On a revamped long-term budget for the Union in a changing world

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AMENDMENTS

The Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality presents to the Committee on Budgets, as the committee responsible, the following:

Amendment 1

Motion for a resolution

Recital A a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Aa. whereas gender equality is a core value of the Union enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union; whereas Article 8 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union states that ‘in all its activities, the Union shall aim to eliminate inequalities and to promote equality’, thus establishing the principle of gender mainstreaming, which stipulates that the gender equality perspective must be integrated across all policies and programmes, including all levels of the budgetary process; whereas budgets are never gender-neutral and therefore need to be established with the clear objective of anti-discrimination and the goal of reaching all individuals and their specific needs;

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Amendment 2

Motion for a resolution

Recital C

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

C. whereas spending through the Union budget, if effectively targeted, aligned with the Union’s political priorities and coordinated with spending at national level, helps to avoid fragmentation in the single market and to boost the overall impact of public investment; whereas public investment is essential to incentivise private investment;

C. whereas spending through the Union budget, if effectively targeted, aligned with the Union’s political priorities and coordinated with spending at national level, helps to protect and promote fundamental rights, including women’s rights and the rule of law, foster cohesion and equality, as well as avoid fragmentation in the single market and to boost the overall impact of public investment; whereas public investment is essential to incentivise private investment;

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Amendment 3

Motion for a resolution

Recital E a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Ea. whereas Parliament has repeatedly called for sufficient funding for the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), Daphne Strand, Equality and Rights Strand of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme, CSOs under the NDICI programme, EU4Health programme, ESF+ Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) strand; whereas Parliament has repeatedly also called for the application of gender mainstreaming in the main European Funds such as Horizon Europe, CAP, Cohesion Funds and Next Generation EU;

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Amendment 4

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1a. Highlights the Union’s commitments to equality, especially those outlined in the gender equality strategy and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, specifically goals 5 and 10; underlines that the post-27 MFF should mainstream gender equality and help eliminate inequalities across the Union and in the world including by dedicated EU budget expenditures higher than the current ones and by supporting gender equality and other equality objectives in line with the Treaties;

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Amendment 5

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3. Emphasises that the post-2027 MFF must also become simpler and more transparent and be protected against misuse, fraud and breaches of the principles of the rule of law and the Union’s values;

3. Emphasises that the post-2027 MFF must also become simpler and more transparent and be protected against misuse, fraud and breaches of the principles of the rule of law, fundamental rights and the Union’s values;

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Amendment 6

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 46

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

46. Emphasises the importance of the Union budget in promoting and protecting democracy and the Union’s values, fostering the Union’s common cultural heritage and European integration, enhancing citizen engagement and youth participation and promoting fundamental rights enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the rule of law; points to the importance of independence of justice, the sound functioning of national institutions, support for civil society and de-oligarchisation;

46. Emphasises the importance of the Union budget in the elimination of discrimination, as well as gender inequality and gender-based violence, promoting and protecting democracy and the Union’s values, fostering the Union’s common cultural heritage and European integration, enhancing citizen engagement and youth participation and promoting fundamental rights enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the rule of law; points to the importance of independence of justice, the sound functioning of national institutions, increased support for civil society and de-oligarchisation;

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Amendment 7

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 46 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

46a. Supports, therefore, gender mainstreaming and gender equality commitments in all EU policies under the next MFF, as well as a reinforced budgetary dimension in combating all instances of discrimination;

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Amendment 8

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 46 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

46b. Underlines the need for an increase in funding that contributes to the maintenance of a pluralistic society where equality and the rights of persons, including gender equality, as enshrined in the Treaty, the Charter and international human rights conventions, are promoted and protected; calls therefore for the maintenance and strengthening of the CERV and NDICI programmes as standalone programmes with increased funding in the next MFF;

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Amendment 9

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 46 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

46c. Stresses the need to ensure that all women have access to sexual and reproductive services and that special attention be paid to the specific needs of marginalised persons, including children, people with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, women who are refugees and migrants and the LGBTI community;

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Amendment 10

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 46 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

46d. Regrets that in the current MFF, elements of anti-gender and anti-abortion movements have benefited from European funding, despite their contravention of fundamental rights and other EU values; urges the Commission to ensure that in the upcoming MFF, no funding will be made available to anti-gender groups that aim to roll back important advances in women’s rights, or to any group that works to erode fundamental rights as outlined in the Charter;

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Amendment 11

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 46 e (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

46e. Underlines the need for DAPHNE, which aims to prevent and combat all forms of gender-based violence, to become an autonomous programme with a separate budget line and increased funding to ensure the effective implementation of the recently adopted directive on violence against women and girls and domestic violence;

Or. en

Amendment 12

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 48

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

48. Highlights the importance of strong links between respect for the rule of law and access to EU funds under the current MFF; believes that the protection of the Union’s financial interests depends on respect for the rule of law at national level; welcomes, in particular, the positive impact of the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation in protecting the Union’s financial interests in cases of systemic and persistent breaches of the rule of law; calls on the Commission and the Council to apply the regulation strictly, consistently and without undue delay wherever necessary; emphasises that decisions to suspend or reduce Union funding over breaches of the rule of law must be based on objective criteria and not be guided by other considerations, nor be the outcome of negotiations;

48. Highlights the importance of strong links between respect for the rule of law, human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality and human rights, and access to EU funds under the current MFF; believes that the protection of the Union’s financial interests depends on respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights, including women’s rights at national level; welcomes, in particular, the positive impact of the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation in protecting the Union’s financial interests in cases of systemic and persistent breaches of the rule of law; calls on the Commission and the Council to apply the regulation strictly, consistently and without undue delay wherever necessary; emphasises that decisions to suspend or reduce Union funding over breaches of the rule of law must be based on objective criteria and not be guided by other considerations, nor be the outcome of negotiations;

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Amendment 13

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 49

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

49. Points to the need for a strong link between the rule of law and the Union budget post-2027 and welcomes the Commission’s intention to bolster links between the recommendations in the annual rule of law report and access to funds through the budget; calls on the Commission to outline, in the annual rule of law report from 2025 onwards, the extent to which identified weaknesses in rule of law regimes potentially pose a risk to the Union budget; welcomes, furthermore, the link between respect for Union values and the implementation of the budget and calls on the Commission to actively monitor Member States’ compliance with this principle;

49. Points to the need for a strong link between the rule of law and fundamental rights, and the Union budget post-2027 and welcomes the Commission’s intention to bolster links between the recommendations in the annual rule of law report and access to funds through the budget; calls on the Commission to outline, in the annual rule of law report from 2025 onwards, the extent to which identified weaknesses in rule of law regimes potentially pose a risk to the Union budget; welcomes, furthermore, the link between respect for Union values and the implementation of the budget and calls on the Commission to actively monitor Member States’ compliance with this principle;

Or. en

Amendment 14

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 53

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

53. Underlines, therefore, that the next MFF must ensure that, across the board, spending programmes pursue climate and biodiversity objectives, promote and protect rights and equal opportunities for all, including gender equality, support competitiveness and bolster the Union’s preparedness against threats;

53. Underlines, therefore, that the next MFF must ensure that, across the board, spending programmes pursue climate and biodiversity objectives, promote and protect fundamental rights and equal opportunities for all, including gender equality, support competitiveness and bolster the Union’s preparedness against threats;

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Amendment 15

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 55 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

55a. Reiterates the need to further develop and improve the EU gender tracking methodology; calls for links to be established between the targets included in the upcoming gender equality strategy and the MFF as a key vehicle to implement the strategy; underlines the need for improved collection, reporting and evaluation of comparable gender-disaggregated data and the development of horizontal EU definitions, to facilitate gender impact assessments in Union policy areas; calls for an improved methodology which should identify not only the beneficiaries of the funds, but also the transformative potential of the programmes;

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Amendment 16

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 55 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

55b. Underlines the need for a legislative proposal to define one or more categories of female-led or female-owned companies with a particularly positive impact on gender equality linked to their recruitment, working time, child-care or gender procurement policies; calls for a gender-equality-friendly company passport similar to the envisaged SME passport that would give preferential access to funding opportunities;

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Amendment 17

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 55 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

55c. Calls for an independent gender impact assessment, evaluating the impact of the MFF programmes on gender equality;

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Amendment 18

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 57 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

57a. Highlights the fact that the delivery of gender mainstreaming training provided to EU Commission officials at the European University Institute is integral to ensuring the realisation of equality objectives of the Union; calls for the expansion of this training with the possibility to offer training places to officials of Parliament and the political groups;

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Amendment 19

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 57 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

57b. Recalls the important role played by EIGE in understanding and addressing the extent and causes of gender inequality affecting women in all their diversity in the Union, especially in the context of the backlash against women’s rights and conflict-related, economic and health crises and having in mind intersectionality; recalls that EIGE has experienced persistent issues with understaffing, which were further aggravated through the sharp increase in requests for technical assistance as a result of the prioritisation of gender mainstreaming in all Union policies and initiatives in the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025; stresses its calls for EIGE to be granted the budget and staff allocations, including an increase in contract agents, required to handle the significant increase in workload, including the implementation of the actions that will be proposed in the renewed gender equality strategy;

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