A szavazáshoz fűzött írásbeli indokolások Billy KELLEHER

Fianna Fáil welcomes the report on the implementation of the Geo-blocking Regulation, which has provided real and tangible benefits for European citizens since 2018. We are concerned, however, that some geo-blocking barriers remain which could prevent our companies and citizens from harnessing the full potential of the single market.
We are therefore disappointed that the Commission has not yet presented the Parliament with the outcome of its stakeholder dialogue on possibly extending the scope of the Geo-blocking Regulation to audio-visual content.
We firmly believe that the European cultural sector is one of our greatest assets, and one that should be enjoyed – and supported – in its entirety by citizens across the 27 EU Member States.
Nevertheless, we would like to reiterate our position that any future proposal on extending the scope of the regulation can only be presented after a full and comprehensive assessment of the potential impact on the sector.
We also believe that, if a review of the regulation were proposed on the basis of this assessment, changes would need to be introduced gradually, to give providers of audio-visual services the opportunity to adapt their business models.
Strong safeguards would also be needed to guarantee the viability of small producers and audio-visual content in minority languages.

Tax and other related measures proved to be useful tools in response to the COVID crisis and the energy crisis that ensued from Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. For example, the so-called ‘energy windfall taxes’ and solidarity contributions helped protect consumers and support vulnerable households in coping with the exorbitant energy bills. Furthermore, some Member States, such as Ireland, have put in place measures to prevent the double taxation of Ukrainian refugees on income earned whilst outside of Ukraine.
Fianna Fáil are supportive of such measures, provided that they are temporary and targeted in nature, and the revenue is used to address the crisis at hand.
Unfortunately, we were not able to give our full support to this report and instead abstained. As is often the case with Parliament reports on tax measures, the scope was unnecessarily inflated to cover a much broader discussion on additional own resources and the direct contribution of corporate tax to EU own resources.

The Fianna Fail MEPs consider this proposal on standards of key importance to improving air quality and protecting public health. The new regulation as proposed by the Commission intends to introduce more stringent limits for exhaust emissions (such as nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and ammonia), and proposes to introduce new measures to reduce emissions from tyres and brakes, and increase battery durability.
Unfortunately, the Parliament’s text undermines the ambition of the Commission’s original proposal in terms of limits and time frames for implementation. In this regard, and to communicate our disappointment with the lack of ambition and failure to bring forward clear and swift measures for reducing road transport derived air pollutants such as nitrous oxides and particulate matter, safeguarding public health and helping to meet our revised commitments, we abstained on the final vote.

Fianna Fáil has always tried to make clear that we are supportive of the concept of own resources.
Moreover, we were strong advocates for the introduction of Next Generation EU – a radical initiative to address the COVID-19 challenges – and we are acutely aware that these loans will become repayable as of 2028, as well as the fact that the borrowing costs have risen significantly due to interest rate hikes.
Nonetheless, unfortunately, we were not able to vote in favour of this report as we cannot support the Commission’s amended proposal on the introduction of new own resources as drafted.
Ireland has made huge strides and considerable effort in signing up to the OECD’s Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 agreement. We now stand ready to engage on its implementation and if a contribution should be made to the EU budget. Moreover, we await the Commission’s proposal on its Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation system.
Therefore, we strongly oppose the proposal to introduce a temporary statistical own resource based on company profits. We consider this an attempt to introduce corporate taxation at EU level, pre-empting and ultimately undermining any discussion on BEFIT or the OECD agreement.

Fianna Fáil shares the European Parliament’s support for the Council position on the draft amending budget No 3/2023. We recognise the pressing challenges that the European Union is facing – supporting Ukraine in responding to Russia’s war of aggression and responding to climate change, amongst many others. We therefore support an ambitious approach to the EU’s budget and welcome the ability for the Union to raise its own resources as an alternative to raising Member States’ contributions.
That being said, we abstained on this vote because we do not support the Commission’s proposal for a temporary own resource based on company profits. Corporate taxation is, and should remain, a national competence and national revenue. Moreover, the introduction of such an own resource pre-empts the discussion and agreement on the Commission’s proposal for a Council directive on Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation (BEFIT).

Tackling gender-based violence, sexual violence and human trafficking are critical steps in the fight for gender equality. Although the Fianna Fáil delegation agreed with the overall intentions of this report – to end violence against women – we felt that this must be done in a manner that does not shame individuals or impose one model over another.
The conflation of sex work with human trafficking, and the use of the term ‘prostitution’, could have a stigmatising effect. In addition, the notion that consent is not possible in a sex work scenario undermines those individuals’ autonomy.
More importantly, this report views the Nordic model – that is, the criminalisation of the purchase of sex – as a one-size-fits-all, although studies have shown that this approach has led to increased incidents of violence against sex workers, and exposes them to greater precariousness, including the risk of contracting HIV.
In Ireland, we would urge for a conversation about what policy truly serves the best interests of sex workers.. Above all, we felt that this is not a matter that should be decided at European level, though we would support increased measures to combat human trafficking and GBV. For this reason, we voted against the final report.

The European Union took on considerable debt in order to invest in the recovery from the COVID pandemic. Further investment is necessary in order to stick to our climate commitments. Fianna Fáil recognises and fully supports the ability for the EU to have a direct source of sustainable revenue and considers it necessary to reduce the debt and fund the EU’s ambition. However, we had to vote against this report.
Own resources for the EU cannot be introduced at the expense of EU competitiveness. Taxes, such as the minimum corporate tax rate or a digital tax, need to be introduced at a global level to ensure that the EU can compete on an equal basis.
Moreover, national competences on taxation need to be respected. Ireland respects the enhanced cooperation procedure ongoing amongst 11 Member States to introduce an FTT amongst those countries. In return, we would expect the same level of respect for our decision not to introduce an EU wide FTT. Ireland already has a tax on financial transactions which takes the form of a tax on transfers of shares in Irish incorporated companies. We cannot support calls from the Parliament for the Commission to consider a Union-wide FTT.

Whilst the Fianna Fáil delegation supports many aspects of this report, notably ongoing support for Ukraine, language on the protection and promotion of human rights, the significance of European diplomacy, the value of multilateralism and the importance of international cooperation, it decided to abstain on the final vote due to the inclusion of certain language on security and defence as well as decision-making arrangements in foreign and security policy.
The changing security and defence landscape in Europe and globally has caused Ireland to enter a process of reflection on how it engages with security and defence at a European level, as a non-aligned EU Member State that has traditionally pursued a policy of military neutrality. Last year saw the publication of the Report by the Commission on the Defence Forces, which proposes significant changes for the Irish Defence Forces and defence provision. In light of these ongoing processes, it would be inappropriate for us to pre-empt the debate that will take place in Ireland.

The changing security and defence landscape in Europe and globally has caused Ireland to enter a process of reflection on how it engages with security and defence at a European level, as a non—aligned EU Member State that has traditionally pursued a policy of military neutrality. Last year saw the publication of the Report by the Commission on the Defence Forces, which proposes significant changes for the Irish Defence Forces and defence provision. In light of these ongoing processes, it would be inappropriate for us to pre-empt the debate that will take place in Ireland.

The Fianna Fáil delegation was strongly in favour of this report which outlines an ambitious new policy for the Mediterranean, grounded in shared social justice objectives and values. The delegation voted against two lines of recital (m), as we felt the framing of migration was overly negative.
It is important that migration is managed, but that it is also seen as an opportunity rather than a threat to the stability or economic prosperity of countries of origin and transit. While brain drain is a concern, studies show that, in the short term, migration actually boosts the economic development of countries of origin.
Moreover, the key to tackling any instability caused by flows of migrants in the neighbourhood lies in developing a truly comprehensive EU migration and asylum policy and effective, principled diplomacy with our partners. Framing migration as an intrinsic threat to stability would, therefore, not be constructive.