13 Amendments of Jens GEIER related to 2015/2074(BUD)
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises that Horizon 2020 and other EU support for research and innovation have clear European added value; expects that implementation will improve, given that, compared with earlier research framework programmes, the rules have been simplified in order to make the procedures less complex for recipients of support;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the inclusion of the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) in the Draft Budget for 2016 and, in particular, the mobilisation of the Global Margin for Commitments to cover part of the expenditure needed to finance the EUR 8 billion EFSI Guarantee Fund, instead of relying only on the cuts to Horizon 2020 and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF); stresses that the deal struck by the co- legislators further reduces those cuts by EUR 1 billion overall, sparing in particular fundamental research; expects the final agreement to be reflected as soon as possible in the 2016 budget on the basis of an amending letter aiming at minimising to the maximum extent the impact of the reductions on these two programmes; stresses that Parliament does not agree to a concentration of cuts in Horizon 2020 and CEF during the budgetary years 2016-2018 as proposed by the Commission so far and underlines that a decision will be only taken by the budgetary authority comprised of the Council and the Parliament, in the course of the annual budgetary procedure; points out, however, that the cuts remain significant and commits to further offsetting them through a reinforcement of Horizon 2020 and the CEF in the context of the budgetary procedure, in order to allow these programmes to fully accomplish the objectives agreed only two years ago as a result of the negotiations on their respective legal bases;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reiterates its concerns about the funding of the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) as a key tool for the fight against youth unemployment in the Union, which is a top priority for all European decision-makers; notes that, owing to the frontloading of the YEI top-up allocation in 2014 and 2015,; criticises that no new commitments are proposed in 2016; recalls that the MFF has provided for a global margin for commitments to be made available over and above the ceilings as of 2016 for policy objectives related to growth and employment, in particular youth employment; recalls that, consequently, the Regulation on the European Social Fund has provided that the resources for the YEI may be revised upwards for the years 2016 to 2020 in the framework of the budgetary procedure; calls, therefore, for the Youth Employment Initiative to be continued by making use of any flexibility provision contained in the MFF and intends to ensure that the budget 2016 foresees the necessary amounts;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recalls that payment shortages, largely due to insufficient payment ceilings and under-budgeting, reached unprecedented heights in 2014 and remain acute in 2015; is therefore surprised about the low level of payment appropriations in comparison to the appropriations which can be committed in 2016 and questions how this fits in the long-term effect of the payment plan; fears that this continues to penalise the beneficiaries and to jeopardise the proper implementation of the new 2014- 2020 MFF programmes; while supporting active management of payments by the Commission, is concerned at the postponement of calls for proposals, at the reduction of pre-financing and at late payments;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Underlines that Parliament and the Council have committed to avoiding the future build-up of an unsustainable backlog of outstanding payment claims at year's end, while fully respecting and implementing the agreements reached as part of the multiannual financial framework and of the annual budgetary procedures; repeats its concern that the specificities of the payment cycles put additional pressure on the level of payment appropriations especially at the end of the MFF; invites the Commission to develop its medium- and long-term forecasting tools and to set up an early warning system by early 2016 so that the budgetary authority can take duly informed decisions in the future;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Recalls that an amount of EUR 21.6 billion is needed in the 2016 budget to bring down the level of outstanding payment claims for the 2007-2013 cohesion programmes from EUR 24.7 billion at the end of 2014 and EUR 20 billion at the end of 2015 to around EUR 2 billion by the end of 2016, as described in the Commission's assessment annexed to the joint statement on a payment plan 2015-2016; urges avoiding a similar ‘abnormal' build-up of unpaid bills in the future to not jeopardize the European Union's credibility;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Insists thatStresses that the 5 % staff redeployment pool created by the Commission is in effect an additional cut to the agencies' establishment plans, this goes beyond the agreed 5 % staff reduction target; this is a poor management strategy when it is applied to agencies such as the Body of European Regulators of Electronic Communications (BEREC) which require highly specialised and trained staff who are not easily replaced; cuts to this agency in particular are very unwelcome in light of its increased importance in view of the digital agenda; insists that BEREC as well as the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) be provided with sufficient resources to execute the tasks conferred on it by the EU legislative authorities.;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Insists that the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) be provided with sufficient resources to execute the tasks conferred on ithem by the EU legislative authorities; points out that the Commission’s redeployment pool, involving 5% of the staff, is out of step with the increased importance of the above agencies and that, if the plans are implemented, the agencies’ ability to work will be jeopardised.
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. RWelcomes the Commission's European Agenda on Migration and reiterates its backing for the enhancement of the EU's means and the development of a culture of fair burden- sharing in the areas of asylum, migration and the management of external borders, and therefore praises the increases in commitment appropriations for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and for the Internal Security Fund; welcomes the Commission proposal to mobilise the Flexibility Instrument with EUR 124 million in order to respond to the current crisimigration trends in the Mediterranean; in this context reminds of the importance of the European Asylum Support Office which should be endowed with additional financial resources enabling the Agency to respond to an increased workload;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Welcomes the overall increased financing for Heading 4, reaching EUR 8.9 billion in commitment appropriations (+5.6% compared with the 2015 budget), while leaving a margin of EUR 261.3 million below the ceiling; believes however, that further enforcements of certain priority areas, such as the assistance to Palestine and to UNRWA, are required due to the on-going humanitarian and political crisis in the neighbourhood area and beyond; notes that this demonstrates a high level of solidarity with third countries; believes that the EU budget is instrumental in reaching out to people in need and in promoting European fundamental values; is satisfied that the economic and social difficulties encountered by the EU over the past years have not detracted from the attention paid to the rest of the world;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Believes that external financing instruments provide tools to address, in a multifaceted manner and alongside their respective objectives, the root causes of those internal security and migration challenges which are at the core of next year's budget, with particular reference to the southern and eastern borders of the Union and more generally to conflict- stricken areas; points, in particular, to the Development Cooperation Instrument and the European Neighbourhood Instrument but also to policies undergoing more moderate increases such as humanitarian aid, the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, Common Foreign and Security Policy and the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights; calls on the Commission to clearly identify areas which can help in coping with those topical challenges and where potential reinforcements can be efficiently absorbed; in this respect, reminds of the importance to provide assistance in reducing and eventually eradicating poverty, and of the need to keep human rights, gender equality, social cohesion and fight against inequalities at the core of the EU external aid activities;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Stresses the importance of Pilot Projects (PP) and Preparatory Actions (PA) as tools for the formulation of political priorities and the introduction of new initiatives reflecting and accompanying the economical, ecological and social mutations within the EU that might turn into standing EU activities and programme; notes with concern that the Commission has not foreseen appropriations for the continuation of highly successful PP-PAs, especially in Heading 3; intends to proceed to the identification of a balanced package of PP-PAs; notes that in the current proposal, the margin in some headings is quite limited, or even non-existent, and intends to explore ways to make room for possible PP-PAs;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Recalls that, with programmes expected to reach full swing, with the integration of new major initiatives in the areas of investment and migration, with the opportunity to settle issues of the past such as payments and special instruments, and with the first activation of new MFF provisions such as the global margin for commitments, the 2016 budgetary procedure will be a test case on the Council's approach towards the payment plan as well as a test case for the assessment of the current MFF, which will culminate in the process of review/revision to be launched next year;