33 Amendments of Elena GENTILE related to 2016/2270(INI)
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)
Citation 14 a (new)
– having regard to Eurofound report (2015) Access to social benefits: reducing non-take-up,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 b (new)
Citation 14 b (new)
– having regard to Eurofound report on "Income inequalities and employment patterns in Europe before and after the great Recession",
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 c (new)
Citation 14 c (new)
– having regard to the draft final report by Policy Department A on "minimum income policies in EU Member States" March 2017,
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas 120, according to the European Commission 1a , 119 million people in the European Union – some 25% of the total population – are at risk of poverty and social exclusion; whereas this fact is accompanied by persistently high unemployment rates; even though numbers are declining, there are still 1,7 million people above the 2008 level; whereas the EU is far from reaching the EU2020 target on poverty and social exclusion since the level remain above the Europe 2020 target by around 21,6 million people; whereas available data suggest that certain groups, such as children, women, unemployed, single-parent households, or persons with disabilities, are especially vulnerable to poverty, deprivation and social exclusion; __________________ 1a COM 2017 90 (final) 2017 European Semester: Assessment of progress on structural reforms, prevention and correction of macroeconomic imbalances, and results of in-depth reviews under Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas according to the European Commission high unemployment, poverty and inequality remain key concerns in some countries, and socioeconomic convergence across the EU has yet to resume fully 2a; whereas broad income inequalities are not only detrimental for social cohesion, but they also hamper sustainable economic growth, as stated by Commissioner Thyssen 1a ; whereas the impact of the crisis has been generally more acute among lower-income individuals, pushing income inequalities upwards within European societies; whereas income inequality increased in 22 EU Member States because the higher income quintiles decreased less or increased more than the lower income quintiles; __________________ 2aEuropean Commission high unemployment, poverty and inequality remain key concerns in some countries, and socioeconomic convergence across the EU has yet to resume fully 1ahttp://europa.eu/rapid/press- release_SPEECH-16-1744_en.htm
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas there are many differences between Member States in the treatment of minimum income policies, since the right to a dignified life is not considered as a universal and subjective right in all EU Member States, whereas there exist high levels of non-take-up or the lack of coordination between income support, active labour market policies and social services; whereas in only a few cases minimum income schemes are able to lift people out of poverty;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas ensuring adequate minimum income support as a tool to fight poverty is not only good in terms of social cohesion, but also economically sound as it will help boost internal demand;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
Recital P
P. whereas a transitional job scheme is one of the mostsocial employment programmes are effective forms of minimum income, as ithey combines income support with a proper job; whereas people who keep themselves busy working in a public transitional job schesocial employment programme will also find it easier to find new jobs in the private sector; whereas these programmes need to provide a decent wage, include a personalized itinerary for the person, based on their qualifications and skills and should never become a precarious job trap;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Title (new) before paragraph 1
Title (new) before paragraph 1
Title before paragraph 1 Minimum income Schemes: definition, amount and admissibility criteria
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes the view that it is necessary to introducinge minimum income schemes in all EU Member States - consisting of specific measures supporting people whose income is insufficient with a funding supply and facilitata subsistence income oriented to job search or education and training programmes adapted to the personal and family situation of the beneficiary as the most effective measure supporting households with insufficient income. This minimum income should be the last social protection network and consist in an adequate economic benefit in addition to a guaranteed access to quality services - is one ofas the most effective ways to combat poverty, guarantee an adequate standard of living and foster social integration;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Is of the opinion that adequate minimum income schemes should be set at a level equivalent to at least 60% of the median income in the Member State. Minimum income schemes should establish larger amounts depending on the poverty level of the beneficiary household and the number of dependents in the household, especially if they are children or people with high dependence. Recalls in this regard that the European Commission and Eurostat have defined poverty indicators and calls for those to be standardized at EU level;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Stresses the importance of defining appropriate admission criteria to benefit from an adequate minimum income scheme; these criteria must include: not being a beneficiary of an unemployment benefit or the fact that this is insufficient to avoid being below the poverty and social exclusion threshold, that the annual economic capacity of the household is less than 80% of the interprofessional minimum wage. These criteria should put a special focus on children and dependents in charge;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. The right to minimum income must subsist as long as the conditions giving access to it remain, taking into account the personal and family situation of the beneficiary. To this end, supervision should be carried out by social services;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Public employment services should carry out specific programmes oriented to the reintegration of the minimum income beneficiaries into the labour market that should lead to a quality job, considering them as priority objectives and taking into account their qualifications and skills. The repeated and unjustified denial of reintegration from a beneficiary of a minimum income program may lead to temporary or permanent loss of the benefit;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1e. Calls on the European Commission, in the forthcoming review of the Common Provisions Regulation for the Structural Funds (Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013), and in particular in the framework of the European Social Fund, to assess how to support the financing of minimum income schemes;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 f (new)
Paragraph 1 f (new)
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Title (new) before paragraph 2
Title (new) before paragraph 2
Title before paragraph 2 General considerations on minimum income policies
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that it is vital for everyone to have a sufficient minimum income to be able to meet their basic requirements; recalls that the recommendation on Active inclusion recognises the need for an integrated strategy in the implementation of the three social inclusion strands (adequate income support, inclusive labour markets and access to quality services) and the need to ensure the effectiveness of inclusion policies through a comprehensive policy design and coordination;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Highlights the importance of the automatic stabilisation dimension of welfare systems to absorb social shock waves caused by external effects such as recessions; calls therefore on the Member States, in view of ILO Recommendation No 202, which defines social protection floors, to ensure and increase investment in social protection systems in order to guarantee their performance in tackling and preventing poverty and inequalities while ensuring their sustainability;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Highlights that people should be put in the condition to participate fully in society and in the economy and that this right should be fully recognised and made visible in the Union policy making by ensuring high quality universal social protection systems which include within them effective and adequate minimum income Schemes;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Considers that, social protection, including pensions and services such as healthcare, child care and long-term care, remain essential for balanced and inclusive growth, to contribute to a longer working-life, to create employment and to reduce inequalities; calls therefore on the Commission and the Member States to boost policies which guarantee sufficiency, adequacy, efficiency as well as quality of social protection systems throughout all the life cycle of a person, guaranteeing a decent life, fighting inequalities and boosting inclusion with the aim to eradicate poverty, especially for those excluded from the labour market and the most vulnerable groups;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the Commission statement that the European Semester now has a stronger focus on employment and social performance but believes more efforts are necessary to reach this goal and to assure global coherence, especially through the promotion of social investment; calls on the Commission to regularly monitor and assess the progress made by Member States in the Country Specific Recommendations in delivering accessible, affordable and quality services, as well as implementing adequate and efficient minimum income schemes;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Calls on the European Commission to specifically monitor the use of the 20% of the total allocation of the ESF on poverty and social exclusion, as well as to present good practices in the use of the ESF for innovative approaches to fight poverty and social exclusion, in particular on integrated active inclusion linking minimum income schemes with inclusive labour markets and access to quality services;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Calls on the Commission to carry out an impact assessment on minimum income schemes in the EU, while examining other innovative measures, taking into account the economic and social circumstances of each Member State and to assess whether these schemes allow households to meet their basic personal needs;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses that minimum income schemes should ensure payment of an income that is above the poverty line, prevent situations of severe material deprivation or, where applicable, lift households and all households members out of those situations;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls for realsignificant and verified progress to be made on the adequacy of minimum income schemes, so as to be able to lift every child, adult and older person out of poverty and guarantee their right to a life of dignity;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Highlights that according to recent studies there is evidence of non-take up of minimum income schemes in more than half of the EU Member states (it differs within countries from 20% to as much as 75%) with the most vulnerable groups like the homeless, migrants or those experiencing social isolation bearing the worst consequences; calls on the Commission and the Member States to urgently address this issue in all the policies they implement regarding minimum income schemes improving the access to information, reducing the complexity of the access to the programmes and addressing the social and administrative barriers, putting a special focus on those groups most affected by the non-take up such as the homeless population;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the Commission to carry out an impact assessment of minimum income schemes in the Union and to consider further steps, taking into account the economic and social circumstances of each Member State as well as assessing whether the schemes enable households and all household members to meet their basic personal needs;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Title (new) before paragraph 17
Title (new) before paragraph 17
Title before paragraph 17 Social Employment Programmes
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes with particular interest the proposals concerning transitional job schesocial employment programmes, which consist of the option, for those who want to and are able to work, to have a transitional job, at a pre-established minimum wage, in the general government sector or in a non- profit institution or non- governmental organisation (NGO);
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Takes the view that a transitional job scheme is one of the mostsocial employment programmes are an effective tools for improving workers’ employability in a labour market that is structurally imbalanced and to facilitate their transition from the state of being unemployed (especially long-term) to that of a private- sector employee; notes, moreover, that such scheprogrammes serve to promote non- inflationary economic growth as well as to combat unemployment and social exclusion; recalls that these programmes should include a personalized itinerary based on the person qualifications and skills and that they should never become a precarious employment trap;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Stresses that these social employment programs can only be participated by public entities, non-profit private entities (such as NGOs or third sector organizations) social economy enterprises or small or very small enterprises and that they should provide workers with decent wages;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Believes that quality job creation should be a priority for the European Union as a first step towards reducing poverty and social exclusion;