Activities of Dragoş PÎSLARU related to 2022/0212(BUD)
Plenary speeches (1)
General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023 - all sections (debate)
Opinions (1)
OPINION on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023
Amendments (22)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that the social and economic consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and, the COVID-19 pandemichigh inflation, and more generally the uncertain economic outlook require a strong response for peopleare affecting the post-pandemic economic recovery of the EU and require a strong response for people, particularly for the young generation, families, workers and businesses, especially SMEs; highlights in that regard the crucial role of Union funds and financial instruments, including the Next Generation EU with the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), which complement the action bythe annual Union budget for the year 2023 and in particular the EU funds and financial instruments in the social and employment area, including the Next Generation EU with the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), to ensure an economically and socially sustainable, just, inclusive and non-discriminatory recovery; points out that the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) a(ESF) + is the key driver for strengthening the social dimension of the Union and ensuring a socially sustainable, just, inclusive and non-discriminatory recoverthe main instrument for investing in people, promoting high employment levels, building social protection and developing a skilled and resilient workforce ready for the transition to a green and digital economy in line with the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, as well as; highlights as well the importance of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) and, the Just Transition Fund (JTF); welcomes the triggering of the Temporary Protection Directive with regard to persons fleeing the war in Ukraine and seeking refuge on the territory of the Union, and calls for continuing funding for its implementation, ReactEU with its additional resources for ESF+, the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD);
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Supports all efforts in welcoming people fleeing the war in Ukraine, regardless of their origin or nationality; welcomes the triggering of the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) and the Cohesion’s action for refugees in Europe (CARE) with regard to persons fleeing the war and seeking refuge on the EU territory, and calls for continuing funding for its implementation; calls on the Commission to carefully monitor the implementation of the TPD by Member States and to provide the relevant guidance to facilitate this implementation; is concerned with existing forms of discrimination and exploitation, and unequal treatment in terms of wages and working conditions affecting refugees in many European countries; highlights the socio-economic and infrastructural challenges faced by Member States hosting persons fleeing the war in Ukraine – particularly those bordering Ukraine and experiencing the biggest influx of such persons;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights that the EU budget should help create quality employment, reduce povertymust help Member States foster a just transition, social and economic justice and resilience, create quality employment and decent working conditions, with adequate wages and social security protection, high occupational health and safety standards and gender-balanced opportunities, eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, especially affecting children and increase upward socialo- economic convergence, particularly in a time of unprecedented and cumulated crises so that no one is left behind; stresses that factors such as supply chain disruption, including in the food supply, high energy prices, rising inflation and continued pressure on essential services have exacerbated social and economic inequalities and worsened the living and working conditions, as well as the mental health, and well-being of many workers and their families; insists on the need to tackle territorial and regional disparitie, and will put the EU economy at risk in many sectors, with consequences in terms of unemployment, reduction of purchasing power of households and workers, drop into poverty and social inequalities affecting the most vulnerable populations of our societies; insists on the need to tackle territorial and regional disparities and to increase support to the most vulnerable, deprived and disadvantaged groups; takes note of the Commission’s intention to come up with an amending letter this autumn with regards to the budgetary consequences of the war in Ukraine and the RePowerEU initiative; stresses in that regard the importance of taking into account the socio-economic implications of the war and recommends that the potential of supplementing ESF+ funding be analysed;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Welcomes the creation of the CARE and CARE + initiatives; considers that the EU should first use existing financial resources to mitigate the consequences of the war and address the immediate needs of Ukrainian displaced persons; underlines, in that respect, the need to fully use the flexibility provisions to disburse available EU funds as soon as possible; calls on the Commission to make it possible for Member States to use financial resources from unrequested RRF loans to cover the negative economic and social costs resulting from the war;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that the economic and social consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, and more generally the uncertain economic outlook require a strong response for people, particularly for the young generation, families, workers and businesses, especially SMEs; highlights in that regard the crucial role of Union funds and financial instruments, including the Next Generation EU with the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), as well as the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) and the Just Transition Fund (JTF) which complement the action by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) as the key driver for strengthening the social dimension of the Union and ensuring an economically and socially sustainable, just, inclusive and non-discriminatory recovery in line with the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, as well as the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) and the Just Transition Fund (JTF); welcomes the triggering of the Temporary Protection Directive with regard to persons fleeing the war in Ukraine and seeking refuge on the territory of the Union, and calls for continuing funding for its implementation; considers that the EU should first use existing financial resources to mitigate the consequences of the war within the EU; asks the Commission, therefore, to make it possible for Member States to use financial resources from unrequested Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) loans to cover the negative economic and social costs resulting from the war;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Calls on both the European Commission and the Member States to ensure that RePowerEU is deployed as quickly as possible and targeted to people, businesses and industries who are disproportionately affected by growing energy prices;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. SHighlights that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create uncertainties and that it is therefore important to continue supporting the recovery and addressing the social and employment-related challenges resulting from the pandemic, as well as supporting workers and businesses in the move towards a more solidarity-based digital, greener and climate neutral economy; stresses the importance of adequate policies and measures to support just labour market transition, as well as to further develop resilient socialto strengthen the competitiveness of our economies, as well as to invest in social inclusion and further develop resilient and sustainable social protection systems acroundss the Union; insists on the need for up- and reskilling policiEU, not least by supporting measures for children, young and older people ; insists on the need for the creation of decent and sustainable quality jobs, up- and reskilling, and life-long learning policies for workers, to strengthen education and training programmes that keep up with the demands of a modern labour market; insists on the need to invest in social infrastructures to address the demographic challenge, and the green and digital transition; insistfor unemployment prevention mechanisms and professional reconversion tools to be made available to workers in order to sustainably support the green and digital transition and in order to achieve the objectives onf the importance of investing in social inclusion and support measures for children and young peopleAction Plan adopted in Porto; in that regard, highlights the need to fully implement the Just Transition Mechanism and to swiftly adopt the Social Climate Fund; insists on adequate housing as a human right and the need to have access to decent and affordable housing for all; calls on the Commission to ensure sufficient funding for the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness in order to achieve the objective of ending homelessness by 2030; recalls that the integration into the labour market of those who are able to work and of the most vulnerable groups, such as people in poverty or at risk of poverty and social exclusion, people with disabilities, young and eolderly people, the unemployed, and people displaced as a result of the war in Ukraine, is paramount; people, Roma people, the (long-term) unemployed, migrants, refugees and people displaced from Ukraine, as well as migrants and refugees affected by different conflicts in the world, is paramount; highlights that investing in employment and quality services in rural areas is key to combatting territorial inequalities and addressing demographic trends in those areas;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. WelcomesTakes note of the Commission proposal to allocate EUR 16,7129 billion in 2023 to ESF+ to support Member State policies to ensure equal opportunities, equal access to the labour market, fair and quality working conditions, social protection and inclusion, in particular focussing on quality and inclusive education and training, lifelong learning, investment in children and young people and access to basic services but expresses general concerns with the significantly reduced margin for heading 2a and 2b, which will reduce the flexibility to react in a time of rising inflation, uncertain socio- economic situation as a consequence of the war in Ukraine and the ongoing health crisis; insists that ESF+ must continue playing a key role in supporting Member States, people and regions to achieve high employment levels, adequate that ensure adequate wages, decent working conditions, healthy work environments and social security coverage, fair social protection and a skilled, competitive and resilient workforce ready for the transition to a green and digital economy; and for the future world of work, as well as inclusive and cohesive societies aiming to eradicating poverty and delivering on the principles set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Notes that the ESF+ was adopted before the current crisis situation, which currently implies higher public and social investment than planned so far and that the current financial programming risks not to meet the existing needs;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls the obligation by Member States with rate of young people who are not in employment, education or training that isStresses the need for policymakers at both EU and national level to prioritise combating youth unemployment, in particular as part of the European recovery effort, and to facilitate and support young people (re-) entering and remaining in the labour market, accessing good quality housing, and completing their educational trajectory and developing skills, including digital and green economy skills and to make full use of existing initiatives, such as the Youth Guarantee (YG); recalls the obligation by Member States with a higher share than the Union average Union of young people of 15 to 29 years who are not in employment, education or training to allocate at least 12,5 % of their ESF+ resources to implement the Reinforced Youth Guarantee and calls on all Member States, not only those most affected by youth unemployment, to continue to invest sufficient ESF+ resources in measures to support youth employment; calls on the Member States to make the best use of the Employment and Social Innovation strand (EaSI) of ESF+ for investment in social innovation, and for stimulating labour mobility; takes note ofregrets the late start of EaSI in 2021 and the reduced budget for 2023 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues, and expects that it willhighlights the need to catch up and reach its full working regime in 2024; stresses the importance of following up the European Year of Youth 2022 with concrete actions and policies for social inclusion and employment measures for young people, not least to fully and effectively implement the measures foreseen in the EU Action Plan for Social Economy; stresses the importance of following up the European Year of Youth 2022 with concrete actions and policies proposed by young people for social inclusion, housing, and to combat precariousness, and low wages and the violation of the right to decent housing, and to protect workers' rights, as well as to further develop employment and entrepreneurship measures for young people, beyond 2023 and supported by adequate funding; recalls that the Commission should report on a regular basis on the implementation of the Council recommendations establishing a European Child Guarantee and reinforcing a Youth Guarantee;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that Member States with a level of child poverty above the Union average should use at least 5 % of their ESF+ resources to address that issue, whereas all other Member States must allocate an appropriate amountDeplores the fact that more than a quarter of all children in the EU are in or at risk of poverty or social exclusion; stresses that, in the context of the war in Ukraine, tackling child poverty will become even more important in the coming years; welcomes, in this regard, the creation of the European Child Guarantee and calls for the Commission to provide an analysis on the contribution of the each national operational programme to the European Child Guarantee; calls on the Commission and the Member States to pay particular attention to the implementation of the European Child Guarantee towards ensuring access to free quality services for children in need, especially those fleeing Ukraine so that they are on an equal footing with their EU national peers in the hosting countries; repeats its calls to urgently increase the funding of the European Child Guarantee with a dedicated budget of at least EUR 20 billion; recalls in this regard the Parliament position that all Member States, not only those most affected by child poverty, should allocate at least 5 % of their ESF+ resources to targeted actunder shared management to support activities under the European Child Guarantee; moreover calls on the Commissions to combat child poverty and support the implementation of the Child Guarantee; make available - and on the Member States to make full use of - all available resources for the effective implementation of the Child Guarantee including the ESF+, ReactEU, RRF, etc;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls the importance of EGF for its one-offto demonstrate solidarity with and provide reactive assistance to dismissplaced workers so that they can find another job as rapidlor self-employed persons, whose activity has possible inceased due to major restructuring events, in particular those caused by importto support them in returning to decent and sustainable employment, in particular those affected by globalisation, important changes in world trade patterns, trade disputes, significant changes in trade relations of the Union or the composition of the internal market, and financial or economic crises, as well as the transition to a low-carbon economy or as a consequence of digitisation or automation; takes note that the level of EGF commitment appropriations in reserve for 2023 is set at EUR 205,3 million (approximately +1 % compared to 2022 and corresponding to the maximum MFF amount);
Amendment 12 #
11. Recalls that the Union agencies play an important role in providing Union institutions and countries with specialised knowledge notably on employment and social issues and that they must be given the necessary resources to fulfil their tasks which are evolving; takes notes that the 2023 budgetary estimates for agencies 2023 are in line with the budget programming and that an additional EUR 649 592,00 are planned for Eurofound to help it cope with the sharp increase in the coefficient corrector in Ireland; welcomes that the steep increase in the Irish coefficient corrector for Eurofound is at least partly compensated; recalls the need to ensure an adequate allocation of funds for the European Labour Authority, which is crucial to ensure stability and full delivery of its mandate, including by providing adequate and permanent staffing and for attracting the best qualified candidates for the posts; recognises that ELA should have the necessary resources to support and strengthen the capacity of national labour inspectorates and authorities, as well as social partners, in order to contribute to fair labour mobility and tackle cross- border fraud and abuses;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights that the budget should help create quality employment, reduce poverty as well as inequalities, especially affecting children and increase upward socialo-economic convergence in a time of unprecedented and cumulated crises so that no one is left behind; stresses that factors such as supply chain disruption, high energy prices, rising inflation and continued pressure on essential services have exacerbated social and economic inequalities and worsened the living and working conditions, as well as the mental health, of many workers and their families; insists on the need to tackle territorial and regional disparities; takes note of the Commission’s intention to come up with an amending letter this autumn with regards to the budgetary consequences of the war in Ukraine and the RePowerEU initiative; stresses in that regard the importance of taking into account the socio-economic implications of the war and recommends th; welcomes in that respect the creation of the CARE and CARE + initiatives and underlines the need to fully use the flexibility provisions to disburse available EU funds as soon as possible with the objective to mitigate the potential of supplementing ESF+ fuconsequences of the war and address the immediate needs of Ukrainian displaced persons and calls on both the European Commission and the Member States to ensure that RePowerEU is deployed as quickly as possible and targeted to people, businesses and ing be analyseddustries who are disproportionately affected by growing energy prices, especially low-income households, self- employed people, micro and small businesses;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the importance of policies and measures to support labour market transition, as well as to further develop resilient social systems acroundss the Union; insists on the need for investment in education and training in particular lifelong learning entrepreneurial skills and up- and reskilling policies to address the demographic challenge and the green and digital transition; insists on the importance of investing in social inclusion and in the sustainability and resilience of social protection systems and of supporting measures for children and young people; recalls that the integration into the labour market of the most vulnerable groups, such as people in poverty, people with disabilities, young and elderly people, theRoma people, the long- term unemployed, and people displaced as a result of the war in Ukraine, is paramount; highlights that investing in employment and quality services in rural areas is key to combatting territorial inequalities and addressing demographic trends in those areas;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the Commission proposal to allocate EUR 16,7129 billion in 2023 to ESF+ to support Member State policies to ensure equal opportunities, equal access to the labour market, fair and quality working conditions, social protection and inclusion, in particular focussing on quality and inclusive education and training, lifelong learning, investment in children and young people and access to basic services; insists that ESF+ must play a key role in supporting Member States and regions to achieve high employment levels, adequatefair social protection and a skilled and resilient workforce ready for the transition to a green and digital economyfuture world of work, as well as inclusive and cohesive societies aiming to eradicating poverty and delivering on the principles set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls the obligation byfor all Member States to implement the reinforced Youth Guarantee and to allocate an appropriate amount of their ESF + resources to targeted actions and for Member States with a rate of young people who are not in employment, education or training that is higher than the Union average to allocate at least 12,5 % of their ESF+ resources to implement the Youth Guarantee; calls on Member States to make the best use of the Employment and Social Innovation strand (EaSI) of ESF+ for investment in social innovation and microfinancing for microenterprises as well as for stimulating labour mobility; takes note of the late start of EaSI in 2021 and the reduced budget for 2023 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues, and expects that it willhighlights the need to catch up and reach its full working regime in 2024, not least to fully and effectively implement the measures foreseen in the EU Action Plan for Social Economy; stresses the importance of following up the European Year of Youth 2022 with concrete actions and policies for social inclusion and, employment and entrepreneurship measures for young people; recalls that the Commission should report on a regular basis on the implementation of the Council recommendations establishing a European Child Guarantee and reinforcing a Youth Guarantee;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Calls for the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) to receive sufficient public funding to ensure its independence, in particular to develop high-quality sustainability reporting standards that contribute to the European public good and meet the needs of Union undertakings;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that Member States with a level of child poverty above the Union average should use at least 5 % of their ESF+ resources to address that issue, whereas all other Member States must allocate an appropriate amount of their ESF+ resources to targeted actions to combat child poverty and support the implementation of the Child Guarantee calls on the Commission and Member States in view of the influx of Ukrainian children and the energy and inflation crisis to urgently increase the funding of the European Child Guarantee with a dedicated budget of at least EUR 20 billion and ensure support particularly in countries most affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls the importance of EGF for its one-offto demonstrate solidarity with and provide reactive assistance to dismissplaced workers so that they can find another job as rapidly as possible following major restructuring events, in particular those caused by importchallenges related to globalisation, such as changes in world trade patterns, trade disputes, significant changes in the trade relations of the Union or the composition of the internal market, and financial or economic crises, as well as the transition to a low-carbon economy, or as a consequence of digitisation or automation; takes note that the level of EGF commitment appropriations in reserve for 2023 is set at EUR 205,3 million (approximately +1 % compared to 2022 and corresponding to the maximum MFF amount);
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the European Commission to ensure that the EU budget, including the RRF, is socially inclusive and that gender and disability are mainstreamed in the 2023 general budget, not least by providing a monitoring system tracking the budgetary allocations which promote the equal participation and independent living of women and people with disabilities in line with the EU’s commitments under the European Gender Equality and Disability Rights Strategies and the UNCRPD;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recalls that the agencies play an important role in providing Union institutions and countries with specialised knowledge notably on employment and social issues and that they must be given the necessary resources to fulfil their tasks which are evolving;notes that the 2023 budgetary estimates for agencies 2023 are in line with the budget programming and that an additional EUR 649 592,00 are planned for Eurofound to help it cope with the sharp increase in the coefficient corrector in Ireland;