Gheorghe FALCĂ

Policy topics Gheorghe FALCĂ is active on

What Gheorghe FALCĂ has said (7)

• 2025-10-08 “E-003946/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission Under Erasmus+ 1 learning mobility opportunities have been opened for Ukrainians and a dedicated priority has been set up for cooperation partnerships. The Commission has launched measures to prepare candidate countries for association to Erasmus+ as of the next programme period. Regarding the ‘Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve initiative’ (ALMA) 2 , refugees and third country nationals are part of its target group of vulnerable people Not in Employment, Education or Training aged 18-29. Ukrainians and Moldovans residing in the EU can participate in ALMA, within its shared management implementation, whereby managing authorities launch ALMA calls at national or regional level under their European Social Fund+ Programme (ESF+) 3 . It is not possible to directly extend this possibility to Ukraine and Moldova, as they do not have access to ESF+ 4 . The Commission does not plan to propose a legal framework for automatic recognition of Ukrainian diplomas but it works to facilitate the recognition of higher education qualifications and ensure Ukrainian learners’ access to education and employment. In 2022, it provided technical guidance and training to Member States on fast-track recognition of Ukrainian qualifications. Ukraine engages in the Bologna Process 5 , National Academic Recognition Information Centres and the European Network of Information Centres 6 of the Lisbon Recognition Convention 7 , ensuring alignment with European standards. The Commission is working on an initiative on the recognition of professional qualifications of third-country nationals, which aims to establish a global framework beyond bilateral recognition arrangements. Thus, it is not planned to propose specific bilateral arrangements for Ukrainians or Moldovans. 1 https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/. 2 https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/skills-and-qualifications/alma-activeinclusion-initiative-young-people_en. 3 https://european-social-fund-plus.ec.europa.eu/en. 4 Except for its Employment and Social Innovation strand. 5 https://education.ec.europa.eu/education-levels/higher-education/inclusive-and-connected-highereducation/bologna-process. 6 https://enic-naric.net/page-about-ENIC-NARIC-Networks. 7 https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list?module=treaty-detail&treatynum=165.”
  Focus of EU policy on education (shaping workers vs citizens) · EU volunteering programs
• 2025-06-04 “E-2278/25 Answer given by Ms Kos on behalf of the European Commission The Commission acknowledges the valuable role that enhanced economic cooperation between Romania, Ukraine and Moldova can provide to Ukraine’s economic resilience and reconstruction as well as for the EU integration process for Ukraine and Moldova. The Commission encourages the self-organisation of entrepreneurs, including initiatives that strengthen cross-border economic cooperation. The creation of a trilateral Chamber of Commerce could be an example of such an initiative, jointly designed and implemented by the business communities of Romania, Ukraine and Moldova. Entrepreneurs from these countries are uniquely positioned to understand and take advantage of the specific needs and opportunities for furthering cross-border economic cooperation. In parallel, the Commission is actively supporting efforts to enhance long-term economic cooperation in the Eastern Partnership countries through technical assistance projects such as the EU4Business Programme 1 . These programmes provide financial, logistical and technical support for structured exchanges and working visits to the business community from Eastern Partnership countries, including from Ukraine and Moldova. Moreover, the Commission is mobilising Member States’ expertise via the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX) instrument 2 , which facilitates exchange of best practice between public administrations in the EU, Ukraine and Moldova contributing to improving the regulatory environment for businesses. 1 https://old.eu4business.eu/moldova. 2 https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/funding-technical-assistance/taiex_en.”
  EU funding for transportation · EU transport infrastructure integration
• 2025-01-28 “E-000374/2025 Answer given by Ms Kos on behalf of the European Commission Nutrition was identified by Member States as a key aspect of the Council Conclusions on stepping up Team Europe's support to global food security and nutrition of 16 December 2024 1 . Three months after their adoption, the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in Paris in March 2025 was the first international event to showcase the EU’s achievements in this field. In November 2024, the Government of Ukraine hosted the European Regional School Meals Summit, with the support of First Lady Olena Zelenska. Its organiser, the School Meals Coalition hosted events at the N4G Summit to ensure nutritious school meals for every child. The EU school scheme is part of the common agricultural policy under the provisions of the Regulation establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products 2 . As such, it is available only for Member States. In the enlargement process, the Commission explained the EU-supported school scheme to the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine as part of the screening process in the field of agriculture and rural development. The agriculture ministries of Moldova and Ukraine are starting their preparations to meet the requirements for a future participation in the scheme. These include a multi-annual strategy, and provisions for the management, monitoring and evaluation of an EU-compliant school scheme. Both Moldova and Ukraine already have national schemes focused on better nutrition in schools, which are supported by the national budgets and for Ukraine by donors, including the EU and the World Food Programme. 1 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-16901-2024-INIT/en/pdf 2 OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671–854.”
  EU-Ukraine relations · Funding for EU Neighbourhood
• “The Citizens Trust in European institutions depends not only on our decisions, but also on the way these decisions are prepared, explained and implemented. Transparency, accountability and good administration are essential for the credibility of the European Union. That is why I would like to welcome the presentation of the annual report of the European Ombudsman for 2024, and the important activity carried out in order to improve, to promote transparency and high standards of good administration in European institutions. This report highlights highly relevant topics such as the transparency of the decision making process, fundamental rights, ethical standards and institutional responsibility and accountability. These aspects are essential for a proper functioning of European administration, and in order to strengthen the citizens trust in our institutions. In 2024, the Ombudsman opened 415 inquiries and closed 411 for were own initiative inquiries. At the same time, 427 inquiries were registered. Among the main topics there were transparency and accountability, um public service, culture and recruitment. It is noteworthy that in 2024, almost 18,000 people benefited from the support of Ombudsman, out of which Thousand 700 received advice through the interactive guide available on the Ombudsman website. This shows how digital digitalisation has contributed to speeding up the assistance process. Patty has had a close cooperation relationship with the Ombudsman. Both the citizen's petitions and the interventions of the Ombudsman reflect the real concern of citizens with regard to the way European administration functions. We must, at the same time, maintain a proper balance between transparency and the efficiency of the decision making process. That is why we appreciate this report and we support it within the Parliament. Thank you.”
  Activities of EU Ombudsman
• “Chair. Dear colleagues, I welcome this important report and I congratulate the rapporteurs for their professionalism and the balance. It was a common effort which shows that we together can build in Europe a support for development in times of crisis. The Recovery and Resilience Facility is a success story, but in order to protect this success, we need to be realistic. 19 years I worked with the local authorities and I know what it means to implement European funds. Therefore, I strongly support the proposal to prolong the implementation period with 18 months for mature projects. And yes, we need more clarity from the Commission and more transparency. Finally, I welcome the possibility to create a system to prioritize after 2026 based on performance that allows projects to be finished with other instruments. We need, with the help of this Parliament, to impose a solid strategy for public investments after 2026, including defence, but without giving up resources for health, education and cohesion.”
  Conditions to access EU budget
• “Dear colleagues, first of all, I would like to thank the rapporteur. We have a good starting point, and I'm sure that by common effort, we will make sure that the transport sector enjoys the necessary funding in order to meet current and future challenges. In 2011, the Commission proposed a 50 billion budget for the Connecting Europe facility. Now, 15 years later, the Commission proposes a similar budget. And meanwhile, the construction and financing costs have increased significantly. The TNT network has been extended and consolidated, and the geopolitical context and the security context are fundamentally different. The Parliament has constantly shown that the significant cuts for the CEF in the previous periods have largely resulted from cuts operated by the council in the negotiations for the MFF. In the meantime, the union is facing pressures on its security, logistics, logistics, supply chains and infrastructure resilience, and in this context, the institution of a dedicated separate allocation for military mobility is essential for clarity, predictability and efficiency. The financing should come from new money additional to the CEF transferred without damaging the Ten-t priorities or regional connectivity, and should be clearly assigned to a distinct budgetary line presented both in constant and current prices. Also, the European Transport Agency are faced with a significant increase in workload as a result of increasing responsibilities brought on by new legislative initiatives and the security context. The revolving mandates should be supported through financial resources and human resources that are up to the mark, as well as through measures that consolidate their financial independence from the EU budget in order to allow them to efficiently perform their role. Thank you.”
  EU funding for transportation
• “Dear colleagues, as a rapporteur on behalf of the Tran Committee for the 2026 budget, I am interested in increasing logistic capacities for transport in order for the internal market to work better and also to support, uh, poorer and peripheral regions. I am also interested in European security. I really appreciate the fact that the commission, uh, increased, uh, the, uh, military mobility tenfold for the next CFM, and there has to be an increase for 2026 as well in order to have a gradual increase. I also want the Ten-t infrastructure to have a double role, both, um, civil and military, for all the investments. Investment sector sectors. We request to create three maritime security centers, uh, in order to ensure monetary monetization, coordinated reactions, and under the leadership of the EU and NATO, ensure our security for our area.”
  EU funding for transportation