29 Amendments of Tom VANDENKENDELAERE related to 2017/2226(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to the assessment of the European Fiscal Board of 20 June 2017 on the prospective fiscal stance appropriate for the euro area,
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 22
Citation 22
— having regard to the recommendation for a Council recommendation of 22 November 2017 on the economic policy of the euro area,
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. wWhereas both employment and unemployment rates are still higher than inis increasing, with a record 235.4 million people in jobs in the second quarter of 200817; whereas hidden unemployment (unemployed, willstands at 7.5% in the EU and 8.9% ing to work, but not actively searching for employment) stood at 20 % in 2016he euro area, the lowest levels in nine and eight years, respectively;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
F a. Whereas population ageing across the Union and other demographic developments put a massive burden on the sustainability of public finances, since expenditures on pensions, health care and long-term care are set to increase;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes note ofWelcomes the publication of the 2018 Annual Growth Survey (AGS) package and the proposed policy mix of investment, structural reform and fiscal consolidationresponsible public finances, presented as a way to further promote higher growth levels and to strengthen European recovery and upward convergence;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights, however, the persistent structural problem of insufficient growth of potential output and productivity, flanked byresulting from a too low a level of investments and wages, leading to persistent social inequalitie; stresses the importance of wage developments in line with productivity growth in order to address both social inequalities and competitiveness;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the importanceConsiders the possibility of a wage increase atin European level in order to boost private consumption as the main support for growth; points out the need to focus on the interaction between monetary, fiscal and incomes (including wage and profit development) policies rather than only fiscal issu and in order to achieve price stability as set out by the Treaties;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Responsible fiscal policies
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Points out the need for fiscal policy to focus on its two core functions, which are to monitor the sustainability of public finances, and the stability of economic cycles, thereby taking into account monetary policy;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the improvements in public finances, in particular the gradually declining debt/GDP ratios for the EU and euro area and falling headline budget deficits; however recalls that, while many Member States have limited fiscal leeway for implementing sustainable, growth- friendly structural reforms, some Member States still have large surpluses which should be used to sustain investments ageing societies and other demographic developments put a massive burden on the sustainability of public finances; therefore, urges Member States to take responsibility towards future generations and implement the balanced budget rule in their own national legal order as set out by the Stability and gGrowth Pacross the EUt;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Recalls that while some highly indebted Member States implemented significant structural reforms to increase their competitiveness; some other Member States with more fiscal leeway could have used their fiscal space more fully in order for fiscal policy to be more supportive;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Investments
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls the importance of public investment for boosting and leveraging investment in the EU; considers that the policy mix proposed in the AGS 2018 should be further developed to remedy the current decrease in public investment in the EU; highlights that this decrease also affects local and regional authorities, threatening their ability to deliver quality public servicesboosting public investment in the EU in order to remedy the current decrease in public investment in the EU; moreover, urges the completion of the Capital Markets Union in order to boost private investments across the Single Market;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Asks for a revision of the accounting standards (European System of National and Regional Accounts, ESA 2010) to ensure aCalls to improve the enforcement of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) with a focus on debt reduction; whilst allowing Member States under the preventive arm of the SGP to replace gross investments with the depreciation of the investments over a longer period, which would allow budgetary margins to recover and permit the realisation of infrastructure projects in their overall balance calculation which would permit the realisation of significant growth- enhancing infrastructure projects as Member States can spread the cost of the projects over the lifecycle of the investment;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines that the European Semester and the Country-Specific Recommendations should achieve the objectives set out in the Pillar of Social Rights; thereby welcomes the ‘social scoreboard’ as a tool to monitor the implementation of the Social Pillar;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Structural reforms
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Calls for a shift from taxation on labour to taxation on consumption and green taxation;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Regrets thatWelcomes the overall neutral fiscal stance proposed in the recommendations for the euro area, even though the fiscal stance is expected to be slightly expansionary in a number of Member States in 2018, does not appear to fully support the strengthening of economic growth and job creation;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Insists on a common effort to bring euro area expenditure on R&D closer to the EU2020 targets; calls for proper policies and investment to ensure equal access to higherlifelong education and training;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to adopt adequate measures to help refugees settle and integrate and to anticipate at an early stage the requirements for facilitating their smooth transition to the labour market, as well asin order to prevent them entering the black economy or becoming dependent on state benefits; calls to ensuringe that public services are provided with sufficient resources; stresses that social partners should play a key role in facilitating the integration of migrants and preventing them from suffering from labour abusemarket discrimination;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Underlines that a fiscal capacity – on top of existing capacities, and not through redeployments that would undermine the vital role currently played by structural funds and cohesion policy – represents a necessary tool for increasing incentives for convergence and to counter asymmetric or symmetric economic shockeconomic shocks; highlights that access to a central fiscal capacity should be conditional on compliance with fiscal rules;
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Is concerUnderlineds that gaps and discrimination on the labour market remain high throughout the European Union, contributing to differences in remuneration, retirement, participation in decision-making and wealth between men and women; stresses the importance of preserving high standards in relation to the quality of the proposed employmentdigitalisation, globalisation and technological change are radically transforming our labour markets, with for example more transitions between employment forms and statuses; thereby stresses the importance of dynamic labour markets with accessible social security systems, able to respond to these new labour market realities;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for the completion of the Banking Union, including a credible European deposit-insurance scheme and a common fiscal backstop for the Single Resolution Mechanism; highlights that risk-sharing should go hand-in-hand with risk-reduction, especially reduction of non-performing loans and weakening of the doom-loop between banks and sovereigns;
Amendment 335 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Highlights that in a fully-fledged Capital Markets Union, financial markets will provide for appropriate absorption capacities to counter future external shocks; thereby urges the Commission to move forward with the Capital Markets Union;
Amendment 343 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Highlights the importance of an improved European Semester process, including the formalisation of the euro area aggregate fiscal stance as a key tool for policy formulation and implenational parliaments debating country reports and country-specific recommentdation across the EMU; calls for a broader reform of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) in order to improve its flexibility, to incorpors; believes that more national ownership through genuine public debates ate the differentiated treatment of investments and to introduce the concept of aggregate fiscal stancenational level would lead to better implementation of country- specific recommendations;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Welcomes the increasing practice of spending reviews, and further encourages Member States to critically assess the quality of their budgets; points out there is significant room to improve the way in which these spending reviews are conducted and, more importantly, their transformative effect on the spending side of public finances;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18 b. Underlines the need for a stronger focus on the composition of budgets and efficiency of public spending to deliver better on key policy priorities of the EU;