35 Amendments of Rosa ESTARÀS FERRAGUT related to 2011/2195(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls for smart specialisation strategies and longterm investments in the ORs in the framework of the EU 2020 strategy and the Cohesion funding and to ensure an active participation in the flagship projects;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Insists on the need to analyse the growth factors in these regions that suffer from structural difficulties, identifying strategies that offer scope for improving their competitiveness as well as other strategies aimed at reducing their dependency. Considers it fundamental to identify strategic projects by means of thorough ex-ante analyses and ex-post evaluations, which are essential in determining the socio-economic impact of such projects; in addition, favours including in such analyses the various regional, local and civil society actors, who have real knowledge of the strength as well as the weaknesses of these regions;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes with concern the effects of climate change in the ORs, most notably rising water levels; calls on the EU to address these issues in its climate change prevention and response strategy;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. Wwhereas the Treaty stipulates that its provisions are to be applied to the outermost regions (ORs) in a differentiated manner and provides, under Article 349 of the TFEU, for special treatment and a specific framework for these regions, conferring onprovides, in Article 349, for a specific legal basis based on primary law, under which a specific legal status is reinforced for them ‘ outermost region status’s;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas the deteriorating economic situation resulting from the economic and financial crisis is even more serious in ORs than in other European regions, highlighting the structural weaknesses of their economies;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the EUCohesion Policy should be aligned with the Europe 2020 sStrategy is aimed at smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, and whereas this is aimed at organising policy initiatives around smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, promoting an economy with a high level of employment that is socially and territorially cohesive, and should take due account of the situation of ORs, that; whereas the starting conditions in the ORs to achieve these objectives are more severe than in other regions and that the ORs are prepared to cooperate in the implementation of the five goals with regard to employment, innovation, education, social inclusion, climate and energy to be achieved by 2020;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the need to direct smart, sustainable, inclusive growth in the ORs towards exploiting their potential and the growth of sectors of excellence does not mean that the structural obstacles facing these regions and the basic development role played by traditional sectors can be ignored;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas, despite the fact that Cohesion Policy has an important role to play in these regions in reducing disparities, enabling them to integrate into the internal market and assert themselves in their respective geographical areas and in pursuing the EU 2020urope 2020 Strategy targets, and whereas European Funds are key instruments, this European policy cannot by itself resolve all of the difficulties facing the ORs;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the major challenge for the economies of the ORs is to transform their constraints into growth potential and opportunities, and whereas new global challenges, such as globalisation, climate change, energy supply and, the development of renewable energy, andthe sustainable management of natural, marine and agricultural resources, and/or demographic pressures, require the coordination of all EU policies and instruments;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas Cohesion Policy must remain one of the main instruments of European action to reduce development disparities in the European regions in general, and in the ORs in particular;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that, under the terms of the Treaty, the ORs are entitled to differentiated and holistic treatment, which should mean access toenabling them to benefit from the maximum level of support, irrespective of their level of development, and that their specificity should be duly taken into account and protected, given that these regions cannot be treated in the same way as the other EU regionsexpressed in terms of per capita income, so that their specific features are sufficiently considered and protected;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Supports the advisability of ORs pursuing the main objectives defined in the Europe 2020 strategy, but emphasises the need to modulate these in accordance with their own situations, taking into account their regional diversity, their structural conditions and the potential benefits;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Considers that other criteria should be used to determine the eligibility of ORs for the allocation of structural funds, given that the per capita GDP criterion does not provide an accurate reflection of their specific situation and is contrary to the spirit on which ‘outermost region status’ is based and the Treaty itself particular situation of the ORs should be taken into account within the scope of future cohesion policy; calls on the Commission to analyse, in this context, the suitability of other criteria or indicators, as well as GDP, being used to determine their eligibility, given that the per capita GDP criterion does not provide an accurate reflection of their specific situation and is contrary to the spirit on which ‘outermost region status’ is based and the Treaty itself; calls, therefore, for the use of a specific classification criterion, including ORs in the category of less developed regions, regardless of their level of GDP, so that the thematic conditionality provided for these regions, which is more suited to their particular situation, is applied to them; stresses, therefore, that the co- financing rates in respect of the ORs should be 85 %the maximum for all instruments providing aid for those regions; calls for an extension and not less than 85 %; insists on flexibility in the use of the speriod of implementation of these funds in the ORcific ERDF allocation, and, for all ORs calls for relaxation of the rule of automatic decommitment of credits with a view to more effective implementation of allocated funds;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Considers that other criteria should be used to determine the eligibility of ORs for the allocation of structural funds, given that the per capita GDP criterion does not provide an accurate reflection of their specific situation and is contrary to the spirit on which ‘outermost region status’ is based and the Treaty itself; calls therefore for the implementation of specific criteria, listing ORs among the least developed regions, regardless of their GDP giving an approach best adapted to their specific situation; stresses, therefore, that the co- financing rates in respect of the ORs should be 85 % for all instruments providing aid for those regions; calls for an extension of the period of implementation of these funds in the ORs with a view to more effective implementation;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Believes that concentration on the first three thematic objectives laid down in the new proposals for Regulations from 2014, should be relaxed for ORs, which would avoid significantly restricting the possibility of diversifying and developing existing potential, as well as making use of their comparative and competitive advantages;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Criticises the fact that, within the additional ERDF funding, the amounts to be allocated to the ORs have been reduced in the proposals for the financial period from 2014 to 2020 and considers that the financial arrangements for the implementation of EU 2020 should provide for access to EU funding that is at least equal to that available for the current financial framework; proposes that other criteria be used for the allocation of funding with a view to a more equitable distribution betwe, with a 7.5 % reduction in the resources allocated to development, 70 million less than the allocation made in the previous period, and considers that the financial arrangements, under cohesion policy, should not, in any case, be less than that of the current financial framework but, conversely, should be increased in order to be able to implement these regions, as a fixed component to be uniformly allocated amongst them Europe 2020 strategy in a coherent way;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Criticises the fact that, within the additional ERDF funding, the amounts to be allocated to the ORs have been reduced in the proposals for the financial period from 2014 to 2020 and considers that the financial arrangements for the implementation of EU 2020 should provide for access to EU funding that is at least equal to that available for the current financial framework; proposes that other criteria be used for the allocation of funding with a view to a more equitable distribution between these regions, as a fixed component to be uniformly allocated amongst themis concerned that this allocation, initially designed to compensate the effects of the structural disadvantages of the outermost regions has been altered to 50 % to meet different objectives; calls for this allocation to be increased to a co-financing rate of 85 %, as for ERDF mainstream; calls therefore for the financial arrangements for the implementation of EU 2020 should provide for access to EU funding that is at least equal to that available for the current financial framework;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Draws attention to the fact that in the proposal for a Regulation of the next ESF, the situation of ORs will not be referred to, considering not only the structural characteristics listed in Article 349 of the TFEU but also their specific economic situation which puts them among the regions with the highest unemployment rates in the EU;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Calls for the ERDF’s specific additional allocation to ORs to be maintained, and considers that the minimum allocation, in terms of aid per inhabitant, should be at least that granted in the current period; also stresses the importance of linking this additional specific allocation to the difficulties mentioned in Article 349 of the Treaty and to the specific objectives of the European strategy in favour of ORs, and of permitting it to be applied to both investment and operating costs;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises that European taxation and customs policies should be adjusted in order to enhance the competitiveness of the outermost regions and that the existence of free zoneappropriate tax and customs frameworks is of paramount importance to the diversification of economic activity and the creation of skilustainabled jobs in the ORs;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Is in favour of the need for OR citizens to benefit from the advantages of the internal market on an equal footing with other EU citizens and calls for the adoption of measures in accordance with the recommendations of the Solbes report; calls for the possibility of developing a specific framework on state aid to ORs to be examined;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Highlights the need to maintain measures for the management and protection of marine resources, the promotion of aquaculture, and the reintroduction of the possibility of granting fleet renewal and modernisation aid, and calls for an increase in the compensation for additional costs in the POSEI fisheries programme;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. DCriticises the fact that the proposal for the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy does not take sufficient account of the situation of the ORs; draws attention to the marine dimension of the ORs and the importance of the fishing sector in view of their Exclusive Economic Zone, the potential of which should be reflected in concrete and coherent measures for a genuine marine economy and duly taken into account in the integrated European maritime policy; considers it essential to facilitate the connection between the ‘internal’ and ‘external’ aspects of the CFP for the ORs and to provide compensation measures aimed at repairing the damage caused by the conclusion of fisheries agreements.
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Draws attention to the marine dimension of the ORs and the importance of the fishing sector in view of their Exclusive Economic Zone, the potential of which should be reflected in concrete measures for a genuine marine economy and duly taken into account in the integrated European maritime policy; emphasises the need to take into account the interests of the ORs concerned when negotiating international fisheries agreements and to establish compensatory measures to mitigate possible damages resulting from the signing of such agreements;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Draws attention to the importance of the tourism sector and calls on the Commission to speed up the implementation of the European Action Plan and ensure more effective coordination of the existing funding lines, giving specialfic attention to the ORs;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Emphasises that the ORs wish to invest in a research and innovation strategy and in the growth of their business structure; argues for the creation of technological infrastructures and innovation hubs, the development of projects and partnerships with Scientific and Technological System organisations and the exchange of ideas and good practices through European innovation support networks and smart specialisation such as the S3 platform;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that a single European transport area should contribute towards the inclusive growth of the ORs and reduce their access gap; calls for the establishment of a specific framework to provide transport subsidies in the ORs, the establishment of logistical platforms and supports the implementation of projects such as Motorways of the Sea; highlights the possibilities of the Marco Polo programme for the ORs, calls on the Commission to increase the programme'’s flexibility and extend it after 2013 and calls for the Connecting Europe Facility to include specific references to the ORs; urges for ORs to be included in TEN-E networks and the new instrument aimed at facilitating European interconnections.
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Points out that the ORs'rs’ dependence on imported fossil fuels results in substantial additional costs; proposes strengthening the renewable energy sector and setting up a specific programme in the field of energy to reduce the costs due to remoteness, infrastructure and provision of services; in order to promote the ambitious policies the ORs have committed to on the development of renewable energy.
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. UStresses the fact that Article 349 of the TFEU stipulates the adoption of specific measures aimed at lessening the impact of OR characteristics, including those needed to allow the ORs to fully participate on an equal footing with other regions, in all EU horizontal programmes; considers, nevertheless, that the implementation of this article was weak, restricting its scope to adapt these policies and to benefit from them; urges the Commission to establish a specific programme in the field of energy, transport and information and communications technology, similar to the POSEI arrangements, which will need to be in keeping with other European funds in these fields;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Advocates greater involvement of the regional authorities of the ORs in preparing and implementing European programmes, within a multi-level and partnership-based form of governance, and greater visibility of these regions in the EU institutions;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Points to the role of the ORs as EU borders with the rest of the world and advocates an approach, particularly through pursuing the reflections of the Commission in partnership with the ORs, that recognises their closeness to EU third countries and, including to the countries with which they have special cultural and historical links; draws attention to their integration problems in their respective geographical areas, and the need to find specific innovative schemes which encourage real regional integration through shared programmes and projects between the ORs and neighbouring third countries and to help establish good connections between respective geographical areas; highligts the need to carry out studies to measure the impact of international trade agreements and their impact in relation tof the external aspects of some EU policies;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Stresses the importance of regional cooperation for ORs, and believes that an individual development strategy should be designed for each of them, tailored to their own local context and to that of their neighbours; underlines the advisability of analysing the possibility of ORs being able to carry out joint projects with third countries;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for the continuation of territorial cooperation programmes in the ORs and advocates increased funding for programmes, greater investment in transnational cooperation and the removal, in the case of the ORs, of the 150 km criterion in of the 150 km criterion, which limits the possibilities of cross-border cooperation;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Recalls the key role the ORs could play in development cooperation in key cooperation platforms with their third country neighbours as well as regions which could carry out important work in fostering development in their geographical environment.
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Points out that other EU regions Danish, French and Dutch overseas territories referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 355 of the TFEU can choose to become ORs, opting for whichever status is most appropriate to their situation, and draws the attention of the current ORs to the decisive role they can play in promoting and consolidating their status;