21 Amendments of Martin SCHIRDEWAN related to 2021/2061(INI)
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the European Semester plays an essential role inis supposed to coordinatinge economic and budgetary policies in the Member States; deplores that from the introduction of the European Semester in 2011 to 2018, the Commission recommended 63 times that governments cut spending on healthcare or privatise health services;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the reference values of up to 3 % of planned or actual government deficit and 60 % of debt to GDP, ares defined by the TFEU, are not underpinned by solid economic reasoning, are detached from current reality and no longer viable;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas when those rules were adopted in the 1990s, the prevailing economic conditions in the EU were significantly different to those that prevail today : in 1997 interest rates were approximately 5 per cent for long-term government borrowing, the average public debt-to-GDP ratio in the EU was between 65 and 70 per cent of GDP, the median public debt among the 11 initial eurozone members was around 60 per cent of GDP, the forecast GDP growth rate was 3 per cent annually, and inflation was forecast at 2 per cent;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas aspects relating to the possible future of the EU economic governance framework were dealt with by the review of the macroeconomic legislative framework in the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of 22 June 2021 dedicated to that issue; regrets the lack of ambition in this report to call for changes to the Treaties and fundamentally transform the EU's economic governance in a progressive spirit;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that the roll-out of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) will helpis supposed to make EU economies and societies more sustainable, inclusive, resilient and better prepared for thea just green and digital transitions; notes that the facility, which is the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU, will provide large- scale financial support to Member States of up to EUR 672.5 billion in grants and loans to finance reforms and investments; regrets that larger part of the financial support consists of loans; highlights that investment financed through loans is projected to have less of a positive impact on output in comparison to investment financed through grants1a; _________________ 1aECB (January 2021) Occasional Paper Series, No 225. The macroeconomic impact of the Next Generation EU instrument on the euro area: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/scpops /ecb.op255~9391447a99.en.pdf
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls for an exclusion EU-issued debt from the ECB’s monetary financing prohibition using provisions of Article 125 TFEU and following similar specifications made in Council Regulation (EC) No 3603/93 of 13 December 1993;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that the general escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact will continue to be applied in 2022 and is concerned that it is expected to be deactivated as of 2023; notes, furthermore, that the decision to deactivate the general escape clause should be taken as an overall assessment of the state of the economy based on quantitative criteria, with the level of economic activity in the EU compared to pre-crisis insists that it needs to remain activated until the EU framework for fiscal policy has been fundamentally transformed; notes that the existing headline debt and deficit benchmarks are complevtels as the key quantitative criterion; points out that country-specific situations will continue to be taken into account after the deactivation of the general escape clausey detached from reality and insists that their application is discontinued;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Is concernedNotes that according to the baseline scenario of the Commission’s latest Debt Sustainability Monitor, the debt ratio in the euro area is to peak at 104.6 % in 2024 and 2025, while the debt ratio in the Union is to peak at 96.5 % in 2024, before declining once again; however, recognises that the low interest rate environment reduces pressure on fiscal policy by reducing sovereign debt servicing costs; insists that the implications of the low interest rates and monetary policy measures be properly factored into the analysis of the medium- term sustainability of sovereign debt;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls for the cancellation of public debt already purchased by the ECB to support Member States in making the necessary investment to recover from the crisis;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Is convinced that coordination of national fiscal policies remains crucial in underpinning the recovery; notes that the overall fiscal stance, taking into account national budgets and the RRF, should remain supportive in 2021 and 2022;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Highlights that fiscal policy should remain agile and adjust to the evolving situation as warranted, and that a premature withdrawal of fiscal support should be avoided; further highlights the expectation that economic activity will gradually normalise in the second half of 2021 and agrees that Member States’ fiscal policies should become more differentiated in 2022, duly taking into account the state ofges the Commission and Council to not return to austerity policies as implemented in response to the global financial crisis and sovereign debt crisis; stresses that cuts to public spending have a contractionary impact on the economy and calls for a rejection of this approach in the recovery, fiscal sustainability and the need to reduce economic, social and territorial divergencesrom the pandemic; notes that these damaging policies are enshrined in the Stability and Growth Pact rules as well as the Six-Pack and Two-Pack, and that a break with this framework will require significant legislative change;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that Member States with high debt should use the RRF to finance additional investment to support the recovery, while pursuing a prudent fiscal policy; sStresses the importance of the Member States using the potential of the RFF to support the necessary structural changes and the just transformation to more globally competitive, future-proof, agile industries; agrees that the growth of nationally future fit industries; highlights the signifincanced current expenditure should be kept under of public investment, which should be excluded from the constrol and be limited for Member States with high debt,aints of debt and deficit rules; allowing fiscal measures to maximise support to the recovery without pre- empting future fiscal trajectories and creating a permanent burden on public financesand the digital, ecological and social transformation;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for a focus on fiscal structural reforms, including reforms enhancing efficient spending, and acknowledges that high-quality public finance resource management is crucial; calls on the Member States to take action to further tackle tax fraud, tax avoidance, and tax evasion, as well as money laundering; reiterates that effective actions in this area from Member States instil confidence in the governance of public finances;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. WelcomNotes the fact that the updated New European Industrial Strategy, the European Digital Strategy and all the other relevant strategies set out the framework for speeding up Europe’s recovery and transition towards a cleaner, more digital, and more resilient economic and industrial model, as well as for building a stronger and more resilient single market; highlights that all measures, and notably those linked to the digital and green transformations, should also be assessed from a social perspective in order to avoid risks for job destruction or labour market disruption, risks of employment polarization due to the destruction of middle skilled jobs and ensure that digitalisation and green transition processes of companies are not used as an excuse for labour cost reduction strategies;
Amendment 235 #
16. Highlights that tackling structural challenges is crucial for a sustainable recovery and continued growth, and that implementing reforms to address structural vulnerabilities is key not only to improving the ability to withstand and cope with existing challenges but also to accomplishing the twin transitions in a sustainable and fair mannerjust manner; stresses, however, that reforms must not aim for the promotion of cost competitiveness through downward wage flexibility; instead, calls for measures that promote wage-led growth by means of high quality employment ensuring stable contracts, decent wages, collective bargaining coverage and social protection floors, including decent pensions substantially above the poverty threshold;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Recallgrets that Member States, in their recovery and resilience plans, are required to effectively address all or a significant subset of challenges identified in the relevant CSRs, including the fiscal aspects thereof, and that beyond the scope of the RRF, those recomme; rejects the policy- conditionality attached to the RRF as past experiences with policy-condaitions that are not addressed remain valid and will continue to be monitored under the European Semester frameworkality gave rise to valid opposition given the lack of democratic legitimacy and the inadequacy of the policy-measures that caused social damage;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Is seriously concerned that from the introduction of the European Semester in 2011, the specific policy measures demanded in the country- specific recommendations focus on limiting wage growth, increasing the threshold age for receiving a pension, privatising state-owned enterprises, cutting public spending on health care provision, promoting longer working hours, reducing job security, and cutting funds to social services - all of which have contributed to weakening states', institutions' and individuals' capacity to respond to the outbreak of the pandemic;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Welcomes the Council’s recommendation to increase the level of public investment and to ensure the effective involvement of social partners in policymaking, and strengthen social dialogue and collective bargaining;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Welcomes the Council’s recommendation to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy and make further progress to combat aggressive tax planning and support a shift towards carbon pricing and environmental taxation;