Activities of Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS related to 2015/2321(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Refugees: social inclusion and integration into the labour market (A8-0204/2016 - Brando Benifei) ES
Refugees: social inclusion and integration into the labour market (debate) ES
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on refugees: social inclusion and integration into the labour market PDF (477 KB) DOC (199 KB)
Amendments (47)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
- having regard to Article 78 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to Directive 2013/33/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 laying down standards for the reception of applicants for international protection,
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)
Citation 15 a (new)
- having regard to the Commission communication of 27 May 2015 entitled ‘EU Action Plan against migrant smuggling (2015-2020)’ (COM(2015)0285),
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 a (new)
Citation 23 a (new)
- having regard to Council Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 on the right to family reunification,
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24
Citation 24
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 26 a (new)
Citation 26 a (new)
- having regard to Articles 33.1 and 33.2 of the Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (1984),
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 26 b (new)
Citation 26 b (new)
- having regard to the Declaration on Territorial Asylum (adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 2312 (XXII), of 14 December 1967),
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 a (new)
Citation 38 a (new)
- having regard to the UNHCR’s international protection considerations with regard to people fleeing the Syrian Arab Republic, update II of 22 October 2013,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 40 a (new)
Citation 40 a (new)
- having regard to the European Parliament report adopted on 8 March 2016 on the situation of women refugees and asylum seekers in the EU (2015/2325(INI)),
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 40 b (new)
Citation 40 b (new)
- having regard to the study drawn up by the European Parliament’s Policy Department C in February 2016 on ‘Female refugees and asylum seekers: the issue of integration’,
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the Geneva Convention came into being to protect European refugees after the Second World War, and it defines who is a refugee and lays down a series of refugee rights, along with the obligations of states;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas there are three types of legal status benefiting or potentially benefiting from international protection, i.e. people with refugee status, people seeking asylum and people benefiting from subsidiary protection; whereas social inclusion and labour market integration policies should be tailored to their specific needs;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas social inclusion and integration of refugees into the labour markethost societies, and the labour market in particular, is a dynamic two-way process representing a challenge and an opportunity, requiring efforts from local administrations, host communities and the refugees themselves, as well as the involvement and support of social partners (representatives of employers and employees’ organisations) and civil society and volunteer organisations;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas refugees are individuals with their own skills, training, knowledge, working and living experiences that deserve recognition; whereas they can undertake and generate economic activity that will bring positive returns for host communities;
Amendment 67 #
Db. whereas women and minors, both refugees and asylum seekers, have specific protection needs; whereas all social inclusion and labour market integration policies need to include a gender and child protection perspective;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
Dc. whereas Article 33.1 of the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees stipulates that ‘No Contracting State shall expel or return (“refouler”) a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion’;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D d (new)
Recital D d (new)
Dd. whereas Articles 3.1 and 3.2 of the Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (1984) stipulate that ‘No State Party shall expel, return ("refouler") or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture [...] the competent authorities shall take into account all relevant considerations including, where applicable, the existence in the State concerned of a consistent pattern of gross, flagrant or mass violations of human rights’;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D e (new)
Recital D e (new)
De. whereas Directive 2003/86/EC stipulates, with regard to family reunification for refugees, that EU countries may not impose conditions relating to a minimum period of residence in the territory before refugees can be joined by their family members;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D f (new)
Recital D f (new)
Df. whereas a large proportion of asylum seekers who have arrived in Europe are facing subhuman and precarious conditions, and are living in camps without access to resources and services of sufficient quality to meet their basic needs;
Amendment 82 #
1a. Condemns the preliminary agreement reached at the EU-Turkey summit of 7 March 2016 and the agreement of 18 March 2016; stresses that this agreement fails to comply with the Member States’ obligation in relation to the right to international protection enshrined in the Geneva Convention, and it is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights; calls on the Commission to cancel this agreement immediately;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that significant differences exist in the times and modalities of processing requests for international protection within Member States; highlights that slow and excessively bureaucratic procedures may hinder refugees’ access to training, employment guidance and the labour market, as well as the activation of EU programmes and the use of funds in this field;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Highlights the fact that in order to facilitate the social inclusion and integration of refugees into the labour market, it is necessary to address serious and multi-faceted issues such as discrimination, racism, xenophobia, labour market segmentation, linguistic barriers, diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, poor diversity management in companies, health needs, including psychosocial and post-trauma support, family reunification and the significant share of disadvantaged groups among refugees, in particular worrying numbers of children, including unaccompanied children, people with disabilities, the elderly, LGTBI people, trafficking victims, people with mental health problems and women1; _________________ 1 http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset- Management/oecd/social-issues-migration- health/making-integration-work- humanitarian-migrants_9789264251236- en.
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reiterates the importance of recognising the gender dimension of refugee status determination2, the needs of women who apply for international protection and the specific social inclusion and labour market integration challenges that women face; calls for gender to be fully mainstreamed into all policies and procedures relating to social inclusion, labour integration, asylum and migration; _________________ 2 EP Draft Report: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDo c.do?pubRef=- %2F%2FEP%2F%2FNONSGML%2BCO MPARL%2BPE- 571.702%2B01%2BDOC%2BPDF%2BV0 %2F%2FEN.
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes the particular needs of the most vulnerable people, who are exposed to greater risks of poverty and social exclusion, such as women, pregnant women, single-parent families, LGTBI people, minors, young people, elderly people, immigrants, sick people and people with disabilities;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Believes that granting refugees access to fundamental rights (housing, health, education, social protection) and the labour market is important in order to restoringe their human dignity and self-worth and is also cost-efficient, as it would allow them to be self-sufficient and to gain economic independence, which is an essential step for their inclusion into society, and a responsible approach towards public finances, easing the cost borne by Member States while also enabling them to become active fiscal contributors, which is generally considered beneficial for their individual growth, development and self- esteem, and for the host society and community as a whole;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Highlights the fact that labour market conditions within host countries are a determining factor for the successful and durable integration of refugees; stresses the difficulties arising from origin- and gender-based labour segmentation in the EU; points out that unemployment in the EU, in particular youth unemployment, is still at alarming levels, and that the Commission and the Member States should continue to prioritise policies and investments aimed at quality job creation for the whole of society, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable people and economic growth;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the need for an early, fair, transparent and free-of-charge assessment of refugees and asylum seekers’ formal and non-formal skills, as well as recognition, validation and approval of their qualifications, in order to develop tailored measures allowing them to make full use of their potential, and to match labour supply and demand in the host countrieaction to facilitate access to active employment policies, with particular regard to training and employment guidance, and measures to guarantee access to the labour market and non-discriminatory working conditions;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the need forusefulness of an early, fair, transparent and free-of-charge assessment of refugees and’, asylum seekers’ and migrants’ formal and non-formal skills, as well as recognition of their qualifications, in order to develop tailored measures allowing them to make full use of their potential, and to match labour supply and demand in the host countriefacilitating integration into the labour market in the host countries; stresses, however, that this assessment must on no account amount to a process of discrimination in relation to asylum seekers’ qualifications, and the skills factor and potential employability cannot be a criterion for decisions on asylum applications;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Stresses the need to draw up, implement and assess inclusive, integrated and specific social inclusion and labour market integration policies for refugees, beneficiaries of subsidiary protection and asylum seekers;
Amendment 201 #
11. Highlights the fact that expansive public fiscal policies, covering the extraordinary investments in social inclusion and labour market integration measures and programmes, are likely to havnecessary and generate a positive effect on national GDPs in the short term, while positive medium- or long-term impacts on public finances will depend onbe boosted by the effectiveness of these measures;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes, in this context, the Commission’s decision to take into account the budgetary impact of the exceptional inflow of refugees related to extraordinary expenditures for Member States under the preventive and corrective arm of the Stability and Growth Pact when assessing possible temporary deviations from the SGP requirements10; takes the view, nevertheless, that policies geared to cuts to public investment arising from the SGP should be reversed and investment with a high potential for creating high-quality jobs should be excluded from the public deficit calculations; stresses the need for a change in the production model to promote a transition to a more social and ecological model; _________________ 10 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP- 15-6067_en.htm
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Highlights that the main EU funds available for social inclusion and integration into the labour market, in particular the European Social Fund (ESF), as well as the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Fund for Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), have differing focuses, target groups and management modes at Member State level; stresses that these funds are insufficient and calls on the Commission to earmark budget lines for the creation of a fund for refugees;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Highlights the fact that the principles of equal treatment and, equal opportunities and gender equality should always be ensured when designing and implementing social inclusion and integration policies and measures;
Amendment 250 #
18. SupportNotes the Commission’s efforts in updating the European Agenda on Migration, in particular by revising the Dublin III Regulation; underlines the positive impact that intra-EU mobility of refugees would have onwould result from intra-EU voluntary mobility of refugees and/or mobility for family reunification, which might addressing labour shortages and contribute to refugees’ inclusion into the labour market; stresses that further efforts are necessary to create a truly uniform Common European Asylum System and a comprehensive and sustainable legal migration policy in the EU to meet labour market demand in terms of skills and prevent social dumping, in which social inclusion and active integration policies play a central role;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Deplores the fact that the Commission had to adopt 40 infringement decisions against many Member States for having failed to implement key policies of the Common European Asylum System, including letters of formal notice to 19 Member States for not having taken the necessary measures to transpose the Reception Conditions Directive, which lays down essential standards on matters such as access to employment, vocational training, schooling and education of minors, food, housing, healthcare, medical and psychological care and provisions for disadvantaged persons; urges the Commission to introduce penalties for Member States which fail to meet these obligations and urges Member States to rectify this situation, in compliance with the principles of solidarity, fair share of responsibility and sincere cooperation as enshrined in the Treaties;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Welcomes President Juncker’s statement13 in the State of the Union 2015 address affirming his support for granting asylum seekers access to the labour market while their applications are being processed; regrets, however, the lack of resolve shown by the Commission in implementing the decisions taken; is concerned at the decision taken by some Member States to close their internal borders or introduce temporary border controls, jeopardising freedom of movement within the Schengen area; _________________ 13 http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home- affairs/what-we-do/policies/european- agenda-migration/proposal- implementation- package/docs/communication_on_managin g_the_refugee_crisis_en.pdf http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what- we-do/policies/european-agenda- migration/proposal-implementation- package/docs/communication_on_managin g_the_refugee_crisis_es.pdfhttp://europa.e u/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-15- 5614_en.htm
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Regrets the fact that the September 2015 agreement on sharing refugees among the Member States is not being implemented satisfactorily; stresses that the quotas for receiving refugees are not being met in the majority of the Member States; urges the Commission and Member States to implement the agreements as swiftly as possible and speed up the processes of receiving and resettling refugees;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Member States to ensure the swift and full labour market integration and social inclusion of refugees, including access to housing, education, healthcare and social protection, being treated in the same way as nationals as enshrined in Chapters III and IV of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Calls on the Member States to implement social inclusion and support policies that will ensure that the basic needs of refugees are met by guaranteeing the right to housing, health (including mental, sexual and reproductive health), education, family reunification, social services and childcare facilities on the same basis as nationals;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Highlights the importance of strengthening civil society organisations and trade unions as irreplaceable intermediaries working to secure labour integration, inclusion and social cohesion for refugees;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls on the Commission to put forward a revision of the Reception Conditions Directive in order to ensure that applicants of international protection have access to the labour market no later than six months from the date when the application was lodged; calls for all asylum seekers to have access to active employment policies and pathways to integration in employment from the time when they submit their application in any of the Member States;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls on the Member States to ensure early and easy access to quality training, including internships, in order to ensure full integration into our societies and the labour market, taking into consideration, on an individual basis, the refugees’ existing skills and competences, talents and know-how;
Amendment 341 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Calls on the Commission to promote awareness-raising campaigns for host communities and local, regional and national authorities, with the aim of combating discrimination, xenophobia and racism;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Calls on the Member States to implement measures linked to promoting refugees’ labour market integration by promoting training and placement enterprises, the collaborative economy, self-employment and the social and solidarity-based economy;
Amendment 361 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 – subparagraph 1
Paragraph 28 – subparagraph 1
Stresses the need for the Commission and the Member States to step up their efforts in fighting all forms of discrimination, xenophobia and racism, including by raising awareness of anti-discrimination laws and by supporting civil society organisations, spartners and locial partners, regional and Nnational Eequality Bbodies in their work;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 28 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
Calls on the Commission to devise a specific labour integration instrument geared to refugees and asylum seekers, such as a European initiative, with a sufficient budget to implement policies and measures that will foster their social and labour inclusion;
Amendment 369 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 – subparagraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 28 – subparagraph 1 b (new)
Calls on the Member States to make the necessary changes to regulations and legislation to foster refugees’ social inclusion and labour market integration;