Motion for a resolution - B9-0156/2020Motion for a resolution
B9-0156/2020

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the new multiannual financial framework, own resources and recovery plan

12.5.2020 - (2020/2631(RSP))

to wind up the debate on the statements by the Council and the Commission
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure

Marco Zanni
on behalf of the ID Group

Procedure : 2020/2631(RSP)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
B9-0156/2020
Texts tabled :
B9-0156/2020
Votes :
Texts adopted :

B9‑0156/2020

European Parliament resolution on the new multiannual financial framework, own resources and recovery plan

(2020/2631(RSP))

The European Parliament,

 having regard to Article 312 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

 having regard to the Protocol (No 2) of the TFEU on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality,

 having regard to the Commission communication of 2 May 2018 entitled ‘A Modern Budget for a Union that Protects, Empowers and Defends – The Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027’ (COM(2018)0321),

 having regard to the Commission proposal of 2 May 2018 for a Council regulation laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 (COM(2018)0322) and the Commission proposal of 2 May 2018 for a Council decision on the system of Own Resources of the European Union (COM(2018)0325),

 having regard to its Interim Report of 14 November 2018 on the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 – Parliament’s position with a view to an agreement,

 having regard to its resolution of 10 October 2019 entitled ‘2021-2027 multiannual financial framework and own resources: time to meet citizens’ expectations’[1],

 having regard to the Finnish Presidency’s negotiating box with figures submitted to the Council delegations on 5 December 2019,

 having regard to the remarks made by President Charles Michel after the special meeting of the European Council of 21 February 2020,

 having regard to its resolution of 17 April 2020 on EU coordinated action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences[2],

 having regard to the ‘Roadmap for Recovery – Towards a more resilient, sustainable and fair Europe’ presented by the President of the European Council and the President of the Commission on 21 April 2020,

 having regard to the conclusions of the President of the European Council following the video conference of the members of the European Council of 23 April 2020,

 having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas on 2 May 2018, the Commission presented a set of legislative proposals on the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework (MFF) and the EU’s own resources, followed by legislative proposals for the setting-up of new EU programmes and instruments;

B. whereas on 20 February 2020, at the special meeting of the European Council, the heads of state or government did not reach an agreement on the MFF proposal presented by Charles Michel, President of the European Council;

C. whereas the MFF has already proven to be ineffective in responding to the needs of citizens and the Member States and the challenges they have been facing, such as unemployment, economic recession, poverty, the migration crisis and security threats;

D. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has made the already difficult situation significantly worse, causing serious damage in all the Member States;

E. whereas the EU institutions have not taken into account the devastating effects of their political and economic choices on individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU;

F. whereas many European citizens have lost their trust in the EU as it been unable to provide concrete responses to their current needs;

G. whereas the Member States are about to enter a reconstruction phase, to which public and private actors will need to adapt;

1. Stresses that the 2021-2027 MFF priorities should be refocused, taking into account the socio-economic impact of the pandemic in the short, medium and long term;

2. Points out the need to avoid previous mistakes by ensuring that the EU budget is more efficient, transparent and performance-based, while reducing administrative expenditure and preventing money from being wasted;

3. Rejects any proposal to increase the overall level of the next MFF and the own resource ceilings, but supports the front-loading of some expenditure in the early years in order to tackle the effects of the COVID-19 crisis;

4. Notes the importance of allowing for flexibility between different funds, modifying the co-financing rates when necessary and reducing EU constraints, in line with the model adopted for the recent measures taken by the Commission;

5. Asks for priority to be given to programmes supporting growth and jobs that help in particular SMEs, craftspeople and artisans, traders, the self-employed and farmers, who account for the vast majority of employment in the Member States and provide most of the services that are essential to life in our regions;

6. Calls for the budget envisaged for ‘climate mainstreaming’, reform support programmes and external action to be reallocated to COVID-19-related measures;

7. Strongly objects to the use of any form of conditionality to turn EU financing into an instrument of political blackmail, which would constitute a further attack on the Member States and their freedom and independence; highlights, however, the need for consistent budgetary policies;

8. Rejects the introduction of new EU own resources, which will ultimately lead to further taxation of businesses and increased pressure on citizens;

9. Suggests that, instead of extending the list of potential own resources, the EU should rationalise its excessive administrative expenses and evaluate whether some funds could be managed more efficiently at national level in order to guarantee full respect for the subsidiarity principle;

10. Recalls the fact that the Member States are responsible for their own fiscal policies and stresses that the power to levy taxes lies at the heart of the Member States’ sovereignty;

11. Stresses that no EU institution is entitled to collect taxes from national taxpayers;

12. Rejects the EU propaganda campaign stating that the reduction of the GNI contribution to the MFF combined with new EU taxes will lower the contributions of citizens to the EU budget, since it is purely a marketing communication;

13. Awaits the proposal for a recovery plan and questions the envisaged link to the new MFF proposal, taking into account timing and budget constraints; calls on the European Council and the Commission to ensure that Parliament is fully involved in the decision-making process and in the adoption and implementation of the recovery plan;

14. Warns the Commission against the use of financial engineering and dubious multipliers to advertise ambitious figures; underlines that headline figures relating to investments to be mobilised do not represent, and cannot be presented as, the true size of the budget for the recovery plan;

15. Rejects any attempts to use the crisis to push for ever-closer integration in the euro area through debt mutualisation or conditionality mechanisms;

16. Asks the EU institutions not to interfere with measures adopted at national level that are deemed to be necessary to overcome the effects of the pandemic;

17. Demands the replacement of the EU’s Emissions Trading System with a carbon border adjustment mechanism that is compliant with the World Trade Organization’s standards and is based on the carbon footprint of imported goods, taking into account direct emissions, emissions from electricity generation and emissions from the use of raw materials; calls on the Commission and the Member States to support this trade measure with appropriate incentives for the transfer of production from third countries to the Member States;

18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the European Council, the Council, and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

 

Last updated: 13 May 2020
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