26 Amendments of João PIMENTA LOPES related to 2016/2270(INI)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17 a (new)
Citation 17 a (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 23 October 2015 on reducing inequalities with a special focus on child poverty1a, __________________ 1a Texts adopted, P8_TA(2015)0401.
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas poverty and social exclusion are not matters of individual responsibility but of collective social responsibility, and the causes of these problems are inseparable from the economic and social policies implemented by the Member States and the EU; whereas poverty and social exclusion can be combated only through public employment and social support policies, among others;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas there are as yet no established and multidimensional indicators of absolute poverty; have been defined which might make it possible to monitor social and economic policies;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas according to the methodology developed by Eurostat, the at-risk-of-poverty threshold is set at 60 % of national median equivalised disposable income (per household, after deductions);
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the policies of the EU and of international organisations such as the IMF have imposed highly restrictive austerity budgetary policies on some Member States, forcing substantial cuts to spending in fundamental areas such as education, health, justice, culture and social support and services and promoting significant reductions in spending on staff, with cuts to the jobs, wages and rights of public sector workers, fostering the degradation and limitation of the social functions of the state; whereas such policies have hampered and prevented the implementation of investment and development policies serving the needs of the peoples and the Member States; whereas such political options have led to a sharp rise in poverty and social exclusion;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas 120 million people in the European Unionin 2000 (in the EU15), 15 % of the population were living under the poverty threshold, rising to 16 % in 2005 and 17 % in 2008 (around 85 million people), and whereas currently 120 million people – some 25 % of the total – are at risk of poverty and social exclusion after social benefits; whereas this fact is accompanied by persistently high unemployment rates;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas account should be taken of the multidimensional nature of poverty and social exclusion, the existence of particularly vulnerable population groups (children, women and elderly people) – which also include people with disabilities, immigrants, large or single- parent families, the chronically ill, the homeless and refugees – as well as the need to incorporate action to prevent and combat poverty and exclusion in other policies, with a guarantee of universal access to public services, high-quality jobs with rights and an income allowing people to live with dignity;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the current emergency situation calls for measures to promote national minimum income schemes for citizens, so that all citizens are ensured decent living conditionpeople meeting specific conditions for eligibility are ensured decent living conditions, while improving skill levels among people excluded from the labour market and guaranteeing equal opportunities in exercising fundamental rights;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas introducing and strengthening minimum income schemes is an important and effective way to overcome poverty, support social integration and access to the labour market and meet the targets of the Europe 2020 strategy, with adequate budgetary, human and material resources, is an important and effective way to overcome poverty and promote social inclusion through a holistic approach to the causes of exclusion, combining individual and family empowerment measures with action to facilitate access to the labour market;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas many thousands of citizens currently live close to or in poverty and social exclusion while working (9.8% in the EU-281a), which makes it essential to increase wages alongside the implementation of this instrument, particularly at the lower levels; __________________ 1a Eurostat data.
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the gua rantege of an adequate minimum income and minimum wage is included in the first draft of the European Pillar of Social Rights9; whereas, at the high-level conference held in Brussels on 23 January 2017, followdocuments published by the EU institutions enshringe the public consultation on this issue, the President of the Commission, Jean- Claude Juncker, reiterated that such measures should be adopted by all Member States; __________________ 9 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions launching a consultation on a European Pillar of Social Rights (COM(2016)0127) – Annex 1.guarantee of an adequate minimum income and minimum wage, in line with practices in the Member States;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas in the Commission recommendation of 3 October 2008 on active inclusion it is stressed that adequate income support must be accompanied by access to quality services and by inclusive labour markets; whereas, likewise, promoting social inclusion requires coordinated measures that address the individual and his or her surroundings, accompanied by action to promote stable work;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O
Recital O
O. whereas unemployment leads to a fast and steady deterioration of human capitalworkers’ living conditions and their mental and emotional state, which compromises the prospects of updating their skills;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
Recital P
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes the view, however, that introducing minimum income schemes in all EU Member States - consisting of specific measures supporting people and households whose income is insufficient with a funding supply and facilitated access to services - is one of the most effective ways(including transport services) - is currently essential in order to combat poverty, guarantee an adequate standard of living and foster social integration;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Takes the view that promoting inclusive and poverty-free societies must be based on the redistribution of the wealth produced, enhancing the status of work with labour rights based on collective bargaining and wage increases, and providing universal, free and high- quality public health, social security and education services that break the cycles of exclusion and promote development;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses that investments in minimum income schemes constitute a key element for the prevention and reduction of poverty; stresses that even in times of crisis, minimum income schemes should not be regarded as a cost factor but as a core element in combating the crisis; stresses that early investments to combat poverty bring a major return in reducing long-term costs for society;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘European minimum income and poverty indicators’ and supports the proposal concerning a directive on adequate minimum income in the European Union, which should lay down commonnsistent rules and indicators, provide methods for monitoring its implementation and improve dialogue between the individuals concerned, the Member States and the EU institutionvarious operators; is of the view that a framework of this kind should be based on tangible factors and should bear in mind the social and economic context and historical practices of each Member State; calls on the Commission and the Member States, in this regard, to evaluate the manner and the means of providing an adequate minimum income in all Member States;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Considers that minimum income schemes should be embedded in a strategic approach towards social integration, involving both general policies and targeted measures - in terms of housing, health care, education and training, social services - helping people to recover from poverty and to take action themselves toaddressing individuals in such a way as to take account of their psychological and emotional state, social and family context and past life, while providing assistance in gaining access to the labour marketwork and services in order to help resolve poverty; believes that the real objective of minimum income schemes should be not simply to assist but mainly to accompany the beneficiaries in moving from situations of social exclusion to active life;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses the importance of defining appropriate eligibility criteria in order to benefit from an adequate minimum income schemeadapted to the socio- economic situation in the Member States in order to benefit from an adequate minimum income scheme; takes the view that each minimum income beneficiary should have a tailor-made integration plan with clear and specific targets involving training and up-skilling; calls for the various relevant social players to be involved in shaping minimum income policies, from defining the eligibility criteria to drawing up the integration plan;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses the need for Member States to take specific action to determine a minimum income threshold, based on relevant indicators, in order to safeguard geared to different areas (health, housing, education, income, employment, access to culture and political participation, social vulnerability) that will make it possible to monitor progress in relation to social and economic cohesion and reduceing the risk of poverty throughout the European Union; cin all the Member States; takes the view that this information should be presented annuallsy on the Council to express its views more firmlInternational Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October), highlighting developments and taking account of gender, age ranges, households, disability wsith regard to such action; uations, chronic illness, immigration, homelessness, refugee status and various income levels;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Is of the opinion that adequate minimum income schemes should set minimum incomes at a level equivalent to at leastbove the level defined as the poverty threshold, i.e. they should be set at a level above 60 % of median income in the Member State concerned;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Draws attention to the fact that the recentausterity measures that have dominated the economic policy defined by the EU in recent years have led to the economic slowdown, with rising unemployment and fewer job opportunities, puts manywhich has increased the number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion, and that this is particularly acute in some Member States that suffer from high rates of unemployment or long-term inactivity;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes with particular interthe implementation of various schemest the proposals concerning transitional job schemat have been launched in a number of Member States, which consist of the option, for those who waith the aim of promoting reintegration into to and arhe lable to work, to have a transitional job, at a pre- established minimum wage, inour market, through technical training and provision for workers, notably through the general government sector or in a non-profit institution or non-governmental organisation (NGO); stresses, however, that it is important for these schemes to promote work with rights, based on collective bargaining and on labour legislation that guarantees security for workers and corresponds to employment in permanent posts rather than systems for rotating workers without any real consequences for their sustainable employability;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Believes that job creation should be a priority for the European Union as a first step towardsng jobs with rights, based on collective bargaining and on labour legislation that guarantees security for workers, on wage increases and on better distribution of wealth, while taking account of gender equality and prospects for improving skills, is the main way to reducinge poverty; urges the Member States to boost employment policies and work with rights;