Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-02-03-Speech-4-012-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20110203.4.4-012-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the financing instrument for cooperation with industrialised and other high-income countries and territories (ICI) is being fundamentally amended in this parliamentary term. We plan to jointly allocate up to EUR 348 million to cooperation in areas such as science, academic exchanges – including Erasmus Mundus –, culture, environmental protection and renewable energy, as well as the stimulation of bilateral trade relations. Particular consideration should be given here to small and medium-sized enterprises.
The new aspect is that with what is known as ICI Plus, projects in developing countries can now also be financed – and specifically projects that do not fall under the general definition of development aid measures. These include projects and measures such as sending European students to universities in Africa, Asia or Latin America – a completely new element. In the current times, when the EU has a greater responsibility to realign its cooperation in partnership with a growing number of states, allowing self-determined development has a particular part to play in this.
The recast of the regulation needs to clearly mark the opportunities and challenges arising from the expansion of its geographical scope. It clearly states who can obtain financial assistance, for what purposes and on what terms. Another new element of this instrument is that the regulation specifies that the allocation of funding must ensure that the partner countries comply with the core working standards of the International Labour Organisation and that they work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as an important contribution to the international fight against climate change.
Equally important, the rule of law and human dignity in work are elevated to cooperation objectives. As we are going into the second reading, allow me to restate that I consider it essential to ensure that when granting financial assistance no concessions are made as regards the basic principles of the European Union. When promoting projects in developing countries attention needs to be paid in future to policy coherence, and particularly to harmonisation with measures to combat the food crisis. In the plenary vote at first reading it was decided – albeit by a narrow majority – that none of the funds allocated to development aid thus far should be devoted to ICI Plus.
We are going into the second reading with an accelerated rapprochement on this, as on all the financing instruments. Following successful compromise negotiations between Council and the European Parliament we have adapted ICI Plus to the challenges of the future. All the matters of substance have been approved by a majority in plenary. So far, so good – or so it would seem. However, it remains undecided how we will deal in future with the division of powers between the two legislative bodies of the EU resulting from the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, particularly in the area of communitarised international trade policy. The issue at stake here is democracy, and specifically what are known as delegated acts – which is something on which the European Parliament and the Commission and Council continue to have differing views.
What is this all about? We want to do what we see as our duty to our electorate. We want to check whether the multiannual strategic planning by the European External Action Service and the Commission for implementing our regulations is in accordance with the spirit of the legislator. In the past the Commission has unfortunately too often taken the attitude that you can write anything you like on paper. The Treaty of Lisbon gives us a new role and duty as a legislator, and we demand a right of veto. The rapporteurs for the various foreign policy financing instruments, the chairs of the committees and the leaders of the groups are all agreed that we must fight for this democratic right.
Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the conduct we have seen so far shows that not all three bodies of the European Union have yet recognised this principle. We are therefore vigorously defending our right of control today because in future the Commission must base its planning on what the legislator has laid down, not on its own communications."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples