Activities of Verónica LOPE FONTAGNÉ related to 2016/2045(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the European Union Solidarity Fund: an assessment
Amendments (9)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Draws attention to its resolution of 3 April 2014 on the Court of Auditors’ special reports in the context of the 2012 Commission discharge, which expressed support for the ECA’s finding that ‘around 30 % (EUR 144 million) of the EUSF contributions was earmarked for operations which were fully eligible under the EUSF Regulation; however, the CASE project (Italian acronym for ‘Complessi Antisisminici Sostenibili Ecocompatibiliti’, i.e. seismically isolated and environmentally sustainable housing), while relevant to the actual needs, did not comply with specific provisions of the EUSF Regulation; this was because it constructed new permanent buildings instead of temporary houses; the CASE project took 70 % of the funding – EUR 350 million; the strategy chosen for CASE project addressed the housing needs of 15 000 of the earthquake-affected population, but did not respond in a timely manner and with sufficient capacity to the actual needs of the population; the CASDE houses were more expensive than standard houses’; regrets that in many cases the quality of the CASE project has been found to be very poor and some houses have collapsed; asks the Commission to explain how, in the revised Regulation on the European Union Solidarity Fund that entered into force on 28 June 2014, the shortcomings identified by the Court of Auditors in the delivery of emergency aid to the Abruzzo region have been solvedwelcomes the fact that the new Regulation defines 'provisional accommodation', something that will help avoid misuse of funds;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Understands that disasters and the desire to help people in distress as swiftly as possible may put strain on national administrations; believes, however, that Member States should implement EU legislation on disaster risk prevention and management, which allows the authorities concerned to receive EU assistance while respecting sound financial management; recalls the need to determine whether EUSF subsidies have been used in compliance with the principles of sound financial management, including the principle of economy, in order to identify and share best practices and lessons learned with respect to economic affordability;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Deplores the fact that, as stated in Special report No 3/2008 of the Court of Auditors, payment was usually made one year after applications had been lodged;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Takes the view that the EUSF requires a certain amount of flexibility to enable it to respond to disasters more quickly and effectively; welcomes, therefore, the fact that countries are able to apply for advance payment of funds;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls for the EUSF be included in the next Multiannual Financial Framework so as to ensure the unity of the EU budget;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Believes that necessary improvements to the regulation could include a request for mandatory updated national plans for disaster management, the preparation of agreements on emergency contracts, the implementation of provisional accommodation measures in disaster areas and the transfer to the EU budget of any revenue generated by the use of the EUSF;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Is of the opinion that the EUSF should, wherever possible, create synergies with other sources of financial assistance, in particular with the European Structural Fand Investment Funds; calls, therefore, with a view to ensuring the proper implementation of the EUSF, on the states to set out clearly what damage is to be covered by the EUSF and what action will be undertaken with the support of other funds;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the Commission to allow, in certain circumstances, a single application to be submitted jointly by several territories within a single Member State affected by a natural disaster where the cause of the disaster is the same and the effects occur at the same time, for the purposes of possible eligibility for EUSF assistance;