BETA

42 Amendments of Tamás DEUTSCH related to 2017/2136(DEC)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that as indicated in the Annual Report of the Court of Auditors, the estimated level of error in spending on ‘Economic, social and territorial cohesion’ decreased from 5,2 % in 2015 to 4,8 % in 2016; notes the sustained improvement over the past three years; welcomes the fact that the Court issued a qualified opinion on the regularity of the transactions underlying the 2016 accounts; acknowledges that the error rate for the 2007-2013 programming period remains significantly below the rates reported for the previous period, which proves the overall positive impact of the corrective actions taken; underlines that further simplification of rules and reduction of the administrative burden could help decreasing even more the error rate;

2018/01/31
Committee: REGI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Reminds that irregularities are not necessarily all fraud and a distinction should be made between fraudulent and non-fraudulent irregularities; it is in part for this reason that the suspension of payments in case of irregularities should only be used as a last resort;

2018/01/31
Committee: REGI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Draws attention to the role administrative capacities play in the regular use of the European Structural and Investment Funds and considers that an exchange of good practices could effectively contribute to enhancing Member States' capacities in this field;

2018/01/31
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to align policy objectives, financial cycles, the legislative period of the Parliament and the mandate of the Commission; Acknowledges, however, that the timing of the next Parliament elections in spring 2019, given that the current MFF runs until December 2020, does not allow for solution to be implemented immediately; takes the view, therefore, that the next MFF should be set for a period of seven years (2021- 2027);

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Notes that the average disbursement rate for financial instruments was only 75 % at the end of 2015, which shows that the potential of those instruments is not fully exploited, while emphasising that grants are the main form of cohesion policy support due to the fact that not all investments are bankable or have quantifiable results in the short term; points out that the revision of the Financial Regulation which is due to enter into force in 2018 will significantly contribute to the simplification, improvement and optimisation of their use during current programming period;

2018/01/31
Committee: REGI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission to speed up the delivery of cohesion policy programmes and related payments ~~with a view to reducing the length of the implementation period, initially, to year n+2~~;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44

44. Points out that the delays in the implementation of programmes in the first three years of the current MFF led to the transfer of commitment appropriations from 2014, mainly to 2015 and 2016, and to low payments in 2016; however points out that 2017 was the first year when the implementation of ESIF programmes accelerated, expects that this trend will continue in 2018 and 2019;believesthat sufficient levels of payment and appropriations for commitments should be provided in order for implementation to proceed smoothly;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

48. Recalls that the Union is making increasing use of financial instruments and that the establishment of EFSI creates new governance arrangements with limited public scrutiny; highlights that any legislative proposal should improve significantly the geographical coverage of the EFSI; recalls that the EFSI should remain an additional tool for boosting investments as cohesion policy should remain the investment policy of the Union;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50

50. Fears that Member States where European Structural Investment (ESI) funds represent a significant percentage of general government expenditure may find it challenging to identify sufficiently high quality projects on which to spend the available Union funds or to provide co-financing;deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 138 – point e

~~(e) assisting the effective integration of migrants;~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 22

~~Specific issues~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 156

~~Greece~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 156

~~156. Welcomes DG REGIO’s efforts to make progress with the priority project list in Greece;~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 157

157. In this context, welcomes: (a) the establishment of four highway concessions (Athens-Thessaloniki, Korinthos-Tripoli-Kalamata, Korinthos- Patras and Patras-Ioannina; covering between them more than 1,000 km of road), which are now operational and very much appreciated by users, (b) the programme "energy savings in households" (combination of FEI with grants), which improved energy efficiency in 46,000 households and created 6,000 jobs; demand was so high that a successor programme for 2014-2020 was immediately created, (c) JEREMIE, allowing the creation or safeguarding of more than 20,000 jobs, (d) project, which manages monthly more than 5.5 million electronic prescriptions and 2.4 million diagnostic referrals, with the involvement of 13,000 pharmacies and 50,000 doctors, and has led to considerable cost savings for the Greek public health budget;deleted financial instruments, notably the e-prescription for medicines

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 157 – point a

(a) the establishment of four highway concessions (Athens-Thessaloniki, Korinthos-Tripoli-Kalamata, Korinthos- Patras and Patras-Ioannina; covering between them more than 1,000 km of road), which are now operational and very much appreciated by users,deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 157 – point b

(b) the programme "energy savings in households" (combination of FEI with grants), which improved energy efficiency in 46,000 households and created 6,000 jobs; demand was so high that a successor programme for 2014-2020 was immediately created,deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 157 – point c

~~(c) financial instruments, notably JEREMIE, allowing the creation or safeguarding of more than 20,000 jobs,~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 157 – point d

(d) the e-prescription for medicines project, which manages monthly more than 5.5 million electronic prescriptions and 2.4 million diagnostic referrals, with the involvement of 13,000 pharmacies and 50,000 doctors, and has led to considerable cost savings for the Greek public health budget;deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 158

~~158. Regrets on the other hand that: (a) 3 extension to Piraeus) and Thessaloniki (base line) have incurred serious delays which necessitated their phasing~~deleted the metro projects in Athens (line some key projects into the 2014-2020 programming period; (b) digital and energy sectors were cancelled or are delayed, and that as a consequence they have been phased or transferred in their entirety to the 2014-2020 programming period; (c) solid waste management infrastructures remain to be completed;railway, a large part of the waste water and

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 158 – point a

~~(a) the metro projects in Athens (line 3 extension to Piraeus) and Thessaloniki (base line) have incurred serious delays which necessitated their phasing into the 2014-2020 programming period;~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 158 – point b

(b) some key projects in the railway, digital and energy sectors were cancelled or are delayed, and that as a consequence they have been phased or transferred in their entirety to the 2014-2020 programming period;deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 158 – point c

~~(c) a large part of the waste water and solid waste management infrastructures remain to be comp~~deleted;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 160

~~Czech Republic~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 159

~~159. Calls on DG REGIO to keep the European parliament informed about future progress;~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 160

160. Welcomes the fact that the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has completed its administrative investigation into the Czech “stork nest” project; takes note that the OLAF case file has been publicised by the Czech media; regrets that OLAF found serious irregularities;deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 161

~~161. Calls on DG REGIO to recover the Union co-financing involved, i.e. EUR 1,67 million;~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 162

~~162. Calls on the Czech authorities to take appropriate judicial follow-up action to the violation of Czech and European legal provisions;~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 165

~~Hungary~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 163

163. Is concerned at the Commission’s observation: (a) suffers from a lack of transparency, and corruption risk in public decision making is perceived to be high; (b) that audit findings reveal irregularities such as breaches of public procurement rules, ineligible expenditure or overpricing of the financed projects; (c) that, in 2017, six out of the 13 operational programmes of the 2007-2013 period were under reservation; (d) that Hungary was the Member State with the highest amount of financial corrections applied in the year 2016 (EUR 211 million); (e) Office (OLAF) has, since 2012, issued 37 recommendations on the basis of which indictments have been filed in eight cases; and that currently OLAF has 14 ongoing investigations in Hungary which concern mostly structural and agricultural funds;deleted that public spending in Hungary that the European Anti-Fraud

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 163 – point a

~~(a) that public spending in Hungary suffers from a lack of transparency, and corruption risk in public decision making is perceived to be high;~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 163 – point b

~~(b) that audit findings reveal irregularities such as breaches of public procurement rules, ineligible expenditure or overpricing of the financed projects;~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 163 – point c

~~(c) that, in 2017, six out of the 13 operational programmes of the 2007-2013 period were under reservation;~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 163 – point d

~~(d) that Hungary was the Member State with the highest amount of financial corrections applied in the year 2016 (EUR 211 million);~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 163 – point e

(e) that the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has, since 2012, issued 37 recommendations on the basis of which indictments have been filed in eight cases; and that currently OLAF has 14 ongoing investigations in Hungary which concern mostly structural and agricultural funds;deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 167

~~Polan~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 164

164. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the projects selected by managing authorities are sustainable, i.e. they will be operational and suitably maintained, through earmarked resources secured by the beneficiaries;deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 165

~~165. Calls on the Polish authorities to refrain from making Union legislation more complex by adding national rules (“gold plating”) which go beyond the requirements of EU regulations;~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 166

166. Is concerned by very slow progress in implementing 2014-2020 EU projects in the railway sector, with key contracts still to be concluded in 2017; notes that cumbersome legal, financial and administrative procedures, together with bottlenecks caused by the railway infrastructure management (PLK S.A.) persist and have led to project delays and insufficient investment;deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

~~Volkswagen Group~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 167

~~167. Notes that OLAF has also completed an administrative investigation into a loan granted to the Volkswagen Group by the European Investment Bank (EIB);~~deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 168

168. Takes note of a statement made by the EIB President, Werner Hoyer, stating that: “We still cannot exclude that one of our loans, the 400m EUR loan ‘Volkswagen Antrieb RDI’, was linked to emission control technologies developed at the time the defeat software was designed and used. We will now review OLAF’s conclusions and consider all available and appropriate action. [...]We are very disappointed at what is asserted by the OLAF investigation, namely that the EIB was misled, by VW about the use of the defeat device.”;deleted

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 261 – point c

(c) the hotspot approach further requires that migrants be channelled into appropriate follow-up procedures, i.e. a national asylum application, ~~relocation to another Member State~~ or return to the country of origin and the implementation of these follow-up procedures is often slow and subject to various bottlenecks, which can have repercussions on the functioning of the hotspots;

2018/03/01
Committee: CONT