63 Amendments of Christine SCHNEIDER related to 2021/2253(INI)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
— having regard to the UN Decade on Healthy Ageing 2021-2030 and the WHO Framework for countries to achieve an integrated continuum of long-term care,
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 a (new)
Citation 23 a (new)
— having regard to the 2021 Long- term care report prepared by the Social Protection Committee (SPC) and the European Commission (DG EMPL) on “Trends, challenges and opportunities in an ageing society”,
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas care encompasses services to address the physical, psychological and social needs of dependents, as well as support to guarantee the equal exercise of rights, dignity, autonomy, inclusion and well-being for all members of society, provided by either formal or informal carers;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas silent age discrimination and unmet, unseen and unrecognized care needs are still a persisting problem in care in Europe;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the existing challenges in terms of access to formal care services and the staff shortages in the care sector, as well as the burden and lack of support to informal carers, and whereas across the EU, more than half of COVID-19 related fatalities have been recorded in long-term care settings;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the care sector needs significant investment, resources and reform, especially in elderly care;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the structures of care need to be changed from centralised institutions to community-based care; whereas that shift has been too slow; whereas patient- centred, community-based and home care can better support the autonomy of persons in need for care and support; whereas residential care often does not meet the standards of supporting independence of persons using these services and are often associated with the end of life, rather than regarded as places to live and strive in dignity, and places of participation in social and cultural life;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas changing the structures of care need to be changed from centralised institutions to community-based care; whereas that shift has been may improve the quality; whereas national differences in social policy should be respected with regard too slowthe principle of subsidiarity;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas 6.3 million professionals work in long-term care, among whom women (81 %) are overrepresented and there are increasing numbers of platform workers, as well as migrant and mobile workers; whereas 8 million new jobs are expected to be created over the next decade in both the social care and healthcare sectors;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas 7.7 million women in the EU remain out of the labour market due to their care responsibilities;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas 80 % of all long-term care in Europe is provided by informal carers, overwhelmingly women, mostly unpaid and/or without adequate support, and often with a negative impact on their physical and mental health, well-being and social inclusion, with women providing approximately two-thirds of care, which makes care an extremely gendered issue;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
La. whereas the gender pay gap in the EU stands at 14.1% and has only changed minimally over the last decade and the gender pension gap is even wider;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L c (new)
Recital L c (new)
Lc. whereas strong sectoral segregation, unequal share of paid and unpaid work, the glass ceiling and pay discrimination still persist in the EU labour market and equal pay for equal work has not been fulfilled and these serious structural issues have been neglected by all the EU Member States;
Amendment 354 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas women in the EU carry out 13 hours more of unpaid care and housework per week than men; whereas 7.7 million women in the EU remain out of the labour market owing to their care responsibilities;
Amendment 357 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)
Recital M a (new)
Ma. whereas underpaid or non-paid women take care of other women, whereas women live longer than men and represent the majority of the people receiving care, both in formal care institutions and in private homes;
Amendment 392 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)
Recital P a (new)
Pa. whereas more than one third of people over 65 years of age are living with two or more non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity or respiratory diseases1a; _________________ 1a https://www.efpia.eu/media/636465/its- time-to-power-up-health-systems.pdf
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Notes that according to the principle 18 in the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) ‘Everyone has the right to affordable long-term care services of good quality, in particular home-care and community-based services’; notes that expanding the care workforce and increasing the provision of care services will be a prerequisite for fulfilling this principle;
Amendment 444 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Notes that care services are of varying types -- from early childhood care and education, to care services for elderly and care for persons with disabilities --, and notes that care and its differing policy approaches need to be developed and recreated according to individuals’ needs;
Amendment 457 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Supports the Commission's ambition for a proposal for a Council Recommendation on a “European Care Strategy”; urges the Commission to adopt a comprehensive and holistic approach to care which includes adequate use of screening, early detection and prevention for non-communicable diseases (NCDs); urges the Commission to focus on strengthen EU's resilience in crises situations such as health crises; urges the Commission to promote research, innovation as well as business development in life-science;
Amendment 461 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Welcomes the Commission’s “NCD Roadmap” and its focus areas which include: cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, mental health and neurological disorders and determinants of health; urges the Commission to address the broader societal burden of NCD's including the gender-related inequalities for NCD carers; regrets, however, that other important NCDs have not been included in the scope such as Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.;
Amendment 475 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the need to increase fsecure the sound ing for bothvestment level in the care infrastructure across the EU, both public and private, formal and informal care across the EU, to guarantee equal access for dependants to affordable quality care services, as well as an active professional life for carers, and therefore calls on the Member States to make the best use of the European structural and investment funds, including the ESF+, as well as the Recovery and Resilience Facility, for investing in care;
Amendment 491 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises that a substantial proportion of care models, services and facilities are outdated and that care recipients should be placed at the centre of care plan, below the modern quality criteria and does not meet the physical, social and psychological needs and wishes of the people in need of care, and that people in need of care should be placed at the centre of care plans and all stages of the design, implementation and evaluation of care policies and services;
Amendment 501 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Amendment 505 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Believes that those planning, programming and providing care services have the responsibility to be aware of the users’ needs and that care services for elderly and persons with disabilities must be planned and developed with the participation of the users;
Amendment 583 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recalls that adequate and accessible social protection systems and support to families is essential and calls on the competent national authorities to ensure adequate and accessible social protection systems and integrated child protection systemsto encourage more to participate in the labour market;
Amendment 593 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Member States to provide continuous holistic support to parents, including parental entitlements and measures that encourage a more substantial role for men in the sharing of care responsibilities, including for very young childrencan make sharing of care responsibilities between parents possible; recognises national differences in social policy and stresses that respect for subsidiarity is of the essence;
Amendment 612 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Member States to reform and integrate their social services and protection systems in such a way as to provide effective and equal access to care services throughout the life course, taking a personalised and patient-centered approach, in order to enhance access to care, the continuity of care, preventive healthcare, rehabilitation and, whenever possible, independent living and inclusion in the community;
Amendment 633 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that accessibility derives from a combination of cost and flexibility; believes that in this respect different forms of care service provision should be available, such as in in-home and community-based settings, both public and private, care at home and in home-like settings, and that furthermore a family member should either be able to voluntarily provide care or be subsidised to procure the care services;
Amendment 638 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Highlights the need to support the development of online services, the training to increase digital competencies of the cared and their carers, and improving of internet access and connections to improve the quality of care and to benefit from technology in offering quality care in all stages of life; notes that health technology can be the biggest unequalizer or connector depending on its genuine accessibility;
Amendment 643 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Calls on the Member States to explore the possibility of integrating in their social protection systems solutions that allow a more personalised approach;
Amendment 644 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13c. Notes that the populations benefitting from long-term care go beyond the elderly and include people living with rare diseases for whom care is provided throughout all lifecycles, with a majority of rare diseases having their onset during childhood;
Amendment 663 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses that the free movement of persons and workers is one of the key pillars of the EU, but that challenges to cross-border care remain; calls for the protection of different societal models and the social security rights of all mobile care workers and care receivers; recognises national differences in social policy and stresses that respect for subsidiarity is of the essence;
Amendment 678 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Repeats its call for a common definition of disability, as well asCalls for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including the definition of disability, result in a common approach to disability on EU level and a more mutual recognition of disability statuses in the Member States;
Amendment 717 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Encourages the Member States to promote the provision of adequate, inclusive and accessible care, technical aids and housing for people with disabilities of all ages, as well as support to their families and network; notes that special efforts should be made to promote de-institutionalization including in the field of mental health;
Amendment 719 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Calls on the Commission to form a platform and to call up a summit of experts, social partners, interest groups, patient organisations, carers organisations and care recipients and their representatives to discuss and develop community-based care fit for 2030;
Amendment 732 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Calls on the Commission to start an initiative on environmentally sustainable care and pay attention and support green care projects and greening of care overall;
Amendment 749 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Notes that between 40 and 50throughout the EU, 44 million people in the EUare provideing informal care on a regular basislong-term care at least once a week; notes that this work tends to be long term and can hinder formal labour market participation, resulting in a loss of income and aggravating the gender pay and pension gap;
Amendment 752 #
19a. Notes that informal care is an extremely gendered issue as women are overrepresented in providing informal care activities, making up around 60% of informal carers, and providing informal care for more hours than men;
Amendment 753 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Highlights that an ageing European population has led to a growing prevalence of NCDs which has increased the number of informal carers in the EU; underlines that most informal carers in the EU are women;
Amendment 758 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Notes that of elderly people aged more than 65, 8% or more than 7 million people receive informal care in the EU; for people aged 75 and above, the number relying on informal care amounts to 11%;
Amendment 760 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19 c. Notes that at least 8% of all children in Europe are involved in the provision of informal long-term care, with a negative impact on their physical and mental health, educational experience, employability and social inclusion;
Amendment 763 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 d (new)
Paragraph 19 d (new)
19d. Stresses that informal carers must have their needs assessed and addressed in their own right, without being conditional on the services or supports of the cared-for person;
Amendment 764 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
Amendment 769 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Highlights the need forto develop a common European minimum definition for informal care, a commitment by Member States, and Council Recommendations on informal care including national recommendations, including respect for the right to self- determination of persons receiving care;
Amendment 774 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls for common European guidelines and status for informal carers as informal care is currently not adequately recognized and acknowledged in terms of different forms of informal care;
Amendment 785 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges the Commission to propose a common coherent package of actions at EU level on informal care, to identify and recognise the different types of informal care provided in Europe, and to guarantee carers financial support and other additional support services, including time off for carers, and a work-life balance and rehabilitation services for carers and care recipientwork towards a common definition of informal care to achieve further mutual recognition in the Member States;
Amendment 788 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges the Commission to propose a common coherent package of actions at EU level oesent to the Council for approval a European Carers programme and individually a European iInformal cCarers programme, to identify and recognise the different types of informal care provided in Europe, and to guarantee carers financial support and other additional support services, including time off for carers, and a work-life balance and rehabilitation services for carers and care recipients;
Amendment 797 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Urges the Commission and the Member States to support civil society organisations supporting and representing informal carers, in order for these organisations to bring their perspective and contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of policies concerning informal care;
Amendment 828 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Calls on the Member States to increase investments in care services and their quality, and in special measures that allow carers to maintain an active professional life;
Amendment 833 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Encourages the Member States to reflect periods spent on care responsibilities in pension schemes, with a view to reducing and eventually closing the gender pension gap;
Amendment 845 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Member States to ensure decent working conditions for all workers in the care sector, both formal and informal, and to adopt high standards of occupational health and safety, in line with andor beyond the ambition of the recently adopted EU strategic framework on health and safety at work 2021-2027;
Amendment 876 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls on the Member States to strengthen social dialogue and promote collective bargaining and collective agreements in the care sector, both profit and non-profit, as crucial mechanisms for the improvement of employment and working conditions and for tackling the gender pay gap, and as the most effective tools for securing an increase in the minimum wage and in wages in generalensure adequate wages;
Amendment 918 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls on the Member States to swiftly and fully transpose and implement the Work-Life Balance Directive; stresses that only an equalrecognises the importance of making shareing of care responsibilities between men and women by means of non-transferable and adequately paid leave periodsparents possible, which would enable more women to increasingly engage in full-time employment and achieve a work- life balance; recognises national differences in social policy and stresses that respect for subsidiarity is of the essence;
Amendment 965 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Underlines the need to recognise the entrepreneurial potential of women in the care sector who can contribute with innovations such as new technologies; notes that women are overrepresented as professionals working in the care sector and are an valuable and untapped source of entrepreneurial potential in Europe;
Amendment 970 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Notes that there is a need to recognize and value care also economically in European economies, budgeting and statistics;
Amendment 971 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 b (new)
Paragraph 28 b (new)
28b. Stresses the impact of green environments, daily access to different forms of nature and outdoors in good quality living conditions of people needing care, notes that studies show that access to nature has substantial benefits for both physical and mental health of all people, especially those needing care, and highlights the need to facilitate access to nature and outdoors for people dependent on care as well as to support nature-based solutions in the care sector;
Amendment 995 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Calls on the Member States to increase investments and invest EU funds in care services and their quality, including the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the EU4Health Programme and the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), in care infrastructure and facilitate accessible and affordable services for all;
Amendment 998 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 b (new)
Paragraph 30 b (new)
30b. Calls on the Commission to strengthen the provision of funding for all types of care services through the European Social Fund+ and other financial instruments, which aim to fund social infrastructure;
Amendment 1002 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 d (new)
Paragraph 30 d (new)
30d. Calls for a European framework to strategically upskill and reskill workers and to formally recognise carers’ skills through a certification process;
Amendment 1003 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 e (new)
Paragraph 30 e (new)
Amendment 1004 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 f (new)
Paragraph 30 f (new)
30f. Calls on the Commission to set up a European Expert Group on Care, bringing together public authorities, European NGOs representing people who draw on care, service providers, as well as other stakeholders, such as researchers, to create innovative care solutions, to ensure future-proof care systems and to phase out institutionalized care and replace it with community-based or home-based care and/or use of personalized budgets and personalised design of care;
Amendment 1005 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Calls on the Member States to formulate and revise their care policies in permanent dialogue with social partners, experts, civil society and representative organisations of care recipients and carers; and to encourage civil dialogue between civil society NGOs and public authorities at national and EU level to support in creating effective social care policy solutions which fit the needs of the people on the ground;
Amendment 1020 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Calls for an external scientific and ethical evaluation on the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the care sector, on the actions of the European Union as a whole as well as on the actions of the Member States, and for an evaluation on the level of preparedness that the EU now has for pandemics;