Activities of Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS related to 2015/2223(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Meeting the antipoverty target in the light of increasing household costs (debate) ES
Meeting the antipoverty target in the light of increasing household costs (A8-0040/2016 - Tamás Meszerics) ES
Amendments (33)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2
Citation 2
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3
Citation 3
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 15 July 2015 on the follow-up to the European Citizens' Initiative Right2Water1 a; __________________ 1 a Text adopted, P8_TA(2015)0294
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas between 2008 and 2013, the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU27 increased from 117 million to 121 million of which the number of people severely materially deprived increased from 42 to 45 million, the number of people at risk of poverty after social transfers increased from 82 to 86 million; whereas this development runs counter to the EU target to reduce poverty by 20 million by 2020; whereas certain groups are more at risk of poverty than others such as children, women, people with disabilities, Roma communities, and older people;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. Whereas one of the consequences of rising energy prices is that many families live in houses without heating and that not having adequate heating has a negative impact on a person’s health, in particular for children and older persons;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the wide gap between Member States in the provision of welfare and a minimum income means that in some Member States welfare reduces the risk of poverty by 60% and in others by only 15%; whereas the average impact of the provision of welfare on reducing the risk of poverty in the EU is 35%;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas the UN has affirmed that the human right to water and sanitation entitles everyone to water for personal and domestic uses which is of good quality, safe, physically accessible, affordable, sufficient and acceptable; whereas a further UN recommendation has stated that 3% of household income should be seen as a maximum for water payments where payments apply; whereas the privatisation of water services has a negative impact on households living in, or at risk of, poverty;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas there are 12 million more women than men living in poverty in the EU; whereas factors contributing to this inequality include the gender pay and pension gaps, the large proportion of women in precarious work, and the fact that women are often forced to be economically inactive due to the prohibitive cost of childcare;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Da (new)
Recital Da (new)
D a. Whereas privatisation and deregulation of energy services have contributed to the rise in prices, which prevents growing numbers of the population from having access to these services;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Invites the Commission, in the context of the announced social pillar, to present an EU framework directive on adequate minimum income in 2016;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – introductory part
Paragraph 5 – introductory part
5. FPoindts it regrettableout that the EU2020 target to reduce poverty in Europe by, lifting 20 million people out of poverty, appears even further out of reach than when it was set; reiterates that one of the target groups is people that face severe material deprivation; calls on the Commission and the Member States to renew their commitment to the poverty reduction targetsupport measures to reduce poverty by adopting the following measures:
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – introductory part
Paragraph 5 – introductory part
5. Finds regretunacceptable that the EU2020 target to reduce poverty in Europe by lifting 20 million people out of poverty appears even further out of reach than when it was set; reiterates that one of the target groups is people that face severe material deprivation; calls on the Commission and the Member States to renew their commitment to the poverty reduction target by:
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – indent 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 – indent 5 a (new)
- taking measures to address extreme forms of poverty that currently fall beyond the scope of the target, namely homelessness;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. WelcomeHighlights the Commission’s intention to present a new social pillar; recalls that to deliver on Article 9 TFEU, such a pillar should be aimed at setting a European framework for a minimum income above the poverty level, continuing with a rights- based approach to social policy and improving implementation of existing social, labour and anti-discrimination legislation;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. WelcomeHighlights the Commission’s intention to aim for a social triple A score for the Union; finds regrettable that this is currently out of reach owing to increasing inequality, high poverty and social exclusion and less and less availability of quality and affordable social, health and care services; recalls that a social triple A must be based on Article 9 TFEU aimed at a ‘high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion and a high level of education, training and protection of human health’; recalls that achieving a social triple A as a benchmark requires assessing both policies that hinder and work towards achieving the benchmark; finds regrettable that so far the latter has not been addressed at Union level;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop, adopt and implement an EU framework to reduce poverty and social exclusion, in line with the Europe 2020 Strategy, consisting of concrete measures and actions, including energy poverty;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 A. Calls on the Commission to bear in mind the proposals contained in the Opinion published by the European Economic and Social Committee, ‘For coordinated European measures to prevent and combat energy poverty’, and to encourage the urgent adoption of a European energy security and solidarity commitment and, within this framework, the setting-up of a European Poverty Observatory and a European fund with the specific aim of eradicating energy poverty
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Calls on Member States to reassess their progress towards ending homelessness given that rising rental costs and decreasing social housing stock in some Member States have caused the homelessness rate to rise;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12 b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to urgently identify, implement and maintain policy measures that enable households to meet housing costs, including provision of housing allowances, given that 22, 348,834 households (approximately 11% of the EU population) spend more than 40% of their disposable income on housing and 21,942,491 households (approximately 10.8% of the EU population) experience difficulty maintaining adequate household temperature;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Paragraph 12 c (new)
12 c. Notes that contributing factors to housing stress and the risk of homelessness include: a lack of social housing stock; uncontrolled rental costs; high mortgage interest rates; insufficient rental, housing and mortgage allowances; and a lack of restrictions on banks in repossessing homes of households in poverty;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 d (new)
Paragraph 12 d (new)
12 d. Stresses that while rent controls and higher housing allowances can lower housing costs for households at risk of poverty in the short term, these measures should also be accompanied by long-term housing and community programmes to increase the housing stock for different socially disadvantaged target groups and middle income households;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 e (new)
Paragraph 12 e (new)
Notes that low-income households and those in or at risk of poverty are more dependent on the provision of free, high- quality public services; stresses that the austerity measures implemented by many Member States since 2008 including funding cuts to, and privatisation of, public services has had a detrimental and disproportionate impact on low-income households and those in or at risk of poverty; urges Member States to act to halt and reverse these cuts and privatisations; (Note: to be inserted after subheading 4)
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Expresses its concern that since 2008, due to the financial and economic crisis and the austerity policies which have increased poverty and the number of low-income households in Europe, an increasing number of people have been facing difficulties in paying their water bills and affordability is becoming a matter of growing concern; deplores the fact that in the EU-28 more than 1 million people still lack access to a safe and clean drinking water supply and nearly 2% of the population lacks access to sanitation, according to the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), and therefore urges the Commission to act immediately;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13 b. Rejects water cut-offs and the enforced switching-off of the water supply of households unable to pay water bills as a violation of human rights, and calls on Member States to put an immediate end to these situations when they are due to socioeconomic factors in low-income households; welcomes the fact that in some Member States 'water banks' or minimum water quotas are being used in an effort to help the most vulnerable with their utility costs, to guarantee water as an inalienable component of fundamental rights;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13 c. Notes that the gender pay gap in the EU is on average 16%, and stresses that the cumulative effect of lower earnings for women (including interruptions from work due to caring responsibilities) is a far wider gender pension gap of 39%, which puts older women at a much greater risk of poverty than older men;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)
Paragraph 13 d (new)
13 d. Notes that lone parents, the majority of whom are women, are at a higher than average risk of poverty (34%); notes that a major contributing factor to this increased risk is the fact that due to childcare costs lone parents either face exclusion from employment or are in precarious, low- paid employment; urges Member States to act to legislate for a living wage that guarantees workers' basic needs can be met;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 e (new)
Paragraph 13 e (new)
13 e. Urges Member States to implement policies that can ensure quality and affordable childcare is available to all who require it, including through the provision of subsidised childcare and childcare allowances for lone parents and low-income households;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Notes that 55 million EU citizens (9.6% of the population) are not able to afford a quality meal every second day (Eurostat 2014.) The inability to afford nutritious meals has a serious detrimental impact on the health and wellbeing of affected individuals and in turn erects obstacles in terms of employment, job- seeking and caring responsibilities; urges the Commission and Member States to enact policies that will end food poverty including the provision of subsidised food for those in poverty in the short term, and the provision of an adequate minimum income;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses that there is a lock-in effect as regards energy poverty, as poor households cannot afford the initial upfront investment needed to combat energy poverty;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Calls on the Commission to map the problem of fuel poverty in the EU, and in particular winter deaths amongst people living in cold homes; and to support the Member States in developing effective solutions;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16 b. Stresses that poor people living in poor quality and energy inefficient housing are particularly vulnerable to fuel poverty, that investment in this target group can leverage maximal social, health and energy impacts, and that specific measures are required to reach them;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Emphasises that there are a range of barriers to ensuring that the EU Structural and Investment Funds available for energy efficiency reach those living in the poorest quality and most energy inefficient housing, including limited household savings for those living in cold homes and the split incentive between landlords and tenants; calls therefore on the Commission, national, regional and local authorities, and the European Investment Bank to develop innovative funding mechanisms that overcome these barriers, working with stakeholders and building on existing good practice;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23 a. Calls on Member States to develop energy policies which are at the service of economic development and populations, which reduce consumption and energy deficits, and which can be seen as a factor for inclusion and not as a constraint on the development of small and medium- sized enterprises and the well-being of peoples;