27 Amendments of Andrea COZZOLINO related to 2018/0199(COD)
Amendment 54 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) Article 176 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union ('TFEU') provides that the European Regional Development Fund ('ERDF') is intended to help to redress the main regional imbalances in the Union. Under that Article and the second and third paragraphs of Article 174 of the TFEU, the ERDF is to contribute to reducing disparities between the levels of development of the various regions and to reducing the backwardness of the least favoured regions, among which particular attention is to be paid to certain categories of regions, among which cross-border regions or regions which suffer from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps such as northernmost regions, island, cross- border regions, mountain regions and rural areas are explicitly listed.
Amendment 60 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) In order to support the harmonious development of the Union's territory at different levels, the ERDF should support cross-border cooperation, transnational cooperation, maritime cooperation, outermost regions’ cooperation and interregional cooperation under the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg).
Amendment 67 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3 a (new)
Recital 3 a (new)
(3a) The internal border regions generate a quarter of the EU’s GDP and account for 40% of the EU’s territory, with 150 million European residents. However, there are obstacles that hinder their growth, such as legal and administrative barriers that translate into legal uncertainty (for instance, problems concerning social security and recognition of degree or qualifications requirements) for border workers or inadequate transport networks.
Amendment 69 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) The cross-border cooperation component should aim to tackle common challenges identified jointly in the border regions, and to exploit the untapped growth potential in border areas as evidenced in the Communication of the Commission 'Boosting Growth and Cohesion in EU Border Regions’23 ('Border Regions Communication'). Consequently, the cross-border component should be limited to cooperation on land borders and cross- border cooperation on maritime borders should be integrated into the transnational component. _________________ 23 Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament 'Boosting growth and cohesion in EU border regions' - COM(2017) 534 final, 20.9.2017. Consequently, the cross-border component should include cooperation on land and maritime borders.
Amendment 84 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) The transnational cooperation and maritime cooperation component should aim to strengthen cooperation by means of actions conducive to integrated territorial development linked to the Union's cohesion policy priorities, and should also include maritime cross-border cooperation. Transnational cooperation should cover larger territories on the mainland of the Union, whereas maritime cooperation should cover territories around sea-basins and integrate cross-border cooperation on maritime borders during the programming period 2014-2020. Maximum flexibility should be given to continue implementing previous maritime cross-border cooperation within a larger maritime cooperation framework, in particular by defining the territory covered, the specific objectives for such cooperation, the requirements for a project partnership and the setting-up of sub-programmes and specific steering committeesooperation.
Amendment 97 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) Based on the experience with the interregional cooperation programmes under Interreg and the lack of such cooperation within programmes under the Investment for jobs and growth goal during the programming period 2014-2020, the interregional cooperation component should focus more specifically on boosting the effectiveness of cohesion policy. That component should therefore be limited to twoinclude three programmes, one to enable all kind of experience, innovative approaches and capacity building for programmes under both goals and to promote European groupings of territorial cooperation ('EGTCs') set up or to be set up pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1082/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council24 , one to offer opportunities for regional and local public authorities across Europe to share ideas and experiences on public policy in practise, therefore improving synergies for their citizens and communities and one to improve the analysis of development trends. Project- based cooperation throughout the Union should be integrated into the new component on interregional innovation investments and closely linked to the implementation of the Communication from the Commission 'Strengthening Innovation in Europe's Regions: Strategies for resilient, inclusive and sustainable growth'25 , in particular to support thematic smart specialisation platforms on fields such as energy, industrial modernisation or agrifood. Finally, integrated territorial development focusing on functional urban areas or urban areas should be concentrated within programmes under the Investment for jobs and growth goal and in one accompanying instrument, the ‘European Urban Initiative”. The two programmes under the interregional cooperation component should cover the whole Union and should also be open for the participation of third countries. _________________ 24 Regulation (EC) No 1082/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 on a European grouping of territorial cooperation (EGTC) (OJ L 210, 31.7.2006, p. 19). 25 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 'Strengthening Innovation in Europe's Regions: Strategies for resilient, inclusive and sustainable growth' - COM(2017) 376 final, 18.7.2017.
Amendment 109 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8 a (new)
Recital 8 a (new)
(8a) Stresses that the potential of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) is not yet being fully exploited, which could be due partly to regional and local authorities’ reservations, and partly to their fear of a transfer of competences and an ongoing lack of awareness of their respective competences; calls for any other possible causes of this situation to be swiftly identified and addressed; calls on the Commission to put forward measures to overcome the obstacles hindering effective application of this instrument in the context of the new ‘interregional’ component.
Amendment 114 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) It is necessary to continue supporting or, as appropriate, to establish cooperation in all its dimensions with the Union's neighbouring third countries, as such cooperation is an important regional development policy tool and should benefit the regions of the Member States which border third countries. To that effect, the ERDF and the external financing instruments of the Union, IPA27, NDICI28 and OCTP29, should support programmes under cross-border cooperation, transnational cooperation and maritime cooperation, outermost regions’ cooperation and interregional cooperation. The support from the ERDF and from the external financing instruments of the Union should be based on reciprocity and proportionality. However, for IPA III CBC and NDICI CBC, the ERDF support should be complemented by at least equivalent amounts under IPA III CBC and NDICI CBC, subject to a maximum amount set out in the respective legal act, that is to say, up to 3 % of the financial envelope under IPA III and up to 4 % of the financial envelope of the Neighbourhood geographic programme under Article 4(2)(a) of the NDICI. _________________ 27 Regulation (EU) XXX establishing the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (OJ L xx, p. y). 28 Regulation (EU) XXX establishing the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (OJ L xx, p. y). 29 Council Decision (EU) XXX on the association of the Overseas Countries and Territories with the European Inion including relations between the European Union on the one hand and Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark on the other (OJ L xx, p. y).
Amendment 125 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13 a (new)
Recital 13 a (new)
(13a) Border regions, especially those with lower population density, tend to face worse conditions for social and economic development and generally perform less well economically than other regions within the Member States, and their full economic potential is untapped. Physical and/or geographical barriers also contribute to restricting economic, social and territorial cohesion between border regions, both within and outside the EU, particularly in the case of island and mountain regions.
Amendment 129 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) It is necessary to set out the resources allocated to each of the different components of Interreg, including each Member State's share of the global amounts for the cross-border cooperation, the transnational cooperation and maritime cooperation, the outermost regions’ cooperation and the interregional cooperation, the potential available to Member States concerning flexibility between those components. Compared to the programming period 2014-2020, the share for cross-border cooperation should be reduced, while the share for transnational cooperation and maritime cooperation should be increased because of the integration of maritime cooperation, and a new outermost regions’ cooperation component should be created.
Amendment 146 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20 a (new)
Recital 20 a (new)
(20a) A significant proportion of EU support should be designed to enhance the use of existing innovative tools which contribute to the ongoing modernisation and deepening of cross-border cooperation, such as Border Focal Point, reinforced SOLVIT, as well as the Single Digital Gateway, aimed at organising expertise and advice on cross-border regional aspects, and to continue to develop new ones.
Amendment 158 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 27
Recital 27
(27) Member States should be encouraged to assign, where appropriate, delegate the functions of the managing authority to an EGTC or to make such a grouping, like other cross-border legal bodies, responsible for managing a sub-programme, an integrated territorial investment or one or more small project funds, or to act as sole partner. Member States shall enable regional and local authorities and other public bodies from different Member States to set up such cooperation groupings with a legal personality and shall involve local and regional authorities in their functioning in order to enhance the territorial ownership of these initiatives;
Amendment 188 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point a
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point a
(a) internal cross-border cooperation between adjacent land and maritime border regions of two or more Member States or between adjacent land and maritime border regions of at least one Member State and one or more third countries listed in Article 4(3); or
Amendment 195 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point b – introductory part
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point b – introductory part
(b) external cross-border cooperation, between adjacent land and maritime border regions of at least one Member State and of one or more of the following:
Amendment 200 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 2
(2) transnational cooperation and maritime cooperation over larger transnational territories or around sea- basins, involving national, regional and local programme partners in Member States, third countries and partner countries and in Greenland, with a view to achieving a higher degree of territorial integration ('component 2'; where referring only to transnational cooperation: 'component 2A'; where referring only to maritime cooperation: ‘component 2B’);
Amendment 225 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1
Article 4 – paragraph 1
1. For cross-border cooperation, the regions to be supported by the ERDF shall be the NUTS level 3 regions of the Union along all internal and external land and maritime borders with third countries or partner countries.
Amendment 242 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 4
Article 4 – paragraph 4
4. For external cross-border cooperation, the regions to be supported by IPA III or NDICI shall be NUTS level 3 regions of the respective partner country or, in the absence of NUTS classification, equivalent areas along all land or maritime borders between Member States and partner countries eligible under IPA III or NDICI.
Amendment 247 #
1. For transnational cooperation and maritime cooperation, the regions to be supported by the ERDF shall be the NUTS level 2 regions of the Union covering contiguous functional areas, taking into account, where applicable, macro-regional strategies or sea basin strategies.
Amendment 253 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – introductory part
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 – introductory part
Transnational cooperation and maritime cooperation Interreg programmes may cover:
Amendment 272 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 2
Article 8 – paragraph 2
2. The implementing act referred to in paragraph 1 shall also contain a list specifying those NUTS level 3 regions of the Union taken into account for the ERDF allocation for cross-border cooperation at all internal land and maritime borders and those external borders covered by the external financing instruments of the Union as well as a list specifying those NUTS level 3 regions taken into account for allocation purposes under component 2B referred to in point (a) of Article 9(3).
Amendment 338 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2 – introductory part
Article 9 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2 – introductory part
The allocation of resources per Member State, which covers cross-border and transnational cooperation, and includes the contribution from the ERDF to the European Neighbourhood Instrument and the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, shall be determined by the weighted sum of the share of the population of border regions and of the share of the total population of each Member State. The weighting shall be as follows: cross-border component (77.9%), transnational component (22.1%). Population size in the following regions shall be used as the criterion for the breakdown by Member State:
Amendment 339 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2 – point a
Article 9 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2 – point a
(a) NUTS level 3 regions for component 1 and those NUTS level 3 regions for component 2B listed in the implementing act under Article 8(2);
Amendment 382 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 14 – paragraph 4 – point a – introductory part
Article 14 – paragraph 4 – point a – introductory part
(a) under component 1 and 2B Interreg programmes:
Amendment 388 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 14 – paragraph 4 – point a – point ii a (new)
Article 14 – paragraph 4 – point a – point ii a (new)
ii a) the eGovernment actions planned for the 2016-2020 period as a tool to achieve an efficient and inclusive public administration, recognising the particular value of this plan for simplification measures in the border regions;
Amendment 463 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 19 – paragraph 1
Article 19 – paragraph 1
1. The Member State hosting the managing authority may submit a motivated request for an amendment of an Interreg programme together with the amended programme, and after consultation of the regional and local authorities and in accordance with Article 6 of the CPR, setting out the expected impact of that amendment on the achievement of the objectives.
Amendment 477 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 19 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1
Article 19 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1
The Member State may transfer during the programming period an amount of up to 5% of the initial allocation of a priority and no more than 3% of the programme budget to another priority of the same Interreg programme., and after consultation of the regional and local authorities and in accordance of the Article 6 of the CPR,
Amendment 642 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 44 – paragraph 5
Article 44 – paragraph 5
5. With regard to an Interreg programme under component 2B or under component 1 where the latter covers long borders with heterogenous development challenges and needs, Member States and, where applicable, third countries, partner countries and OCTs participating in an Interreg programme may define sub- programme areas.