Activities of Kostadinka KUNEVA related to 2016/2017(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on creating labour market conditions favourable for work-life balance PDF (496 KB) DOC (192 KB)
Amendments (30)
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 31 a (new)
Citation 31 a (new)
- having regard to the questions set to the Council and the Commission on maternity leave (O-000049/2015 – B8- 0119/2015 and O-000050/2015 – B8- 0120/2015),
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 39 a (new)
Citation 39 a (new)
- having regard to the European Parliament Directorate-General for Internal Policies study titled 'Maternity, Paternity and Parental Leave: Data Related to Duration and Compensation Rates in the European Union',
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 39 b (new)
Citation 39 b (new)
- having regard to the European Parliament Directorate-General for Internal Policies study entitled "Costs and benefits of maternity and paternity leave",
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 39 c (new)
Citation 39 c (new)
- having regard to the European Parliament Directorate-General for Internal Policies of the Union study titled 'Discrimination Generated by the Intersection of Gender and Disability',
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 42 a (new)
Citation 42 a (new)
- having regard to the European Foundation study for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions titled 'Promoting parental and paternity leave among fathers',
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas, in 2014, 5.1 million children were born in the EU-28, corresponding to a crude birth rate of 10.1; whereas, in comparison, this rate was 10.6 in 2000, 12.8 in 1985 and 16.4 in 1970; whereas EU faces a serious demographic challenge as the decrease of birth rates is constantly growing in most Member States, gradually transforming the Union to a gerontocratic society, causing a direct threat to social and economic growth and development;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas equality between men and women is a fundamental principle of the European Union and Articles 21 and 23 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibit any discrimination on grounds of sex and require equality between men and women to be ensured in all areas, including in the achievement of a work-life balance;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas family and reconciliation policies are to be considered as animportant policy tools that if effectively applied could address the challenges of an ageing society and the falling fertility rates across EU Member States, reduce the risk of poverty for families with children, redistribute income from childless households to those with children and grant recognition to families for the societal benefits that children generate; whereas well-designed and implemented family and reconciliation policies can lead to improvement of the working environment, enabling good working conditions and the wellbeing of workers;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas, the current employment and social policies, along with the austerity measures imposed, impede growth and development in Europe; whereas these policies impede the attainment of the 75 % employment rate target set in the Europe 2020 strategy being achieved for women (it currently stands at 63.5 %); whereas, in the current context of European employment, socio- economical and equality policies, Europe 2020 strategy is an outdated text and the goals previously set are far from being reached; whereas without proactive policies designed and implemented to help women enter the job market, especially policies that promote a better work-life balance, any target set on European level cannot be actually reached;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas inequality in the labour- market carries life-long consequences and impacts on women's rights, such as pensions, as the 39% EU gender pension gap testifies, representing more than double the gender pay gap of 16%;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas traditional gender roles and labour market divisions dictate and reproduce stereotypes that impose an overwhelming amount of child care to be provided mainly by women, with negative implications for their personal, social, and economic independence and prospects; whereas, at the same time, men are deprived of the opportunity to equally participate in infant and child care;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas, given the public policies currently in force in EU Member States, fathers' participation rate in parental leave remains low, with only 10 % of fathers taking at least one day of leave; in contrast, 97 % of women use the family leave available for both parents; whereas statistical data confirms that unpaid or poorly paid parental leave results in low participation rates; whereas non- transferable, properly paid parental leave is used in a more balanced way by both parents;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that reconciliation of professional, private and family life needs to be guaranteed as a fundamental right for all people and that achieving work-life balance should be facilitated for all workers, including those who have adopted a child, who should have on the same conditions the same rights as a natural parents;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that the EU is facing unprecedented demographic challenges – an ageing population, low birth rates, changing family structures and migration; is concerned that austerity measurescondemns the ongoing austerity measures and policies imposed that have had a negative impact on the sustainability of public finances needed for work-life balance policies and services that foster demographic renewal; believes that an increase in the birth-rate across EU Member States is needed more than ever and therefore requests for the promotion of precise legislation and measures to combine work, private life and family life more effectively;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Believes that the benefits of parental leave to society are multifarious, as for example it contributes to increasing fertility rates which can counteract the increasing numbers of retired employees, assisting in a way to counter high unemployment in EU;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the Commission’s approach to work-life balance policies as key in addressing socio-economic challenges; calls on the European Social Partners to come forward with an agreement on a comprehensive package of legislative and non-legislative measures regarding the reconciliation of professional, private and family life; calls on the Commission to put forward a proposal for such a package in the context of the announced European pillar of social rights should it not be possible for an agreement between the social partners to be reached; Urges the Commission to work towards a true pillar of social rights by cooperating with the social stakeholder towards a true 'Social investment' that emphasizes primarily in human capital, rather than in the profitability of economic capital;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Highlights that maternity, paternity and parental leave can effectively be applied with benefits for the society and the economy only if other policy instruments are applied alongside, notably state-subsidised day care, that would ensure women do not sacrifice child-bearing for the purpose of remaining active in an increasingly competitive labour market;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses that rights assigned by social policies, including parental leave, should be individual rather than transferable, in order to encourage both parents to enjoy their rights and achieve a better work-life balance;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the Member States to introduce full financial compensation for parental leave with a view to promote equality between parents, reaching a level that would act as an incentive for income replacement, in order to safeguard families' social and economic wellbeing;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Urges the Commission to adopt a post-2015 Gender Equality Strategy and to implement it through thein that regard, to incorporate workplace gender equality objectives into European Semester, including the Annual Growth Survey and the country-specific recommendations;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Stresses the need for men to be entitled to fully paid and non-transferable paternity leave, without any loss of employment rights, in order to help workers of both genders reconcile their professional and family life and to achieve true gender equality; highlights the need for this entitlement to be given to unmarried couples and to couples that have adopted children;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Believes that revising current Maternity Leave Directive, will lead to achieving actual positive impact in terms of women's social and economic independence, work-life balance and labour market inclusion, as well as economic growth and development for EU by eliminating gender related inequalities in the labour market;
Amendment 322 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – point 1
Paragraph 15 – point 1
(1) a paternity leave directive with a minimum of a twon eight-week fully paid leave;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – point 1 a (new)
Paragraph 15 – point 1 a (new)
(1a) revising current Maternity Leave Directive;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls for the Member States to come forward with legislative measures to promote work-life balance and to focus on introducing high-quality, accessible childcare facilities and services by making use of the various EU financial instruments;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Highlights that the care of disabled children presents a particular challenge for working mothers and fathers, which should be recognised by society and be supported by public policies; Believes, therefore, that the increased vulnerability of working parents of disabled children means that they should be granted additional maternity, paternity and parental leave;
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls for the introduction of targets on care for elderly, disabled and other dependants, with monitoring tools within the European Semester; calls on Eurostat and Eurofound to collect relevant data and to carry out studies;
Amendment 376 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to establish qualitcome forward with a set of legislative standards for all non-legislative measures that would establish qualitative care services across EU;
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Shares the view that care and to be cared is a universal human right and that should be exercised and reassured for anyone, and therefore calls the Member States to revise their national family policies and secure adequate social care services that would improve family life and therefore assist in achieving work-life balance for the members of the family;
Amendment 455 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on the Member States and social partners to develop and put in place policies for educational and training leave and to make learning outside work accessible to workers in disadvantaged situations, especially for the vulnerable groups of population, such as the persons with disabilities, the mono-parental families and the migrants;