55 Amendments of Lina GÁLVEZ related to 2020/2079(INI)
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 69 a (new)
Citation 69 a (new)
- having regard to the Commission's Economic Forecast Summer 2020,
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 69 b (new)
Citation 69 b (new)
- having regard to the Commission Staff Working Document entitled ‘Identifying Europe’s recovery needs’ (SWD(2020) 98),
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the EU entered the deepest economic recession in its history, economic activity in Europe dropping at an unusually fast speed; whereas according to the Summer 2020 Economic forecast, EU GDP is forecast to contract by about 8.3% and the euro area by 8.7% in 2020;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas effective European economic, social and health policy coordination with the European Semester at its core is crucial for mitigating the effects of the crisis; whereas a stronger involvement of the European Parliament strengthens the democratic oversight of the Semester;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas according to the accompanying Staff Working Document Identifying Europe’s recovery needs, the most pressing social need is addressing unemployment; whereas, the Commission in this document estimates that the investment needed for social infrastructure will be 192bn;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the Council decision of 23 March 2020 activated the general escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact allowing for the needed flexibility to take all necessary measures to support the economies and health systems; whereas social investments are essential to ensure sustainable development and inclusive societies;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas austerity policies resulted in less protective and underfunded social and healthcare systems, which were unable to adequately support people in need, reduce poverty and inequalities, and aggravated the effects of the pandemic in certain Member States;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas decisive measures and investment are needed for a speedy recovery that should focus on mitigating the economic and social effects of the pandemic, restart the economic activity, foster sustainable development, the green transition, the digital transformation and implement the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) in order to achieve more effective and stronger welfare states;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas socially sustainable reforms are those based on solidarity, integration, social justice, a fair distribution of wealth, gender equality, a high-quality public education system, quality employment and sustainable growth - a model that ensures equality and social protection, empowers vulnerable groups, enhances participation and citizenship and improves living standards for all citizens;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Ec. whereas to benefit from the proposed Recovery and Resilience Facility Member States will prepare recovery and resilience plans annexed to their national reform programmes taking into account the findings of the European Semester, as well as national energy and climate plans and just transition plans, and report on their progress in implementing the plans in the context of the European Semester; whereas these plans should include specific social progress plans outlining how the principles of the EPSR are going to be implemented and where social investment is going to be targeted;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E d (new)
Recital E d (new)
Ed. whereas social welfare systems guarantee a decent life; whereas these systems include social security, healthcare, education, housing, employment, justice and social services for vulnerable groups and play a key role in achieving social sustainable development, promoting equality and social justice and ensuring the right to social protection as it is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948); whereas social protection policies are vital elements of national development strategies to reduce poverty and vulnerability across the life cycle and to support inclusive and sustainable growth;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the euro area unemployment rate is expected to increase from 7.5 % in 2019 to about 9.5 % in 2020, with substantial differences among Member States; whereas unemployment is set to rise unevenly across sectors and groups of population affecting youth and those in low-skilled or temporary work and in precarious working conditions;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas short-time work schemes, wage subsidies and support for businesses will limit job losses but significant effort will be needed to tackle unemployment;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas in the first half of 2020,the euro area labour market underwent a massive deterioration induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to contain it; whereas the decline in employment of about 4% in 2020 hides a more substantial deterioration in the number of hours worked, as employees in short-time work schemes are de facto unemployed but remain statistically employed; whereas, to be counted as unemployed, a person has to be available to the labour market, which was not possible everywhere during strict lockdowns and many persons only loosely attached to the labour market were also discouraged from actively seeking a job and therefore did not count as unemployed;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F c (new)
Recital F c (new)
Fc. whereas extended short-time work schemes have played an important role in keeping employees attached to their jobs and the number of persons notified for short-time work have reached unprecedented levels; whereas these schemes are not identical in all Member States, which contributes to marked differences; whereas, in the future, the European Unemployment Reinsurance scheme could limit such differences by assisting Member States to cover the costs directly related to the creation or extension of national short-time work schemes;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F d (new)
Recital F d (new)
Fd. whereas the burden of the labour market deterioration is carried unevenly across labour market categories; whereas workers with precarious working conditions and contracts, including contract workers and workers employed through temporary agencies were the first to lose their jobs; whereas oftentimes they are unable to enforce their rights, have little or no job security and social insurance protection and face higher health and safety risks; whereas the youth unemployment rate has increased more than the overall rate and self-employed persons have also suffered massively from the shutdowns;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F e (new)
Recital F e (new)
Fe. whereas according to the Summer 2020 forecast, several factors are expected to slow the labour market’s return to its pre-pandemic situation, for instance limited time short-time work subsidy schemes; whereas in the case of a prolonged period of weak economic activity and with an increasing number of firms expected to downsize their activities or go out of business, schemes cannot fully prevent an eventual increase in unemployment; whereas the expected rise in unemployment rates across the EU may prove particularly hard to overcome in those Member States where unemployment was already relatively high before the start of the pandemic, where the economic rebound is expected to be slow, or labour markets and social safety nets lack efficiency and effectiveness;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F f (new)
Recital F f (new)
Ff. whereas according to Eurostat, in 2018, there were 8.3 million underemployed part-time workers in the EU-28, 7.6 million persons were available to work, but did not look for a job, and another 2.2 million persons were looking for jobs, without being able to start working within a short time period; whereas in total 18.1 million persons experienced some resemblance to unemployment in the EU-28 in 2018;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F g (new)
Recital F g (new)
Fg. whereas between 2002 and 2018, the EU share of middle-paying jobs declined by 13 percentage points;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F h (new)
Recital F h (new)
Fh. whereas the deterioration in the labour market situation is projected to limit increases in wages and salaries and weakened the bargaining power of workers; whereas social dialogue and collective bargaining are key instruments for employers and trade unions to establish fair wages and working conditions, and strong collective bargaining systems increase Member States’ resilience in times of economic crisis;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F i (new)
Recital F i (new)
Fi. whereas the right to establish collective bargaining is an issue that concerns all European workers with crucial implications for democracy and rule of law, including the respect of fundamental social rights and collective bargaining is a European fundamental right and European Institutions are bound by Article 28 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights to respect it; whereas, in this context, policies that respect, promote and strengthen collective bargaining and the workers’ position in wage-setting systems play a critical role in achieving high-level working conditions;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F j (new)
Recital F j (new)
Fj. whereas collective bargaining coverage deteriorated in 22 of 27 Member States since 2000; whereas the average level of union membership across the European Union is around 23%, with great differences among Member States, ranging from 74% to 8 %;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the crisis will have a significant impact on social conditions, in particular for vulnerable groupwomen workers, elderly people and vulnerable groups, including workers on temporary contracts, persons with low qualifications, the involuntary part-time and self-employed, and migrant workers; whereas many workers in essential occupations in the frontline response to the COVID-19 pandemic belong to these vulnerable categories;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas the crisis has shown that every worker is essential and that if our societies are functioning in confinement, it is not only thanks to healthcare workers, researchers and security forces but to a large extent also to cleaners, transport workers, supermarket cashiers, care workers, delivery workers, domestic workers, platform workers, workers in call centres, food and agricultural workers, fishermen and many others whose contributions are indispensable; whereas too often these workers have poor working conditions and low wages and in many sectors the majority of them are women;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
Gb. whereas the current crisis also entails a risk of widening regional and territorial disparities across and within Member States;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)
Recital G c (new)
Gc. whereas in the next decade, job polarisation is expected to grow further, jobs in the higher and lower skills spectrum are expected to grow; whereas this trend is likely to be further reinforced by the pandemic; whereas progressive taxation is a necessary precondition to reduce overall inequality and finance well-functioning welfare states;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas fair living wages, strong collective bargaining systems, anddemocracy at work, wage transparency, predictable working hours, adequate social protection and tax benefits can reduce in-work poverty, decrease inequalities and generate demand; whereas, according to Eurofound definition, a living wage is the amount of income needed to provide an employee with a basic but socially acceptable standard of living; whereas minimum wages in the majority of countries remain below 60% or even below 50% of median wages;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas various forms of minimum income schemes exist in all Member States in order to provide a social protection floor and safety net for those in need;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes note of the Commission’s 2020 country-specific recommendations (CSRs); expresses its concern that Member States have made limited or no progress in six out of 10 CSRs addressed to them in 2019 and progress remains uneven across policy areas; points out that since the start of the European Semester in 2011 progress has been particularly slow on broadening the tax base, as well as on health and long-term care with the healthcare systems being further challenged because of the COVID-19;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Is concerned about the devastating social effects of the COVID-19 crisis, in particular on vulnerable groupswomen, elderly and vulnerable groups which further increases inequalities and social divergences and weakens social and employment standards in Europe; stresses that only a decisive and coordinated European response will offset the social consequences of the current crisis and will demonstrate that the EU is an indispensable project based on social justice, solidarity and integration;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights that in the current crisis, the Stability and Growth Pact has proven to be inadequate, not allowing Member States the fiscal space they need to absorb imbalances and to prevent and mitigate the social consequences, which made the activation of the escape clause necessary; demands that social and ecological objectives be given the same legal enforceability as fiscal consolidation and financial stabilitywarns that this overly restrictive nature of the SGP is counterproductive in the path towards social and ecological justice, as long as the objectives of the EPSR and of the Sustainable Development Goals are not made mandatory; therefore, demands that social and ecological objectives be given the same legal enforceability as fiscal consolidation and financial stability; calls for the adoption of a permanent ‘silver rule’ on social investments to be applied when implementing the SGP, namely to consider public social investments having a clear positive impact on economic growth as being eligible for favourable treatment when assessing government deficits;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out that, despite the importance of sound and responsible fiscal policies, budgetary stability should not be detrimental to public investment, especially in education, social and healthcare systems; stresses that the debt reduction focus in the Semester’s macroeconomic imbalance procedure (MIP) has regressive impact as it reduces the capacity of public services to address inequalities;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Points out that, while focussing on social inclusion and poverty, the European Semester still lacks an agenda to monitor and address the increase of inequalities in Europe, urges therefore the Commission, to better assess the distributional impact of public policies and the imbalances in terms of income and wealth distribution, also through individual in-depth review (IDR) reports if these imbalances are detected, as a way to link economic coordination with employment and social performance; calls on the Commission to study which should be the most accurate indicators of economic inequality (from among the Gini index, Palma indexes, Theil index, wage share, ratio of minimum wage to GDP per capita or to average wage, etc.), and to monitor the evolution of inequalities;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses the importance of the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR); stresses that in order to fuel the recovery, the EU’s investment effort through the Recovery Plan must have a strong social dimension; and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the context of the European Recovery Plan in order to ensure social fairness, social cohesion and prosperity for all; is concerned that in the current crisis welfare systems are experiencing unprecedented pressure and that related public expenditure will exponentially increase; stresses that in order to fuel the recovery, the EU’s investment effort through the Recovery Plan must have a strong social dimension strengthening welfare systems and investing in social security, healthcare, education, housing, employment, justice and social services for vulnerable groups in order to combat the social impact of the crisis;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that financial assistance is only provided to undertakings not registered in tax havens; and that companies using public financial support will protect workers, ensure fair working conditions, pay their fair share of taxes, and refrain from paying out bonuses to management or dividends to shareholders; companies refusing to negotiate with the trade unions should not receive public resources or financial assistance;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. CEmphasises the central role of the Social Scoreboard in the European Semester; calls on the Commission to improve the scoreboard by integrating further indicators and clear targets reflecting all 20 principles of the EPSR, and to develop mandatory social targets;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Is concerned about the increased rate of unemployment, which will especially affect youth and workers in low- skilled positions and precarious employment; calls on the Commission to propose a permanent EU unemployment reinsurance scheme and a more effective and inclusive Youth Guarantee with a special focus on quality job offers; calls on the Member States to adequately invest in effective active labour market policies to prevent long-term unemploymentand make full use of existing and new EU funding instruments in order to prevent long-term unemployment, create new employment opportunities through public investment and employment programs, and strengthen the role of public employment services;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses that the successful implementation of the EU Recovery Plan requires a proper social dialogue and effective involvement of the social partners; calls on the Commission and Member States to support capacity building of the social partners in order to strengthen social dialogue and collective bargaining , the strengthening of workers’ and trade union rights, as well as collective bargaining and workers’ participation, as fundamental tools for democracy and inclusion; calls on the Commission and Member States to support capacity building of the social partners in order to strengthen social dialogue at all levels, collective bargaining and the involvement of workers in company matters, to promote collective bargaining as a precondition to public procurement as well as to ensure that social partners are fully involved in policymaking, including the European Semester;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Welcomes the Commission’s second phase consultation of the social partners on an EU framework for minimum wages; calls on the Commission to present a European framework for minimum wages to eliminate in-work poverty by ensuring decent living wages above the poverty threshold for all workers through collective agreements or through national law; calls for EU-level safeguards for decent old-age pensions for all workers in line with national traditions and with due respect for the autonomy of national social partners and well-functioning collective bargaining models; calls for a coordinated approach at EU level in order to avoid unhealthy labour cost competition and increase upward social convergence for all;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Recalls that the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) recognises the need for workers to earn a living wage, as does the International Labour Organisation Constitution (1919), and that all human rights declarations agree that remuneration should be sufficient to support a family; stresses that wages should enable workers to meet their needs and those of their families and that every worker in the Union should receive a living wage, asks the Commission to study how to identify what a living wage could encompass and how it should be measured, which could serve as a reference tool for social partners;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Calls for the EU-level promotion of adequate old-age pensions for all workers; highlights that universal access to public, solidarity-based and adequate retirement and old-age pensions shall be granted to all; acknowledges the challenges faced by Member States to strengthen the sustainability of pension systems, but stresses the importance of safeguarding solidarity in pension systems; underlines the importance of public and occupational pension systems which provide an adequate retirement income well above the poverty threshold; believes that pension system reforms should focus among other aspects on the effective retirement age and reflect labour market trends, birth rates, the health and wealth situation, working conditions and the economic dependency ratio; considers that these reforms shall also take account of the situation of millions of workers in Europe, particularly women, young people and the self-employed, suffering insecure, atypical employment, periods of involuntary unemployment and reduced working time;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Asks the Commission to present an assessment of the working and employment conditions of essential workers, identifying the sources of their precariousness and to propose legal instruments to ensure sufficient working hours and decent working conditions for all workers, strengthen collective bargaining coverage, ban zero- hour contracts, end bogus self- employment, set strict limits on subcontracting practices, and improve social protection standards; calls on the Commission to present a European directive on decent working conditions for platform workers and non- standard workers;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for an EU teleworking agenda, including a legislative proposal to ensure decent working conditions including respect for working hours, leave, work-life balance and the right to disconnect;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. AReiterates that the rights and decent working conditions of posted and cross-border workers should be guaranteed; asks the Commission to put forward a proposal for a digital EU Social Security Number;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Is concerned about limited intergenerational social mobility and increasing income inequality; stresses that national tax and benefit systems must be designed in a way that reduces inequalities, promotes fairness and provides incentives for labour market participationpoints out that high levels of inequality reduce economic output and the potential for sustainable development; calls on the Commission and the Member States to tackle inequalities and fight discrimination; stresses that national tax and benefit systems must be designed in a way that reduces inequalities, promotes fairness and provides incentives for labour market participation; stresses that investment in education and skills, as well as better designed tax and benefit systems are key policy tools for reducing inequality and promoting equal opportunities;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Commission to present an EU child guarantee in 2020, a rights- based, comprehensive and integrated anti- poverty strategy with a designated poverty reduction target, an EU framework on national homelessness strategies, to conduct a comparative study on the different minimum income schemes in the Member States, which provide a social protection floor and safety net for those in need and to highlight best practice cases with a view to presenting a framework in this regard;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the Commission’s intention to introduce binding pay transparency measures, and urges their swift adoption in order to avoid further gender-based inequalities and discrimination in the labour market;
Amendment 350 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Recalls that in the EU, workplace discrimination on the grounds of age, sex, disability, ethnic or racial origin, religion or belief, or sexual orientation, is banned and that everyone is entitled to equal treatment in recruitment, working conditions, promotion, pay, access to training and occupational pensions; calls on the Commission to present a strategy to prevent labour market segregation of ethnic minorities as well as to present a Communication on guidelines and standards for discrimination-free recruitment policies for Member States and employers, including recommendations for the adoption of equality plans at company level and in sectoral collective agreements and the implementation of diversity task forces in the workplace, including tackling stereotypes, prejudice and negative attitudes, preventing discrimination in recruitment, promotion, pay and access to training; highlights that these equality action plans should be also used to promote ethnic and cultural diversity at the workplace, to develop internal regulations against racism, related discrimination and harassment in the workplace, to monitor and review recruitment, progression and retention of workforce by equality strand in order to identify direct or indirect discriminatory practices and to adopt corrective measures to reduce inequality in each of these areas and, to this effect, collect equality data in respect of privacy and fundamental rights standards;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls for accessible and affordable quality childcare and early education services, as well as short- and long-term care and social services, including for the elderly and people with disabilities to facilitate women’s participation in the labour market; calls for the development of an EU framework for care services to set minimum standards and quality guidelines;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission to put forward a comprehensive and long-term post-2020 EU Disability Strategy based on consultations of persons with disabilities and their representative family members or organisations and to take crisis- mitigation measures in line with the UN CRPD in order to protect them and to ensure their equal and non- discriminatory access to services;
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Member States to improve theIs concerned about the stagnating share of early school leavers, especially amongst marginalised groups, and the increasing share of underperforming pupils; stresses that gaps in basic numeracy, literacy and digital skills are severe impediments to meaningful participation in society and the labour market; calls on the Member States to guarantee that high quality, accessibilityle and inclusiveness of their education systems, and to ensure high-quality basic skills education, training and life- long learning are a right for everyone, and to ensure high-quality basic qualifications and vocational education and training with tailored support, especially for the low-qualified and the most marginalised groups in society supported by substantial public investment; stresses that educational outcomes are negatively affected by social exclusion, discrimination, stereotyping, poverty and segregation, which must also be addressed; calls on the Commission to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the driving factors behind early school leaving, including social aspects, and present a proposal to tackle the problem;
Amendment 380 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls on the Commission to update the Skills Agenda for Europe in order to meet the skills requirements of the EU labour market and of the ecological and digital transition and to address digitalisation, automatisation, skills shortages and mismatches and digital exclusion;
Amendment 383 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Highlights that qualifications and certified competences provide added value to the workers, improving their positions in the labour market and can be transferred in labour market transitions; calls for public policy on skills to be oriented to certification and validation of qualifications and competences; stresses that skills based compensation systems should be established in companies accessing public funds for upskilling workers and in agreement with workers representatives, as this system would ensure that there is a return in that public investment;
Amendment 392 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls for the creation of a European Health Union, calls on the Member States to ensure access to high-quality healthcare that is affordable for allthe stress-testing of EU healthcare systems, minimum standards for quality healthcare, a European Health Response Mechanism, as well as strengthened EU health agencies and civil protection capacities, calls on the Member States to ensure access to high-quality healthcare that is affordable for all; welcomes the shift from cost saving to performance orientation and health outcomes with regard to healthcare in the European Semester; calls for the development of common indicators and methodologies to assess health inequalities and the performance of healthcare systems;
Amendment 400 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Reiterates the importance of the rule of law – including independent and efficient justice systems, quality public administrations and public procurement, and robust anti-corruption frameworks – as the basis for a sound business environment, functioning labour markets and the proper use of EU funds; stresses that the assessment of the rule of law and the effectiveness of the justice system should thus continue to be included in the European Semester; calls on the Member States to ratify the revised European Social Charter;