42 Amendments of Luke Ming FLANAGAN related to 2018/0206(COD)
Amendment 24 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) At Union level, the European Semester of economic policy coordination is the framework to identify national reform priorities and monitor their implementation. Member States develop their own national multiannual investment strategies in support of those reform priorities. Those strategies should be presented alongside the yearly National Reform Programmes as a way to outline and coordinate priority investment projects to be supported by national and/or Union funding. They should also serve to use Union funding in a coherent manner and to maximise the added value of the financial support to be received notably from the programmes supported by the Union under the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, the European Investment Stabilisation Function and InvestEU, where relevant.
Amendment 26 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) The Council of […] adopted revised guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States to align the text with the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, with a view to improving Europe's competitiveness and making it a better place to invest, create jobssustainable meaningful jobs which fully respect Union labour rights, and foster social cohesion. In order to ensure the full alignment of the ESF+ with the objectives of these guidelines, particularly as regards employment, education, training and the fight against social exclusion, poverty and discrimination, the ESF+ should support Member States, taking account of the relevant Integrated Guidelines and relevant country-specific recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) TFEU and Article 148(4) TFEU and, where appropriate, at national level, the national reform programmes underpinned by national strategies. The ESF+ should also contribute to relevant aspects of the implementation of key Union initiatives and activities, in particular the "Skills Agenda for Europe" and the European Education Area, relevant Council Recommendations and other initiatives such as the Youth Guarantee, Upskilling Pathways and on Integration of the long- term unemployed.
Amendment 29 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) The Union is confronted with structural challenges arising from economic globalisation, the management of migration flows and the increased security threat, clean energy transition, technological change and an increasingly ageing workforce and growing skills and labour shortages in some sectors and regions, experienced especially by SMEs. Taking into account the changing realities of the world of work, the Union should be prepared for the current and future challenges by investing in the growth of local and circular economies, in the relevant skills, in making growth more inclusive and by improving employment and social policies, including in view of labour mobility.
Amendment 34 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) In view of this wider scope of the ESF+ it is appropriate to foresee that the aims to enhance the effectiveness of labour markets and promote access to quality employment which fully respects all existing Union labour rights, to improve the access to and the quality of education and training as well as to promote social inclusion and health and to reduce poverty are not only implemented under shared management, but also under direct and indirect management under the Employment and Social Innovation and Health strands for actions required at Union level.
Amendment 40 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) Support through the ESF+ should be used to promote equal access for all, in particular for disadvantaged groups (which means especially the removal of financial barriers ), to quality, non-segregated, and inclusive education and training, from early childhood education and care through general and vocational education and training and to tertiary level, as well as adult education and learning, thereby fostering permeability between education and training sectors, preventing early school leaving, improving health literacy, reinforcing links with non-formal and informal learning and facilitating learning mobility for all. Synergies with the Erasmus programme, notably to facilitate the participation of disadvantaged learners in learning mobility, should be supported within this context.
Amendment 45 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) The ESF+ should support Member States’ efforts to tackle poverty with a view to breaking the cycle of disadvantage across generations and promote social inclusion by ensuring equal opportunities for all, especially by removing any financial barriers, and by tackling discrimination and addressing health inequalities. This implies mobilising a range of policies targeting the most disadvantaged people regardless of their age, including children, marginalised communities such as the Roma, and the working poor. The ESF+ should promote the active inclusion of people far from the labour market with a view to ensuring their socio-economic integration. The ESF+ should be also used to enhance timely and equal access to affordable, sustainable and high quality services such as healthcare and long-term care, in particular family and community-based care services. The ESF+ should contribute to the modernisation of social protection systems with a view in particular to promoting their accessibility.
Amendment 48 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) The ESF+ should support policy and system reforms in the fields of employment, social inclusion, healthcare and long-term care, and education and training. In order to strengthen alignment with the European Semester, Member States should allocate an appropriate amount of their resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to implement relevant country-specific recommendations relating to structural challenges which it is appropriate to address through multiannual investments falling within the scope of the ESF+. The Commission and the Member States should ensure coherence, coordination and complementarity between the shared- management and Health strands of ESF+ and the Reform Support Programme, including the Reform Delivery Tool and the Technical Support Instrument. In particular, the Commission and the Member State should ensure, in all stages of the process, effective coordination in order to safeguard the consistency, coherence, complementarity and synergy among sources of funding, including technical assistance thereof.
Amendment 49 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23
Recital 23
(23) In the light of persistently high levels of youth unemployment and inactivity in a number of Member States and regions, in particular affecting young people who are neither in employment, nor in education or training, it is necessary that those Member States continue to invest sufficient resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management towards actions to promote youth employment including through the implementation of Youth Guarantee schemes. Building on the actions supported by the Youth Employment Initiative in the 2014-2020 programming period targeting individual persons, Member States should further promote employment and education reintegration pathways and outreach measures for young people by prioritising, where relevant, long-term unemployed, inactive and disadvantaged young people including through youth work, and by focusing especially on trade apprenticeships, an area in which there is a growing shortfall in many Member States. Member States should also invest in measures aimed at facilitating school-to- work transition as well as reforming and adapting employment services with a view to providing tailor-made support to young people. Member States concerned should therefore allocate at least 10% of their national resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to support youth employability.
Amendment 52 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 28
Recital 28
(28) The Member States and the Commission should ensure that in accordance with Article 8 TFEU, ESF+ contributes to the promotion of equality between women and men in accordance with Article 8 TFEU tofor all genders and fosters equality of treatment and opportunities between women and men in all areas, including regarding participation in the labour market, terms and conditions of employment and career progression. They should also ensure that the ESF+ promotes equal opportunities for all, without discrimination in accordance with Article 10 TFEU and promotes the inclusion in society of persons with disabilities on equal basis with others and contributes to the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These principles should be taken into account in all dimensions and in all stages of the preparation, monitoring, implementation and evaluation of programmes, in a timely and consistent manner while ensuring that specific actions are taken to promote gender equality and equal opportunities. The ESF+ should also promote the transition from residential/institutional care to family and community-based care, in particular for those who face multiple discrimination. The ESF+ should not support any action that contributes to segregation or to social exclusion. Regulation (EU) No [future CPR] provides that rules on eligibility of expenditure are to be established at national level, with certain exceptions for which it is necessary to lay down specific provisions with regard to the ESF+ strand under shared management.
Amendment 62 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 37
Recital 37
(37) Evidence and the common values and principles in European Union Health Systems as set out in the Council Conclusions of 2 June 2006 should support the decision-making processes for planning and managing innovative, efficient and resilient affordable-to-all health systems, promoting tools for ensuring universal access to quality healthcare, and the voluntary wider scale implementation of best practices.
Amendment 71 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 38
Recital 38
(38) The Health strand of the ESF+ should contribute to disease prevention throughout the lifetime of the Union's citizens, and to health promotion by 1), addressing health risk factors such as tobacco use and passive smoking, harmful use of alcohol, consumption of illicit drugs andharmful drugs both licit and illicit, and 2), reduction of drugs-related health damage, unhealthy dietary habits and physical inactivity and foster supportive environments for healthy lifestyles in order to complement Member States action in line with the relevant strategies. The Health strand of the ESF+ should mainstream effective prevention models, innovative technologies and new business models and solutions to contribute to innovative, efficient and sustainable health systems of the Member States and facilitate access to better and safer healthcare for European citizens.
Amendment 73 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 39
Recital 39
(39) Non-communicable diseases are responsible for over 80 % of premature mortality in the Union, and thus an effective prevention entails multiple cross- border dimensions. In parallel, the European Parliament and the Council underlined the need to minimise the public health consequences of serious cross- border threats to health, such as communicable diseases and other biological, chemical, environmental, and unknown threats, by supporting preparedness and response capacity building.
Amendment 74 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) At Union level, the European Semester of economic policy coordination is the framework to identify national reform priorities and monitor their implementation. Member States develop their own national multiannual investment strategies in support of thoseeir reform priorities. Those strategies should be presented alongside the yearly National Reform Programmes as a way to outline and coordinate priority investment projects to be supported by national and/or Union funding. They should also serve to use Union funding in a coherent manner and to maximise the added value of the financial support to be received notably from the programmes supported by the Union under the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, the European Investment Stabilisation Function and InvestEU, where relevant.
Amendment 75 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) The Union is confronted with structural challenges arising from the many destructive elements of economic globalisation, the management of migration flows and the increased security threat, clean energy transition, technological change and an increasingly ageing workforce and growing skills and labour shortages in some sectors and regions, experienced especially by SMEs. Taking into account the changing realities of the world of work, the Union should be prepared for the current and future challenges by investing in relevant skills, making growth more inclusive and by improving employment and social policies, including in view of labour mobility.
Amendment 82 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) Support through the ESF+ should be used to promote equal and affordable access for all, in particular for disadvantaged groups, to quality, non- segregated and inclusive education and training, from early childhood education and care through general and vocational education and training and to tertiary level, as well as adult education and learning, thereby fostering permeability between education and training sectors, preventing early school leaving, improving health literacy, reinforcing links with non-formal and informal learning and facilitating learning mobility for all. Synergies with the Erasmus programme, notably to facilitate the participation of disadvantaged learners in learning mobility, should be supported within this context.
Amendment 83 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) The ESF+ should promote affordable, flexible upskilling and reskilling opportunities for all, notably digital skills and key enabling technologies, with a view to providing people with skills adjusted to digitalisation, technological change, innovation and social and economic change, facilitating career transitions, mobility and supporting in particular low-skilled and/or poorly qualified adults, in line with the Skills Agenda for Europe.
Amendment 85 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) The ESF+ should support Member States’ efforts to tackle poverty with a view to breaking the cycle of disadvantage across generations and promote social inclusion by ensuring equal opportunities for all, tackling discrimination and addressing health inequalities. This implies mobilising a range of policies targeting the most disadvantaged people regardless of their age, including children, marginalised communities such as the Roma, and the working poor. The ESF+ should promote the active inclusion of people far from the labour market with a view to ensuring their socio-economic integration. The ESF+ should be also used to enhance timely and equal access to affordable-for-all, sustainable and high quality services such as healthcare and long-term care, in particular family and community-based care services. The ESF+ should contribute to the modernisation of social protection systems with a view in particular to promoting their accessibility.
Amendment 86 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 19
Recital 19
(19) The ESF+ should contribute to the reduction of poverty by supporting national schemes aiming to alleviate food, shelter and material deprivation and promote social integration of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion and the most deprived. With a view that at Union level at least 4% of the resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management supports the most deprived, Member States should allocate at least 2% of their national resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to address the forms of extreme poverty with the greatest social exclusion impact, such as homelessness, child poverty and food deprivation. Due to the nature of the operations and the type of end recipients, it is necessary that simpler rules apply to support which addresses material deprivation of the most deprived.
Amendment 86 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 48
Recital 48
(48) TSubject to complying with all the rules and regulations of the various programmes, third countries which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA) may participate in Union programmes in the framework of the cooperation established under the EEA agreement, which provides for the implementation of the programmes by a decision under that agreement. A specific provision should be introduced in this Regulation to grant the necessary rights for and access to the authorising officer responsible, the European Anti-Fraud Office as well as the European Court of Auditors to comprehensively exert their respective competences.
Amendment 87 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) In light of the persistent need to enhance efforts to address the management of the migration flows in the Union as a whole and in order to ensure a coherent, strong and consistent support to the solidarity and responsibility-sharing efforts, the ESF+ should provide support to promote the socio-economic integration of third -country nationals complementary to the actions financed under the Asylum and Migration Fund.
Amendment 89 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) The ESF+ should support policy and system reforms in the fields of employment, social inclusion, healthcare and long-term care, and education and training. In order to strengthen alignment with the European Semester, Member States should allocate an appropriate amount of their resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to implement relevant country-specific recommendations relating to structural challenges which it is appropriate to address through multiannual investments falling within the scope of the ESF+. The Commission and the Member States should ensure coherence, coordination and complementarity between the shared- management and Health strands of ESF+ and the Reform Support Programme, including the Reform Delivery Tool and the Technical Support Instrument. In particular, t, so long as those policy reforms do not include privatization of existing public services such as water, energy, health etc. The Commission and the Member State should ensure, in all stages of the process, effective coordination in order to safeguard the consistency, coherence, complementarity and synergy among sources of funding, including technical assistance thereof.
Amendment 91 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23
Recital 23
(23) In the light of persistently high levels of youth unemployment and inactivity in a number of Member States and regions, in particular affecting young people who are neither in employment, nor in education or training, it is necessary that those Member States continue to invest sufficient resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management towards actions to promote sustainable and gainful youth employment including through the implementation of Youth Guarantee schemes, with full adherence to existing Union labour laws and rights. Building on the actions supported by the Youth Employment Initiative in the 2014-2020 programming period targeting individual persons, Member States should further promote employment and education reintegration pathways and outreach measures for young people by prioritising, where relevant, long-term unemployed, inactive and disadvantaged young people including through youth work. Member States should also invest in measures aimed at facilitating school-to-work transition as well as reforming and adapting employment services with a view to providing tailor-made support to young people. Member States concerned should therefore allocate at least 10% of their national resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to support youth employability.
Amendment 92 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point i
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point i
(i) improving access to employment ofsustainable employment which fully respects all Union labour rights and regulations, for all jobseekers, in particular for youth and long- term unemployed, and ofor inactive people, promoting self-employment and the social economy;
Amendment 93 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 28
Recital 28
(28) The Member States and the Commission should ensure that ESF+ contributes to the promotion of equality between women and mengenders in accordance with Article 8 TFEU to foster equality of treatment and opportunities between women and mengenders in all areas, including regarding participation in the labour market, terms and conditions of employment and career progression. They should also ensure that the ESF+ promotes equal opportunities for all, without discrimination in accordance with Article 10 TFEU and promotes the inclusion in society of persons with disabilities on equal basis with others and contributes to the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These principles should be taken into account in all dimensions and in all stages of the preparation, monitoring, implementation and evaluation of programmes, in a timely and consistent manner while ensuring that specific actions are taken to promote gender equality and equal opportunities. The ESF+ should also promote the transition from residential/institutional care to family and community-based care, in particular for those who face multiple discrimination. The ESF+ should not support any action that contributes to segregation or to social exclusion. Regulation (EU) No [future CPR] provides that rules on eligibility of expenditure are to be established at national level, with certain exceptions for which it is necessary to lay down specific provisions with regard to the ESF+ strand under shared management.
Amendment 95 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point ii
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point ii
(ii) modernising labour -market institutions and services to assess and anticipate skills needs, and ensure timely and tailor-made assistance and support to labour -market matching, transitions, and mobility;
Amendment 96 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 34
Recital 34
(34) Social investment market players, including philanthropic actors, can play a key role in achieving several ESF+ objectives, as they offer financing as well as innovative and complementary approaches to combatting social exclusion and poverty, reducing unemployment and contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, philanthropic actors such as foundations and donors should be involved, as appropriate and so long as those foundations and donors do not have a political or social agenda in conflict with Union ideals, in ESF+ actions in particular in those aimed at developing the social investment market ecosystem.
Amendment 97 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 35
Recital 35
(35) In accordance with Article 168 TFEU, a high level of human health protection is to be ensured in the definition and implementation of all Union policies and activities. The Union is to complement and support affordable-for-all national health policies, encourage cooperation between Member States and promote the coordination between their programmes, in full respect of the responsibilities of the Member States for the definition of their health policies and the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care.
Amendment 98 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 38
Recital 38
(38) The Health strand of the ESF+ should contribute to disease prevention throughout the lifetime of the Union's citizens and to health promotion by a: (1) Addressing health risk factors such as tobacco use and passive smoking, harmful use of alcohol, consumption of illicit drugs and rharmful drugs both licit and illicit; (2) Reduction of drugs-related health damage, unhealthy dietary habits and physical inactivity and f; (3) Fostering supportive environments for healthy lifestyles in order to complement Member States action in line with the relevant strategies. The Health strand of the ESF+ should mainstream effective prevention models, innovative technologies and new business models and solutions to contribute to innovative, efficient and sustainable health systems of the Member States and facilitate access to better and safer healthcare for European citizens.
Amendment 98 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point iii
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point iii
(iii) promoting women’s labour -market participation, with an emphasis on: Ø a better work/life balance including access to childcare,; Ø a healthy and well–adapted working environment, which addressinges health risks, and the adaptation of workers, enterprises and entrepreneurs to change, and; Ø active and healthy ageing;
Amendment 100 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point v
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point v
(v) promoting equal access to and completion of, quality and inclusive education and training, in particular for disadvantaged groups, from early childhood education and care through general and vocational education and training, and to tertiary level, as well as adult education and learning, including facilitating learning mobility for all; this will mean in particular the removal of any financial barriers to such progress;
Amendment 103 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 48
Recital 48
(48) TSubject to complying with all the relevant rules and regulations, third countries which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA) may participate in Union programmes in the framework of the cooperation established under the EEA agreement, which provides for the implementation of the programmes by a decision under that agreement. A specific provision should be introduced in this Regulation to grant the necessary rights for and access to the authorising officer responsible, the European Anti- Fraud Office as well as the European Court of Auditors to comprehensively exert their respective competences.
Amendment 105 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1
The ESF+ aims to support Member States to achieve high employment levelgainful and sustainable employment levels that comply with all existing Union Labour laws and rights, fair social protection and a skilled and resilient workforce ready for the future world of work, in line with the principles set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights proclaimed by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on 17 November 2017.
Amendment 106 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point i
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point i
(i) improving access to employmentgainful and sustainable employment that meets all existing Union Labour laws and rights of all jobseekers, in particular youth and long- term unemployed, and of inactive people, promoting self-employment and the social economy;
Amendment 107 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point ix
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point ix
(ix) enhancing the equal and timely access to quality, sustainable and affordable services; modernising social protection systems, including promoting access to social protection; improving affordable-to-all accessibility, effectiveness and resilience of healthcare systems and long-term care services;
Amendment 112 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point xi a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point xi a (new)
(xia) provision of low-cost accommodation to those most vulnerable and most in need of these programmes;
Amendment 114 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 3
Article 4 – paragraph 3
3. Under the Health strand, the ESF+ shall support health promotion and disease prevention, contribute to the effectiveness, accessibility and resilience of health systems, make healthcare affordable-for- all, safer, reduce health inequalities, protect citizens from cross-border health threats, and support EU health legislation.
Amendment 117 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Member States shall concentrate the ESF+ resources under shared management on relevant interventions that address the challenges identified in their national reform programmes, in the European Semester as well as in the relevant country-specific recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) TFEU and Article 148(4) TFEU, and take into account principles and rights set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Amendment 127 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point d
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point d
(d) to provide specific support services to employers and job-seekers with a view to the development of integrated European labour markets that offer all existing Labour laws and rights, ranging from pre- recruitment preparation to post-placement assistance to fill vacancies in certain sectors, professions, countries, border regions or for particular groups (e.g. vulnerable people);
Amendment 130 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 25 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 25 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
1. In addition to the criteria set out in Article [197] of the Financial Regulation, and providing they meet all rules and regulations of the programme, the following criteria shall apply for entities to be eligible:
Amendment 133 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Member States shall concentrate the ESF+ resources under shared management on interventions that address the challenges identified in their national reform programmes, in the European Semester as well as in the relevant country-specific recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) TFEU and Article 148(4) TFEU, and take into account principles and rights set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Amendment 134 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 28 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 28 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
1. In addition to the criteria set out in Article 197 of the Financial Regulation, and providing they meet all rules and regulations of the individual programme, the following criteria shall apply for entities to be eligible:
Amendment 136 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 2
Article 7 – paragraph 2