23 Amendments of Monika HOHLMEIER related to 2018/2046(BUD)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that Parliament's reading of the 2019 Budget fully reflects the political priorities adopted by an overwhelming majority in its abovementioned resolutions of 15 March 2018 on general guidelines and of 5 July 2018 on a mandate for the trilogue; recalls that at the core of those priorities are: sustainable growth, innovation, competitiveness, security, tackling flows of refugees and migration, the fight against climate change and the transition to renewsustainable energy and migrationsupply, and a particular focus on young people;
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that Europe's citizens expect the Union to strain every sinew to ensure economic growth and foster job creation; recalls that meeting those expectations requires investments in research and innovation, education, infrastructure, and SMEs and to foster employment, particularly among the young people of Europe, and that any failure in that regard will foster disillusionment with the European ideal; expresses wonderment; expresses disapproval that the Council yet again proposes cuts to the very programmes that are designed to make the Union economy more competitive and innovative; stresses moreover that many of these programmes, for example Horizon 2020, are heavily oversubscribed, which constitutes a poor use resources and means that many excellent projects do not receive funding; highlights also the fact that programmes such as Erasmus +, Horizon 2020 and the Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (COSME) provide a vivid demonstration of the advantages of working together across the Union and help create a feeling of European belonging; decides therefore to reinforce considerably Erasmus + and to strengthen programmes that contribute to growth and job creation, including Horizon 2020, Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and COSME;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the establishment of a budget of 4.9 million euros for the EPPO which will prosecute cross-border crime against the financial interests of the Union; regrets however that Eurojust is the only JHA agency facing budgetary cuts in 2019, involving a counter-productive reduction of commitment appropriations for the Justice Program by -2.5 million euros (- 5.4%); expresses its concern that such a reduction is untenable given the operational growth and the political priorities in security and justice; calls on the Commission to provid, especially in the area of terrorism and cross-border crime; calls for a slight increase of the Eurojust with a budget for 2019 that is at least at the same level than in 2018 (€38.6 millcompared to the level of 2018 in order to avoid negative impactson its operation), while providing Eurojust with a total of 217 posts for 2019; ;points out as well in this context that the current Commission proposal for the funding of Eurojust in the next 2021- 2027 MFF is insufficient as it corresponds to a cut of 15% on an annual basis compared to 2018;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Welcomes that the proposed funding for Frontex matches the initial request of the agency; points out, however, that the proposed number of posts does not take into account any anticipated needs for ETIAS, the application which should amount to a total of 20TAs and 67 CAs for 2020 when operations start; believes that 20 staff should be frontloaded to ensure a smooth and timely delivery of the core processes and infrastructures in 2021; considers that the correction co-efficient should be increased in order to address the geographical imbalance in relation to Frontex staff and the Agency's difficulties to reach the targets set out in the establishment plan;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. underlines Europol´s increasing role in combating terrorism and organized crime, as well as in strengthening cross- border cooperation in the field of law enforcement; deeply regrets that the draft EU budget for 2019 put forward by the Commission implies a reduction of 21 million EUR and 38 temporary agent posts, compared to the proposal for 2019 agreed by the Member States in the Europol Management Board; calls for appropriate funding adjusted to the Agency´s needs;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. stresses that the proposed 2019 budget does not meet the levels required by Europol´s role in fighting trans-border serious crime, including money laundering and cybercrime and in preventing and fighting terrorism; this even represents a substantial reduction compared to the budget currently being implemented; is concerned that insufficient budgeting has led to the de- prioritization of important operational technological initiatives and activities; asks for financial allocations of 143,3 million EUR, in line with the Agency´s draft budget for 2019 endorsed by the Member States and the Commission in the Management Board;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes that the level of funding of EASO which according to the agencyproposed for EASO matches itsthe initial request of the agency to the Commission; regrets however that this is not the case for eu-LISA; points out that 2019 will be an extremely challenging year for eu-LISA given the substantial increase of its tasks and budget allocated and that it will need an adequate reinforcement of its resources to deliver according to its new mandateexpects the Commission to presents an amending budget to increase the funding for operations if the level of operational support requested by Member States increases in 2019;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Expresses its concern regarding the proposed funding as well as staffing for eu-LISA given the increasing complexity of its tasks, including the updating of existing databases (SIS, Eurodac and VIS) and the implementation and operational management of other large-scale IT systems in the JHA domain (EES, ETIAS,ECRIS-TCN); believes that the lack of funding for operational matters can no longer be compensated through extensive external support, the outsourcing of functions or a reprioritisation of already planned activities as has been the case in previous years; emphasizes the necessity to reinforce eu-LISA's resources and provide for 25 additional contract agents to allow the agency to deliver according to its mandate, including on the second phase of AFIS;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines that Heading 3 has been largely mobilized in the recent years to address the migratory and refugee crisis and that such actions should continue for as long as needed; calls on the Commission to actively monitor the adequacy of allocations under Heading 3 and make full use of all available instruments to respond in a timely manner to any unforeseen event that might require additional funding in the area of migration; decides to reinforce the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund to fully cover the needs of the Union in the field of migration, notably to support Members States in improving integration measures and practices for migrants; notes, once again, that the Heading 3 ceiling is inadequate to provide appropriate funding to the internal dimension of those priorities, as well as to other priority programmes, for example in the fields of culture, citizenship, justice and public health; considers that willingness of local authorities to do more than planned in their National Programme under shared management,with the willingness to support the Union Resettlement Programme, should be furtherhave the possibility to be directly supported through the direct management strand of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF);
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Insists that in the light of recent security concerns across the Union, funding under Heading 3 should also pay particular attention to measures which will lead to enhancing security of Union citizens; decides for this reason to reinforce agencies in the field of Justice and Home Affairs such as Europol, Cepol, eu-Lisa, Eurojust, European Public Prosecutor's Office, which, due to increased workload and additional tasks, have been facing shortage of staff and funding in the past years;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Rejects Council’s unjustified EUR 794 million cuts to subheading 1a, which represent just over half of the overall Council cuts in commitments in MFF headings; notes that such cuts run counter to Council’s stated political priorities; is concerned moreover that they could hamper implementation of programmes that play a vital role in the creation of jobs and growth, which could have a negative impact on the economic recovery under way in the Uniony;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. EWelcomes the commitment to a renewed EU defence agenda, namely through the agreement on the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP); expresses its intention to pay particular attention to the implementation by the Commission of the agreements found on the European Defence Industrial Development Programme and the European Solidarity Corps, which should be set out in the Amending Letter, to be issued by the Commission in October 2018;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29 a. Points to the effects of the extreme drought affecting the Member States in recent months, causing considerable losses to agriculture and jeopardising a large number of businesses, and highlights in this regard the need to guarantee special support measures aimed at helping the worst-affected farmers;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Reiterates its long-standing conviction that the Heading 3 ceiling has proven vastly insufficient to adequately fund the internal dimension of essential challenges related on the one hand to internal security, and on the other hand to refugees and migrationnts;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Expects the pressure on some Member States’ migration and asylum systems, as well as on their borders, to remain high in 2019, and is of the opinion that additional funding is needed in the field of refugees and migration, also in view of any future, unpredictable needs in this area; reinforces therefore the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund as regards supporting legal migration to the Union and promoting the effective integration of third-country nationals and enhancing fair and effective return strategies, in particular to support Member States in improving integration measures for refugees and legal migrants, especially children and unaccompanied minors;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Welcomes the increase in commitment appropriations for ASMIF in order to finance the new Dublin II legislation (assuming it is adopted by the end of 2018) and rejects the Council’s decision to move the corresponding appropriations into a reserve;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Recalls that the Union has committed to comprehensively protect and promote the rights of the child, girls and women as well as people with disabilities and special needs in its external policy; stresses the importance of implementing the EU Guidelines for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child in European Union, the European Union Gender Action Plan and European Disability Policy in external relation;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46
Paragraph 46
46. Calls for enhanced Union support to the Middle East Peace process, the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA, in line with its resolution of 8 February 2018 on the situation of UNRWA9 , in view of the worsening situation on the ground and the decision of the United States to drastically reduce its engagement; _________________ 9 Texts adopted, P8_TA(2018)0042.
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 46 a (new)
Paragraph 46 a (new)
46 a. Is particularly concerned that school curriculum and textbooks authorised by the Palestinian Authority contain hate speech and violent depictions. Recalls that all teaching and training programmes that are financed from Union funds should reflect common values and comply with UNESCO standards for peace and tolerance in school education. Decides therefore to put 5 % of the appropriations in support for Palestine in the reserve until the Palestinian Authority complies with the request;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 52
Paragraph 52
52. Recalls the importance for the Union focusing on competitiveness for growth and jobs; considers, in this context, that additional appropriation and staff are needed for the European GNSS Agency (GSA) and the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER); welcomnotes the creation of the European Labour Authority (ELA); restores the substantial Council’s cuts in the appropriations for the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs),while putting parts of their appropriations into reserve pending progress on the ESAs’ review;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 54
Paragraph 54
54. Expects the pressure on some Member States’ migration and asylum systems, as well as on their borders, to remain high in 2019,; stresses that while the budgetary resources and the number of posts forespecially after the State of the Union speech 2019 and the announcement of a new operational arm of 10 000 staff of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) and thea reinforced European Asylum Support Office (EASO), proposed by the Commission and supported by the Council, seem adequate for the time being, the future needs of the agencies in terms of operational resources and staff will have to be closely monitoredthe current and future budgetary resources and the number of posts for FRONTEX and EASO will have to be closely monitored and possibly updated for the 2019 budget; awaits, therefore, the Commission's Amending Letter;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56 a (new)
Paragraph 56 a (new)
56 a. Welcomes the launch of Discover EU, the distribution of 15 000 Interrail tickets to 18-year-old Europeans in 2018, as well as the Commission proposal of EUR 700 million for the MFF 2021-2027, which fits well with the EU’s ambitions to promote learning mobility, active citizenship, social inclusion and solidarity among all young people; decides to continue the Preparatory Action in 2019 and is determined to continue it also in 2020;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 57
Paragraph 57
57. Recalls the usefulness of special instruments to provide flexibility over and beyondabove the extremely tight ceilings of the current MFF and welcomes the improvements brought about by the mid- term revision of the MFF Regulation; calls for an extensive use of the Flexibility Instrument, and the Global Margin for Commitments andin the Contingency Margin2019 budget in order to finance the wide range of new challenges and additional responsibilities that the Union budget is facing; recalls also the significance of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), the Emergency Aid Reserve (EAR) and the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF);