23 Amendments of Laura HUHTASAARI related to 2021/2061(INI)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7
Citation 7
– having regard to the Commission’s Springummer 2021 European Economic Forecast of 12 Ma7 July 2021,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 19 a (new)
Citation 19 a (new)
– having regard to the Commission´s State Aid Scoreboard 2020,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 19 b (new)
Citation 19 b (new)
– having regard to the Joint Employment Report 2021,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 19 c (new)
Citation 19 c (new)
– having regard to the Commission´s report on taxation trends in the EU 2021,
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas according to the Commission springSummer 2021 economic forecast, the drop in economic activity has been less than previously expected, thanksallegedly partly due to the emergency support measures designed to provide liquidity to businesses and protect the income and jobs of EU citizens;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the ratio of public debt to GDP in the EU is forecast at 94 % this year, while the euro area debt-to-GDP ratio is forecast to follow the same trend, rising to 102 % this year; whereas 7 Member States are expected to have debt-to-GDP ratios well in excess of 100 % in this year, with one Member States even going well over 200 %;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the ratio of public debt to GDP in the EU is forecast at 94 % this year, while the euro area debt-to-GDP ratio is forecast to follow the same trend, rising to an alarming 102 % this year;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas reference values of up to 3 % of planned or actual government deficit and 60 % of debt to GDP are defined by the TFEU; whereas Member States cannot be expected to enjoy the benefits of a stable, essentially northern currency, while at the same time applying southern budgetary and fiscal policies; whereas this has thus far led to a latinisation of the euro, rather than sound and responsible budgetary and fiscal policies across the Member States;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that the European economy is recoveringGDP is increasing again from the devastating impact of the global pandemic; underlines that GDP growth is not necessarily a good indicator to assess the resilience and recovery of an economy; remains concerned about low growth potential compared to othernon-EU and non-euro area regions in the post- pandemic recovery;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Is concerned about the negative impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the European economy, trade, consumer trust, income inequalities and poverty, as well as the risk of regulatory overreach, a more permissive approach to sovereign debt issues and debt-financing of national budgets, and the rise of mass surveillance;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Calls for ambitious cuts in public debt and for an ambitious overhaul of the debt-financing culture across the EU, if the common currency is to survive the next decade;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that the roll-out of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) willintends to help to make EU economies and societies more sustainable, inclusive, resilient and better prepared for the green and digital transitions; notes that the facility, which is the centrepiece of the illegally EU debt-funded 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, while at the same time binding Member States and future generations to pay back the loans and bear the interest due on the EU-issued bonds;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recalls that the NextGenerationEU programme is a one- off and should not serve as a precursor of a permanent, debt-funded programme;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Regrets the activation of the general escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact, and expects that it will remain activated at least until 2023 in order to allow increased public spending and debt financing of the Member States, which will only increase market volatility; urges the Commission and the Member States to focus rather on sustainable recovery from the consequences of the lockdown measures following the pandemic crisis and strengthen their economic and social resilience;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Recalls the specific need to prepare an orderly break-up of the euro area; calls on the Commission to prepare withdrawal scenarios for Member States to leave the euro area, including a proposal for a Treaty change to make it possible to expel Member States from the euro area, when in persistent violation of SGP rules and in persistent TARGET-2 imbalance;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Considers it essential that the escape clause is repealed as soon as possible, and to reduce high public debt ratios to an absolute minimal value in the long term;
Amendment 136 #
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 144 #
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 highlightsNotes that according to the Commission 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 of the recovery, fiscal sustainability and the need to reduce economic, social and territorial divergences;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Highlights the need to shift taxes from income to other sources, such as pollution, and from wealth of EU citizens to wealth of non-EU citizens, such as property within the EU or shares in European companies acquired by non-EU citizens; regrets in this regard that according the Commission´s 2020 report on taxation trends in the EU there has been no shift in taxation in the last 15 years;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Deplores the abuse of the crisis to further loosen monetary and fiscal policy, at both EU and Member State level, as well as the European Recovery Plan and its proposed partial debt-financing; recalls that debt-financing is prohibited under article 311 TFEU;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Highlights that according to the Commission´s state aid scoreboard 2020, the Member States with the highest need for investment and the lowest state aid expenditure as percentage of GDP, are the Member States with the least fiscal space to invest, making these Member States heavily dependent on the EU debt- financed Next Generation EU Programme; stresses that this creates an enormous moral hazard; recalls that programmes like SURE and the Next Generation EU are one-offs;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Stresses that the lack of investment is not only a question of liquidity, but also of investors´ trust in institutions, including central banks and monetary policy; believes that the very accommodative interest policies, although they might provide favorable lending conditions to banks, discourage investments by keeping yields low, and encourages people to flee in non- productive fixed assets and financial instruments, which only benefit the very wealthy;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Highlights that youth unemployment in the EU averages 17.2 %, up to 30 % in Greece, over 34 % in Italy and 38.2 % in Spain; calls on the Commission to prioritize a holistic plan to tackle youth unemployment, including through measures to foster labour mobility within the EU for young EU citizens; calls on the Commission to put a moratorium on immigration from lower and unskilled non-EU nationals until at least EU average youth unemployment drops below 5 %;