2024/2019(DEC) | [ParlTrack]

Michal WIEZIK, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Vlad VASILE-VOICULESCU, Yvan VEROUGSTRAETE, Martin HOJSÍK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Emphasises that the climate and environmental objectives are an integral part of the RRF framework and national recovery and resilience plans and that spending and implementation must be aligned with, and contribute to, the fulfilment of the objectives of the green transition; expresses concern about the findings in the Court's Special Report No 14/2024 that a significant share of the audited measures in the national recovery and resilience plans did not have entirely justified climate coefficients, resulting in the likely overestimation of at least €430 million; agrees with the ECA's assessment that the Commission should have spotted these inconsistencies when assessing the plans;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Stresses, in addition, the recommendations made by the Court of Auditors in its special report 15/2024 on climate adaptation in the EU; deplores the fact that more than a third of adaptation projects audited had little or no impact on increasing adaptive capacity, including projects on promoting large scale irrigation instead of switching to less water-intensive crops, constructing dykes and investing in artificial snow cannons; calls on the Commission in this regard to ensure that all relevant EU-funded projects are adapted to the current and future climate conditions, strengthening promotion of long-term cross-cutting and effective solutions for climate adaptation;

Amendment 12 #

Olivier CHASTEL, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Vlad VASILE-VOICULESCU, Michal WIEZIK, Yvan VEROUGSTRAETE, Martin HOJSÍK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Stresses the recommendations made by the Court of Auditors in its special report 15/2024 on climate adaptation in the EU; deplores the fact that the data provided by the Member States in their communications on national adaptation measures are essentially descriptive and do not allow these data to be monitored or compared; calls for the introduction of a common methodology and indicators for the 27 Member States to allow quantitative evaluation of the progress made in adapting to climate change;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Stresses that, as the Next Generation EU (NGEU) recovery plan has been financed through the issuance of a joint debt on the markets, from 2028 the EU will have to pay interest on these loans, which could reach up to EUR 222 billion over the entire duration of the NGEU borrowing scheme, or 0.6 % of average annual EU GDP1 a; _________________ 1 a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/ etudes/BRIE/2023/754286/IPOL_BRI(20 23)754286_EN.pdf

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Expresses its concern about the findings in the Court's Special Report 14/2024 regarding inconsistencies in how Member States apply the ‘do no significant harm’ principle, which finds that Member States were not always required to thoroughly assess the need for mitigation measures associated with their investments when applying simplified approaches; calls on the Commission to take measures to address these inconsistencies in how Member States apply the ‘do no significant harm’ principle;

Amendment 15 #

Radan KANEV, Michalis HADJIPANTELA, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU, Gabriella GERZSENYI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Regrets the findings of the Court’s Special Report No 26/2023 regarding the performance monitoring of the RRF, which finds that milestones and targets vary in ambition and largely focus on outputs rather than results, that the common indicators used to monitor and report progress towards the RRF’s objectives do not cover all aspects of the RRF’s performance, and that reported data is limited and may not be reliable; furthermore, is concerned by the findings of the Court's Special Report No 14/2024 that the indicators used to monitor the performance towards the green transition are not designed to eventually track impacts for the performance of individual measures in terms of climate and environmental action and that, due to their limitations, the indicators cannot be used to assess the extent to which RRF climate-related measures are contributing to climate action;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Notes the findings of the Court’s Special report 13/2024 regarding the number of payment requests submitted and the limited funds of the RRF disbursed by the Commission to Member States and regrets the important gap between Member States in the administrative capacities to ensure absorption and implementation progress of that facility; recognises nevertheless the benefits of RRF pre-financing to facilitate the deployment of climate mitigation projects on the ground and for providing funding certainty to final recipients; acknowledges the responsibility for ensuring sufficient administrative capacity lies ultimately with each Member State;

Amendment 17 #

Michal WIEZIK, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Vlad VASILE-VOICULESCU, Yvan VEROUGSTRAETE, Martin HOJSÍK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Points out the findings of the Court of Auditors in its special report 14/2024 on the contribution of RRF to Green transition; regrets that the design and implementation of the Facility calls into question the achievement of its climate and environmental objectives; calls on the Commission to urgently enhance the performance of green transition measures and improves reporting on climate spending under the Recovery and Resilience Facility;

Amendment 18 #

Jonas SJÖSTEDT, Sebastian EVERDING, Anja HAZEKAMP, Li ANDERSSON, Per CLAUSEN, Catarina MARTINS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Notes with grave concern how the mismanagement of the RRF negatively influences the EU's credibility in both fiscal and environmental matters; demands a thorough examination of the structure of the RRF, urges the commission to commit to a better controlled and more sustainable financial instrument in the future;

Amendment 19 #

Radan KANEV, Michalis HADJIPANTELA, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU, Gabriella GERZSENYI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Calls on the Commission to further think beyond the issuance of guidelines and to maximise the streamlining between application processes between directly and indirectly managed funds for climate, health and environmental matters, in particular for countries, which are recipients of both cohesion and RRF funds; welcomes in that regard the policy discussions that led to the creation of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP)1a, as a tool to support Member States in the management of European funding; _________________ 1a https://strategic- technologies.europa.eu/about/eu- programmes-supporting-step_en

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Is satisfied with~~Recognises the Commission's ~~overall~~efforts in implement~~ation of~~ing the budget ~~in the areas of~~for environment, climate action, public health, and food safety in 2023;

Amendment 20 #

Michal WIEZIK, Sigrid FRIIS, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Vlad VASILE-VOICULESCU, Yvan VEROUGSTRAETE, Martin HOJSÍK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Underlines the importance of proper~~Stresses the need for rigorous scrutiny of climate-related expenditure in the Union budget~~, and~~ to ensure maximum cost-efficiency and measurable results; holds the Commission fully accountable for ~~the~~ implement~~ation of a robus~~ing a transparent and ~~rel~~verifiable methodology, in ~~line with~~strict adherence to the commitments ~~undertaken in~~of the MFF agreement and ~~paragraph 16d of~~ the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources2 ; calls on the Commission to follow the Court’s recommendations in the relevant reports to better estimat; calls on the Commission to adopt the Court’s recommendations to improve climate spending estimates under future funding instruments, to ensure ~~adequate design of future funding instruments that are to support the climate and environmental objectives and targets, to enhance the performance~~funding directly supports concrete climate and environmental objectives, enhance the effectiveness of green transition measures, and ~~to ensure comprehensive, consistent, reliable and transparent~~guarantee full transparency and accountability in reporting on climate- related spending under the RRF; ~~_________________ 2 OJ L 433I, 22.12.2020, p. 28, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_interinstit/ 2020/1222/oj~~

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Underlines the importance of proper scrutiny of climate and biodiversity expenditure in the Union budget, and holds the Commission accountable for the implementation of a robust and reliable methodology, in line with the commitments undertaken in the MFF agreement and paragraphs 16d and 16e, respectively, of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources2 ; calls on the Commission to follow the Court’s recommendations in the relevant reports to better estimate climate and biodiversity spending under current and future funding instruments, to ensure adequate design of the existing policies and their implementation, including revised CAP Strategic Plans Regulation, to guarantee that the environmental ambition is not lowered in comparison to the originally adopted Regulation, as committed to by the European Commission, and ensure future funding instruments that are to support the climate ~~and~~, biodiversity and wider environmental objectives and targets, to enhance the performance of green transition measures and to ensure comprehensive, consistent, reliable and transparent reporting on climate and biodiversity spending under the RRF; _________________ 2 OJ L 433I, 22.12.2020, p. 28, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_interinstit/2 020/1222/oj

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Underlines the importance of proper scrutiny of climate expenditure in the Union budget, and holds the Commission accountable for the implementation of a robust and reliable methodology, in line with the commitments undertaken in the MFF agreement and paragraph 16d of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources2 ; calls on the Commission to follow the Court’s recommendations in the relevant reports to better estimate climate spending ~~under future funding instruments~~, to ensure adequate design of future funding instruments that are to support the climate and environmental objectives and targets~~, to enhance the performance of green transition measures and to ensure comprehensive, consistent, reliable and transparent reporting on climate spending under the RRF;~~ including by systematically implementing the “do no significant harm” principle in line with the requirements of the Financial Regulation, to enhance the performance of green transition measures including by adopting more impact oriented mainstreaming targets and to ensure comprehensive, consistent, reliable and transparent reporting on climate spending under the RRF; welcomes the design of the NextGenerationEU Green Bond Allocation and Impact Report as a model for future funding instruments; _________________ 2 OJ L 433I, 22.12.2020, p. 28, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_interinstit/2 020/1222/oj

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Underlines the importance of proper scrutiny of climate expenditure in the Union budget, and holds the Commission accountable for the implementation of a robust and reliable methodology, in line with the commitments undertaken in the MFF agreement and paragraph 16d of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources2 ; calls on the Commission to follow the Court’s recommendations ~~in the relevant reports to better~~to more accurately estimate climate spending under future funding instruments~~, to ensure adequate de~~; notes that the Commissigon ~~of future funding instruments that are to support the climate and environmental objectives and targe~~must take responsibility for transparent, consistent, and reliable reporting under the RRF; highlights, t~~o enhance the performance of green transition measures and to ensure comprehensive, consistent, reliable and transparent reporting on climate spending under the RRF;~~hat without a clear and accountable framework, there is a risk of wasting taxpayer money on initiatives that fail to deliver the intended outcomes; _________________ 2 OJ L 433I, 22.12.2020, p. 28, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_interinstit/2 020/1222/oj

Amendment 24 #

Michal WIEZIK, Sigrid FRIIS, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Vlad VASILE-VOICULESCU, Yvan VEROUGSTRAETE, Martin HOJSÍK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Underlines the importance of proper scrutiny of climate expenditure in the Union budget, and holds the Commission accountable for the implementation of a robust and reliable methodology, in line with the commitments undertaken in the MFF agreement and paragraph 16d of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management~~, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources2~~; calls on the Commission to follow the Court’s recommendations in the relevant reports to better estimate climate spending under future funding instruments, to ensure adequate design of future funding instruments that are to support the climate and environmental objectives and targets, to enhance the performance of green transition measures and to ensure comprehensive, consistent, reliable and transparent reporting on climate spending under the RRF; ~~_________________ 2 OJ L 433I, 22.12.2020, p. 28, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_interinstit/ 2020/1222/oj~~

Amendment 25 #

Jonas SJÖSTEDT, Sebastian EVERDING, Anja HAZEKAMP, Li ANDERSSON, Per CLAUSEN, Catarina MARTINS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Notes with great concern the special report by the European court of Auditors titled Green transition - Unclear contribution from the Recovery and Resilience Facility, according to which the contribution by the RRF to the green transition appears to be heavily overestimated; notes further how the RRF has an unclear implementation structure in the field of green transition; notes how the RRF funds appears to have been grossly disconnected from actual costs and results in the green transitions; concludes that the RRF mismanagement and poor design has severely hindered an ambitious green transition and severed the reputation of green investment within the EU framework; regrets the missed opportunity to advance green investment through the RRF;

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. Notes with concern the conclusions of the Court of Auditors that the Strategic Plans, implementing the Common Agricultural Policy, do not match the EU’s ambitions for the climate and the environment, and that key elements for assessing green performance are missing1a; Calls for a balanced representation of different types of land management and farming in the European Board on Agriculture and Food to be established in early 2025 to inform the Vision for Agriculture and Food, with the aim to ensure a dialogue on true solutions for resilient farming models, supported by a fair and just transition, where nobody and no rural region is left behind; _________________ 1a Special report 20/2024: Common Agricultural Policy Plans – Greener, but not matching the EU’s ambitions for the climate and the environment

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Opposes the creation of new own resources and any increase in the Member States’ contribution; calls on the Commission to reorganise existing resources rather than create new ones and, where appropriate, to reduce the financial volumes allocated to certain European programmes;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Reiterates its concern that the significant risks ~~related~~ to the security and protection of the registry/ and operating mechanism of the Union system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading against cyberattacks have still ~~has~~ not been ad~~dressed, and a reservation on this issue, repor~~equately addressed; points out that this issue has been highlighted in athe Annual aActivity rReports (AARs) since 2010, ~~is again repeat~~with reservations raised in each report; notes that this concern is once again emphasised in the Directorate-General for Climate Action’s 2023 AAR, further underscoring the persistent failure to prioritise the security of the system;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Notes that about EUR 20 billion, approximately 5% of the Union budget, was dedicated to the biodiversity mainstreaming objective, under various programmes e.g. the CAP, the RRF, cohesion policy programmes and the LIFE programme; urges the Commission to maintain its efforts to meet the targets for biodiversity mainstreaming of 7.5% for 2024 and 10% for 2027; welcomes the update tof the biodiversity tracking methodology including expenditures under the CAP, but stresses that the Commission must take further action across all relevant programmes to ensure clear and transparent reporting on how these funds are delivering concrete and measurable biodiversity improvements;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Is satisfied with~~Acknowledges the work carried out by the five decentralised agencies ~~which are under its remit, which carry out technical, scientific or managerial tasks that help the Union institutions elaborate and implement policies in the area of environment~~but stresses the need to streamline their operations, celiminate action, public health and food safety, as well as with the way in which those agencies' budgets are implemented; stresses that, given the scale and importance of their current tasks and the increase of responsibilities some of them are facing, adequate funding and staffing must be guaranteed for the agencies and the Commission Directorates-General working in the areas of environment, climate action, public health and food safredundancies, and focus resources on achieving measurable outcomes; calls for a comprehensive review of their mandates to ensure alignment with core objectives and cost- efficiency, avoiding unnecessary expansion of staff and budgetys;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Notes that about EUR 20 billion, approximately 5% of the Union budget, was dedicated to the biodiversity mainstreaming objective, under various programmes e.g. the CAP, the RRF, cohesion policy programmes and the LIFE programme; urges the Commission to maintain its efforts to meet the targets for biodiversity mainstreaming of 7.5% for 2024 and 10% for 20276 and 2027 in particular following the revision of the CAP earlier this year ; welcomes the update of the biodiversity tracking methodology ~~including~~for expenditures under the CAP;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Recalls that in line with Article 11.2 TEU, EU institutions must maintain an open, transparent and structured dialogue with civil society organisations and representative associations; stresses in this regard that access to structural funding is a prerequisite to ensure public participation of citizens through representative associations; considers the democratic participation of civil society in policy-making processes to be crucial in ensuring that a diversity of views and concerns are taken into account in legislative processes; recalls that the Aarhus convention enshrines a legal right of public participation in environmental decision-making; recalls the commitment of the Commission in its political guidelines to step up its engagement with civil society organisations that have expertise and an important role to play in defending specific societal issues and upholding human rights; considers, therefore, that the independence of civil society organisations should be safeguarded and advocacy activities should remain eligible in the relevant EU- funding programs, such as LIFE; urges the Commission to revise its Guidance on funding for activities related to the development, implementation, monitoring and enforcement of Union legislation and policy from May 2024 as the guidance is incompatible with the protection of the democratic right of public participation;

Amendment 32 #

Christophe CLERGEAU, Arash SAEIDI, Virginijus SINKEVIČIUS, Jonas SJÖSTEDT, Emma FOURREAU, César LUENA, Mélissa CAMARA, Marc ANGEL, Marina MESURE, Younous OMARJEE, Rima HASSAN, Javi LÓPEZ, Matjaž NEMEC, Damien CARÊME, Martin HÄUSLING, Marit MAIJ, Annalisa CORRADO, Mounir SATOURI, André RODRIGUES, Sara MATTHIEU, Tilly METZ, Lena SCHILLING, Kai TEGETHOFF, Krzysztof ŚMISZEK, Majdouline SBAI, Lynn BOYLAN, Anthony SMITH, Catarina MARTINS, Sebastian EVERDING, Chloé RIDEL, Elisabetta GUALMINI, Anna CAVAZZINI, Daniel FREUND, Rudi KENNES, Jutta PAULUS, Pär HOLMGREN, Alice KUHNKE, Isabella LÖVIN, Maria NOICHL, Gordan BOSANAC, Maria OHISALO, Estelle CEULEMANS, Aurore LALUCQ, Emma RAFOWICZ, Vlad VASILE-VOICULESCU, Merja KYLLÖNEN, Nora MEBAREK, Leire PAJÍN, Günther SIDL, Murielle LAURENT, Cecilia STRADA, Hannah NEUMANN, Eric SARGIACOMO, Katarina BARLEY, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ, Alessandro ZAN, Mohammed CHAHIM, Marie TOUSSAINT, Thomas PELLERIN-CARLIN, Camilla LAURETI, Marco TARQUINIO, Cristina GUARDA, Romana JERKOVIĆ, Stine BOSSE, Saskia BRICMONT, Manon AUBRY, Erik MARQUARDT, Elisabeth GROSSMANN, Jens GEIER, Bas EICKHOUT, Rasmus NORDQVIST

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Considers that civil society and NGOs play an instrumental role in shaping policies that benefit society and our environment; recalls the commitment of the Commission in its political guidelines to step up its engagement with civil society organisations that have expertise and an important role to play in defending specific societal issues and upholding human rights; urges the Commission to revise its guidelines1a from May 2024 in order to ensure the continuation of the funding of NGO activities, including advocacy, under the LIFE programme; considers that discontinuation of this funding for all NGO activities would seriously undermine the voice of civil society in the public debate and would cause a severe reputational risk for the Commission; _________________ 1a Guidance on funding for activities related to the development, implementation, monitoring and enforcement of Union legislation and policy

Amendment 33 #

Michal WIEZIK, Sigrid FRIIS, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Pascal CANFIN, Vlad VASILE-VOICULESCU, Yvan VEROUGSTRAETE, Martin HOJSÍK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Deplores the conclusions of the European Court of Auditors’ Special Report 22/2023 on the failure to take sufficient account of the socio-economic and environmental impacts associated with the rapid development of offshore renewable energy, in particular offshore wind; notes with concern that this policy, in the absence of sufficient knowledge, can lead not only to the exclusion of fishers from areas used for offshore wind farms, and hence a demonstrable risk of job losses in this sector, but also to the deterioration of marine biodiversity and certain habitat types;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Attributes great importance to a pluralistic and vibrant civil society, vital to enabling a balanced policy dialogue in a democratic society; stands behind the continuation of the support to capacity building of civil society organisations and their involvement in the development, implementation, monitoring and enforcement of EU legislation and policy through EU funding programmes via transparent and competitive process, including via LIFE operating grants;

Amendment 35 #

Michal WIEZIK, Sigrid FRIIS, Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY, Pascal CANFIN, Vlad VASILE-VOICULESCU, Yvan VEROUGSTRAETE, Martin HOJSÍK

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8b. Deplores the fact that, in focusing solely on renewables to the detriment of nuclear, the Commission is persisting in its refusal to promote the principle of technological neutrality as a means of achieving its targets for reducing CO2 emissions; calls on the Commission to make every effort to facilitate the financing of the installation and maintenance of nuclear power plants in the EU;

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8 b. Calls on the Commission to revise the guidelines1a, reassuring the applicants of operating grants of the eligible expenditure pursuant to the applicable Regulation and confirming their vital position in the decision making process, while paying full regards to the transparency provisions applicable to them; _________________ 1a Guidance on funding for activities related to the development, implementation, monitoring and enforcement of Union legislation and policy

Amendment 37 #

Jonas SJÖSTEDT, Sebastian EVERDING, Anja HAZEKAMP, Li ANDERSSON, Per CLAUSEN, Catarina MARTINS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Insists on an ambitious and well- managed environmental policy with the highest regard for biodiversity, sustainability, social progress and animal welfare in the works of the decentralised agencies, building on successful methods and tools from the past year while continuously developing strategies to face current challenges;

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8 b. Recalls the EU4Health programme's transformative role in supporting public health policy objectives of the Union; regrets that the EU4Health programme suffered disproportionate cuts in 2023 of EUR 1 billion and that future public health actions in the Union will have to be downsized and the spending profile amended despite their importance for Union citizens; recalls the importance of the public health policies and the clear political commitment in the 2020 MFF agreement to prioritise health funding;

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Is satisfied with the work carried out by the five decentralised agencies ~~which are~~ under its remit, which ~~carry out~~perform technical, scientific or managerial tasks that ~~help the~~support Union institutions ~~elaborate~~in developing and implementing policies in the area of environment, climate action, public health and food safety, as well as with the way in which those agencies' budgets are implemented; stresses that, given the scale and importance of their current tasks and the increase of responsibilities some of them are facing, adequate funding and staffing must be guaranteed for the agencies and the Commission Directorates- General working in the areas of environment, climate action, public health and food safe need to ensure funding and staffing for the agencies and the Commission Directorates-General, given the growing scope of their responsibilities; highlights the value of exploring innovative funding mechanisms for the agencies, such as collaborative co- financing arrangements, and that these new funds could complement and enhance existing budgetys;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Notes that HERA, established in 2021, has continued in 2023 to grow the number of its staff and to expand its operations; welcomes the progress of HERA’s efforts in ensuring the Union’s preparedness and crisis response readiness for health emergencies as well as its involvement in collaborations with international partners to increase global preparedness, prevention and detection of health emergence progress of HERA and the EU4Health program but cautions against continuous expansion without measurable proof of effectiveness. Calls for a cost-benefit analysis of HERA’s activities and staffing increases to ensure that resources are allocated efficiently to deliver on core public health priorities;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11

11. Recalls the Commission’s commitment to carry out a thorough review of the implementation of HERA’s operations by 2025 ~~and to consider changing its structure and governance, including in order to transform it into a genuine agency with an autonomous budget~~;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11

11. Recalls the Commission’s commitment to carry out a thorough review of the implementation of HERA’s operations by 2025 and to consider changing its structure and governance, including, i~~n order to~~f the review concludes accordingly, the possibility of transforming it into a genuine agency with an autonomous budget;

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Notes that the European Ombudsman found maladministration by the European Commission regarding systemic delays in decision-making on authorisations for dangerous chemical substances and found that these delays, averaging 14.5 months instead of the statutory three months, allowed continued use of harmful chemicals, posing significant risks to public health and the environment; notes that the Ombudsman recommended to apply the rules that it is up to applicants to demonstrate that they have satisfied the legal conditions for obtaining the authorisiation by provinding sufficient information and to dismiss applications containing insufficient information; highlights the insufficient transparency in the Commission's processes and urges improvements, including timely public reports on the deliberations of the REACH Committee to enhance accountability; expects the Commission to follow the recomendations of the Ombudsman;

Amendment 44 #

Friedrich PÜRNER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. recalls that the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in July 2024 that the Commission had not given the public sufficient access to the details of the COVID-19 vaccine contracts and that the Commission had not provided sufficient evidence to support the justification for the lack of transparency of the contracts; emphasises the importance of full transparency with a view to informing and protecting European citizens;

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. Regrets the findings of the Court's Special Report No 26/2023 that several policy areas in the RRF's pillar containing health policies lack a corresponding common indicator to measure progress; is concerned that this impedes the proper monitoring and understanding of progress made towards achieving milestones and targets linked to health policies;

Amendment 46 #

Friedrich PÜRNER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11b. points out that legal proceedings are still pending in Belgium against the President of the European Commission for refusing to disclose public text messages exchanged with the head of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, during negotiations on a contract for the purchase of COVID- 19 vaccines; demands that all text messages exchanged be fully disclosed without delay;

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11 b. Calls on the Commission to take corrective action addressing the shortcomings identified by the European Court of Auditors and the concerns expressed by the European Parliament;

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12

12. Is of the opinion, on the basis of the data and reports available, that discharge can be granted to the Commission in respect of expenditure in the areas of environment, climate action, public health and food safety for the financial year 2023.deleted

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12

12. Is of the opinion, on the basis of the data and reports available, that discharge cannot be granted to the Commission in respect of expenditure in the areas of environment, climate action, public health and food safety for the financial year 2023.

Amendment 5 #

Jonas SJÖSTEDT, Sebastian EVERDING, Anja HAZEKAMP, Li ANDERSSON, Per CLAUSEN, Catarina MARTINS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Is mostly satisfied with the work carried out by the five decentralised agencies ~~which are under its remit, which~~under the conditions in which they operate, carrying out technical, scientific or managerial tasks that help the Union institutions elaborate and implement policies in the area of environment, climate action, public health and food safety, as well as with the way in which those agencies' budgets are implemented; stresses that, given the scale and importance of their current tasks and the increase of responsibilities some of them are facing, adequate funding and staffing must be guaranteed for the agencies and the Commission Directorates- General working in the areas of environment, climate action, public health and food safety;

Amendment 50 #

Jonas SJÖSTEDT, Sebastian EVERDING, Anja HAZEKAMP, Li ANDERSSON, Per CLAUSEN, Catarina MARTINS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 12

Amendment 6 #

Radan KANEV, Michalis HADJIPANTELA, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU, Gabriella GERZSENYI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Recognis~~Notes that in 2023 about EUR 160 billion, approximately 38% of the Union budget, based on commitment appropriations, was dedicated to climate mainstreaming objectives, in line with the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making1 plans for at least 30 % of 2021-27 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) to be used for this purpose; notes that the largest contributions to those spendings come from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and from cohesion policy programmes; notes that the Innovation Fund provided an additional EUR 6,5 billion in grants for projects advancing innovative low-carbon technologies; questions the allocation of EUR 160 billion to climate mainstreaming objectives and stresses the need for clear, measurable outcomes to justify such expenditures; calls for an evaluation of both the cost-effectiveness and real impact of climate-related spending under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and cohesion policy programs; _________________ 1 OJ L 123, 12.5.2016, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_interinstit/2 016/512/oj.

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes that the largest contribution to the climate-relevant spending in 2023 came from the RRFecovery and Resilience Facility (RRF); highlights that the delivery model of the RRF constitutes a significant change of EU financing in so far as the disbursement of funds is based on the fulfilment of targets and milestones and not linked to costs; in this context, is concerned about the Court of Auditors’(the ‘Court’) annual report for 2023 which, similar to previous years findings, states weaknesses in the design of measures and cases of vaguely defined milestones and targets, weaknesses in the Member States’ reporting and control systems and problems with the reliability of information that Member States included in their management declaration; also notes with concern the Court’s Special Report No 14/2024 that finds multiple shortcomings of the RRF framework and the national recovery and resilience plans as well as inconsistencies in the implementation of measures which call into question the achievement of its climate and environmental objectives, and that concludes that the contribution of the RRF to the green transition idoes not ~~clear~~fulfil the intended objectives, particularly in the field of industrial decarbonisation;

Amendment 8 #

Radan KANEV, Michalis HADJIPANTELA, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU, Gabriella GERZSENYI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes that the largest contribution to the climate-relevant spending in 2023 came from the RRF; in this context, is concerned about the Court of Auditors’(the ‘Court’) annual report for 2023 which, similar to previous years findings, states weaknesses in the design of measures and cases of vaguely defined milestones and targets, weaknesses in the Member States’ reporting and control systems and problems with the reliability of information that Member States included in their management declaration; also notes with concern the Court’s Special Report No 14/2024 that finds multiple shortcomings of the RRF framework and the national recovery and resilience plans as well as inconsistencies in the implementation of measures which call into question the achievement of its climate and environmental objectives, and that concludes that the contribution of the RRF to the green transition is not clear; expresses concern over the shortcomings in RRF implementation, including weak monitoring, vague milestones, and unreliable data; calls for the Commission to introduce stricter oversight mechanisms to ensure that RRF spending delivers tangible environmental and climate outcomes;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Considers that Member States have significantly underestimated the financing support required for the decarbonisation and overall modernisation of heavy industries when allocating funds under the RRF; calls on the Commission to minimise the risk of national misadministration and to reevaluate the capacity and ability of the Member States to act as intermediary between the Commission and final recipients regarding the financing of industrial decarbonisation and modernisation; further urges the Commission to consider adopting more straightforward direct financial instruments when planning future budgetary measures for protecting the environment, safeguarding public health and mitigating climate change;

source: 766.861

2024/12/12 AFET 108 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Alexander SELL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Points out to the unprecedented challenges in the global environment, peace and geopolitical instability in the current year of audit; recalls that since Russian’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU has provided economic, humanitarian and military support for Ukraine worth over €88 billion; stresses that any support provided by the EU must be subject to stringent oversight mechanisms to ensure efficient use of resources; calls for a detailed assessment of expenditures related to Ukraine to guarantee accountability and measurable benefits for EU citizens;

Amendment 1 #

Joanna SCHEURING-WIELGUS, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Alessandra MORETTI, Elisabeth GROSSMANN, Lina GÁLVEZ, Emma RAFOWICZ, Marko VEŠLIGAJ

Draft opinion
Recital A

A. whereas gender equality is a core value of the European Union as enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union; whereas equality between men and women is one of the founding values of the Union and the Union is committed to promote gender equality in all its activities as enshrined in Article 8 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), thereby establishing the principle of gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting, and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;

Amendment 10 #

Roberto VANNACCI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that expenditures in heading 4 ‘Global Europe’ are considered high-risk except for budget support payments and administrative expenditure which represent around 20%; notes that most errors found in this area concern expenditure not incurred, ineligible costs and non-compliance with public procurement rules; stress how it is essential to identify and rectify these errors in order to ensure the most effective use of the Union's resources; welcomes the reports from news sources of a reduction and reorganisation of the staff working in the EU delegations outside the Union and calls for this opportunity for efficiency to be thoroughly evaluated as a potential cost- cutting measure;

Amendment 10 #

Joanna SCHEURING-WIELGUS, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Alessandra MORETTI, Elisabeth GROSSMANN, Lina GÁLVEZ, Emma RAFOWICZ, Marko VEŠLIGAJ

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas gender equality in the Union has been negatively impacted by the consequences of backlashes against gender equality and women’s rights, particularly in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in several Member States, as well as by growing anti-gender movements, misogynistic trends, and the rising cost of living, which disproportionately affects women; whereas other ongoing crises, such as wars and the climate crisis, also disproportionately impact women; whereas these factors further deepen inequalities and hinder progress toward gender equality;

Amendment 11 #

Alexander SELL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Underlines that expenditures in heading 4 ‘Global Europe’ are considered high-risk except for budget support payments and administrative expenditure which represent around 20%; notes that most errors found in this area concern expenditure not incurred, ineligible costs and non-compliance with public procurement rules; calls for the immediate implementation of a comprehensive review of procurement processes and the adoption of stricter cost-control measures to prevent further financial mismanagement, ensuring that taxpayers' money is not jeopardized by procedural weaknesses or inefficiencies;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union not only enshrines gender equality but also protects human dignity and prohibits all forms of discrimination, including those based on sexual orientation and gender identity;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Encourages further mobilisation of the European Peace Facility to address the pressing security challenges arising from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the ongoing hybrid threats faced by Moldova; emphasizes the need to provide comprehensive support to bolster resilience, enhance defense capabilities, and counteract destabilizing actions in both contexts;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas the European Parliament has repeatedly called for the European Commission to promote and implement the use of gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting and gender impact assessments in all Union policy areas;

Amendment 13 #

Raquel GARCÍA HERMIDA-VAN DER WALLE, Abir AL-SAHLANI, Lucia YAR, Veronika CIFROVÁ OSTRIHOŇOVÁ, Jana TOOM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Urges the Commission that, while addressing concerns related to the rule of law standards in candidate countries, the citizens of those countries are not penalized for the failures of their political leaders; stresses that the European path must remain open to the people, reflecting their aspirations and commitment to our shared values like freedom, prosperity, rule of law and respect for fundamental rights;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas the European Parliament has repeatedly asked the European Commission to promote and implement the use of gender mainstreaming, gender budgeting and gender impact assessments in all Union policy areas;

Amendment 14 #

Raquel GARCÍA HERMIDA-VAN DER WALLE, Abir AL-SAHLANI, Lucia YAR, Veronika CIFROVÁ OSTRIHOŇOVÁ, Jana TOOM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that the Union budget must continue to provide support to build peace and stability in the Middle East region, to combat hate and fundamentalism and to promote human rights; notes that following the heinous terror attacks of 7 October 2023 by Hamas and serious allegations of misuse of EU funds for terrorism, a funding review was conducted which found that generally EU funds are being well implemented, but certain additional safeguards were deemed necessary; Denounces the presence of hateful material in Palestinian school textbooks and study cards that incite violence against Jewish people, which has yet to be removed; emphasizes that education and access to peaceful, unbiased textbooks are essential, especially in light of the growing involvement of teenagers in violent and terrorist activities; underscores that financial support from the Union to the Palestinian Authority for education must be conditional on ensuring that textbook content aligns with UNESCO standards, as established by Union education ministers in Paris on 17 March 2015.

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)

B b. whereas the anti-gender and anti- abortion movements in Europe are becoming more vocal and influential, partly because of funding from religious extremist organisations based outside of Europe; whereas these movements negatively impact the public discourse on abortion rights and gender equality; whereas they are well funded and well organised, and are likely to put more pressure on women’s rights in the future, especially sexual and reproductive health and rights;

Amendment 15 #

Sebastian TYNKKYNEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that the Union budget must continue to provide support to build peace and stability in the Middle East region, to combat hate and fundamentalism and to promote human rights; emphasises that, accordingly, EU budgets must under no circumstances support activities that work against those objectives; stresses, therefore, the need to freeze support for the Palestinian Authority until educational materials that are anti- Semitic and incite violence are brought into line with UNESCO standards; finds it unacceptable that EU funds have been used to finance organisations with direct links to terrorism, such as UNRWA; notes that following the heinous terror attacks of 7 October 2023 by Hamas and serious allegations of misuse of EU funds for terrorism, a funding review was conducted which found that generally EU funds are being well implemented, but certain additional safeguards were deemed necessary;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)

B b. whereas the protection and promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are essential to achieving full gender equality and guaranteeing women's autonomy over their own bodies;

Amendment 16 #

Özlem DEMIREL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that the Union budget must continue to provide support to build peace and stability in the Middle East region, to combat hate and fundamentalism and to promote human rights; notes that following the heinous terror attacks of 7 October 2023 by Hamas and serious allegations of misuse of EU funds for terrorism, a funding review was conducted which found that generally EU funds are being well implemented, but certain additional safeguards were deemed necessarycondemns the indiscriminate bombing by Israel of Gaza and deliberate targeting of UN - workers, journalists, doctors and all civilians as an act of collective punishment following the terror attacks of 7 October 2023 by Hamas; reaffirms its unwavering support for UNRWA and its mandate, and strongly condemns the campaign against the Agency and the legislation passed by the Knesset that prevents UNRWA's crucial work in the region; urges continued and enhanced political backing and financial support for the Agency, recognizing its indispensable and critical role in the delivery of lifesaving assistance, in advancing the human development and safeguarding the rights of millions of Palestinian refugees;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Expresses serious concern over the lack of focus on protecting women and girls from violence in the Union budget; regrets the absence of disaggregated data on gender-based violence and urges mandatory gender impact assessments specifically aimed at protection against violence to enable monitoring of the effectiveness of the measures in relevant legislative acts;deleted

Amendment 17 #

Hilde VAUTMANS, Marjan ŠAREC, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Malik AZMANI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that the Union budget must continue to provide support to build peace and stability in the Middle East region, to combat hate and fundamentalism ~~and to promote human rights~~, to promote human rights, and to fight impunity and strengthen adherence to the rule of law, including the rulings of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Advisory Opinions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ); recalls the ongoing issue of the destruction of EU-funded projects in Gaza and the West Bank and calls for greater accountability and safeguards in this context; notes that following the heinous terror attacks of 7 October 2023 by Hamas and serious allegations of misuse of EU funds for terrorism, a funding review was conducted which found that generally EU funds are being well implemented, but certain additional safeguards were deemed necessary;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ERecalls that one in three women in the Union has been affected by gender- based violence; expresses serious concern over the lack of focus on protecting women and girls from gender-based violence in the Union budget; calls for additional ongoing funding, which it should be at least 5% or total EU budget, of the Equality and Rights Strand of the CERV programme and the Daphne programme to combat all forms of gender-based violence in the Union, including in the framework of the effective implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence and sexual abuse against women, girls and other forms of domestic violence and the Directive combatting violence against women and domestic violence; regrets the absence of disaggregated data on gender-based violence and urges mandatory gender impact assessments specifically aimed at protection against violence to enable monitoring of the effectiveness of the measures in relevant legislative acts; urges the Commission to treat this as a priority and make use of the opportunities to improve data collection requirements and indicators in new legislation and reviews;

Amendment 18 #

Alexander SELL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Expresses serious concern over the lack of focus on protecting women and girls from violence in the Union budget; regrets the absence of disaggregated data on gender-based violence that indicate not just the profiles of victims but also the profiles of perpetrators (age, social/professional category, nationality, migratory status, etc.), and urges mandatory gender impact assessments specifically aimed at protection against violence to enable monitoring of the effectiveness of the measures in relevant legislative acts;

Amendment 19 #

Roberto VANNACCI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Stresses that sexual and reproductive health and rights are fundamental rights and a precondition of gender equality and must be placed at the heart of health policy, considering the backlash against women’s rights and access to safe and legal abortion; stresses the need to reinforce budgetary allocations that support universal respect for and access to SRHR, including access to free, safe and legal abortion in health public service, and demands the allocation of resources for sexual and reproductive health under the EU4Health Programme in particular to ensure universal access to SRHR, as well as free access to contraceptive methods, and ensuring essential care and medicines for voluntary family planning, specifically covering, inter alia, the issues of reproduction, preparation for childbirth maternal and neonatal health and fertility treatments; highlights the continued importance to fund organisations working in the field, such as those that facilitate cross-border cooperation between organisations providing safe and legal abortions;

Amendment 2 #

Hilde VAUTMANS, Dan BARNA, Marjan ŠAREC, Lucia YAR, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Malik AZMANI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Points out to the unprecedented challenges in the global environment, peace and geopolitical instability in the current year of audit; recalls that since Russian’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU has provided economic, humanitarian and military support for Ukraine worth over €88 billion; emphasizes, in light of President Zelenskyy's mention of a potential peace process in 2025, the continued importance of providing military support to Ukraine and preparing to assist with the reconstruction of the country;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Recital A

A. whereas gender equality ~~between men and women is~~ and the eliminatione of ~~the founding values of the Union and the Union is~~inequalities are core values upon which the Union is founded, as is the commit~~ted~~ment to promote gender equality and gender mainstreaming in all of its acti~~vitie~~ons as enshrined in Article 8 ~~of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union~~TFEU;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Stresses that a gender equality perspective should be integrated into and ensured across all policy areas, particularly in light of the multiple gendered impacts of various ongoing climate, energy, and social crises, with a focus on SRHR and the backlash against gender equality and women’s rights in the EU; reiterates therefore its call for the implementation of gender budgeting at all stages of the budgetary process;

Amendment 21 #

Ioan-Rareş BOGDAN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1 b. Highlights that due to the persecution that LGTBIQA+ people are suffering it is necessary to allocate sufficient budget to measures to combat LGTBIQA+phobia, such as telephone lines for counselling and attention;

Amendment 22 #

Željana ZOVKO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that the Union budget must continue to provide support to build peace and stability in the Middle East region, to combat hate ~~and~~, fundamentalism and ~~to promote human right~~disinformation as well as to promote human rights and religious minorities; notes that following the heinous terror attacks of 7 October 2023 by Hamas and serious allegations of misuse of EU funds for terrorism, a funding review was conducted which found that generally EU funds are being well implemented, but certain additional safeguards were deemed necessary;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1 c. stresses that women’s rights and a gender equality perspective should be integrated and ensured into all policy areas, particularly in light of the multiple gendered impacts of various ongoing climate, energy and social crises, including the backlashes against gender equality and women’s rights, especially sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), in several Member States and worldwide; reiterates therefore its call for the implementation of gender budgeting at all stages of the budgetary process;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that the Union budget must continue to provide support to build peace and stability in the Middle East region, to combat hate and fundamentalism and to promote human rights; notes that following the heinous terror attacks of 7 October 2023 by Hamas and ~~serious~~ allegations of misuse of EU funds for terrorism, a funding review was conducted which found that ~~generally EU~~EU funds are being well implemented;1a _________________ 1a These allegations cannot be deemed as "serious" in line with the fuind~~s are being well implemented, bu~~ings of the review that the Commission carried out in November 2023. https://neighbourhood- enlargement.ec.europa.eu/communication -commission-review-ongoing-financial- assistance-palestine_en Besides, the President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated that "this review has confirmed that the safeguards in place are effective". https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscor ner/detail/%20en/ip_23_5941 Therefore, the reference that "certain additional safeguards were deemed necessary;" is factually not true.

Amendment 23 #

Joanna SCHEURING-WIELGUS, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Alessandra MORETTI, Elisabeth GROSSMANN, Lina GÁLVEZ, Emma RAFOWICZ, Marko VEŠLIGAJ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)

1 d. Rejects the increase in the budget allocations for militarisation, specifically for arms, infrastructure, civil-military or security research, capacity and military mobility and for border surveillance and externalisation; demands that the budget earmarked for this expenditure be reallocated to the fight against gender- based violence, to promote economic and social cohesion and tackle the root causes of migration, such as poverty and violent conflicts;

Amendment 24 #

Tomasz FROELICH

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that the Union budget must continue to provide support to build peace and stability in the Middle East region, to combat ~~hate and fundamentalism and to promote human rights~~religiously motivated hate; notes that following the heinous terror attacks of 7 October 2023 by Hamas and serious allegations of misuse of EU funds for terrorism, a funding review was conducted which found that generally EU funds are being well implemented, but certain additional safeguards were deemed necessary;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Acknowledges the Union’s commitment to gender mainstreaming and the need to ~~further focus on combating violence against women and girls in policymaking; stresses the need to urgently establish a common approach to rape with common minimum sanctions in national laws;~~include the gender perspective into all policy areas, budgets, and alleviation measures to advance women’s rights and gender equality; highlights the urgency for the Union to advance on gender equality, in the light of ongoing crises, such as climate crisis, wars, backlashes on gender equality, and anti- gender and anti-democratic movements; in this regard, recalls that one in three women in the EU experience gender based violence during their lifetime, including physical, sexual and psychological violence or threats of violence1a; stresses the need to further focus on combating violence against women and girls in the EU; stresses the need to urgently establish a common approach to rape with common minimum sanctions in national laws; reiterates that all non-consensual sex must be classified as rape in every EU Member State; _________________ 1a https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra _uploads/eu- gender_based_violence_survey_key_result s.pdf

Amendment 25 #

Hana JALLOUL MURO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 – point 1 (new)

(1) Emphasize the need for the EU to increase financial and political support to strengthen the operational capacity and ensure the independence of the International Criminal Court within the framework of the "Agreement between the International Criminal Court and the European Union on cooperation and assistance," which establishes the commitment to international justice and the fight against impunity.

Amendment 25 #

Diana IOVANOVICI ŞOŞOACĂ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Acknowledges the Union’s commitment to gender mainstreaming and the need to further focus on combating violence against women and girls in policymaking, with a focus on educational programmes in that sense in all the Member States, along with information campaigns; stresses the need to urgently establish a common approach to rape at a European level with common minimum sanctions in national laws, which should be adopted as a matter of urgency;

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Underlines that the EU's budget should be managed in compliance with the Treaties and the EU acquis, including provisions related to fundamental rights compliance, transparency and accountability towards the European Parliament and EU citizens; regrets, against that backdrop, the modus operandi of the Commission in its management of external migration budget lines, notably the absence of fundamental rights impact assessments prior to migration projects in third countries, the absence of publicly available overviews of budgets and projects and the Commission's systematic refusal to provide budgetary migration-related spending overviews to the European Parliament, despite several formal requests and commitments under the Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the Commission: in this context, urges the Commission to significantly improve these practices with immediate effect, notably by performing ex ante human rights impact assessments before projects, creating a public overview of all migration-related projects in third countries and systematically improving the level of information-sharing to the European Parliament, on equal footing with the Council;

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Acknowledges the Union’s commitment to gender mainstreaming and the need to further focus on combating violence against women and girls in policymaking; ~~stresses the need to urgently establish a common approach to rape~~reiterates that rape remains one of the most widespread human rights violation and stresses the need to urgently establish a common definition of rape on the basis of lack of consent with common minimum sanctions in national laws;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Urges to disburse in its entirety all financial commitments towards UNRWA; reminds that UNRWA is the principal humanitarian assistance structure in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as an essential service provider in the region; stresses that the UN-commissioned "Colonna Report" highlights that UNRWA has established numerous mechanisms and procedures to ensure neutrality, which has in some cases a more developed than other similar UN or NGO entities; warns of the disastrous consequences on the entire region of the laws adopted by Israel's Parliament banning UNRWA; Highlights the need to swiftly disburse the EU funds to the Palestinian Authority without unjustified conditionality and to the Palestinian civil society, which plays a pivotal role in promoting human rights and secular values and in fighting against radicalisation; Stresses the importance of the Southern Neighbourhood line in supporting political, economic and social reforms in the region taking into consideration the increasing humanitarian needs in the region, as well as other purposes of regional cooperation in providing assistance to refugees, in particular Syrian and Palestinian refugees;

Amendment 27 #

Raquel GARCÍA HERMIDA-VAN DER WALLE, Abir AL-SAHLANI, Lucia YAR, Veronika CIFROVÁ OSTRIHOŇOVÁ, Jana TOOM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Acknowledges the Union’s commitment to gender mainstreaming and the need to further focus on combating violence against women and girls in policymaking; ~~stresses the need to urgently establish a common approach to rape with common minimum sanctions in national laws~~is concerned that European women are less and less safe in public places and calls on the Union to address this serious problem;

Amendment 28 #

Marion MARÉCHAL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Denounces the payment of European subsidies under the Erasmus+ programme to organisations close to the Government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, such as the Gaziantep Islamic University of Science and Technology (GIBTU), whose professors and staff regularly celebrate the actions of Hamas and other Islamist organisations, or the Al Sharq Forum, an organisation set up by Wadah Khanfar, former Director General of the Al Jazeera network, known for his links to the Muslim Brotherhood and radical Islam.

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Acknowledges the Union’s commitment to gender mainstreaming and the need to further focus on combating violence against women and girls in policymaking; stresses the need to urgently establish a common approach to rape based on consent based legislation with common minimum sanctions in national laws;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Calls on the Commission to thoroughly address the recommendations outlined in the European Court of Auditors (ECA) Special Report on the programming of the Neighbourhood, Development, and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe; Emphasizes the need to improve the methodology for allocating funding to Neighbourhood countries, ensure timely access to essential documents required for audits, simplify procedural frameworks, and clarify the methodology for assessing the impact of EU support1a; _________________ 1a https://www.eca.europa.eu/ECAPublicatio ns/SR-2023-14/SR-2023-14_EN.pdf

Amendment 29 #

Paulo DO NASCIMENTO CABRAL, Loucas FOURLAS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Acknowledg~~Welcomes the Union’s commitment to gender mainstreaming and the need to further focus on combating violence against women and girls in policymaking; stresses the need to urgently establish a common approach to rape with common minimum sanctions in national laws;

Amendment 3 #

Roberto VANNACCI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Points out to the unprecedented challenges in the global environment, peace and geopolitical instability in the current year of audit; recalls that since Russian’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU has provided economic, humanitarian and military support for Ukraine worth over €88 billion, points out that all efforts has to be made in order to reach a peace deal and that this has to be the priority, as this is the only means of restoring peace and prosperity to the continent;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

A a. whereas the European Commission reinforced its commitment in favour of a Union of Equality, manifested in the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, which launches a Strategy for Gender Equality 2020- 2025 in compliance with article 8 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU);

Amendment 30 #

Joanna SCHEURING-WIELGUS, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Alessandra MORETTI, Elisabeth GROSSMANN, Lina GÁLVEZ, Emma RAFOWICZ, Marko VEŠLIGAJ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Urges the Commission to prohibit the allocation of EU funding to individuals or organisations with links to terrorist, Islamist or other extremist movements that are contrary to the European Union's fundamental values, and points out that monitoring and control mechanisms should be strengthened to ensure that no EU funding, under any circumstances, goes to activities, projects or literature that incite violence and/or hatred, such as anti- Semitism;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Repeats its concern at the interrelation between the attacks on the rule of law, democracy, and human rights and the backlash against gender equality and women’s rights; calls on the Commission to continue its efforts to strengthen the rule of law in the Union, and to explore the core mission of those to whom EU funds are granted and to withhold funding and ensure that EU funds are not made available to any entity that uses EU funds for the purposes of backsliding human rights, particularly women’s fundamental rights and gender equality, including SRHR, and women’s rights to bodily integrity, autonomy and self-determination; reiterates that sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are fundamental human rights, and their realisation is a fundamental aspect of human dignity and a prerequisite for achieving gender equality;

Amendment 31 #

Hilde VAUTMANS, Dan BARNA, Marjan ŠAREC, Lucia YAR, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Malik AZMANI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. 4. Underlines the extremely vulnerable situation of children in the world, specifically in armed conflict; expresses serious concern about the tens of thousands of children that were affected by armed conflict across the globe and suffered abhorrent abuses and violations of their most basic rights in 2023; urges the Commission to put children's rights at the top of the foreign affairs agenda;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Welcomes the development and implementation of the gender budgeting methodology; reiterates the need to further develop and improve its application; calls for the enhanced collection, reporting and evaluation of comparable gender-disaggregated data in the context of all relevant EU policies; urges the Commission to treat this as a priority and make use of the opportunities to improve data collection requirements and indicators in new legislation and reviews, such as the recast of the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union;

Amendment 32 #

Nacho SÁNCHEZ AMOR

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Is deeply concerned by the proposal for a radical restructuring of the EU’s presence abroad through a drastic reduction in staff numbers of EU Delegations, within the context of the abovementioned budgetary constraints; notes that, if approved, the plan will negatively impact the effectiveness of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) - Global Europe;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Is concerned about the growing financial risks due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its impact on gender equality policies; highlights the need to prioritis~~Denounces that gender equality is particularly impacted by the consequences of the war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, which women are disproportionately affected by, and the backlashes against gender equality and women’s rights, especially around sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in several Member States; calls on the EU and its Member States to increase public investment in policies that, directly or indirectly, aim to counteract the negative effects of the cost of living crisis on women in all their diversity, to guarantee access to high-quality, free poublic~~ies that protect children, women and families~~ services for care, education, health, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, and housing, and to protect victims of gender-based violence;

Amendment 33 #

Joanna SCHEURING-WIELGUS, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Alessandra MORETTI, Elisabeth GROSSMANN, Lina GÁLVEZ, Emma RAFOWICZ, Marko VEŠLIGAJ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Contests the use by the European Commission of an urgent written procedure for the adoption of the Special Measure in favour of Tunisia for 2023, as part of the implementation of the contested Memorandum of Understanding signed with Tunisia in 2023, overlooking the EP's role and infringing thereof the NDICI-Global Europe Regulation (EU) 2021/947, the financial regulation and the Agreement between the European Parliament and the Commission of 10 June 2008 on procedures for implementing Council Decision 1999/468/EC laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission, as amended by Decision 2006/512/EC; Recalls that a delegation from the Committee on Foreign Affairs was denied entry to Tunisia on 13 September 2023, impeding the Parliament’s ability to exercise its powers of scrutiny; urges the European Commission and the EEAS to undertake all necessary initiatives towards the Tunisian authorities to allow the European Parliament exercising its legal duties;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Is concerned about the growing financial risks due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its impact on ~~gender equality policies; highlights the need to prioritise policies that protect children, women and families~~women; stresses that women in armed conflicts face disproportionate risks, including, but not limited to, conflict- related sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war; stresses that all alleviation measures shall hold gender equality at it’s core, protecting and supporting women and children; calls on the Commission to adopt a feminist foreign policy; emphasizes that women’s access to SRHR, including safe and legal abortion care in times of crisis, must never be jeopardized;

Amendment 34 #

Raquel GARCÍA HERMIDA-VAN DER WALLE, Abir AL-SAHLANI, Lucia YAR, Veronika CIFROVÁ OSTRIHOŇOVÁ, Jana TOOM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Urges the Commission to enhance the rule of law conditionality-based approach of the Instrument for Pre- Accession Assistance (IPA) III funding in order for the instrument to serve its purpose of effectively preparing accession countries to fulfill the conditions of becoming EU Member States; reiterates its calls on the Commission to implement the recommendations of the European Court of Auditors Special Report 01/2022 in order to ensure an effective impact of EU financial assistance in support for the rule of law in the Western Balkans, in particular by developing guidelines on the application of the provisions on modulation and conditionality under IPA III;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Is concerned about ~~the growing financial risks due to~~ Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its impact on gender equality policies; highlights the need to ~~prioritise policies that protect children, women and families~~recognize the vulnerable position of women in conflict zones and to prioritise policies that protect children, women and families especially in providing aid in conflict situations and access to healthcare services including emergency contraception, testing for sexually transmitted infections, post- exposure prophylaxis treatment and access to safe and legal abortion care;

Amendment 35 #

Paulo DO NASCIMENTO CABRAL, Loucas FOURLAS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Calls for aid to be made more conditional, and to be based on the CFSP and the Union's fundamental values; considers that, in cases where it has emerged that EU funds have been misused or used for purposes which are contrary to the EU's fundamental values, aid must always be stopped, reduced or at least made conditional and monitored more strictly;

Amendment 35 #

Diana IOVANOVICI ŞOŞOACĂ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Is concerned about the growing financial risks due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its impact on gender equality policies; highlights the need to prioritise policies that protect children, women and families, especially to prevent their trafficking and exploitation for illegal work and sexual activities;

Amendment 36 #

Hilde VAUTMANS, Marjan ŠAREC, Lucia YAR, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Malik AZMANI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. 5. Recalls the dire situation of women’s rights and LGBTQI+ rights in many parts of the world; stresses the urgent need to better protect these rights and to ensure that EU funds and policies actively promote, gender equality, combat discrimination, and uphold the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals;

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Is concerned about the growing financial risks due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its impact on gender equality policies; highlights the need to prioritise policies that protect children, women and families, considering that these are particularly vulnerable in contexts of war and conflicts;

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the Palestinian Authority immediately removes all educational materials and content that fail to comply with UNESCO standards, particularly those promoting anti-Semitism, incitement to violence, hate speech, and the glorification of terrorism.

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3 c. Expresses its concerns about the conclusions of the special report “The EU trust fund for Africa: despite new approaches, support remained unfocused”, highlighting that the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa does not enough focus on the key priorities to address the deep causes of instability, displacement and irregular migration and most importantly notes with grave concerns that human rights risks were not comprehensively addressed. Recalls to the European Commission the EP concerns on the alleged violations of Human Rights in the framework of the migration management and on the European Commission's willingness to outsource the management of its external borders to neighbouring countries, such us Tunisia or Lybia.

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Recalls that labour market participation is significantly lower among women and men with disabilities compared to those without; calls for appropriate measures to address this issue;

Amendment 39 #

Raquel GARCÍA HERMIDA-VAN DER WALLE, Abir AL-SAHLANI, Lucia YAR, Veronika CIFROVÁ OSTRIHOŇOVÁ, Jana TOOM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Notes that the EU and its Member States are the largest donor to UNRWA; calls for EU funds allocated to UNRWA to be reallocated, in the long term, to other humanitarian organisations, because UNRWA no longer enjoys the level of trust needed in the region; takes the view that a diversification of EU funds in the region can reduce the risk of EU aid indirectly financing activities or literature that incite violence and/or hatred;

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Calls for a strong European effort to protect our fundamental values such as equal rights and access to sexual and reproductive health and rights including safe and legal abortion;

Amendment 4 #

Sebastian TYNKKYNEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

A a. whereas the Digital education action plan 2021-2027 will specifically seek to increase the inclusion of women in digital and STEM study fields and careers, including as entrepreneurs; whereas the future funding mechanisms should facilitate this increased inclusion of women and girls;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3 c. Calls on the Commission to set a clear and transparent accountability mechanism of implementation of the Global Gateway strategy and to demonstrate a clear rationale for the use of development finance for the projects branded under the Global Gateway strategy and its equal benefits to recipient countries’ public and private sector;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)

3 d. Recognises the multiple roles that civil society organisations play; recalls the EU’s commitment to support civil society organisations in all external instruments and programmes and in all areas of cooperation, including through a flexible and tailor-made approach to funding in order to reach all types of civil society organisations; calls on the Commission to involve civil society organisations more systematically in Global Gateway and Team Europe Initiatives;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Supports the United Nations’ Spotlight Initiative’s goal of ending violence against women and girls and addressing the needs of vulnerable groups, such as victims of harmful practices like female genital mutilation or child marriage; ~~urges the Commission to stop funding movements in and outside the Union that contribute to the oppression of women in all forms~~and emphasizes the need for these measures to include the protection of lesbian, bisexual, and trans women; repeats its calls for the Commission to ensure that EU funds are not made available to any entity that is implicated in breaches of human rights, including women’s fundamental rights and SRHR;

Amendment 42 #

Paulo DO NASCIMENTO CABRAL, Loucas FOURLAS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)

3 d. Sees electoral observation mission as a practical and effective foreign policy instrument that remains central to the EU’s democracy support policies and strategies; calls on the EU to ensure adequate resources to the EU electoral observation missions, in view also of extending them to elections in candidate and neighbouring countries.

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Supports the United Nations’ Spotlight Initiative’s goal of ending violence against women and girls and addressing the needs of vulnerable groups, such as victims of harmful practices like female genital mutilation or child marriage; urges the Commission to continue adequate funding to initiatives aiming gender equality achievements, while monitoring the application of these resources, in order to facilitate reliable assessment of data concerning gender equality achievements; urges the Commission to stop funding movements in and outside the Union that contribute to the oppression of women in all forms;

Amendment 43 #

Raquel GARCÍA HERMIDA-VAN DER WALLE, Abir AL-SAHLANI, Lucia YAR, Veronika CIFROVÁ OSTRIHOŇOVÁ, Jana TOOM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 e (new)

3 e. Regrets the fact that the CFSP budget for civilian CSDP missions has only marginally increased from the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2014-2020 to the MFF 2021-2027 (from a starting point of approximately EUR 350 million per year), while at the same time the number and tasks of missions has increased, the security environment has become more challenging, the cost of operations has increased, inflation has grown and the number of contracted personnel has increased, therefore limiting the potential for expanding the current missions’ mandates or possibly establishing new missions in response to urgent security needs; calls for a substantive increase of funding for the CFSP budget, while at the same time ensuring the efficient use of the funds allocated to the CSDP civilian missions, in order to make sure that they effectively respond to crisis situations and unforeseen events, and to actively identify where complementary projects and programmes could be funded from other relevant EU budgets, ensuring sound financial management and the careful prioritisation of existing resources; calls also for the structure of the CFSP budget to be changed and for the generation of one budget line per civilian CSDP mission, in order to allow for better scrutiny and increased transparency;

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 e (new)

3 e. Stresses that, ahead of increasing geopolitical challenges and crisis worldwide, the EU needs to be able to rely on necessary first-hand information on global issues occurring outside its borders; calls, in this regard, for strengthening the EU INTCEN, the EEAS Crisis Response Center and the SatCen by enhancing its staff and financial resources, as well as its capabilities Considers it essential for the EU to increase its investment in public and cultural diplomacy and communication efforts, particularly ahead of the active engagement of authoritarian and illiberal regimes; stresses, therefore, the need to allocate the necessary resources to the Strategic Communication and Foresight division of the EEAS; Highlights the EEAS and Commission’s efforts to fight disinformation and foreign interference, and welcomes the announcement of the creation of the Task Force for Strategic Communication and Countering Information Manipulation in DG COMM; stresses the need to ensure adequate resources for the EEAS and the Commission in this regard;

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Repeats its concern at the intensifying backlash against gender equality and women’s rights and the increasingly shrinking space for civil society; calls on the Commission to continue its efforts to strengthen and support non-governmental organisations, women’s rights defenders, and all other civil society actors; urges the Commission to ensure that EU funds are not awarded to any entity that contributes to the backlash against women’s rights, increasing inequalities, or acting against gender equality, including SRHR and women’s rights to bodily integrity, autonomy, and self-determination;

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 f (new)

3 f. Recalls that in line with Article 11.2 TEU, EU institutions should maintain an open, transparent and structured dialogue with civil society organisations and representative associations; in this regard, stresses that success to structural funding is a prerequisite to ensure public participation; highlights that without structural funding, it would not be possible for citizens to have their voice channelled at the EU level through their representative associations, as well as to sustain a regular dialogue with EU institutions contributing to democratic participation in policy making and to an open and wide-ranging dialogue, ensuring that the diversity of views and concerns are taken into account with equal access for public interest as compared to commercial interest; stresses that civil society organisations exercise a monitoring role on the implementation of EU policies and legislation, including the use of EU funds, and act as checks and balances in areas such as democracy, human rights and the rule of law; recalls the commitment of the Commission in its political guidelines to step up its engagement with civil society organisations that have expertise and play an important in upholding human rights, including in third countries; in this context, highlights that while the Commission should not mandate NGOs to pursue certain activities or support specific positions or policies, it remains fundamental that civil society organisations, through EU funding can engage in an “open, transparent and structured dialogue with EU institutions” as enshrined in Article 11 TEU through activities such as advocacy activities, demonstrations or judicial actions and these should remain eligible in the relevant funding programs and have sufficient dedicated funding available;

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Calls for the EU budget to better provide for women who, at present, have limited opportunities for exchanges with others and competence development, for example, through mentoring programmes or professional networks from all sectors of the European economy;

Amendment 46 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Urges the Commission to stop all funding, direct or indirect, for associations or communication campaigns promoting the Islamic veil;

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Recalls that in line with Article 11.2 TEU, EU institutions must maintain an open, transparent and structured dialogue with civil society organisations and representative associations and stresses in particular in this regard that success to structural funding is a prerequisite to ensure public participation and without which it would not be possible for citizens to have their voice channelled at the EU level through their representative associations, sustain a regular dialogue with EU institutions contributing to democratic participation in policy making, an open and wide- ranging dialogue, ensuring that the diversity of views and concerns are taken into account with equal access for public interest as compared to commercial interest, exercise a monitoring role on the implementation of EU policies and legislation, including the use of EU funds or act as checks and balances to the rule of law. Recalls the commitment of the Commission in its political guidelines to step up its engagement with civil society organisations that have expertise and an important role to play in defending specific societal issues and upholding human rights. This entails that while the Commission should not mandate NGOs to pursue certain activities or support specific positions or policies, it remains fundamental that civil society organisations, through EU funding can engage in an “open, transparent and structured dialogue with EU institutions” as enshrined in article 11 TEU through activities such as advocacy activities, demonstrations, or judicial actions and these should remain eligible in the relevant funding programs and have sufficient dedicated funding available.

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Recognises that Daphne’s aim is to protect children, young people and women from all kinds of violence, trafficking and to attain a high level of health protection, well-being and social cohesion; to that end, urges the EU to consider the programme a priority within the EU budget;

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Urges the Commission to stop all funding, direct or indirect, for associations promoting surrogacy;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Points out to the unprecedented challenges in the global environment, peace and geopolitical instability in the current year of audit; recalls that since Russian’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU has provided economic, humanitarian and military support for Ukraine worth over €88 billion;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)

A b. whereas according to the European Crime Prevention Network, the Daphne programme objectives were and remain relevant to the needs at their origin i.e. protecting children, young people and women from violence and preventing it;

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4 c. Stresses the need to ensure that all EU funds reach their intended recipients, and to ensure that no EU funding is allocated or linked to any cause or form of terrorism, which would have catastrophic consequences for women and girls;

Amendment 51 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4c. Urges the Commission to stop all funding, direct or indirect, for associations promoting transgender activism;

Amendment 52 #

Joanna SCHEURING-WIELGUS, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Alessandra MORETTI, Elisabeth GROSSMANN, Lina GÁLVEZ, Emma RAFOWICZ, Marko VEŠLIGAJ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

~~5. Calls for a stable financing framework to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the Daphne Programme to support the protection of women and children against violence.~~deleted

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Calls for a stable financing framework to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the Daphne Programme to support the protection of women and children against violence.; stresses the importance of strengthening the specifically dedicated Daphne Initiative by increasing its resources, particularly through measures aimed at combating all forms and levels of gender-based violence against women and girls and domestic violence;

Amendment 54 #

Margarita DE LA PISA CARRIÓN, Sebastian KRUIS, Mireia BORRÁS PABÓN, Viktória FERENC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – point 1 (new)

(1) Commends the efficiency of the Daphne programme such as the impressive outputs and impacts, compared to the modest resources allocated;

Amendment 55 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – point 1 (new)

(1) Strongly opposes the diversion of resources and attention from critical economic and social objectives by earmarking funds specifically for a gender perspective; acknowledges that this approach has proven ineffective, as significant progress in areas such as reducing violence against women or achieving gender equality has not been realised despite the allocation of resources;

Amendment 56 #

Margarita DE LA PISA CARRIÓN, Sebastian KRUIS, Mireia BORRÁS PABÓN, Viktória FERENC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – point 2 (new)

(2) Affirms that these funds have been exploited for purely ideological purposes, resulting in the imposition of a forced social change that undermines national sovereignty and the rights of families;

Amendment 57 #

Margarita DE LA PISA CARRIÓN, Sebastian KRUIS, Mireia BORRÁS PABÓN, Viktória FERENC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – point 3 (new)

(3) Advocates for project funding to be objective, effective, and neutral, free from partisan influence, and designed to benefit society as a whole, prioritizing the genuine needs of EU citizens, irrespective of gender;

Amendment 58 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Regrets the lack of specific budget lines for measures dedicated to gender equality; Reiterates its call for a dedicated budget line for the Daphne programme to increase transparency and accountability in fund distribution; stresses the importance of strengthening the Daphne initiative by increasing its resources, particularly for measures aimed at combating all levels and all forms of gender based violence, especially those dedicated to strengthening primary prevention;

Amendment 59 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Requests the creation of a specific program within the Daphne funding framework to address violence against LGBTIQA+ women, including the provision of safe shelters, access to support services tailored to their needs, and the protection of their sexual and reproductive health rights;

Amendment 6 #

Nacho SÁNCHEZ AMOR

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Notes that the efficiency of the EU’s actions worldwide is subjected to ensuring the highest level of coordination and coherence in the EU’s external action, particularly by ascertaining the HR/VP leading role as a bridge builder between the CFSP and EU external relations; whereas coordination among the Commission and the EEAS should be strengthened, particularly due to the lack of operational budget of the EEAS, including by guaranteeing full compliance of Article 3.2 and 9 of the EEAS Decision;

Amendment 6 #

Raquel GARCÍA HERMIDA-VAN DER WALLE, Abir AL-SAHLANI, Lucia YAR, Veronika CIFROVÁ OSTRIHOŇOVÁ, Jana TOOM

Draft opinion
Recital B

~~B. whereas the Union has room for improvement in its approach to promoting equality through its policies, legislation and funding mechanisms;~~deleted

Amendment 60 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Regrets the lack of specific budget lines for measures dedicated to gender equality, especially within the Daphne programme, leading to a lack of transparency and accountability;

Amendment 61 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Urges the Commission and Member States to strengthen awareness- raising campaigns against gender-based violence and discrimination, explicitly including educational efforts to combat LGBTIQA+phobia and to promote sexual and reproductive rights; calls for comprehensive sexual education programs that promote gender equality, consent, and respect for diversity in all Member States;

Amendment 62 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5 c. Calls on the Union to take a firm stance in defending sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) as a non-negotiable element of gender equality, urging Member States to eliminate legal, financial, or practical barriers to accessing contraception, safe abortion, and other essential reproductive health services, ensuring no woman is left behind.

Amendment 63 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)

5 d. Stresses the importance of strengthening the specifically dedicated Daphne initiative by increasing its resources, in particular measures that aim to combat all levels and all forms of gender-based violence and to properly support victims;

Amendment 7 #

Raquel GARCÍA HERMIDA-VAN DER WALLE, Abir AL-SAHLANI, Lucia YAR, Veronika CIFROVÁ OSTRIHOŇOVÁ, Jana TOOM

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Welcomes the launch of the Growth Plan for Moldova as a significant initiative to foster economic development and strengthen Moldova's resilience; Stresses the need for the Commission to adopt a more realistic approach when imposing conditionalities for financing, ensuring that the specific circumstances and needs of each country are properly considered, especially in the areas of energy and security, where tailored solutions are essential to address the unique challenges faced by each nation;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

~~B. whereas the Union has room for improvement in its approach to promoting equality through its policies, legislation and funding mechanisms;~~deleted

Amendment 8 #

Tomasz FROELICH

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Regrets that EU funding to combat corruption in Ukraine is not leading to the detection and combating of corruption at the highest level, which was confirmed in a public opinion poll in the summer of 2024; calls for an assessment of the effectiveness of EU funding provided to Ukraine and to link funding more closely to conditionalities - including the fight against corruption;

Amendment 8 #

Joanna SCHEURING-WIELGUS, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Alessandra MORETTI, Elisabeth GROSSMANN, Lina GÁLVEZ, Emma RAFOWICZ, Marko VEŠLIGAJ

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas the Union has room for improvement in its approach to promoting equality through its policies, legislation, and funding mechanisms; whereas the European Parliament has repeatedly called on the Commission to promote and implement the use of gender mainstreaming, including gender budgeting and gender impact assessments, across all Union policies;

Amendment 9 #