Activities of Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS related to 2015/2327(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on implementation report on Erasmus +
Amendments (39)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Erasmus+ is one of the most successful Union programmes and the majoran essential tool to support activities in the fields of education, training, youth and sport, and strengthen the concept of citizenship, facilitate students' personal development and critical thinking, the programme still remain under-recognised in Member States, socially selective and difficult to access;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the Erasmus+ programme is one of the key driversfactors in the social policies, has a positive impact ofn growth, employment, competitiveness and social cohesion in that it contributes to improving European education and training systems and employability, helps strengthen the concept of citizenship, facilitates students’ personal development and critical thinking as well as the learning of new languages and opportunities for employment in the quality job market, and provides Europeans with an opportunity to acquire transversal and transferable sets of skills and competences via studies, training and work experience abroad;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the programme’s high political and economic relevance is reflected inCommission increased the budget increase ofby 40% for the programme period, and the commitment rate of the foreseen budget which has reached nearly 100% with a high number of applicationsthe funds set aside for Erasmus+ are not proportional to the number of needs of potential applicants for the mobility programmes offered;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas not all relevant data for a full quantitative and qualitative analysis of the implementation are yet available, whereas it is therefore too earlynot possible to conduct a complete qualitative assessment of the programme’'s impact;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Regrets that growing inequality within and between Member States, and the high youth unemployment rate in the EU, particularly in southern European countries, are making access to the programme difficult as they create barriers to mobility for applicants from regions with a lower income that have been more heavily hit by the economic crisis and the cuts;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Considers that having more widely available and accessible programmes with fewer bureaucratic obstacles may help promote equal access by beneficiaries in the various Member States;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Stresses the need to promote Erasmus+ among vocational training students as it is very beneficial in terms of personal development, critical thinking and better prospects for employment;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recognises that, according to reports from stakeholders at all levels, the first two and half years of programme implementation were difficult and challenging but improvements have been made in the meanti, encourages the Commission to strengthen dialogue with social partners, local authorities and civil society so to ensure the widest possible access to the programme;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Calls on the Commission and the Member States, including EU agencies such as Cedefop, to improve the quality, accessibility and equality of access to VET mobility programmes so that they deliver added value for all participants as regards qualification, recognition and content, and to ensure that quality standards are introduced for apprenticeship programmes;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1e. Emphasises that imbalances between the Member States concerning admission criteria for the programme mean that opportunities for accessing the programme are not equal; calls on the Commission and the national agencies to standardise the access criteria with a view to making it accessible to the highest number of applicants possible;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 f (new)
Paragraph 1 f (new)
1f. Notes that owing to be being difficult to obtain information on the programmes, Erasmus+ is viewed by younger members of the population as a higher education programme, and in the end this discourages students; calls on the Commission and the Member States to renew efforts to simplify the programme’s contents and terms and conditions and make them more accessible; maintains that information on this programme has to be provided in all the official and co- official languages of the European Union in order to encourage greater involvement;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights the fact that vocational education and training (VET) and VET mobility play a vital economic and social role in Europerole in applicants’ personal development and their professional careers, as a mechanism leading to equal opportunities for all citizens, including those from socially disadvantaged groups, unemployed young people, people with physical or mental disabilities, migrants and women, who are all under-represented in VET; calls on the Commission and the Member States to position VET as a choice which leads to a promising career, make it accessible to all, regulate the traineeship system, ensure gender balanceequality and non- discrimination, and guarantee that it is adequatelya gradual rise in its fundeding;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out that the goal of simpler, more user-friendly and more flexible implementation has not yet been reached; underlines in this context the continuing lack of clarity and uneven level of detail in the programme guideconsiders that having fewer bureaucratic obstacles would lead to have wider and more accessible programmes; Calls upon the Commission and the Member States to renovate efforts to simplify the programme's content, terms and conditions and make them more accessible; underlines that information on this programme has to be provided in all the official and co-official languages of the European union in order to foster greater involvement;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Underlines the continuing lack of clarity and uneven level of detail in the programme guide which should be written in a user-friendlier language; the programme guide should provide clear indications as to which documents are needed at each stage of the project cycle and provide samples of those documents in a clear and accessible way; Ensure that NAs and EACEA have enough resources to be able to improve the implementation of the programme;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that despite the programme’s significant's overall budget increase, the budgetary profile in the MFF indicates a limited increase for the first half of the programme period, which has led to the rejection of many high quality projects and hence a low success rate;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Reminds the Commission that people with disabilities have special needs and therefore need access to greater information and a reasonable grant so they are able to enter the Erasmus+ programme and the mobility programmes; calls on the Commission to continue its work on introducing further measures to remove barriers and prevent discrimination in regard to access to the programmes;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Notes that in the implementation of the VET system and VET mobility, there are repeated instances in different countries of VET programme participants being used for tasks and competences expected of an employee but not suitable for a student in a traineeship, of the line drawn between working hours and study being breached, or of irregularities in regard to the payment terms laid down in the programme; calls on the Commission and the Member States, as well as the social partners, to improve monitoring of these programmes and report situations where conditions concerning the beneficiary’s tasks are infringed;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Points out that traineeship systems, VET and VET mobility are systems expected to result in beneficiaries’ personal and professional development and ought to be considered as an apprenticeship system, and that in no instance should the competences attributed to beneficiaries be replaced by those proper to an employee;
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2d. Calls on the Commission to present and the Member States to endorse a proposal for an EU apprenticeship status to guarantee a set of rights for those apprentices and VET students who make use of their right to free movement, so as to ensure that their efforts are recognised and their rights are protected;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)
Paragraph 2 e (new)
2e. Advocates that a green paper on vocational education, traineeships and mobility, as well as the recognition of skills and competences in Europe, be drawn up in cooperation with the main social partners and youth organisations; said green paper ought to establish ethical criteria for competences in VET and traineeship systems;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 f (new)
Paragraph 2 f (new)
2f. Calls on the Commission, the Member States and the agencies to take the ‘brain drain’ factor into consideration and implement mobility programmes in such a way as to ensure that once trained, people return to their educational institution in their country of origin for a defined minimum period at least; calls therefore for all necessary means to be employed to avoid worsening this situation, especially in those Member States most hit by the crisis and the cuts;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 g (new)
Paragraph 2 g (new)
2g. Notes that the funds set aside for Erasmus+ and VET are not proportional to the number of needs of potential applicants for the mobility programmes on offer; asks that the Commission and the Member States raise the funding for budget lines for mobility programmes and VET mobility;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that the Student Loan Guarantee Facility was only launched in February 2015 after signature of the delegation agreement with the European Investment Fund (EIF) in December 2014, and that to date there areconsiders to be inadmissible that students have to take out bank loans in order to take part in Erasmus+ programmes; considers that indebtedness has a negative impact only three banks in France and Spain participating in this innovative toole personal development and integration in the labour market; inclusive and widely available grants must be provided so that no student is excluded on account of not having sufficient income; requests the Commission to expand the system of mobility grants to cover students, regardless of their socio- economic background, wishing to take their Master’s degree in another participating country;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 h (new)
Paragraph 2 h (new)
2h. Considers it unacceptable that students have to take out bank loans in order to take part in Erasmus+ mobility programmes; considers that indebtedness during a training period has a negative effect on entry onto the job market; asks that systems be established for accessible, inclusive and widely available grants so that no student is excluded on account of not having sufficient income to cope with a mobility programme;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to work with the Members States on stronger cooperation between education establishments and key stakeholders (businesses, VET facilities, researclocal/regional institutions, youth organisations, social partners, local/regional authorresearch centres, VET facilities and the youthprivate sector) in order to enhance the responsiveness of the education and VET systems to labour market needsso that traineeship systems and protection of beneficiaries’ social and labour rights can be developed as needed, and to guarantee that this cooperation is reflected in Erasmus+; believes that active involvement of beneficiaries in the design and implementation of the programme increases its success and added value;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls for greater promotion of mobility programmes for advanced levels of higher education to ensure mobility between European research centres and further develop the aim of making European universities international;
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to tackle the significant number of examples of fraudulent use of the traineeship system by reviewing, assessment and monitoring the goals of the European Education and Training 2020 Strategy; maintains that said goals need to be reviewed in order to step up protection for students on traineeships; points out that continuous development programmes should be given a central role in mobility programmes as a way of updating professional skills and competences;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. States that the Erasmus+ programme and VET need to be active in remote and border regions of the European Union too; considers guaranteeing access and equal opportunities for inhabitants of these regions to be a very positive move and a vehicle to cut youth unemployment and aid economic recovery.
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Believes that education is a fundamental human right and a public good, regrets that growing inequality within and between Member States are making access to the programme difficult as they create barriers for applicants, especially for students with a lower income, people with disabilities and learners from remote regions, calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure gender equality and equal access to the programmes;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Encourages the Commission to continuestrengthen its efforts towards an open, consultative and transparent way of working and to further improve its cooperation with partnersthe social partners and the civil society (including, where appropriate, associations of parents, students, teachers, non-teaching staff and youth organisations) at all levels of implementation;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses the need to recognise the skills and competences acquired through non-formal and informal apprenticeships, these being useful qualifications when acquiring skills for a trade; calls on the Commission and the Member States to validate and recognise the various kinds of non-formal and informal apprenticeships; considers that ‘Youthpass’ should be made a worthwhile addition to the curriculum vitae so that it may be taken into account as training and counted as work for the purposes of unemployment allowances;
Amendment 109 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Calls on the Member States to improve implementation of the European Qualifications Framework (2008/C111/01) and remove existing obstacles; calls on the Commission, Parliament and the Council to strengthen this tool so that the current recommendation may become an instrument with a stronger legal basis;
Amendment 115 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Supports greater mobility in education and in apprenticeship programmes and traineeship periods under the Youth Guarantee and Youth Employment Initiative programmes, with the aim of trying to ease the high levels of youth unemployment and geographical imbalances within the European Union;
Amendment 117 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Points to the need for the Commission to provide up-to-date statistics and conduct follow-up studies on Erasmus+ and the VET mobility programmes, in order to be able to measure their impact and how they may potentially be improved, as well as to know in which countries there are the highest number of applications, the gender gap is greatest or there are more disabled applicants; calls on national agencies in Member States to work closely on the exchange of information and statistics; maintains that the results of the studies and statistics need to be included and taken into consideration in the next Erasmus+ review;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls for further improvement of the relevant IT tools and for the focus to be put on streamlining and improving connections between the different tools rather than developing new ones;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the introduction of two types of strategic partnerships as a first and important positive step towards increasing the chances for small-sized organisations to participate in the programme; calls on the Commission to make further improvements in order to include moreensure access to small-sized organisations in programme activities;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote VET programmes, points out that traineeship and internship systems are a formative opportunity that do not substitute full time professional positions, they must guarantee dignified working conditions and adequate pay for apprentices and in no instance should the competences attributed to beneficiaries be replaced by those proper to an employee;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to validate and recognise formal and non-formal learning and apprenticeships;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls not only foron the Commission to increase the current budget level to be secured for the next programme generation under the new MFF, butand considers this a further budget increase to be an important step for the continued success of the programme;