Activities of Joachim ZELLER related to 2016/2047(BUD)
Shadow opinions (2)
OPINION on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2017
OPINION on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2017
Amendments (6)
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls for the Commission to fully reflect in its Budget proposals the Union’s commitment to working with the private sector and financial institutions in development cooperation; highlights therefore the potential to leverage new resources for development through public- private partnerships, blending and other innovative ways; looks forward to the detailed proposals on the setting up of an investment plan for Africa, which should focus on capacity building and, technical assistance, industrialisation, trade and investment opportunities, access to energy and infrastructure requirements; stresses the important role that Parliament must play in supporting and monitoring such an investment plan;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that the alarming gravity of the humanitarian needs triggered by the Syrian crisis and other unprecedented conflicts necessitates using the Emergency Aid Reserve (over and above the MFF ceilings) and the Flexibility Instrument to the fullest extent possible, while also using the margin under heading IV to address the humanitarian crisis; calls on the EU to strengthen its capacity to link security and development in the implementation of the EU´s development policy;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers it of paramount importance to address protracted humanitarian crises, and to focus on prevention, building resilience, and cooperation with the private sector, in order to help bridge the global funding gap in humanitarian action;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Notes that the financial engineering instruments (FEI), if implemented in a targeted manner, for appropriate project typology and reasonable purpose armight be tools for the effective allocation of Union funds with the potential to form part of mainstream best practice in budget expenditure allocation in the future; urges the Commission to improve transparency in the use of FEI, to regularly report on leverage, losses and risks and to present a cost-benefit analysis of FEIs compared with more direct forms of project funding; calls on the Commission to implement effective monitoring systems to analyse the demand for financial instruments in the Member States, which would lower the risk of undercapitalisationin order to avoid overcapitalisation, which commits funds without contributing to the implementation of EU policies, as identified by the Court of Auditors in its Special Report 5/2015.
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Insists that the development budget for 2017 must reflect more consistently the Union’s focus on fragile states, Least Developed Countries, security- development nexus, youth unemployment and women in conflict situations;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Stresses that the EU financial rules only allow faith-based organizations (FBO) to apply for funding if they register as an NGO; underlines that although funding should not be given for religious activities, the role of churches and FBOs in mitigating poverty and promoting development is undeniable among the most vulnerable sectors including the displaced, the poor, the sick, the handicapped, children, women and the elderly; stresses in this context that churches and FBOs are often the only reliable institutions that people trust as they have necessary infrastructure to provide aid and support for the people; calls for inclusion of the churches and FBOs in the EU financial regulations allowing them to apply for funding within the EU development policy and humanitarian aid.