35 Amendments of Monica SEMEDO related to 2021/2251(INI)
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls the strong need for culture and education, as the backbone of oEuropean democracy, values, society and economy, to receive support from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), also with regard to the green and digital transitions;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Calls on the Member States to use the available funding from RRF to bolster both the short-term recovery of the whole cultural ecosystem as well as the resilience, competitiveness, innovation and sustainability of the cultural and creative sectors and industries (CCSI) in the long term;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas, according to the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard, Member States have put forward 228 measures with a focus on supporting children and youth; whereas 74% of the measures focus on general, vocational and higher education and training capacity, as well as accessibility, affordability, quality and inclusiveness, including digitisation and infrastructure, the performance of education and increasing capacity in higher education; whereas 14% of the measures that Member States included are dealing with early childhood education and care, early school leaving and child poverty; whereas 12% of the measures focus on tackling youth unemployment through job creation, hiring, job transition incentives and support for self-employment;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Calls for the promotion of cross- border approaches to culture and the search for European partners for the creation of major European cultural co- productions, fostering the mobility of artists and creators by reinforcing cooperation of all involved actors and exchanges of best practices;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the RRF created an unprecedented structure adapted to addressing the complex effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on economy, society and institutions; whereas the RRF will drive Member States' reforms and investments in line with the EU’s priorities as set out in the six pillars;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1 d. Underlines that besides economic recovery of the CCSI, the support from RRF should be used also for the improvement of working conditions, training, up- and reskilling of workers in these sectors in order to keep up with the structural changes underway;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights that the cultural and creative sectorsCCSI were among those hit first and the hardest by the pandemic and will be the last to recover, given the restrictions in capacity of cultural events and venues, as well as postponements or cancellations of events;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas social and territorial cohesion is one of the six pillars of the RRF; whereas creating and fostering high- quality employment creation is one of the objectives included in the RRF Regulation; whereas this should be achieved through a comprehensive package of reforms and investments in order to promote social impact investments, as well as stable employments contracts, decent wages, collective bargaining and social protection coverage;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Recalls that the European cultural and creative sectors including industries account for between 4 and 7 % of the EU’s GDP and for about 8.7 million jobs in the EU; emphasizes that these figures are not adequately reflected in the national recovery and resilience plans, leaving the cultural and creative sectors considerably underrepresented in the EU’s overall effort to overcome the pandemic and support the recovery and resilience of the European economy;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Emphasizes that the European Parliament repeatedly and with an overwhelming majority - e.g. in its resolution of 17 September 2020 on the cultural recovery of Europe and in its resolution of 20 October 2021 on the situation of artists and the cultural recovery in the EU - called on the Commission and the Member States to include culture in the national recovery and resilience plans and to earmark at least 2 % of the RRF budget to culture;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2 c. Recalls that atypical employment (part-time and fixed-duration contracts, temporary work and economically dependent self-employment) is commonplace for authors, performers, artists and many other cultural creators, often leading to precarious working conditions; highlights that the pandemic has exposed and exacerbated this situation which poses a fundamental threat to the EU’s cultural ecosystem, to Europe’s cultural diversity and to our democracy and society;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights that the COVID-19 crisis has already left many young people jobless or in precarious employment; calls on the Commission and Member Sstates to fight against youth unemployment and to ensure that young people, especially those not in employment, education or training (NEETs), receive adequate, paid and quality first working experience; condemns the practice of unpaid internships as a form of exploitation of young workers, and a violation of their rights, and calls on the Commission and the Member States, in collaboration with Parliament, and respecting the principle of subsidiarity, to propose a common legal framework to ensure fair remuneration for traineeships and apprenticeships in order to avoid exploitative practices;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Opposes the Commission’s approach to incorporate not strictly cultural interventions such as tourism and energy efficiency of cultural buildings in the calculations, resulting in misleading statistics; calls for a recalculation and reassessment of the data available; of the overall RRF spending on the cultural sector, resulting in a lack of precise statistical information on Member States’ areas of action; calls for a recalculation and reassessment of the data available; calls on the Commission to collect, publish and periodically update comprehensive and disaggregated data on Member States’ interventions in the field of culture, as well as media, youth and sports in the framework of the implementation of RRF funds;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Notes that the thematic analysis of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) in terms of education actions published on the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard website is incomplete and rather general; calls therefore on the Commission to conduct more detailed analysis also in this regard, including on citizenship education as well as on actions fostering media literacy and critical thinking;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that Member States must adopt reforms and includeHighlights that, according to the Commission estimates provided to the European Parliament working group on the Recovery and Resilience Facility, Member States included in their plans measures dedicated to children and youth worth EUR 49.21 billion, representing approximately 11,5% of the total budget of the 22 recovery and resilience plans currently approved; stresses that Member States must include reforms and investments in the next generation, children and the youth in line with the objectives of the Child Guarantee and reinforced Youth Guarantee; recalls that there is RRF funding expressly available for the development of education, training and skills, particularly digital skills; stresses, further, the importance of the mutual recognition of skills, qualifications and competences in fostering labour mobility in order to access financing under the RRF and ensure complementarity between RRF, ESF+ and EU programmes; calls on the Commission to closely monitor Member States' investment in this area via the Semester cycle and the national reform programmes in line with the RRF, while involving social partners in the monitoring and evaluation of the national recovery and resilience plans;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Stresses the need to address skills gaps and skills obsolescence in the EU in order to address labour market shortages which are holding back productivity and economic growth; stresses the need to transform and modernise education and training in light of the digital and green transitions enhancing the acquisition of digital skills and education particularly and promoting VET and lifelong learning; recalls the RRF funding expressly available for the development of education, training and skills, particularly digital skills; further stresses the importance of the mutual recognition of skills, qualifications and competences in fostering labour mobility and addressing labour market; demands and welcomes in this regard the Commission proposals for Council Recommendations on individual learning accounts and micro-credentials and urges the Council to adopt and implement the proposals without delay;
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls previous requests urging the Member States to dedicate at least 2 % of the budget of each national RRF plan to cultureCCSI and 10 % to education; criticises the fact that these already misleading with concrete, inclusive measures accessible to all; points out that these numbers have been achieved at an aggregated EU level only;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Notes that only half of the Member States decided to include digital training of teachers and educators in their NRRPs; in the context of the digital transformation and the increased relevance of distance and blended learning during the pandemic, considers this number insufficient and encourages Member States to put more emphasis on teachers’ digital skills in their reforms of education systems;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Urges the Member States to put the recovery and resilience of the cultural and creative sectors at the core of their investments into culture, with a particular focus on improving the overall situation of authors, performers, artists and all other cultural creators who are the ones to create the cultural works that our democracy, society and economy benefit from;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Underlines that any action taken to help the cultural and creative sectors in their recovery should not only be aimed at economic recovery, but also be used for the improvement of the working conditions of authors, performers, artists and all other cultural creators as well as for their up- and reskilling with regards to i.a. knowledge of their rights, the opportunities of the digital era and the possibilities of international mobility;
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Underlines that high-quality education systems provide the foundation for the EU’s global competitiveness, and recalls that well-functioning education and training systems require high levels of public investment; calls on the Member States to make ambitious use of funds available through the recovery plan to drive investment in education, with the objective of creating a genuine EuropeanEducation Area;
Amendment 85 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Welcomes the fact that the Commission has already received first payment requests under the RRF; urges the Commission to ensure a fast deployment of payments and to closely monitor the implementation of reforms and investments;
Amendment 89 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Strongly believes that for the correct implementationin order to truly achieve the goals of the RRF, a special focus should be given to micro and small organisations, including independent ones; emphasizes at the same time the need to pay special attention to organisations in remote rural areas;
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Emphasises that the cultural and creative sectors and industries (CCSI) are strategic for European citizens and economy, and that their workers must benefit from a genuine European recovery, in view of the fact that CCSI are an atypical sector made up of players characterised by the pre-eminence of small structures (SMEs or self-employed entrepreneurs) and often depending on irregular income; Deplores that the deteriorating economic situation of many households will lead to a diminishing rate of participation in many cultural activities, further jeopardising the remuneration of creators, particularly in terms of copyright, or even suspending it, for as long as productions are put on hold;
Amendment 100 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. CNotes that, according to the Commission estimates provided to the European Parliament working group on the Recovery and Resilience Facility, EUR 188 bln have been allocated for measures related to the social and territorial cohesion in the 22 approved plans; regrets that social investment measures were rather restricted towards social infrastructure and did not allow the development of proper care services and temporary relief measures; calls on the Commission and the Member States to support legislative and policy initiatives aimed at reducing inequalities and promoting decent working conditions for all, with a particular focus on telework, the right to disconnect, mental well-being at work, occupational health and safety, ensuring quality jobs for essential workers, and strengthening the role of the social partners and collective bargaining; calls in this regard for the swift adoption of the directives on improving working conditions in platform work and on adequate minimum wages in the European Union;
Amendment 109 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. StressesRecalls that COVID-19 crisis has made artists and cultural and creative professionals even more vulnerable, as the loss of earnings for non-standard workers, who make up the majority of the CCSI, has been exacerbated by weak or absent national social security schemes and dedicated support measures; Stresses therefore the need for sustainable structural reforms targeting education and the cultural and creative sectors, and in particular regarding social security and legal status in the latter; regrets that such reforms are planned in only a minority of Member States;
Amendment 122 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Recalls the importance of mutual recognition and cross-border portability of artistic competences and creative skills and qualifications facilitating cross- border mobility of workers in CCSI; Encourages the Member States to take action in this regard within their NRRPs;
Amendment 125 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the creation and publication of the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard. steps taken by the Commission in order to ensure full transparency in implementing of the RRF, such as making the Operational Arrangements concluded with the Member States available of the dedicated RRF website as well as launching Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard, that contains data on the plans submitted by Member States, approved by the Commission and endorsed by the Council; Reiterates the importance of the Recovery and Resilience Scoreboard in providing a clear framework for the additionality impact, as well as ensuring a qualitative analysis of the reforms and investments proposed; urges the Member States to provide detailed information to the Commission in order to ensure an effective reporting of the impact of the RRF;
Amendment 129 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Amendment 137 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Reiterates the importance of a successful implementation by the Member States in order to ensure a long-term impact on the EU economy and society; urges the Commission to use all lessons learned from the creation and implementation of the RRF in shaping the new EU economic governance framework;
Amendment 142 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Commission to commit to transparency and to examine the possibility of redirecting unused or saved RRF resources to culture, education, youth, sports and media; recalls that the RRF resources can and should be used in combination with other funds and programmes aimed for these areas, available on European as well as national and regional levels, in order to create synergies and speed up their recovery and strengthen their transformation towards more resilience;
Amendment 147 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Recalls that 2022 is the European Year of Youth which aims to put young Europeans in the centre of the attention and to empower as well as support them in renewing their positive perspectives, especially in the context of the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on them; calls on the Member States to adopt adequate measures in their NRRPs adressing this reality as a complement to the EuropeanYear of Youth actions, while calling on the Commission to ensure the funding of the legacy of those actions beyond 2022;