55 Amendments of Miapetra KUMPULA-NATRI related to 2015/2223(INI)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
- having regard to Directive 2014/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 on the comparability of fees related to payment accounts, payment account switching and access to payment accounts with basic features,
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 4 July 2012 with recommendations to the Commission on access to Basic Banking Services1 a, __________________ 1 a OJ C34E, 29.11.2013, p.74
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)
Citation 18 a (new)
- having regard to the studies entitled "The State of Lending: The Cumulative Costs of Predatory Practices " 1a , June 2015 and "Le panier de la ménagère ... pauvre" 1b , August 2008 __________________ 1a Center for responsible lending, Durham, http://www.responsiblelending.org/state- of-lending/cumulative/ , http://www.uvcw.be/no_index/cpas/panier -etude-qualitative.pdf 1b Ricardo Cherenti, Belgian Federation of public local social action center, http://www.uvcw.be/no_index/cpas/panier -etude-quantitative.pdf
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 11 June 2013 on Social housing in the European Union1 a __________________ 1 a Textes adoptés, P7_TA(2013)0246
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas more than 50 million people are affected by energy poverty in Europe, which represents around 30% of households in the EU;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas not having adequate heating and housing has a negative impact on a person’s health, in particular for children and older persons;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas energy poverty is linked to general poverty and is the result of a number of underlying conditions including high-energy prices, aggressive commercial and marketing techniques, issues concerning health and disability, a lack of access to tailored offers or online services, low incomes, the type of heating system in use in the household and the quality and energy performance of the housing stock;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas financially vulnerable groups, such as unemployed, students, single-parent families, low-income families, widowed, permanently ill, suffer particularly of high level on living costs;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas EU-SILC figures show that housing cost overburden (by tenure status) is higher for tenants housed in the private rented sector, which may be explained by low housing quality and high prices;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas for the 9 items of the Severe Material Deprivation indicator (to pay rent or utility bills, to keep home adequately warm, to face unexpected expenses, to eat meat, fish or a protein equivalent every second day, to take a week's holiday away from home, run a car, a washing machine, a colour TV, or a telephone), several studies suggests that market prices are finally higher for the households at risk of poverty;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas the European Parliament in its resolution 'Towards a genuine Economic and Monetary Union' of 20 November 2012 (Thyssen report) called for a European Social Pact as the fifth pillar of the EMU in order to promote amongst others decent living wages with minimum incomes preventing in-work poverty;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
D b. Housing deprivation and energy poverty are higher in countries with a lower share of social rental housing i.e. Eastern and Mediterranean countries;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Invites the Commission to present, in the context of the announced social pillar, an EU framework directive on adequate minimum income in 2016 in order to support social convergence across the EU;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Member States to ensure a more efficient and targeted use of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) by national, regional and local authorities in order to tackle energy poverty, especially households living in inefficient housing stock and housing in bad condition;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Member States to ensure a more efficient and targeted use of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) by national, regional and local authorities in order to tackle energy poverty and other increasing living costs, such as a lack of affordable (social) housing;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to acknowledge that access to affordable energy is a basic social right and adopt a common definition on energy poverty;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Calls the Commission to carefully assess the variations of costs to access to the items of the Severe Material Deprivation in relation with the level of income, and to subsequently launch the necessary legislations to adapt these costs for the households at risk of poverty, as already done in the field of basic access to bank accounts;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Calls on the Commission to clarify the problem of fuel poverty in the EU and support the Member States in developing planning;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – introductory part
Paragraph 5 – introductory part
5. Finds regrettable that the EU2020 target to reduce poverty in Europe by lifting at least 20 million people out of poverty appears even further out of reach than when it was set; reiterates that one of the target groups is people that face severe material deprivation; calls on the Commission and the Member States to renew their commitment to the poverty reduction target by:
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – indent 1
Paragraph 5 – indent 1
- prioritising decent living standards and reducing poverty and social exclusion and devoting a summit to it;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – indent 1 a (new)
Paragraph 5 – indent 1 a (new)
- adopting a common definition on energy poverty focussing on the inability of a household to support an adequate level of energy supply so as to guarantee basic levels of comfort and health, due to a combination of low income, high-energy prices and low quality housing stock;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – indent 1 a (new)
Paragraph 5 – indent 1 a (new)
- taking measures to address extreme forms of poverty that currently fall beyond the scope of the target, namely homelessness;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – indent 5
Paragraph 5 – indent 5
- ending anyWelcoming social factors as part of economic governance and implementing effective social impact assessment to prevent EU policies in other policy areas that may lead to increase poverty;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – indent 5
Paragraph 5 – indent 5
- ending any policies in other policy areas that may lead to increase poverty; such as pro-cyclical austerity, persistent wage moderation, lack of investment and decreasing social and health expenditure;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – indent 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 – indent 5 a (new)
- taking note of the situation of people suffering the effects of the economic crisis and as a result of this end up with extremely poverty and debt burden; encouraging Member States to prepare their legislation in a way that it prevents the formulation of the housing bubble, for example being able to change loan conditions;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – indent 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 – indent 5 a (new)
- acknowledging the idea that access to affordable energy is a basic social right;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – indent 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 – indent 5 b (new)
- highlighting the fact that Member States have several forms of social housing and these differences should be taken into regard;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the Commission’s intention to present a new social pillar; recalls that to deliver on Article 9 TFEU, such a pillar should be aimed at setting a European framework for a minimum income above the poverty level, continuing with a rights- based approach to social policy and improving implementation of existing social, labour and anti-discrimination legislation whilst respecting the competence of Member States to regulate in social affairs;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the Commission’s intention to aim for a social triple A score for the Union; finds regrettable that this is currently out of reach owing to increasing inequality, high poverty and social exclusion and less and less availability of quality and affordable social, health and care services and social protection; recalls that a social triple A must be based on Article 9 TFEU aimed at a ‘high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion and a high level of education, training and protection of human health’; recalls that achieving a social triple A as a benchmark requires assessing both policies that hinder and work towards achieving the benchmark; finds regrettable that so far the latter has not been addressed at Union level;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop, adopt and implement an EU framework to reduce poverty and social exclusion in line with the Europe 2020 Strategy, consisting of concrete measures and actions, including housing exclusion, homelessness and energy poverty;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide information and help to people at risk of poverty and social exclusion to make educated choices regarding their energy consumption and support non-governmental actors working towards this goal;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9 b. Calls on the Member States to oblige energy providers to include information in their energy bills to households regarding measures to reduce energy consumption and to increase energy efficiency with the aim to reduce energy poverty;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9 c. Recalls the European Economic and Social Committee's opinion entitled 'For coordinated European measures to prevent and combat energy poverty' and supports in this context the idea of a European energy security and solidarity commitment as well as the setting up of a European poverty observatory and a European fund with the specific aim of eradicating energy poverty;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that a decent income is a fundamental element for being able to live your life in dignity; recalls that 16.7 % of the population in the EU 28 in 2013 were at-risk-of-poverty after social transfers; invites the Commission to present in 2016 in the context of the announced social pillar an EU framework directive on adequate minimum income to promote social convergence and level playing field;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. calls on the Member States, to introduce, according to national practices, minimum income schemes to avoid pockets of social exclusion in order to ensure a minimum income to households and curb household poverty;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10 b. Calls for a comprehensive strategy to fight poverty based on access to decent jobs leading to quality employment, services, and the activation of minimum income and social protection according to the subsidiarity principle;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. calls for recognition of the importance of affordable rented accommodation as a means of facilitating access to housing for people on low income, and urges Member States to build a sufficient number of affordable homes. Affordable housing reduces people’s housing expenditure and therefore also has a positive effect on energy poverty;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Calls upon Member States to take into account the fluctuations of living costs in their national support schemes for financially vulnerable groups such as unemployed, students, single-parent families, low-income families, widowed, permanently ill;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Calls the Commission to come up with a definition of vulnerable consumers; ask the Commission to gather impact assessments and collection of best practices of measures taken at national level to fight energy poverty;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15 b. Emphasises that energy must be made affordable to all citizens of the EU; considers that avoiding unnecessary consumption by undertaking efficiency improvements, stronger interconnections, higher market integration and sustainable energy investment, particularly in buildings, would enable many households to access on equal conditions a single, sustainable, competitive and secure energy market and escape energy poverty, which in 2012 affected one in four EU citizens; invites the Commission to present a communication on energy poverty in Europe, accompanied by an action plan to fight against it, which contains a definition and indicators of energy poverty;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15 c. Underlines that already now there is a lost generation; therefore it is extremely important to prevent the threat for future where even more youth slip under the energy poverty;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses that there is a structural lock- in effect as regards energy poverty, as poor households cannot afford the initial upfront investment, such as insulation and energy efficiency appliances, needed to combat energy poverty;
Amendment 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16 c. Calls on the Commission, in combination with the collection of data, to collect best practice between local authorities, regions and Member States and to promote those practices in both a top-down and bottom-up approach; (to be inserted after subheading 5)
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Recalls that targeting Union funding towards reducing energy costs of poor households living in inefficient housing an poor quality by investing in renewables or energy efficiency has multiple positive effects: at household level, it improves living conditions and the health of those concerned as well as decreasing household costs and therefore provides budgetary relief for poor families; at regional and local level, funding will provide for local investment, which will create jobs; at Union level it helps to both decrease poverty, improve energy efficiency and, decrease energy emissions and reduce unemployment; highlights the importance of targeting the Investment Fund towards such initiatives;
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Emphasises that energy must be made affordable to all citizens of the EU; considers that avoiding unnecessary consumption, efficiency improvements and sustainable energy investment, particularly in buildings, would enable many households to escape energy poverty;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to exploit the full potential of the European Funds with regard to tackling energy poverty;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17 b. Highlights that the problem is likely to worsen given unstable energy security and underlines that while fuel subsidies can provide a respite, this is a temporary solution and subsidies alone remain an unsustainable option for reducing energy poverty;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17 b. Considers that as part of any review of the retail energy markets, serious consideration should be given to further measures to protect consumers;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17 c. Highlights the inequality of energy poverty in that the pricing structure for customers means that the poorest people often pay more for their energy;
Amendment 317 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)
Paragraph 17 d (new)
17 d. Stresses the importance of data collection in order to drive evidence-based policy objectives;
Amendment 322 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Stresses that stakeholders have identified twohree major obstacles in targeting energy poverty via the ESI Funds: firstly, relating to project size, where smaller beneficiaries are faced with funds intended for larger scale projects such as the Cohesion Fund; secondly, that operational programs do not make full use of the option to orient the ESI Funds towards energy poverty; thirdly, there is a lack of information concerning these funds and the application requirements;
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Calls on the Commission to prioritise measures for the retrofitting of existing housing among the most vulnerable consumers; calls on the Commission to work with local authority partners to set clear targets for the renovation of housing stock across the EU;
Amendment 337 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22 a. Recalls that local authorities also have a role to play in promoting alternative financing instruments including co-operative models and in the promotion of collective buying agreements to enable consumers to combine their energy demands and therefore lead to cheaper energy prices; calls on the Commission and Member States to promote the role of local authorities in alleviating energy poverty;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Member States not to exempt the energy intensive industries from taxes, but to use these revenues forto make measures that benefit low-income households, including social tariffs for vulnerable households targeted energy efficiency measures and financing of social security systems, which can in turn reduce the burden on labour costs; considers that such an offsetting mechanism could be an integral element of a socially equitable tax shift as proposed by the Commission in the current employment guidelines; underlines that effective social policy should be the main tool to prevent energy poverty;
Amendment 354 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls on the Member States to sign up to a European winter heating and electricity disconnection moratorium so as to ensure that during a defined winter period no household can be cut off from energy or that those who are must be reconnected to energy needed for heating that meets World Health Organisation (WHO) standards for adequate housing temperature; points out that such a moratorium aims to decrease excess winter mortality, supporting the most vulnerable groups, especially young children, the elderly and permanently sick and disabled people so as to protect their health and well-being;