Activities of Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS related to 2017/2039(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Implementation of the Youth Employment Initiative in the Member States (debate) ES
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the implementation of the Youth Employment Initiative in the Member States PDF (579 KB) DOC (118 KB)
Amendments (49)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the financial and economic crisis caused the youth unemployment rate to rise from 15 % in 2008 to a peak of 24 % in early 2013, with this average rate masking huge divergences across Member States and regions; whereas youth unemployment rates in 2013 stayed close to 10 % in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands while peaking at close to or well over 450 % in Italy, Spain, Croatia and Greece;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas long spells of-term youth unemployment can make young people feel isolated from society and lose a sense of belonging,generates a feeling of frustration and abandonment among young people and can causgenerate ‘scarring effects’, mean ing that there is a higher probability that they will become unemployed again, ande structure of the workforce leading to generational imbalances and more widespread job insecurity, and meaning that they face lower earnings and career prospects during their working lives; whereas the side-lining of young people represents a huge loss of public and private investment, given the unused and faltering human capital that it entails and jeopardises the long-term maintenance of the welfare state;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas having a first real job, rather than excessively delaying entry into the labour market with traineeships, internships and unemployment, empowers young people, helping them to become independent, self-confident citizens and make a positive start in their working life;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas, as the Commission says, youth unemployment is a real ‘waste of human capital’ with a high economic cost[1] and Member States should renew their efforts to combat it; [1] Communication from the Commission of 5.9.2007, ‘Promoting young people’s full participation in education, employment and society’, COM (2007)498 p.5
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas, having peaked at 24 % in 2013, the youth unemployment rate in the EU-28 has steadily dropped, reaching below17 % in 2017; whereas there are still serious disparities between Member States;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas many young people feel excluded from economic, social and democratic life; whereas the situation and prospects for young people are not consistent with the priority of boosting employment, growth and investment; whereas the economic crisis has exacerbated trends that had already taken root in labour markets;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas the YG is designed to achieve the sulastainable integration ofg inclusion of young people and NEETs into the labour market, by offering an individualised approach, leading to a good-quality offer and enhancing young people’s employability, while series of tools that will improve young people’s employability and lead to them being offered a quality job; whereas in a broader context it helping to addresss to correct disparities between supply and demand on the labour market and skills mismatches on the (regional) labour market;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
La. whereas the causes of youth unemployment vary between individual countries in the EU and may include structural problems in the economies that affect labour markets; whereas the situation and problems facing young people are not uniform in nature, and some groups of young people are disproportionately affected and need custom-made solutions;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)
Recital M a (new)
Ma. whereas in its first special report on the YG, the ECA raised concerns about the adequacy of funding (both EU and national) for the initiative, about the definition of a ‘good-quality offer’, about the possibility of the YG being seen as a substitute for national employment policies, and about monitoring and reporting on the results; whereas it pointed out that the YEI’s contribution to the YG is currently limited;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas in its recently published second Special report on the YEI and the YG, conducted on the basis of a seven Member State sample, the ECA voiced concerns that it was difficult to access complete data and that limited progress had been made with YG implementation, with results falling short of initial expectations;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O
Recital O
O. whereas the cost-effectiveness of the YEI and the ultimate goal of the YG to have young people entering sustainable quality employment can only be achieved if operations are properly monitored on the basis of reliable and comparable data;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes the significant divergence in economic performance in terms of both economic and employment growth across the EU-28;urges the Member States that continue to lag behind to implement the necessary structural reforms in order to catch up with other EU economies; notes that it is sound economic policies, which are ultimately a Member State responsibility, that create jobs;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Recalls that, under the YEI implementing rules, Member States were to choose between different ways of implementing the programme (as a dedicated programme, as priority axes within an existing operational programme or as part of several different priority axes);points out that, given the various options for implementation, the results require an exchange of best practice for future phases of the programme;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that the YEI aims to complement national funding and not to replace it; stresses that the YEI budget cannot and was never must be complemeant to shoulder on its own the ambitioned by national funding so that it can meet the target of offering all young people a good-quality offer within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal educationentering the scheme;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Points out that, when the YEI was launched, some Member States had serious difficulties in pre-financing the programme bearing in mind the reimbursement mechanism, owing to budgetary problems; points out that, despite the change to the ESF Regulation adopted on 20 May 2015[1], which increased pre-financing to 30%, programmes experienced considerable delays in starting and only a third of authorities began financial operations in 2014;takes the view that the Commission underestimated the time required to put in place appropriate structures to spend and claim expenditure; [1] OJ L 126, 21 May 2015, p.1
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Points out that the recent ECA report found that limited progress had been made in implementing the programmes, particularly in relation to the commitment to find a good quality offer for all NEETS; notes that the results are still very limited measured against the YEI’s objectives;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Points out that some Member States have used YEI funds to finance most of their Youth Guarantee operations; takes the view that greater emphasis should be placed on the fact that YEI funds should be focused on activities linked to the provision of quality job offers;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the need for the YEI to be a driver for policy reform in particular and forwork towards better coordination in the fields of employment and education while bearing in mind that education must not be subordinated to the interests of the market, especially in those Member States experiencing high rates of youth unemployment, with a view to ensuring that those Member States introduce integrated, comprehensive and long-term approaches to tackling youth unemployment which enhance the employability of young people and lead to sustainable employment, as opposed to having a range of fragmented (existing) policies, which often target NEETs who are relatively easy to integrate anyway;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recalls that, in line with the Council recommendations on establishing the Youth Guarantee, six guidelines were defined on which Youth Guarantee schemes were to be based: building up partnership-based approaches, early intervention and activation, supportive measures for labour market integration, use of Union funds, assessment and continuous improvement of schemes, and implementation of Youth Guarantee schemes[1];points out that, according to the assessment reports, very few Member States have provided data and full assessments on these aspects; [1] OJ C120/1, 26.4.2013
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Recalls that the high rate of youth unemployment is caused by: the effects of the global economic crisis on labour markets, early school leaving without sufficient qualifications, the lack of relevant skills and absence of work experience, the spread of precarious forms of short-term employment followed by periods of unemployment, limited training opportunities, and insufficient or inadequate active labour market programmes;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Stresses, as stated in the ECA report, that even though the YEI was designed to mobilise funds quickly for NEETs, the social partners, youth organisations, unions and employers’ organisations were not consulted sufficiently in advance to be able to play an active role in the design and implementation of operational programmes;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers the monitoring data and results available at present insufficient to properly assesscarry out an overall assessment of the implementation and results of the YEI as the main EU financing vehicle for YGs; is concerned, however, about the findings in the recent ECA report, while taking into account its limited territorial and temporal scope, about the impact of the YEI and YG as Union policies aimed at tackling youth unemployment;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Takes the view that the monitoring of the youth guarantee needs to be backed up by reliable data; believes that additional efforts are needed to make the necessary improvements with the aim of bringing about greater harmonisation in the context of indicators; stresses that it would be very useful to have an overall view of the application of the Youth Employment Initiative;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Notes that the ECA report points out that it was not possible in any of the seven countries studied to ensure that all NEETs received an offer within the stipulated time period; points out that, even though recommendation 27 provides for gradual implementation in the case of Member States experiencing the most severe budgetary difficulties, the European funds used are not sufficient to achieve the proposed objectives;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Takes the view that unemployment among young people cannot be reductively attributed to a problem of mismatched skills, since its causes pertain to issues such as the lack of new jobs due to the Europe’s deindustrialisation, outsourcing and speculation, a situation aggravated by the crisis and austerity policies; believes that only education and training can solve the problem of youth unemployment;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Believes that the Youth Guarantee and the Youth Employment Initiative are no substitute for using macroeconomic instruments and other policies to promote youth employment; adds that, in assessing the implementation and impact of the Guarantee, it is important to bear in mind the differing macro-economic climates and budgetary situations in the Member States; considers a long-term structural reform programme needs to be mapped out for the Guarantee if we wish to extend its duration; stresses the clear need for more effective coordination between the different Member States.
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Endorses the call to define what a ‘quality offer’ should be, but cautions that suchand advises that the establishment of a drefinition should not lead to unnecessary restrictions or administrative burdenserence framework on quality employment is a good step towards reducing precariousness, avoiding overlaps and kick-starting economic growth;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Takes the view that, for the purposes of the YEI, a ‘quality offer’ should be defined under the same criteria that govern any high-quality job offer; calls, in this connection, for renewed efforts to promote the principles of quality employment set out in the Commission’s communication ‘Employment and social policies: a framework for investing in quality[1]’, and ILO Recommendation 136; [1] Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Employment and social policies: a framework for investing in quality/* COM/2001/0313 final */
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Suggests that the definition of a ‘quality offer’ should also contain aspects ensuring that participants receive, for at least 12 months, a salary commensurate with the their functions and professional category, a job matching their profile and sector of activity employment, affiliation to social security systems and the possibility to join a trade union and participate in workers’ representative bodies,
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. A quality contract for a traineeship must respect a quality framework offering the following guarantees: a traineeship must be governed by a contract in writing which must contain transparent information on the rights and obligations of the contracting parties, stated objectives and high-quality training; a mentor or supervisor must be allocated to assess the trainee’s performance at the end of the traineeship; the traineeship must have a specific duration and limits must be set on the length of traineeships with the same employer, and the contract should have clear provisions on coverage in social security systems and remuneration;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Note the proposals and the different ways in which Member States have developed programmes falling under the scope of the YEI; considers that in some Member States national regulation has been vague in its objectives and approaches, unclear in its wording and has offered a limited range of options for promoting employment; takes the view that the considerable margin for discretion and the lack of clear oversight mechanisms have occasionally had the effect of substituting jobs for offers under the scope of the YEI;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Member States to actively identify the relevant stakeholders needed for a partnership approach and to better promote the YG programme among businesses, in particular SMEs and smaller, family-run companies; stresses that evidence from Member States that had already adopted YG-like approaches prior to the programme’s introduction demonstrates that a successful stakeholder approach is key to successful implementation; stresses that changes in the labour market and the digitalisation of the economy have revealed that using the same old policy prescriptions will not yield acceptable results and that innovation is therefore needed in youth employment policies;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Stresses the need to strengthen and modernise public employment services and encourage widespread use of e- government in order to reduce red tape and improve job offers and ensure they are more accurately tailored to suit applicants;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Expresses concern at the fact that some of the measures taken under the YEI have already been tried by the Member States; points out that at the Youth Employment Initiative needs to work on reducing youth unemployment with effective tools, rather than merely ‘recycling’ it[1] [1] European Parliament resolution of 11 September 2013 on tackling youth unemployment: possible ways out (2013/2045(INI))
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9c. Considers that there is significant evidence of low-quality job vacancies being offered under the YEI although they do not comply with its quality framework; advocates taking down advertisements for unpaid traineeships that do not meet the minimum quality conditions that the Youth Guarantee should uphold from the websites of the European institutions and YEI participants; expresses its willingness to combat such practices and to working towards producing quality job offers;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission to take into account of how efficiently public funds are used in YEI programmes in its forthcoming assessment of the YEI and urges Member States to stop using it as a substitute for employment policies; stresses that if we wish to ensure the sustainability of the YEI, its data needs to be updated and exchanged, and greater transparency is required concerning the use of funding by Member States;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Calls on the Member States to renew efforts to get SMEs involved in YEI programmes, since SMEs provide the majority of jobs; calls on the Member States to comply with the conditions for participation in the YEI concerning employment and the assignment of functions and, where necessary, to devise mechanisms to prevent labour exploitation;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Calls on the Commission and Member States to renew efforts to ensure the accessibility of the YEI for persons with disabilities, and their participation in it;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)
Paragraph 10 d (new)
10d. Emphasises that the problems of rural areas in terms of youth unemployment are attributable to different reasons than those of urban areas; calls on the Member States to incorporate special measures for those regions, without undermining the quality of the offers;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 e (new)
Paragraph 10 e (new)
10e. Stresses that it is essential to boost the number of apprenticeships available under the Youth Guarantee, since they account for only 4.1% of offers accepted thus far;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the Commission to clarify the status of participants in the programme who do not receive an offer of employment within the specified timeframes; further requests clarification on possible courses of action following rejection of a Youth Guarantee offer; calls on the Commission to clarify the relationship between the Youth Guarantee and the Youth Employment Initiative and CEDEFOP, EURES, Erasmus+ and the proposed European Solidarity Fund;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses that ongoing efforts to tackle youth unemployment and increase YEI funding are highly necessary; points out that the YEI cannot tackle youth unemployment alone and that Member States require further guidance on how to kick-start demand in the labour market, while upholding minimum quality standards; takes the view that the cost of abandoning this initiative would be too high since it would risk locking an entire generation out of the labour market;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Notes that, although the YEI was designed as an ad hoc policy instrument to tackle high rates of youth unemployment during an economic crisis, it should develop into a monitoring tool promoting quality employment for young people in coordination with other employment promotion schemes in the EU; believes it important to work towards achieving the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy on employment, school drop-out rates and social exclusion.[1] [1] ‘75 % of the age range 20-64 should be employed, that early school-leaving rates should be below 10 %, and that at least 20 million people should be lifted out of poverty and social exclusion’.
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls for a future discussion about the quality of offers under the YEI and YG and about the positive impact of extending the eligible age bracket under the YEI to 25-2930; emphasises that the more social stakeholders are involved, the better the debate will be; welcomes the establishment of ‘youth employment dialogue’ between social stakeholders and the European institutions, with a view to finding avenues for improvement and exchanging good practices to benefit the future of the programme;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Recognises that the YEI is a financial instrument and that greater efforts from the Member States are necessary to provide a better link between educational systems and labour markets in order to avoid skills mismatches are highly necessary, while conserving their independence, in order to address the alarming levels of youth unemployment in the Union;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to redouble their joint efforts with the ILO to provide customised information and build up national capacities to deliver and assess youth guarantee schemes in the following aspects: ensuring the full, sustainable implementation of the initiative, improving its ability to reach unregistered NEETs and young people with low skill levels, capacity- building and improving the quality of the offers;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Pending the release by the Commission of the final figures provided by Member States, the number of young people having completed a YEI programme at the end of 2015 was estimated at 203,000 people, which represents 4% of the participants; expresses concern at the high number of YEI participants failing to complete the programme in some Member States; believes it important to strengthen incentives so as to ensure that young people consider the YEI useful;