Activities of Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO related to 2018/2119(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
European Semester for economic policy coordination: Annual Growth Survey 2019 - European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social aspects in the Annual Growth Survey 2019 (debate) ES
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the European Semester for economic policy coordination: Annual Growth Survey 2019 PDF (234 KB) DOC (88 KB)
Amendments (33)
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Europe’s economy is now entering its sixth year of uninterrupted growth; whereas, as the European Commission points out, the risks have increased and the prospects for growth will diminish over the next three years.
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas economic growth is affected by uncertainties in the global economy and the growing economic divergence among EU countries; whereas it also remains vulnerable to continued geopolitical tensions, which have an impact on global trade, and persisting uncertainties surrounding the Union’s future relations with the UK;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas despite the economic and social efforts of many countries during the crisis, unemployment is at its pre- crisis level but high unemployment rates remain in a number of states.
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas, despite the significant reduction in the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, more than 140 million people in the EU remain in poverty, which is clearly unacceptable.
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas wage growth in general is weak; whereas the minimum wages in countries affected by severe social cuts have seen meagre increases; whereas the weak economic recovery does not benefit all social sectors, in particular young people and people with low professional qualifications.
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas so-called ‘non-standard forms of employment’ persist and, with them, a strong segmentation of the labour market, and whereas the evidence indicates that this precarious labour market increases the vulnerability of a significant proportion of workers; whereas, in addition, a majority of workers covered by such contractual arrangements state that they would like to switch to more stable forms of employment.
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
Ce. whereas the inequality produced in all European countries has increased and whereas its repercussions in terms of social co-existence, trust in the institutions and quality of the democratic process are significant;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas over the past two decades, total factor productivity in the euro area has lagged behind that of major global competitors; whereas this comparative reduction cannot be attributed to wage increases;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas according to the Commission forecast, ten Member States are expected to have debt-to-GDP ratios of more than 60 % in 2019 despite the significant fiscal efforts by all EU countries, thus highlighting the limitations of the structural policies pursued by the EU to date;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that the Commission’s 2018 Ageing Report shows that fiscal costs linked to pensions, healthcare and long- term care are expected to rise over the coming decades, as Europe’s population continues to age significantly;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Urges Member States to take responsibility for future generations, and to ensure the sustainability of our social security systems and, in so doing, the future of our welfare states; urges Member States also to assess the state of their public services and policies which can help improve their quality of care, their inclusive and protective nature, and to continue to guarantee a universal provision of services.
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Urges Member States to prepare for these demographic developments by: 1) building fiscal buffers to arm against rising fiscal costs; 2) implementing structural reforms to reduce these costs; and 3) enhancing productivity growth, which is essential to ensuring sustainable economic growth in the future;address ongoing demographic, social and economic changes to ensure the viability of welfare states hard hit by the economic crisis. To this end, calls on the Member States to (a) carry out an assessment of the state of their public policies as regards health, education and pensions; (b) to put in place measures to improve these systems in order to reverse the situation created by the social cuts during the economic crisis; and (c) to undertake the necessary reforms to ensure quality and universal public services.
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. WelcomNotes the Commission’s Annual Growth Survey 2019, which reaffirms the importance of: 1) high quality investments; 2) reforms that increase productivity growth, inclusiveness and institutional quality; and 3) macro-financial stability and sound public finances; 4) an economic policy ensuring sufficient resources to make certain that external or internal shocks have the least possible consequences in social and employment terms.
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Is concerned that some Member States with budget deficits and high levels of public debt have missed the opportunity presented by favourable macroeconomic conditions to build fiscal buffers, while, in contrast, some Member States with fiscal space have consolidated further, thereby contributat the social consequences that the adjustment policies have had in some countries and the correlation of the malaise caused by these measures with the increase in disaffection with the institutions and democratic politics in general; welcomes the efforts made by most countries and believes it necessary to call for this window of opportunity to be used to improve the social and economic situation of the most disadvantaged, to restore collective bargaining, to the euro area’s current account surplus of around 3.2 %, the highest in the world;improve the minimum wage and to ensure the sustainability of public policies on health, education and pensions.
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Regrets that Italy has not submittedNotes the situation in which all EU countries find themselves as revised draft budgetary plan for 2019 to the Commission; supports the Commission’s consideration of a debt- based excessive deficit gards meeting their fiscal and budgetary requirements; calls on the Member States to use their margins for manoeuvre to improve the situation of the most disadvantaged, and calls for fiscal balances to be improcvedure against Italy, given the country’s failure to comply with the debt criterion; by, inter alia, restoring the progressivity of tax systems.
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Urges Member States to commit to improving their welfare states, to develop inclusive and sustainable economic policies and to improve the progressivity of tax systems as well as to fight more actively against corruption and tax avoidance.
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the European Fiscal Board’s proposal for a radical simplification of the budgetary rules to overcome the weaknesses of the current EU fiscal framework; stresses that flexibility, as built into the SGP rules, should strike a good balance between the objective of ensuring prudent fiscal policy and allowing for productive investments; calls equally for a significant increase in the EU budget to make it an instrument of a new economic policy in Europe.
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recalls that workforce ageing is likely to be a significant drag on European productivity growth over the next few decades; urges Member States, therefore, to implement productivity- enhancing structural reforms;impoverishment of the population, job insecurity, low wages, rising living costs and a deteriorating welfare state can act as a significant drag on sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses the importance of reviewing national public pension schemes, largely financed on a pay-as- you-go basis, in order to reduce their budgetary burdepublic health, education and pension systems in order to guarantee that they are sustainable and act as resources and institutions for improving general well-being and social inclusion;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses the importance of increasing the labour force participation rate in order to keep social security systems sustainable, particularly in the context of an increasing dependency ratio; to this end, calls on states to radically reduce job insecurity and atypical employment arrangements, and to implement active labour market policies and restore collective bargaining and the social dialogue.
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for athe tax shiftburden to be shifted in such a way from the high tax burden on labour in Europe;as to reduce the burden of indirect taxation and restore tax progressivity.
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Underlines that digitalisation, globalisation and technological change are radically transforming our labour markets; and that this challenge must be tackled from various angles, including the dialogue with social actors, proper training of workers, and public policies which seek to prevent these challenges from widening the social and territorial divides.
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Highlights that mobilising a shrinking working-age population will require more versatile employees and more flexible labour markets, combinedpopulation affected by these challenges will require better-educated and trained employees who are offered more stable working conditions and greater involvement in the life of the undertaking. The current challenges make the debate on democracy within undertakings all the more necessary, if that is possible. In addition, states may combine the above with active labour market policies, life- long learning and training, and accessible social security systems, as outlined in the European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Highlights that small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs), which are an important driver of employment, cannot fully harness the potential of the European single market owing to legislative and administrative barriers; urges the Commission to reduce these barriers; urges the Commission, moreover, to tackle unfair competition and taxation among SMEs and multinational corporations; calls on states to agree on fiscal arrangements that do not harm the traditional economy for the benefit of new business models based on the platform economy.
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls for taxation reforms with a view to improving tax collection; and combating tax evasion and avoidance more effectively and highlights the need for better coordination of administrative practices in the field of taxation;
Amendment 226 #
19. Recalls the importance of a resilient banking sector that safeguards financial stability; welcomes calls for the step-by- step completion of the banking union, with a credible European deposit insurance scheme and a package to reduce non- performing loans; calls for appropriate regulation of the financial system so as to anticipate and prevent problems such as those caused by the 2008 crisis.
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Highlights that to ensure intergenerational fairness, Member States must preserve the ecological sustainability of economic models, preserve inclusive and tolerant societies, increase productivity through productive investments, such as in growth- enhancing infrastructure projects, education and high-added-value economic models in order to stimulate much-needed potential economic growth;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Stresses that increasing productivity growth requires investment in R&D, innovation, and digitalisation, with an emphasis on increasing both physical and human capital; Notes with concern the growing economic divergence between regions and countries within the EU framework and calls, therefore, for a redefinition of economic policy at EU level so as to reverse the current situation. Calls on the Commission and the Council to discuss the European production model and the risks of continuing with the current situation of increasing divergence.
Amendment 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Highlights the urgent needneed for an in-depth discussion on the best design for a fully- fledged capital markets union, as financial markets could provide for private risk- sharing and risk-reduction mechanisms;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26