is slight decrease in FDI in the region in 2019 and FDI is too low to sustain growth in the long term; notes also with concern that greenfield investment peaked in 2018 but a substantial share of FDI has gone into non tradable sectors which do not contribute directly to exports;1c _________________ 1c World Bank Group study "Western Balkans regular economic report, Rising Uncertainties", No.16, Fall 2019.
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reminds the Western Balkan countries of the importance of regional economic cooperation and good neighbourly relations; with a special emphasis on the continuation of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue; Stresses that retaliatory trade measures and diplomatic initiatives aiming at non-recognition of a neighbouring country handicap both the regional economic integration of the affected countries and block several lines of political dialogue;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Urges the Western Balkan countries, but also foreign investors, in particular EIB, EBRD and other public financial institutions, to stick to projects in the energy sector which help to meet climate objectives and are aligned with EU environmental legislation, in particular the preservation of biodiversity and protected sites under international conventions; calls for environmental impact assessments and public consultations on projects affecting protected areas, biodiversity and environmental protection, also taking into account local community views;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Emphasises the importance of focused youth programmes in the region in order to improve their job market situation, create decent jobs and support mobility and cyclical migration rather than irreversible economic emigration;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10 b. Calls on the Commission to explore increased sectoral cooperation, especially in terms of SME investment and domestic market capitalisation, of education and research, innovation and digitisation as well as environmental and green technologies, in order to share know-how and best practices;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10 c. Calls for an increase of loans through specialised, regionally targeted loan programmes of the EIB and other international financial institutions;