Activities of Maria João RODRIGUES related to 2016/2095(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
A European Pillar of Social Rights (debate)
A European Pillar of Social Rights (debate)
Reports (1)
REPORT on a European Pillar of Social Rights PDF (513 KB) DOC (93 KB)
Amendments (125)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
– having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights,
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (new)
Citation 4 b (new)
– having regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by the EU in 2010,
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 c (new)
Citation 4 c (new)
- having regard to the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, which were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 and which apply to the whole world including the EU,
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)
Citation 11 a (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 15 January 2013 with recommendations to the Commission on information and consultation of workers, anticipation and management of restructuring (2012/2061(INL)),
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 b (new)
Citation 11 b (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 26 January 2014 on an EU homelessness strategy1a , __________________ 1a Texts adopted, P7_TA(2014)0043.
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17 a (new)
Citation 17 a (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 5 October 2016 on the need for a European reindustrialisation policy in light of the recent Caterpillar and Alstom cases (2016/2891(RSP)),
Amendment A #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas the European Union must respond swiftly and visibly to increasing frustration and worry among many people about uncertain life prospects, unemployment, growing inequalities and lack of opportunities, in particular for young people; whereas the public consultation on the European Pillar of Social Rights conducted by the Commission until December 2016 has developed into a thorough reflection on the existing social acquis and a wide- ranging discussion among social partners, national governments and parliaments, civil society and the EU institutions on the future and structure of a European social model for the future; whereas this debate can help to remind of the EU's basic values and of the fact that Europe has in a worldwide comparison advanced labour and social standards and social protection systems; whereas the debate on the European Pillar of Social Rights and the necessary steps to be taken in its follow-up can also help to place the European project on stronger foundations and improve people's sense of ownership over the process of European integration;
Amendment AA #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Is aware that rising life expectancy and workforcea shrinking workforce pose a challenge to the sustainability and adequacy of pensions systems and to intergenerational fairness; reaffirms that the best response is to increase the overall employment rate; considers that pensionable ages should reflect, besides life expectancy, other factors including labour market trends, the economic dependency ratio, the birth rate and differences in job arduousnesssolidarity; notes that closing the gender pension gap must also be a priority in this regard; reaffirms that the best response is to increase the overall employment rate through employment models linked to full pension insurance coverage and with particular attention given to the younger generation and those most excluded from the labour market; considers that pensionable ages should reflect, besides life expectancy, other factors to be defined at national level, among them developments in productivity, the economic dependency ratio and differences in job arduousness; recalls the importance of investments in active ageing and of arrangements enabling people who have reached their pensionable age to have the option to continue working at their desired level of intensity while being able to draw partially on their pension if they work less than full-time;
Amendment AAA #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Calls on the Commission to integrate the above-mentioned financial instrumenput forward its proposals on the European Pillar of Social Rights ion its proposals for the post- 2020 multiannual financial framework and its white paper onthe occasion of its announced White Paper on the future of the EU and EMU;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18
Citation 18
– having regard to its resolution of 20 November 2012 on a Social Investment Pact as a response to the crisis8 and to the Commission’s Social Investment Package of 20 February 2013, including the Commission Recommendation on Investing in children: breaking the cycle of disadvantage, __________________ 8 Texts adopted, P7_TA(2012)0419.
Amendment B #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Union needs a paradigm shift towards a strong Euto develop further a European social model which is embedded in a social market economy, empowers people and enables sustainable prospean social modelrity and high productivity based on solidarity, social justice and equal opportunities, a fair distribution of wealth, intergenerational solidarity, the rule of law, non- discrimination, gender equality, auniversal and high-quality public education systems, quality employment and sustainable growth - a model that ensures good social protection for all, empowers vulnerable groupsjob-rich and inclusive growth over the long term, in line with worldwide Sustainable Development Goals - a model that genuinely aims at full employment, ensures adequate social protection and quality essential services for all, combats economic inequality, empowers people in vulnerable situations, fights poverty and social exclusion, enhances participation in civil and political life, and improves the living standards for all citizenspeople in the EU, delivering on the objectives and rights set out in the EU Treaties, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Social Charter;
Amendment BB #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. InsistRecommends that all workers should be covered by insurance against involuntary unemployment or involuntary part-time employment, coupled with job-search assistance and investment in (re)-training in line with the conditions laid down by each Member State in conjunction with the social partners; recalls that adequate unemployment benefits improve the matching process and are therefore useful for productivity, while playing at the same time a key role in preventing and reducing poverty; considers that the EPSR should recommend quality benchmarks for national unemployment insurance schemes, in particular regarding their coverage, activation requirements, a link between duration of support and the average national job-search period, and the quality of support provided by job centres;
Amendment BBB #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Calls on the Commission, the EEAS and the Member States to translate the EPSR into relevant external action, in particular by promoting the implementation of the UN SDGs, the ILO conventions and European sopursue external action coherent with the European Pillar of Social Rights, in particular by promoting the implementation of the United Nations conventions and Sustainable Development Goals, the ILO conventions, relevant G20 conclusions, relevant Councial standards throughof Europe conventions as well as the EU's trade agreements and strategic partnerships;
Amendment C #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Commission has committed to achieving a "social AAA rating" for the EU and is expected to come forward in the spring of 2017 with a proposal for a bindingEuropean Pillar of Social Rights that would promote well- functioning and inclusive labour markets and welfare systems in participating Member States and serve as a compass for renewed upward convergence through (i) updating existing EU legislation, (ii) improving the EU's framework for economic and social policy coordination, inter alia through social benchmarking of national reform efforts without establishing inefficient parallel structures and (iii) ensuring relevant financial support at national and European levels; whereas the European Parliament, elected directly by European citizens, has a fundamental responsibility and a role to play in defining and adopting the European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment CC #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls forHighlights the importance of adequate national minimum income schemes for maintaining human dignity and combating poverty and social exclusion as well as their role as a form of social investments enabling people to undertake training and/or look for work; considers that every citizen should have a right to a minimum income within national schemes adapted to every Member State's specific conditions; calls on the Commission to propose a European framework for adequate minimum income schemes;, highlights the importance of such schemes for maintaining human dignelping to promote upward social convergence across the European Union; considers that this framework should recommend basic common principles for a comprehensive and effective approach; points out that minimum income schemes should be coherent wityh as well as nd complementary to otheir roele as a form of social investments enabling people to undertake training and/or look for work; vant social protection measures and social investments; recalls that minimum income should not replace the right to work and the right to adequate remuneration; reminds also of the importance of material assistance schemes such as those supported by the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived;
Amendment CCC #
35. Considers that the EPSR should be adopted in 2017 as a bindingn agreement between the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council, involving social partners and civil society at the highest level, and should contain a clear roadmap for implementation, with concrete commitments and target dates; invites the Commission to propose mechanisms for adequate involvement of all relevant stakeholders at all relevant levels in the implementation of the EPSR;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)
Citation 18 a (new)
– having regard to the Commission Recommendation of 3 October 2008 on the active inclusion of people excluded from the labour market,
Amendment D #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas economic and social policies are meant to serve people, including by promoting sustainable and socially responsible economic activities on a level playing field, and people are also the most important factor for the competitiveness of a company and the proper functioning of the entire economy;
Amendment DD #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Agrees that all pInsists that the rights of people with disabilities should be mainstreamed throughout the Social Pillar with a human rights-based approach in line with the EU's and its Member States' obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with dDisabilities must be ensured enabling services and basic income security(CRPD); The provisions should at least include: The right to decent and barrier- free work in fully inclusive, open and accessible work environments and labour markets; Services and basic income security adapted to specific individual needs, allowing them a decent standard of living and social inclusion; Guaranteeing free movement and the transferability of services across EU Member States; Inclusive education and training, including provisions for adequate digital literacy; Specific provisions on the protection from exploitation and forced labour of persons with disabilities, particularly among persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities or persons deprived of their legal capacity.
Amendment DDD #
Amendment E #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
B b. whereas social dialogue can contribute positively to growth, employment and competitiveness; whereas the Union is obliged to recognise and promote the role of the social partners, facilitate dialogue between them and respect their autonomy including as regards wage-setting, the right to negotiate, conclude and enforce collective agreements and the right to take collective action in accordance with national law and practices; whereas the European Pillar of Social Rights should encourage social partners and Member States to establish standards higher than those agreed at the European level; whereas the Commission consults the social partners on the possible direction of Union action in the social policy field; whereas continuous support is needed for social dialogue at all levels;
Amendment EE #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. CNotes with concern that availability and affordability of long-term care remain a major problem across Europe, trapping informal family carers at home and preventing them from pursuing their careers; deplores frequent abuses of carers employed through work agencies or on an informal basis; considers access to quality and affordable long-term care services, including home- based care, and independent living schemes to be a right that should be upheld with the help of suitabsupport of adequately, qualified professionals employed under decent conditions; believes that low- income householdsadequate public services and assistance should be therefore be targeted by adequate public services and tax deductionsput in place for households, in particularly those living on low incomes, to avoid institutionalisation and the risk of poverty; repeats its call for legislation on carers’' leave accompanied by adequate remuneration and social protectionto limit the implications on remuneration and social protection entitlements when workers temporarily need to take care of relatives; calls on the Commission to set out a concrete action plan in this area, including targets on care for elderly persons, persons with disabilities and other dependants, similar to the Barcelona targets, with monitoring tools which should measure quality, accessibility and affordability; calls also for greater sharing and take-up of best practices in this area;
Amendment F #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
B c. whereas it is crucial that companies behave in a socially responsible way, with real regard for sustainability and the interests of society; whereas it is valuable to involve workers in decision-making; whereas social economy enterprises, such as cooperatives, provide a good example in terms of creating quality employment, supporting social inclusion and promoting a participatory economy;
Amendment FF #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Considers child poverty to be a major issue on which Europe should ‘'act big’'; calls for the swift implementation ofstresses the right to universal education, health and social security systems as basic conditions for combating poverty, in particular among children; bearing in mind this objective, calls on the Commission and Member States for the swift implementation of the 2013 recommendation on investing in children – breaking the cycle of disadvantage, and for concrete steps towards a Child Guarantee in all Member States, so that every child now living inat risk of poverty can havehas access to free healthcare, free education, free childcare, decent housing and proper nutrition; points at the necessary connection with programmes offering support and opportunities for the parents to come out of social exclusion situations and to integrate the labour market; recognises that these policies require adequate financing at national level and support from the European Structural and Investment Funds;
Amendment G #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B d (new)
Recital B d (new)
B d. whereas fundamental social rights apply to all people in the EU and the existing body of Union legislation regulating labour, product and service markets applies to all Member States; whereas economic integration makes Member States interdependent in terms of their capacity to ensure decent working conditions and maintain social cohesion; whereas a functioning single market requires a solid core of social rights for workers to prevent competition on the basis of labour conditions; whereas the principle of subsidiarity as defined in the Treaties justifies action at Union level by reasons of the scale or effects of the proposed action; whereas the achievement of the EU's social objectives also depends on national legislation and on well- developed national social systems; whereas regional differences between wage levels and social security systems are to some extent unavoidable but care should be taken that they do not create downward pressure on working and living conditions; whereas upward social and economic convergence is very important for the proper functioning of the Union; whereas the Union does not harmonise national social security systems but coordinates them, promotes their development and facilitates efficient social security protection of people exercising their right to free movement; whereas regulatory developments need to keep pace with technological and other innovation in order to provide legal certainty and promote economic development through fair competition; whereas the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights will require multi-level action, cross-sectoral approaches and full involvement of stakeholders; whereas provisions on workers' rest time should take into account where applicable a common weekly day of rest recognized by tradition and custom in the country or region;
Amendment GG #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for legislationon Member States to deliver on the right to adequate housing by ensuring access to quality and affordable housing of adequate size for all, and to prevent and reduce homelessness with a view to its gradual elimination; urges them to enact legislation and/or other measures as needed to ensure that access to social housing or adequate housing benefits are provided for those in need, obviously including homeless people and families, and that vulnerable people and poor households are protected against eviction; calls for tax incentives to or that adequate alternative housing is provided to them; calls for combining provision of housing with relevant social services supporting social and economic inclusion; calls for effective measures helping young people on low incomes set up their own households; calls for greater use of the EFSI to support urban renewal and affordable housing provision; highlights investments in energy efficient social housing as a win-win for jobs, the environment, reduction of energy poverty and realisation of social rights; calls for greater use of relevant European financial instruments to support urban renewal and affordable, accessible and energy-efficient housing provision and to promote the development of social housing in regions where it is underdeveloped; calls for abolishing all forms of criminalisation of poverty such as unfairly sanctioning homelessness or other forms of material deprivation;
Amendment H #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B e (new)
Recital B e (new)
B e. whereas European welfare states need to be updated and strengthened to support upward transitions into and within the labour market and to maintain economic security throughout people's lives; whereas with the labour market becoming more complex, it is natural that the welfare state also needs to adapt its mechanisms and instruments in order to manage correctly the various social risks arising; whereas this updating process should also improve people's access to and interaction with the welfare state and facilitate the application of relevant rules, including for SMEs; whereas, however, the role of welfare states is broader than what concerns the labour market; it includes inter alia also the operation of social security systems, the fight against poverty and social exclusion and investment in education, childcare, healthcare, social services and other essential services; whereas 'social investments' that support people's development from early childhood until old age have a crucial role in enabling people to participate fully in a 21st century society and economy; whereas a great effort will be needed to reach the poverty reduction and social inclusion target of the Europe 2020 Strategy; whereas housing is a pressing issue in many Member States and many households are spending a high proportion of their disposable income on housing and energy costs;
Amendment HH #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for legislation ensuring fairadequate measures, including legislative improvements if necessary upon evaluation, to ensure availability and access for all to good- quality and affordable social services of general interest and other services of general interest or essential services, such as e-communicationswater supply, waste management, education, healthcare, e-communications and high-speed broadband, energy, public transport and financial services; highlights the role of social enterprises; important role of well-equipped and well-staffed public sector providers and of social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations in this context given that their primary objective is positive social impact; points also to the important role of social economy enterprises in providing these services while making the labour market more inclusive; calls for elimination of existing legal uncertainties experienced by public authorities when it comes to financing social services of general interest; supports the use of social criteria in public procurement reminds that rural areas in particular need continued support in order to modernise their infrastructure and maintain economic dynamism; points also to the importance of financial education that helps to prevent household over- indebtedness and legal aid and other mechanisms that protect and support debtors against predatory practices and provide them with a second chance;
Amendment I #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B f (new)
Recital B f (new)
B f. whereas Recommendation No 202 of the ILO provides that social protection floors should comprise at least the following basic social protection guarantees: a) access to a nationally defined set of goods and services, in particular essential health care, including maternity care, that meets the criteria of availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality; b) basic income security for children, at least at a nationally defined minimum level, providing access to nutrition, education, care and any other necessary goods and services; c) basic income security, at least at a nationally defined minimum level, for persons in active age who are unable to earn sufficient income, in particular in cases of sickness, unemployment, maternity and disability; and d) basic income security, at least at a nationally defined minimum level, for older persons; whereas the European Pillar of Social Rights should take this definition into account and seek to ensure that such basics of social protection are fully achieved and preferably exceeded in all Member States; whereas the European Economic and Social Committee has made a useful contribution in this respect by agreeing on principles for effective and reliable welfare systems;
Amendment II #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. SupportsConsiders that in our increasingly digitalised world, low qualified people not only have diminished employment opportunities, but are also more vulnerable to long-term unemployment and have more difficulties to get access to services and participate fully in society, a situation which is not only detrimental to the individual but is also highly costly to the economy and society as a whole; supports therefore a Skills Guarantee as a new right for everyone, at every stage of life, to acquire fundamental skills for the 21st century, including digital literacy; highlights this as an important social investment, requiring adequate financing; literacy, numeracy, digital and media literacy, critical thinking, social skills and relevant skills needed for the green and circular economy, taking into account emerging industries and key growth sectors and ensuring full outreach to people in disadvantaged situations, including people with disabilities, asylum-seekers, long-term unemployed people and underrepresented groups; stresses that education systems should be inclusive, providing good-quality education to the whole population, enabling people to be active European citizens and preparing them to be able to learn and adapt throughout their lives and responding to societal and labour market needs; considers that completion of secondary education should be obligatory in 21st century Europe and that relevant programmes must be available to give a new chance to all young people who have dropped out from primary or secondary school; considers that the Skills Guarantee should involve individualised assessment of learning needs, a quality learning offer as well as systematic validation of skills and competences acquired, enabling their easy recognition on the labour market; points at the need to ensure widespread access to broadband in order to enable digital literacy; highlights the Skills Guarantee as an important social investment, requiring proper implementation and adequate financing, also with support from the European Structural and Investment Funds;
Amendment J #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B g (new)
Recital B g (new)
B g. whereas all EU Member States face certain employment and social challenges; whereas the realisation of social rights also depends on policies and instruments supporting territorial cohesion, particularly in regions with serious and permanent natural, demographic or structural economic disadvantages, including regions with low population density and dispersed population or outermost regions; whereas greater strategic investment and support for cohesion is needed in disadvantaged regions with a view to making them more competitive, improving their socio- economic structure and preventing further demographic decline; whereas the euro area faces, with its present macroeconomic framework, specific challenges to the achievement of employment and social objectives set out in the Treaties, notably in the sense that euro area membership reduces possibilities for the use of macroeconomic policy instruments at national level and creates pressure for swifter internal adjustment; whereas restoring adequate socio-economic security to offset this increased internal flexibility may require considering specific social targets, standards and/or financial instruments at the euro area level;
Amendment JJ #
19. Is alarmworried at the spread of precariousness arising from the excessive use of ‘atypical’ contracts; stresses the importance of ensuring sufficient institutional and budgetarysocio- economic uncertainty and deterioration of working conditions for many workers; recognises that many workers in non- standard forms of employment have difficulties to exercise their rights at work or gain access to social security benefits and that women and migrants are disproportionately affected by this problem; calls on the Commission to monitor closely the implementation and enforcement of the Fixed-Term Work Directive, Part-Time Work Directive and Temporary Agency Work Directive; calls on the Commission and Member States to take steps to improve the portability of social rights acquired in different activities; stresses the importance of ensuring sufficient capacities to provide adequate social protection for people in non-standard forms of employment; considers in particular that: a. social insurance schemes must be broadened in order to enable all workersat Member State level for people in all forms of employment, standard and non-standard employment relationships as well as self- employment; calls on the Commission to propose a recommendation in this regard; considers in particular that: a. Member States should organise social security schemes in such as way as to enable all people in all employment forms, employment relationships and self- employment to accumulate entitlements providing income security in situations such as unemployment, involuntary part- time work or career breaks for family or training reasons; b. all workers should have a personal activity account, easily accessible through a website and/or a smartphone application, where they could consult their social entitlements; , health problems, older age or career breaks for child-raising, other care or training reasons; b. starting from their first entry into the labour market, all people in all employment forms, employment relationships and self-employment should have a personal activity account, easily accessible through personal contact and electronic means, duly taking into account the needs of persons with disabilities, where they could consult their accumulated social entitlements and other social rights, including to lifelong learning, and where they could learn about their portability across countries if applicable; such personal activity accounts should be made available in a cost-effective way and adequate data protection should be ensured; c. digital platforms and other intermediaries should have an obligation to report all work undertaken through them to the competent authorities for the purpose of ensuring adequate contributions and protection through social and health insurance for all workers;
Amendment K #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B h (new)
Recital B h (new)
B h. whereas European labour markets are more often evolving towards 'atypical' or 'non-standard' forms of employment, such as temporary work, involuntary part- time work, casual work, seasonal work, on-demand work, dependent self- employment or work intermediated by digital platforms; whereas demand for labour is becoming more diversified than in the past; whereas in some cases this can be beneficial for productivity, work- life balance, transitions into the labour market and second career opportunities for those who need them; whereas, however, some non-standard forms of employment involve prolonged economic insecurity and bad working conditions, notably in terms of lower and less certain incomes, lack of possibilities to defend one's rights, lack of social and health insurance, lack of a professional identity, lack of career prospects, and difficulties in reconciling on-demand work with private and family life; whereas a dynamic labour market should ensure that everyone has the chance to use his or her skills and abilities in their working life, based inter alia on healthy and safe working conditions, active labour market policies and on updating competences over the course of a life through regular and lifelong learning; whereas relevant CJEU jurisprudence clarifies the concepts 'employment relationship' and 'worker' for the purpose of applying EU law, without prejudice to national definitions of a 'worker' that are established for the purposes of national law in line with the principle of subsidiarity;
Amendment KK #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Points out that secure professional transitions require adequate investment, both in the institutional capacity of public employment services and to assist individual job-search and upskilling; at the earliest stage possible; believes proactive employment policies such as training and placement assistance to be worthwhile tools for the reintegration of the unemployed into the labour market, regardless of age; reminds of the useful role of the European Social Fund in supporting active labour market policies throughout Europe and of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, which supports re-skilling and return to employment in case of regional economic shocks and large-scale lay-offs; recalls, furthermore, the important role of social security schemes in supporting secure transitions; emphasises that the preservation and portability of social entitlements accumulated during the career and life-cycle should be ensured to facilitate job and professional transitions;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 19 a (new)
Citation 19 a (new)
– having regard to the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 20 September 2016 in joined cases C-8/15 P to C-10/15 P (Ledra Advertising and others),
Amendment L #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B i (new)
Recital B i (new)
B i. whereas active labour market policies, individual responsibility, and participation in lifelong learning are important for labour market inclusion, even though unemployment results in most cases from a lack of open job vacancies or other circumstances beyond a person's control;
Amendment LL #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. CEmphasises that a proactive employment policy implies public support for developing sectors with important employment potential and in many countries also a need for expanding the role of public employment services and ensuring that they have adequate capacity for direct contact with business, so that re-training and other assistance to jobseekers is provided in line with the profile of the jobseeker and the needs of the local economy; calls for full implementation of the Youth Guarantee for all people under 30, with emphasis on quality offers and effective outreach to all NEETs, and of the Council recommendation on the long- term unemployed, including through the development of additional measures necessary to ensure accessibility of these policies for persons with support needs; stresses the need to take into account the needs of older workers and job seekers and to promote cooperation between younger and older workers; highlights these policies as important structural reforms and social investments that are in need of adequate financing; from both European and national levels, including from the European Social Fund, the Youth Employment Initiative and/or other instruments;
Amendment M #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B j (new)
Recital B j (new)
B j. whereas people finding themselves in vulnerable situations or more often suffering from discrimination such as women, ethnic minorities, the long-term unemployed, senior citizens and people with disabilities may require additional measures to foster their participation in the labour market and to ensure decent living standards throughout their lives; whereas the EU committed itself to building a barrier-free Europe for the estimated 80 million people with disabilities in the EU and the EU's poverty reduction and employment targets will not be reached if people with disabilities are not fully integrated into the economy and society; whereas the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is ratified by the European Union and its principles should be therefore mainstreamed within the Pillar of Social Rights; whereas the negative impact of the crisis on access to healthcare has often come with a delay, and many people have found themselves unable to access healthcare even if services are formally covered, in particular because they cannot afford co- payments or experience waiting lists;
Amendment MM #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 – introductory part
Paragraph 22 – introductory part
22. CRecalls that women are more likely to be subject to uncertain and low-paid employment and to interruptions in their career which has repercussions for their entire lives; considers that decisive progress is urgently needed in the area of gender equality and work-life balance; in particular: a. Directive 2006/54/EC should be revised in order to strengthenorder to eliminate persisting discrimination; awaits Commission proposals in this area as announced in its 2017 work programme, in particular: a. existing mechanisms to ensure equal treatment between men and women, close should be strengthened, persisting gender gaps in pay and pensions and reduceshould be closed, and occupational segregation; b. there is a need for new legislative proposals on family should be reduced; to this end, implementation and enforcement of Directive 2006/54/EC should be monitored and the directive should be revised if necessary; the European Pact for gender equality for 2011-2020 and the Strategic engagement for gender equality 2016-2019 should continue to be pursued, also through annual gender equality reports; b. there is a need for new effective measures at both European and national leave schemes, includingls for the reconciliation of professional, private and family life, including legislative proposals as regards maternity leave, paternity leave, parental leave and, carers’' leave, encouragingaccess to quality care services and flexible working time arrangements; equal take-up of leave arrangements by men and women across all categories of workers should be encouraged in order to improve women’'s access to and position within the labour market and facilitate work-life balance, strengthen the role of fathers in bringing up their children and facilitate work-life balance; the Commission should also support Member States in sharing and adopting good practices in this area;
Amendment N #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B k (new)
Recital B k (new)
B k. whereas Europe can go much further in developing a cluster of sectors focused on supporting people's health, knowledge and ability to participate in the economy; whereas people-focused services such as education, healthcare, childcare, other care services as well as sport contain an important job creation potential and should not be viewed as a cost to the economy but rather as enabling factors of sustainable prosperity;
Amendment NN #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
Amendment O #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B l (new)
Recital B l (new)
B l. whereas a strategic approach is needed to the challenges posed by the ageing and shrinking of the EU's working-age population, notably as regards future skills shortages and mismatches in the EU labour market and projected evolution of economic dependence ratios, taking into account also third country nationals legally residing in the EU; whereas it is important to promote opportunities for professional mobility, in particular among young people, including those following vocational training through apprenticeships;
Amendment OO #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Emphasises that labour mobility within the EU is a right whose exercise must be supported but which should not be forced on workers by poor conditions in their home regions, and should notfree movement of people is one of the greatest achievements of the EU and free movement of workers is a cornerstone of the internal market which plays an important role in enhancing convergence and integration among Member States; underlines that mobility within the EU is an opportunity and a fundamental right whose exercise must be supported, including by a smoothly functioning system of social security coordination; calls for proper implementation and enforcement of EU rules regarding mobility of workers and cross-border provision of services; moreover, calls for supporting labour mobility through adequate language training at all levels of education, improved comparability of education systems and recognition of professional qualifications, readily available information on the rights and duties of mobile workers, and measures ensuring decent working conditions and effective cooperation among public employment services across Europe; notes that mobility should not be the result of lacking employment opportunities or inadequate social protection in workers' home regions as prolonged workforce outflows may hinder economic convergence; points therefore to the importance of cohesion policy and other instruments for territorially balanced economic development; considers that labour mobility should not be abused to undermine host countries’' social standards; through fraud or circumvention of law; highlights that mobile workers are usually net contributors to host countries' public budgets; calls for adequate investments in public services in areas experiencing population increases and points to the support which the European Social Fund can provide in this respect;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
– having regard to the joint opinion of the Employment Committee and Social Protection Committee on the European Pillar of Social Rights, endorsed by the Council on [15] October 2016,
Amendment P #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
Amendment PP #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the Commission to propose a clear roadmap for legislative updatesbuild on the outcomes of the public consultation and on ther measures that are necessary EU institutions' views by putting forward a clear roadmap of concrete measures for full practical applicimplementation of the EPSR; highlights that in cases of conflict of law, the horizontal social clause (Article 9uropean Pillar of Social Rights and full pursuit of the Treaties' social objectives; highlights that in order to protect fundamental social rights, provisions such as Articles 8, 9 and 10 TFEU) should be properly applied, in EU policy-making and all actions of the EU institutions, including through social impact assessments;
Amendment Q #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Considers that the European Pillar of Social Rights should also help to ensure proper application of international labour standards and help to update the social acquis; is of the view that standards to be articulated by the European Pillar of Social Rights should apply to all countries participating in the Single Market in order to maintain a level playing field and that legislation, governance mechanisms and financial instruments relevant for their achievement should apply to all EU Member States; underlines that the Pillar of Social Rights should be taken into account in EU economic policies; finds that the specific constraints of euro area membership call for additional specific social targets and standards to be established and relevant financial support to be considered at the euro area level while remaining open to non-euro area Member States on a voluntary basis; points at the possibility of using the enhanced cooperation mechanism under Article 20 TEU if necessary to build a solid European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment QQ #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. Calls for a social protocol to be introduced in the Treaties as and when they are revised in order to clarify the relationship between fundamental social rights, economic freedoms and competition law;
Amendment R #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
Updating existing labour and social standards
Amendment RR #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. CIs concerned at the persisting negative impact of the prolonged economic crisis which Europe underwent in the first half of this decade and which impacted some countries and regions more than others; considers that the objective of upward economic and social convergence should be underpinned by a set of targets, building on the Europe 2020 strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals and, serving to guide the coordination of economic, employment and social policies in the EU; believes that these targets could also form part of the Convergence Code currently being discussed for the euro area, and could be based on the following indicators which are directly affected by public policies: a. the early school-leaving rate; b. the unemployment rate; c. the proportion of young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs); d. the at-risk-of-poverty rate; e. the in-work poverty rate; f. child poverty; g. access to childcare and pre-school education; h. the coverage of collective bargaining; i. the total investment rate (gross fixed capital formation and social investment); j. the economic dependency ratio and providing a compass for the euro area where special attention to upward economic and social convergence is needed;
Amendment S #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls foron the enactment of asocial partners and the Commission to work together to present a proposal for a framework directive on fairdecent working conditions for all forms of employment, ensuring for every worker a core set of enforceable rightsin all forms of employment, extending existing minimum standards to new kinds of employment relationships, based on a thorough impact assessment; considers that this framework directive should improve enforcement of EU law, increase legal certainty across the Single Market and prevent discrimination by complementing existing EU law and ensuring for every worker a core set of enforceable rights regardless of the type of contract or employment relationship, including equal treatment, socialhealth and safety protection, protection in case of dismissal, health and safety protection, provisions on working time and rest time, freedom of association and representation, collective bargaining, collective action, access to training, and adequate information and consultation rightsduring maternity leave, provisions on working time and rest time, work-life balance, access to training, in-work support for people with disabilities, adequate information, consultation and participation rights, freedom of association and representation, collective bargaining and collective action; underlines that this framework directive should apply to employees as well as tond all workers in non-standard forms of employment, such as fixed-term work, part-time work, on-demand work, self-ewithout necessarily amending already existing directives; recalls that existing labour rights are applied by Member States in accordance with national and EU law; calls also for more effective and efficient imployement, crowd-working, internship or traineeship; requests that the EU acquis be updated accordingly so as to apply to allation and control of existing labour standards in order to improve the enforceability of rights and tackle undeclared workers;
Amendment SS #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls for a rebalancing of the European Semester so thatDraws attention to the two-way link between social conditions and economic performance; calls for Europe 2020 targets, the existing scoreboard of key employment and social indicators and thein the Joint Employment Report and the potential new Convergence Code arto be directly and transparently taken into account in formulating CSRs and the euro area recommendation as well as forin the activutilisation of EU instruments; considers that the instruments of the European Employment Strategy and social open method of coordination should also be reinforced to this end; urges a stronger role for the Macroeconomic Dialogue with social partners in the formulation of the economic policy mix at European level; considers ‘macro-social surveillance’ to be of great importance for avoiding that economic imbalances are reduced at the expense of worsening the employment and social situation and preventing a race to the bottom in terms of social standards in the EU; reiterates its call for a European agenda of reforms and investments aiming to strengthen growth potential based on quality jobs and productivity, to promote fair, robust, efficient and sustainable welfare systems, and to foster a sustainable transition of Member States' economies towards greater resource efficiency;
Amendment T #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment TT #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls for a ‘silver rule’on the Member States and the Commission to work towards ensuring an appropriate level onf social investment to be applied when implementing the Stability and Growth Pact, namely to consider certain public social investmentss which are essential for the society's cohesion and havinge a clear positive impact on economic growth in the short and long term (e.g. childcare or, education and training) as being eligible for favourable treatment w, the Youth Guarantee and the Skills Guarantee); then assessing government deficits and compliance with the 1/20 debt rulement of the quality of public spending should also reflect this concern;
Amendment U #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for decisive steps towards legal certainty on what constitutes ‘employment’, also for work intermediated by digital platforms; underlines that open-ended contracts should remain the norm given their importance forRecognises that a certain variety of employment contracts is useful for efficient matching of workers and employers; recalls, however, the risk of labour market dualism and the danger of people being trapped in insecure contracts without a tangible perspective for upward transitions stresses the importance of open-ended employment contracts for socio-economic security and points to the benefits which such contracts provide to employers across numerous sectors; supports also promotion of socio-al economic securityy business models; calls on the Commission to broaden the Written Statement Directive 91/533/EEC to all forms of employment and employment relationships; calls for the framework directive on fairdecent working conditions to include also relevant existing minimum standards to be ensured in more precarious forms of employment, in particular: a. decent working conditions for internships, traineeships and apprenticeships, prohibiting those that are unpaid or paid so little that they do not enable workerscertain specific relationships , in particular: a. proper learning and training content and decent working conditions for internships, traineeships and apprenticeships in order to ensure that they serve as genuine stepping stones in the transition from education to professional life, as foreseen by the Council Recommendation on a Quality Framework for Traineeships, that they are limited in time and do not replace employment for young people; remuneration should be commensurate with the work provided, the skills and experience of the person and the need to enable interns, trainees and apprentices on the labour market outside educational curricula to make ends meet; b. for work intermediated by digital platforms, a definition of employment that is less dependent on full cumulation of the relevant criteria; c. limits regarding on-demand work: zero- hour contracts should be banned and certain core working hours should be guaranteed to all workersnd other instances of dependent self-employment, a clear distinction - for the purpose of EU law and without prejudice to national law - between those genuinely self-employed and those in an employment relationship, taking into account ILO recommendation No. 198, according to which the fulfilment of several indicators is sufficient to determine an employment relationship; the status and basic responsibilities of the platform, the client and the person performing the work should thus be clarified; minimum standards of collaboration rules should also be introduced with full and comprehensive information to the service provider on their rights and obligations, entitlements, associated level of social protection and the identity of employer; those employed as well as those genuinely self-employed who are engaged through online platforms should have analogous rights as in the rest of the economy and be protected through participation in social security and health insurance schemes; Member States should ensure a proper surveillance of the terms and conditions of the employment relationship or service contract, preventing abuses of dominant positions by the platforms; c. limits regarding on-demand work: zero- hour contracts should not be allowed due to the extreme uncertainty which they involve;
Amendment UU #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28 a. Reiterates its call for joint meetings to be held between the EPSCO and ECOFIN Council formations with a view to promoting better coordinated socio-economic policies, as well as for regular meetings of euro area labour and social ministers serving to improve policy coordination within the Eurozone and properly address social imbalances;
Amendment V #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. EAcknowledges the declining labour share of total income in Europe over the past decades; emphasises the need for renewed upward social convergence in wages throughout the EUand for closing the gender pay gap throughout the EU in order to boost demand, enable sustainable and inclusive growth and reduce inequalities; recognises that decent living wages are important to avoid in-work poverty; calls on the Commission to support actively support a wider coverage for collective bargaining; considers that to ensure decent living wages, minimum wages set at a decent leveagreements in line with Member States' national traditions and practices and respecting the autonomy of social pare necessarytners; recommends the establishment of national wage floors through legislation or collective bargainingin the form of a national minimum wage, where applicable, with due respect for the practices of each Member State and after consulting the social partners, with the objective of attaining gradually at least 60 % of the respective national average wagemedian wage, if possible, and not below the living wage level of the region concerned; calls on the Commission to prepare a pilot version of a regional living wage calculation that would help to define living wages, serve as a reference tool for social partners and help to exchange best practices in this regard;
Amendment VV #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Highlights that today’'s phenomena of capital-intensive production, and the important contribution of intangible assets to the creation of added value on the one hand, and high rates of inequality and, unemployment, the continuing rise in ’'atypical’' work imply a need to increase the role of general tax revenue in cofinancing social insurance schemes in order to provide decent social protection for alland the declining labour share of total income on the other hand imply a need to broaden the financial base for welfare systems, with fiscal neutrality, in order to provide adequate social protection and quality services for all; considers that this should be done notably by shifting towards new sources of tax revenue; urges Member States to evaluate their needs in this respect; recalls that accumulation of social security entitlements through work is an important aspect of decent work and contributes significantly to economic and social stability; points out, however, that the current tax wedge on labour can be reduced while ensuring the sustainability and adequacy of national social security schemes; highlights also that combatting tax evasion and avoidance is crucially important for ensuring an adequate level of public investments and the sustainability of welfare systems;
Amendment W #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that the right to healthy and safe working conditions also involves protection against workplace risks as well as limitations on working time and provisions on minimum rest periods and annual leave; urges the Member States to fully implement the relevant legislation; awaits Commission proposals for legislation and other concrete measures to uphold this right effectively for all workers, reflecting all current knowledge about health and safety riskincluding seasonal and contract workers, and comprising also measures to prevent violence against women or harassment; notes that such measures should be based on an impact assessment, reflecting all current knowledge about health and safety risks and taking into account new ways of working associated with digitalisation and other technological developments;
Amendment WW #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 – introductory part
Paragraph 30 – introductory part
30. Reiterates its call for the raisingConsiders that the European Pillar of Social Rights can only be credible if accompanied by adequate financing at national and European level, ensuring that Member States are able to achieve the commonly agreed objectives; reiterates its call for accelerated implementation of relevant operational programmes and revision of the MFF 2014-20 ceilingswhere needed in order to cope with the increased needs; calls, in particular, for: a. further strengthening of the Youth Employment Initiative; b. an increase in the volume of the European Social Fund, the EGF and the FEAD; c. the establishment of a new instrument, to be financed, for example, from EU revenue arising from competition law enforcement, to support the implementation of the Child Guarantee and further steps to ensure easier access to and full use of the European Social Fund, the EGF and the FEAD; these financial instruments should remain available to all EU Member States and be reinforced as needed, including as regards education and training, the Skills Guarantee, child poverty and unforeseen new challenges such as labour market integration of refugees; the rule allocating 20% of national ESF envelopes for the fight against poverty and social exclusion must be upheld;
Amendment X #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the importance of collective rightsthe right of collective bargaining and action as a fundamental right enshrined in primary law of the European Union; expects the Commission to step up concrete support for strengthening and respecting social dialogue in Member States and sectors where it is weak owing to the prolonged crisiat all levels and sectors, in particular where it is not sufficiently well developed, while taking into account different national practices; recognises benefits of involving workers in company management, including in transnational companies, and of their information, consultation and participation, also to make good use of new forms of work organisation, ensure that work is meaningful and rewarding and anticipate economic change; calls for the prevalence of non-standard forms of employment; monitoring of the application of European legislation on European Works Councils and the information and consultation of workers and for effective measures ensuring that company restructuring takes place in a socially responsible manner;
Amendment XX #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30 a. Calls for further EU support to institutional capacity-building, e.g. as regards social dialogue, the European network of public employment services, the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information and the platform against undeclared work, which could evolve in the longer term towards a European system of labour inspectorates; points in this context to the importance of the Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) and ESF support for relevant capacity-building at national level;
Amendment Y #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. SPoints out that social protection rights are individual; supports more integrated provision of social protection benefits and quality social services as a way to make the welfare state more understandable and accessible while not weakening social protection; underlines the need for adequate social protection and social investment throughout people's lives, enabling everyone to participate fully in the society and economy and sustaining decent living standards; points to the importance of informing citizens about social rights and to the potential of accessible e- government solutions, possibly including a European social security card, which could improveith strong data protection guarantees, which could improve EU social security coordination, individual awareness and also help mobile workers clarify and safeguard their contributions and entitlements; in home and host countries as well as facilitating the work of national labour inspectorates; highlights the importance of personalised, face-to-face support, in particular for excluded and vulnerable households;
Amendment YY #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Calls on the Commission and the EIB to refocus the EFSI on job creation and social investment and adapt its risk/return requirements accordinglyGroup to develop further the Investment Plan for Europe in order to strengthen investment in economic recovery, quality job creation, sustainable development and social investment in people's current and future capacities to engage in the labour market;
Amendment Z #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Agrees with the importance of universal access to timely, good-quality and affordable preventative and curative health care and to medicines; considers this as a right that must be upheld, including in rural areas and cross-border regions; emphasises that all workerresidents must be covered by health insurance; agrees that increased health prevention and disease prevention is an obvious social investment that pays for itself, also through healthier ageing;
Amendment ZZ #
32. Considers that the specific dynamicsocial impact of economic adjustment within the euro area call for the development of two financial instruments, within the euro area’s fiscal capacity, that would be particularly relevant for the implementation of the EPSR: a. a fund for renewed structurould be alleviated and upward economic and social convergence, supportitreng the implementation of socially just reforms and investments that are necessary for increasing the growth potential of crisis- affected areas and restoring upward social convergence, including implementation of the Youth Guarantee, Skills Guarantee and Child Guarantee; b. a European unemployment insurance scheme, complementing national schemned through adequate financing so as to avoid further deterioration of inequalities and growth potential of Member States and to cope with severe macroeconomic shocks while increasing the competitiveness and stability of Member States' economies; in cases of severe cyclical downturn and helping prevent the translation of an asymmetric shock into structural disadvantagevites therefore the Commission, Council and other relevant bodies to address this issue in further discussions;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Union needs a paradigm shift towards a strong European social model which enables sustainable prosperity and high productivity based on solidarity, social justice, a fair distribution of wealth, gender equality, a high-quality public education system, quality employment and sustainable growth - a model that ensuresover the long term, in line with worldwide Sustainable Development Goals - a model that ensures adequate and universal good social protection for all, empowers people in vulnerable groupssituations, fights poverty and social exclusion, enhances participation in civil and political life, and improves the living standards for all citizens, delivering on the objectives and rights set out in the EU Treaties, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Social Charter;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. Whereas the European Union must respond swiftly and visibly to increasing frustration and worry among many citizens about uncertain life prospects, lack of opportunities, socio- economic precariousness and growing inequalities;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Commission is expected to come forward in the spring of 2017 with a proposal for a binding European Pillar of Social Rights that would serve as a basis for updating existing EU legislation, improving the EU’s economic and social governance framework, adapting or establishing relevant financial instruments, and promoting European social standards towards the rest of the world;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the European Parliament, elected directly by European citizens, has a fundamental responsibility and a role to play in defining and adopting the European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas fundamental social rights apply to all people in the European Union and the existing body of Union legislation regulating labour, product and service markets applies to all Member States;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas the euro area faces, with its present macroeconomic framework, specific challenges to the achievement of employment and social objectives set out in the Treaties, notably in the sense that euro area membership reduces possibilities for the use of macroeconomic policy instruments at national level and creates pressure for tougher and swifter internal adjustment, such as through wages, working conditions, unemployment and scaling back of social expenditure; whereas restoring adequate socio-economic security to compensate for this increased internal flexibility may require introducing specific social targets, standards and/or financial instruments at the euro area level;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B d (new)
Recital B d (new)
Bd. whereas European labour markets are rapidly evolving towards ‘atypical’ or ‘non-standard’ forms of employment, such as temporary work, part-time work, casual work, seasonal work, on-demand work or self-employment intermediated by digital platforms, which shows many features of employment but does not bring the benefits normally associated with employment; whereas demand for labour is becoming and will likely remain more ‘fluid’ and diversified than in the past; whereas in some cases this can be beneficial for productivity as well as work-life balance; whereas, however, many non-standard forms of employment involve prolonged economic insecurity and precariousness, notably in terms of lower and less certain incomes, lack of possibilities to stand up for one’s working conditions, lack of social and health insurance, lack of a professional identity, lack of a career perspective, and difficulties to reconcile on-demand work with family life;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Emphasises that the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) cannot be limited to a declaration of principles or good intentions but must consist of real matter (legislation, policy-making mechanisms and financial instruments), delivering positive impact on citizens’ lives already in the short term and enabling support for European construction in the 21st century by effectively upholding social rights and Treaty objectives, strengthening cohesion and upward convergence, and helping to complete EMU in economic and social outcomes, and helping to complete EMU with instruments necessary for this purpose;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Considers that social standards to be articulated by the European Pillar of Social Rights should apply to all countries participating in the Single Market and that legislation, governance mechanisms and financial instruments relevant for their achievement should apply to all EU Member States; finds, however, that the specific constraints of euro area membership call for additional specific social targets, standards and financial instruments to be established at the euro area level; points at the possibility of using the enhanced cooperation mechanism under Article 20 TEU if necessary to build a solid European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights that the EPSR should equip European citizens with stronger means to keep control over their lives and make markets work for shared prosperity, wellbeing and sustainable development; it should enable effective realisation of existing social rights and it should set out new rights where justified in view of new technological and socio-economic developments;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Is convinced that the European Social Model needs to be updated and strengthened to support upward transitions into and within the labour market and to maintain a sense of economic security throughout people’s lives; considers that as the labour market becomes more complex, it is natural that the welfare state also needs to adapt its mechanisms and instruments in order to manage well the various social risks arising;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Underlines that markets are meant to serve people and people are also the most important factor for the good performance of a company and of the entire economy; it is therefore vital to ensure workers’ participation in decision- making on the organisation of work and utilisation of company revenue; points to the good example of social economy enterprises, such as cooperatives, in providing quality employment, supporting social inclusion and promoting economic democracy;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Points out that Europe can go much further in developing a cluster of sectors focused on supporting people’s health, knowledge and ability to participate in the economy; stresses that people-focused services such as education, healthcare, sport or family care services contain an important job creation potential and should not be viewed as a cost to the economy but rather as enabling factors of sustainable prosperity;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1
Subheading 1
Updating existing labour and social standards
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for the enactment of a directive on fair working conditions for all forms of employment, and other relevant legislative measures, based on a sufficiently broad EU definition of a worker and ensuring for every worker a core set of enforceable rights, including equal treatment, social protection, protection in case of dismissal, health and safety protection, provisions on working time and rest time, freedom of association and representation, the right to strike, collective bargaining, collective action, access to training, andin-work support, adequate information and consultation rights throughout subcontracting chains, and a prospect of stabilising the working relationship as open-ended employment after a certain period of time; underlines that this directiveese instruments should apply to employees as well as to all workers in non- standard forms of employment, such as fixed-term work, part-time work, on- demand work, self-employment, work intermediated through online platforms, crowd-working, internship or traineeship; requests that the EU acquis be updated accordingly so as to apply to all workers; and to improve the enforceability of rights;
Amendment 294 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – introductory part
Paragraph 4 – introductory part
4. Calls for decisive steps towards legal certainty on what constitutes ‘employment’, also for work intermediated by digital platforms; underlines that open- ended employment contracts should remain the norm given their importance for socio- economic security; calls for the directive on fair working conditions to include relevant minimum standards to be ensured in more precarious forms of employment, in particular:
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point b
Paragraph 4 – point b
b. for work intermediated by digital platforms and other instances of dependent self-employment, a definition of employment that is less dependent on full cumulation of the relevant criteria, taking into account ILO recommendation No. 198, according to which the fulfilment of several indicators is sufficient to determine employment; alternatively, a new category of ‘dependent self- employed’ could be established to reduce the grey zone between employment and self-employment; such definition should spell out the labour rights applicable to this category of workers and should ensure their participation in social and health insurance schemes;
Amendment 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point c
Paragraph 4 – point c
c. limits regarding on-demand work: zero-hour contracts should be banned and certain core working hours should be guaranteed to all workers; work requested at short notice should also involve correspondingly higher remuneration;
Amendment 374 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Emphasises the need for renewed upward convergence in wages throughout the EUIs concerned about the declining labour share of total income in Europe over the past decades; emphasises the need for an overall pay rise in Europe and for renewed upward convergence in wages throughout the EU in order to boost demand, enable sustainable growth and reduce inequality; calls on the Commission to actively support a wider coverage for collective bargainingagreements; considers that to ensure decent living wages, non-discriminatory minimum wages set at a decent level are necessary; recommends the establishment of national wage floors through legislation or collective bargaining, with due respect for the practices of each Member State, with the objective of attaining at least 60 % of the respective national average wage; recognises that changes in wage levels should go hand in hand with commensurate adaptations in financial support to public sector in order to avoid negative impact on the extent or quality of services provided;
Amendment 394 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that the right to healthy and safe working conditions also involves protection against workplace risks as well as limitations on working time and provisions on minimum rest periods and paid annual leave; awaits Commission proposals for legislation and other concrete measures to uphold this right for all workers, reflecting all current knowledge about health and safety risks and taking into account new ways of working associated with digitalisation and other technological developments;
Amendment 418 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the importance of collective rights; expects the Commission to step up concrete support for strengthening social dialogue in Member States and sectors where it is weak owing to the prolonged crisis or the prevalence of non-standard forms of employment; underlines the benefits of involving workers in company management, including in transnational companies, and the need to improve their information, consultation and participation, also to make good use of new forms of work organisation, ensure that work is meaningful and rewarding and anticipate economic change; calls for improved enforcement of European legislation on European Works Councils and the information and consultation of workers and for effective measures ensuring that company restructuring takes place in a socially responsible manner;
Amendment 453 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Supports more integrated provision of social protection benefits and social services as a way to make the welfare state more understandable and accessible while not weakening social protection; underlines the need for adequate and universal social protection and social investment throughout people's lives, enabling everyone to participate fully in the society and economy and sustaining decent living standards; points to the importance of informing citizens about social rights and to the potential of e- government solutions, possibly including a European social security card, which could improve individual awareness and also help mobile workers clarify their contributions and entitlements in home and host countries; highlights the importance of personalised, face-to-face support to excluded and vulnerable households;
Amendment 466 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Agrees with the importance of universal access to timely, good-quality and affordable preventative and curative health care, free from discrimination; considers this as a right that must be upheld; emphasises that all workerspeople must be covered by health insurance; agrees that increased health prevention and disease prevention is an obvious social investment that pays for itself;
Amendment 488 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Is aware that rising life expectancy and workforce shrinking pose a challenge to the sustainability and adequacy of pensions systems and to intergenerational fairness; reaffirms that the best response is to increase the overall employment rate; considers that pensionable ages should reflect, besides life expectancy, other factors including labour market trends, the economic dependency ratio, the birth rate and differences in job arduousness, with particular attention to specific disadvantages such as those faced by people with disabilities; recalls the importance of investments in active ageing and of arrangements enabling people who have reached their pensionable age to continue working at their desired level of intensity while being able to draw their pension;
Amendment 514 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Insists that all workers should be covered by insurance against involuntary unemployment or part-time employment, coupled with job-search assistance and investment in (re)-training; recalls that decent unemployment benefits reduce the pressure to take 'any job' and are therefore useful for productivity; considers that the EPSR should set out minimum quality standards for national unemployment insurance schemes, which would help to improve their effectiveness as well as maximising the economic stabilisation potential and minimising institutional moral hazard involved in a possible European unemployment (re)- insurance scheme that could be established for the Eurozone and open to other Member States; such minimum standards should apply in particular to the coverage of national schemes, activation requirements and the quality of job-search support provided to unemployed people;
Amendment 545 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls for a European framework for adequate minimum income schemes; highlights the importance of such schemes for maintaining human dignity as well as their role as a form of social investments enabling people to undertake training and/or look for work; notes with concern that in some Member States, no minimum income schemes are in place or they provide less to their recipients than the subsistence minimum; reminds also of the importance of material assistance schemes such as those supported by the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived; encourages stronger provision of support for active social inclusion and labour market (re-)integration alongside minimum income and material assistance schemes;
Amendment 558 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Agrees that all persons with disabilities must be ensured individualised enabling services and basicprovided by adequately qualified professionals and income security allowing them a decent standard of living and social inclusion; with adequate support even when they take up paid work; expects the Commission to follow up swiftly on the Parliament's recent resolution on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
Amendment 573 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Considers access to quality and affordable long-term care services, including home-based care, to be a right that should be upheld with the help of suitably qualified professionals employed under decent conditions; believes that low- income households should therefore be targeted by adequate public services and tax deductionsnotes with concern that availability and affordability of long-term care remain a major problem across Europe, trapping informal family carers at home and preventing them from pursuing their careers; deplores frequent abuses of carers employed through work agencies or on an informal basis; believes that adequate public services and tax deductions should be therefore put in place for households, in particularly those living on low incomes, to avoid institutionalisation and the risk of poverty; repeats its call for legislation on carers’ leave accompanied by adequate remuneration and social protection; calls on the Commission to set out a concrete action plan in this area;
Amendment 597 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Considers child poverty to be a major issue on which Europe should ‘act big’ given the obvious potential for large positive impact on children's development, parents' labour market prospects and reduction of inherited social disadvantage; calls for the swift implementation of a Child Guarantee in all Member States, so that every child now living inat risk of poverty can have access to free healthcare, free education, free childcare, decent housing and proper nutrition; underlines the importance of pre-natal care and early childhood development; calls for inclusive education systems at all levels, including after- school care; recognises that implementation of the Child Guarantee will require adequate financing at national and European level, possibly involving an increase of the European Social Fund and/or support from a new convergence instrument for the Eurozone; requests that national public investments in the Child Guarantee be considered within a 'silver rule on social investment' under the Stability and Growth Pact;
Amendment 617 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls foron Member States to deliver on the right to adequate housing inter alia through legislation to ensure that access to social housing or adequate housing benefits are provided for those in need, obviously including homeless people, and that vulnerable people and poor households are protected against eviction; calls for tax incentives to help young people on low incomes set up their own householdconcrete measures to prevent and reduce homelessness with a view to its gradual elimination, based on combining provision of housing with relevant social services supporting social and economic inclusion; reminds that the increased need for support for low and medium- income households' housing is closely related to increased labour market precariousness and income inequalities; calls for help for young people on low incomes set up their own households; highlights investments in energy efficient social housing as a win-win for jobs, the environment, reduction of energy poverty and realisation of social rights; calls for greater use of the EFSI to support urban renewal and affordable, accessible and energy-efficient housing provision;
Amendment 643 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for legislation ensuring fair access for all to good-quality and affordable social services of general interest and other essential services, such as e-communications, energy, transport and financial services; highlights the very useful role of social enterprises and not- for-profit organisations in this context given that their primary objective is not maximisation of financial returns but positive social impact;
Amendment 657 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Supports a Skills Guarantee as a new right for everyone to acquire fundamental skills for the 21st century, including digital literacy; highlights this as an important social investment, requiring adequate financingincluding digital literacy; stresses that education systems should be inclusive, providing good-quality education equitably to the whole population, responding to labour market needs, enabling people to be active European citizens and preparing them to be able to learn and adapt throughout their lives; considers that completion of secondary education should be obligatory in 21st century Europe and that relevant programmes must put in place to give a new chance to all young people who have dropped out from primary or secondary school; considers that the Skills Guarantee should involve individualised assessment of learning needs, a quality learning offer as well as systematic validation of skills and competences acquired, enabling their easy recognition on the labour market; highlights the Skills Guarantee as an important social investment, requiring adequate financing at national and European level, possibly involving an increase of the European Social Fund and/or support from a new convergence instrument for the Eurozone; requests that national public investments in the Skills Guarantee be considered within a 'silver rule on social investment' under the Stability and Growth Pact;
Amendment 701 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 – point a
Paragraph 19 – point a
a. social insurance schemes must be broadened in order to enable all workers to accumulate entitlements providing income security in situations such as unemployment, involuntary part-time work, old age or career breaks for family or training reasons;
Amendment 711 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 – point b
Paragraph 19 – point b
b. all workers should have a personal activity account, easily accessible through a website and/or a smartphone application, where they could consult their accumulated social entitlements and other social rights, including to lifelong learning; adequate data protection should be ensured;
Amendment 717 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 – point b a (new)
Paragraph 19 – point b a (new)
ba. digital platforms and other intermediaries should have an obligation to report all work undertaken through them to the competent authorities for the purpose of ensuring adequate contributions and protection through social and health insurance for all workers, even if they work in short gigs;
Amendment 720 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Points out that secure professional transitions require adequate investment, both in the institutional capacity of public employment services and to assist individual job-search and upskilling at the earliest stage possible; reminds of the useful role of the European Social Fund in supporting active labour market policies throughout Europe and of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, which supports re-skilling and return to employment in case of regional economic shocks and large-scale lay-offs;
Amendment 731 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls for full implementation of the Youth Guarantee for all people under 30, with emphasis on quality offers and effective outreach to all NEETs, and of the recommendation on the long- term unemployed; highlights these as important structural reforms and social investments that are in need of adequate financing, possibly involving an increase of the European Social Fund, an extension of the Youth Employment Initiative by more than the €1bn foreseen under the MFF 2014-20 mid-term review, and/or support from a new convergence instrument for the Eurozone; requests that national public investments for the Youth Guarantee and integration of long-term unemployed be counted within a 'silver rule on social investment' under the Stability and Growth Pact;
Amendment 783 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Commission to set out new concrete measures to ensure non- discrimination and equal opportunities and enhance labour market participation and social integration of under-represented groups, building e.g. on the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies; points to the acute need to help vulnerable migrants arriving in Europe, notably children and women, regardless of their status, and calls for a flexible use of the European Social Fund for this purpose;
Amendment 813 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Emphasises that labour mobility within the EU is a right whose exercise must be supported but which, also through readily available information on the rights and duties of mobile workers and a smoothly functioning system of social security coordination; notes, however, that mobility should not be forced on workers by poor economic conditions in their home regions, and should not undermine host countries’ social standards; highlights that mobile workers are usually net contributors to host countries' public budgets; calls for adequate investments in public services in areas experiencing population increases;
Amendment 841 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the Commission to propose a clear roadmap for legislative updates and other measures that are necessary for full practical application of the EPSR; highlights that in cases of conflict of law,order to protect fundamental social rights, provisions such as the horizontal social clause (Article 9 TFEU) should be properly applied;, in particular through:
Amendment 846 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point a (new)
Paragraph 25 – point a (new)
(a) thorough social impact assessments in the context of 'better regulation';
Amendment 847 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point b (new)
Paragraph 25 – point b (new)
(b) full compliance with social rights and thorough pursuit of the Treaties' social objectives in the context of economic governance and financial assistance programmes; and
Amendment 848 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point c (new)
Paragraph 25 – point c (new)
(c) helping to resolve situations where economic freedoms and fundamental social rights may be in conflict;
Amendment 858 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 – introductory part
Paragraph 26 – introductory part
26. Considers that the objective of upward social and economic convergence should be underpinned by a set of targets, building on the Europe 2020 strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals and serving to guide the coordination of economic, employment and social policies in the EU, with due regard for Member States' starting positions; believes that these targets could also form part of the Convergence Code currently being discussed for the euro area, and could be based on the followinga set of social and economic indicators which are directly affected by public policies; the social indicators should include notably:
Amendment 868 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 – point a
Paragraph 26 – point a
a. the early school-leaving rate (before completion of secondary education);
Amendment 915 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 – point i
Paragraph 26 – point i
i. the total investment rate (gross fixed capital formation and social investment) and its implications for job creation and overall productivity;
Amendment 938 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls for a rebalancing of the European Semester so that the existing scoreboard of key employment and social indicators and the new Convergence Code are directly and transparently taken into account in formulating CSRs and the euro area recommendation as well as for the activation of EU instruments; considers that the instruments of the European Employment Strategy and social open method of coordination should also be reinforced to this end; urges a stronger role for the Macroeconomic Dialogue with social partners in the formulation of the economic policy mix at European level; considers ‘macro-social surveillance’ to be of great importance, notably at the level of the Eurozone, for avoiding that economic imbalances are reduced at the expense of worsening the employment and social situation; reiterates its call for a European agenda of structural reforms and investments aiming to strengthen growth potential based on quality jobs and productivity, to promote fair, robust, efficient and fiscally sustainable welfare systems, and to foster a sustainable transition of Member States’ economies towards greater resource efficiency; invites the Commission in this context to develop benchmarking of relevant policy packages;
Amendment 962 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls for a ‘silver rule’ on social investment to be applied when implementing the Stability and Growth Pact, namely to consider certain public social investments having a clear positive impact on economic growth (e.g. childcare or education and trainingthe Child Guarantee, education, the Youth Guarantee and the Skills Guarantee) as being eligible for favourable treatment when assessing government deficits and compliance with the 1/20 debt rule; highlights that fiscal consolidation should not undermine national co-financing of European funding for social investment;
Amendment 965 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Reiterates its call for joint meetings to be held between the EPSCO and ECOFIN Council formations with a view to promoting better coordinated socio-economic policies, as well as for regular meetings of euro area labour and social ministers serving to improve policy coordination within the Eurozone and properly address social imbalances;
Amendment 977 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Highlights that today’s phenomena of capital-intensive production, and the important contribution of intangible assets to the creation of added value on the one hand, and high rates of inequality and the continuing rise in ’atypical’ work on the other hand imply a need to increase the role of general tax revenue in cofinancing social insurance schemes in order to provide decent social protection for all; financing welfare systems in order to provide decent social protection for all; recalls that accumulation of social insurance entitlements through work is an important aspect of decent work and is likely to contribute to longer-term economic and social stability more than means-tested benefits or unconditional basic income schemes can do; points out, however, that the current tax wedge on labour (including social security contributions from employees and employers) should be reduced and social insurance schemes should be cofinanced to a greater extent from other sources of revenue, including taxation of capital gains, intangible assets, wealth or pollution; highlights also that combatting corporate tax avoidance is crucially important for ensuring an adequate level of public investments and the sustainability of welfare systems;
Amendment 984 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Calls for a swift launch of the long-delayed Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI) in order to reduce administrative burden on national authorities;
Amendment 998 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 – point a
Paragraph 30 – point a
a. the strengthening of the Youth Employment Initiative to maintain its funding from the dedicated budget line at €3 billion per year;
Amendment 1031 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Calls on the Commission and the EIB Group to refocus the EFSI on job creation and sustainable development, including through social investment, and adapt its risk/return requirements accordingly;
Amendment 1060 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 – point a
Paragraph 32 – point a
a. a fund for renewed structural convergence, supporting the implementation of socially just reforms and investments that are necessary for increasing the growth potential of crisis- affected areas and restoring upward social convergence, including implementation of the Youth Guarantee, Skills Guarantee and Child Guarantee; such a fund could co- finance the Youth Employment Initiative as well as a 'European Skills Initiative' and a 'European Initiative against Child Poverty' which could be considered as financing mechanisms to support the implementation of the Skills Guarantee and Child Guarantee respectively, with support calibrated based on structural needs (e.g. dropout rates, child poverty) as well as on the cyclical economic situation in the Member States or region concerned;
Amendment 1076 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 – point b
Paragraph 32 – point b
b. a European unemployment insurance or re-insurance scheme, complementing national schemes in cases of severe cyclical downturn and helping prevent the translation of an asymmetric shock into structural disadvantage; this scheme should be equipped with relevant safeguards against lasting transfers or unintended weakening of existing national schemes; in particular, it should be complementary to national schemes without replacing them, it should provide only short-term support related only to cyclical unemployment and/or reduction of working hours due to a cyclical downturn, and it should be financed from general tax revenue as opposed to social insurance contributions; the scheme should be strongly linked to re-training measures and underpinned by minimum standards regarding the coverage of national schemes, activation requirements and the quality of job-search support provided to unemployed people;
Amendment 1090 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Calls on the Commission to integrate the above-mentioned financial instruments in its proposals for the post- 2020 multiannual financial framework and its white paper on the future of the EU and EMU;
Amendment 1098 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Calls on the Commission, the EEAS and the Member States to translate the EPSR into relevant external action, in particular by promoting the implementation of the UN SDGs, the ILO conventions, relevant G20 conclusions and European social standards through trade agreements and strategic partnerships; calls for provisions ensuring equal treatment in terms of wages and working conditions as a precondition for labour migration schemes in the framework of trade agreements;
Amendment 1118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Considers that the EPSR should be adopted in 2017 as a binding agreement between the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council, involving social partners and civil society at the highest level, and should contain a clear roadmap for implementation, with concrete commitments and target dates;