15 Amendments of Catherine GRÈZE related to 2013/0152(COD)
Amendment 28 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) In order to respect developing country ownership, all EIB investments should be aligned to country owned development strategies. Against this background, in order to enhance the coherence and the focus of the EIB external financing activity on supporting Union policies, and for the maximum benefit of beneficiaries, Decision No 1080/2011/EU set out general objectives for EIB financing operations across all eligible regions and countries, i.e. local private sector development, in particular in support of small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs), social and economic infrastructure and climate change mitigation and adaptation, building on the comparative strengths of the EIB in areas where it has a well-proven track record. These objectives should be maintained in this Decision.
Amendment 29 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) Improving access to financing for SMEs, including SMEs from the Union investing in the regions covered by this Decision, can play an essential role in stimulating economic development and in combating unemployment. ITo ensure that investments in the private sector have the greatest development impact, they should be targeted towards domestic entreprises owned and domiciled with developing countries. To this end, in order to effectively reach out to SMEs, the EIB should cooperate with local financial intermediary institutions in the eligible countries, in particular to ensure that part of the financial benefits is passed on to their clients and provide added value compared to other sources of finance. The reliance on financial intermediaries must be complemented by increased transparency to ensure that they are engaging in programmes with clear development impacts. In particular, the EIB should work with financial intermediaries that have substantial local ownership, and ensure that the projects financed through intermediaries support sustainable development and that the operations are done in a transparent manner. The EIB should also ensure that financing to the private sector goes where it is most needed, taking into account the priorities of the partner countries.
Amendment 30 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 11 a (new)
Recital 11 a (new)
(11 a) When operating under the Community guarantee, the EIB should only cooperate with financial intermediaries not operating in offshore financial centres, which have substantial local ownership and are equipped to implement a pro-development approach supporting the specificity of SMEs in the countries of operation.
Amendment 31 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 11 b (new)
Recital 11 b (new)
(11 b) The EIB shall not cooperate with financial intermediaries with negative track record in terms of transparency, fraud, corruption and environmental and social impacts. A stringent list of criteria for selection of financial intermediaries shall be established by the EIB jointly with the European Commission and be publicly available.
Amendment 33 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) The EIB should also continue to finance investment projects in support of climate change mitigation and adaptation, to further the promotion of the Union's climate goals on a global scale. To this end, priority should be given to small- scale, off-grid decentralised renewable energy projects, to ensure energy access to rural areas, while avoiding potential negative social and environmental impact of large-scale energy infrastructure.
Amendment 35 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) Union external relations should be supported by new instruments from 2014, including an umbrella Regulation establishing common rules and procedures for the implementation of the Union's instruments for external action. With a view to enhancing the coherence of overall Union support in the regions concerned, and provided that blending activities have a clear sustainable development impact, that can be effectively monitored, opportunities should be seized to combine EIB financing with Union budgetary resources when and as appropriate, in the form of financial instruments provided for in Title VIII of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 and technical assistance for project preparation and implementation, through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance II (IPA II), the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI), the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI), the Partnership Instrument for cooperation with third countries, the Instrument for the promotion of Democracy and Human Rights worldwide, the Instrument for Stability, and the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation. Following Decision No 1080/2011/EU, the Commission established an EU Platform for Blending in External Cooperation with a view to optimising the functioning of mechanisms for the blending of grants and loans outside the Union.
Amendment 36 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 22
Recital 22
(22) IThe mechanism of blending loans and grants must be evaluated particularly in terms of development and financial additionality, transparency and accountability, local ownership and debt risk. Provided that it has a clear sustainable development impact, the EIB should, in its financing operations outside the Union that fall within the scope of this Decision, the EIB should endeavour further to enhance coordination and cooperation with European Financial Institutions and International Financial Institutions, notably those participating in the EU Platform for Blending in External Cooperation. This cooperation includes, where appropriate, cooperation on sector conditionality and mutual reliance on procedures, use of joint co-financing and participation in global initiatives, such as those promoting aid coordination and effectiveness. Such coordination and cooperation should strive to minimise possible duplication of costs and unnecessary overlap. The tripartite Memorandum of Understanding between the Commission, the EIB Group and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in respect of cooperation outside the Union, which allows the EIB Group and the EBRD to act in a complementary way by relying on their respective comparative advantages, was updated in 2012 to cover the extension of EBRD's geographical scope to the Mediterranean region and should continue to be applied. The principles set out in this Decision should also be applied when EIB financing is implemented through cooperation agreements with other European Financial Institutions and International Financial Institutions, including regarding consistency with Union's development objectives, aid effectiveness principles, transparency and democratic scrutiny.
Amendment 38 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 1 a (new)
Article 1 a (new)
Article 1 a EIB financing operations implemented through the Union guarantee granted to the EIB in developing countries, shall have as primary objective the reduction and, in the long term, the eradication of poverty. In particular, EIB financing operations shall be consistent with: - EU commitments and obligations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as well as the attainment of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); - social, labour and environmental standards as embodied in international agreements.
Amendment 40 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 5
Article 3 – paragraph 5
5. EIB financing operations supporting the objectives provided for in paragraph 1(a) mayTo ensure that investments in the private sector have the greatest development impact, EIB financing operations supporting the objectives provided for in paragraph 1(a) shall target domestic companies owned and domiciled within developing countries whenever possible, but may also include support to investment projects by SMEs from the Union.
Amendment 41 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 6
Article 3 – paragraph 6
6. EIB financing operations supporting the objectives provided for in paragraph 1(b) shall support investment projects in the areas of transport, energy, including decentralised off-grid renewable energy, energy systems transformation enabling a switch to lower carbon intensive technologies and fuels, energy security and energy infrastructure, including for gas production and transportation to EU energy market, environmental infrastructure, including water and sanitation and green infrastructure, information and communication technology, including telecommunications and broadband network infrastructure, health and education. Compliance with the provisions of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters should be ensured by the EIB at the different relevant stages of projects.
Amendment 42 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 7
Article 3 – paragraph 7
7. EIB financing operations supporting the objectives provided for in paragraph 1(c) shall support investment projects in climate change mitigation and adaptation which contribute to the overall objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in particular by avoiding or reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transport, or by increasing resilience to the adverse impacts of climate change on vulnerable countries, sectors and communities. To this end, an analysis of the carbon footprint ought to be included in the environmental assessment procedure to determine whether project proposals maximize energy-efficiency improvements. Over the period covered by the Decision, the volume of these operations shall represent at least 25% of total EIB financing operations.
Amendment 43 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 12 a (new)
Article 12 a (new)
Article 12 a In its financial operations, the EIB must ensure that all companies and financial institutions involved in the transaction disclose information regarding beneficial ownership of any legal structure directly or indirectly related to the company, including trusts, foundations and bank accounts.
Amendment 44 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 12 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Article 12 – paragraph 1 a (new)
In order to be eligible for EIB financing and investment, all companies and financial institutions involved in the transaction must disclose reliable annual information related to sales, employees, profits made and taxes paid in the country.
Amendment 45 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 16 – paragraph 1
Article 16 – paragraph 1
1. The EIB shall inform OLAF immediately when, at any stage of the preparation, implementation or closure of projects subject to the EU guarantee, it detects a potential case of fraud, corruption or other illegal activity that may affect the financial interests of the EU. In such cases, the disbursement of loans should be immediately suspended until OLAF investigation findings are available. Where corruption is proven, the EIB shall assist asset recovery efforts by disclosing to the relevant authorities any assets held by the EIB that relate to such corruption or that derive from it.
Amendment 48 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 16 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 16 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. The contracts signed in relation to projects subject to the EU guarantee shall include stringent clauses enabling the suspension of financing support from the EIB to project's promoters and financial intermediaries where fraud, corruption or other illegal activity are under formal investigation, and its cancellation in the event of such illegal activity being proven.