Activities of Sandra PEREIRA related to 2019/2028(BUD)
Shadow opinions (2)
OPINION on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020
OPINION on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020
Amendments (14)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereasnotwithstanding the insistence that the European Union (EU) is founded on, inter alia, the value of equality between men and women, and Article 8 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides that the promotion of such equality is a fundamental principle of the Union; , its policies of undermining social and labour rights run counter to this rhetoric and have contributed, de facto, to the aggravation of socio-economic inequalities, with women bearing the brunt;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights that the 2020 budget should contribute towards achieving the Europe 2020 targets in the social and employment area, which seem to be within reach as regards the employment rate target but remain far from being achieved as regards the target of reducing the number of people at risk of the creation of jobs with rights and decent working conditions, better earnings and stable and regulated employment relationships and the fight against poverty or, social exclusion and inequalities; stresses, in this regard, the urgent need for comprehensive policy reforms and integrated approaches that combat youth and long-term unemployment and the often neglected issue of elderly employabilityEU programmes and funds to prioritise projects that go in this direction; warns, however, that this is insufficient without a new strategy focusing on social progress and social justice and geared to economic, social and territorial cohesion, breaking away from right-wing policies and the restrictions imposed by the EU on the peoples of its Member States;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls for the creation of budget headings that tackle production-capacity weaknesses and the obsolescence of production means in industry, thus fostering industrial development, with a particular focus on Member States with development deficits in this economic sector;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Recognises the crucial role of the European Social Fund (ESF), the Youth Guarantee (YG), the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), the Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD); highlights, in this regard, that the activities implemented in these areas should always result in strategic measures with clearly defined objectives and targets and that efficient and effective spending is equally as important as the total budget ceilings in mitigating the adverse effects of an integration project such the European Union for the most vulnerable, for workers and at grass-roots level, especially in the Member States that have been the most weakened in economic and social terms; urges, therefore, that resources for these funds and programmes be stepped up; highlights, in this regard, that the activities implemented in these areas should always result in strategic measures with clearly defined objectives and targets; stresses, however, that many of the activities and measures supported by these funds and programmes are being compromised by the restrictions resulting from European economic governance;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes the overhigh level of subscription tof various programmes such as Horizon 2020 and COSME, a more effective response to which could be addressed bygiven through a more ambitious budget for 2020;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls for stronger support in the 2020 budget for SMEs and their representative associations, thus helping to increase competitiveness, improve access to technology and promote better labour conditions;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. AcknowledgeRejects the forthcoming rationalisation of the current ESF, the YEI, the FEAD, the EaSI and the European Health Programme under the ESF+ as ofscheduled to run from 2021; calls on the Commission to present financial information in a manner that makes it comparable with performance information; expresses concerns ondisagrees with the substantial decrease (byof EUR 5 million) proposed by the Council onfor the PROGRESS axis of EaSIthe EaSI and recommends that its budget be at least equal to that proposed by the the European Commission; stresses, in this regardcontext, that all legislative and budgetary revisions should bemust be justified and based on evidence,an understanding of their impacts and in line with the better regulation agenda, as well as related recommendations of the European Court of Auditorrepercussions;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Expresses its concern at the low take-up of EU funds and programmes; considers that it would be significantly leveraged if support was stepped up for public structures providing technical assistance, if co-funding was increased and if public investment financed by EU funds and programmes was excluded from budget deficit criteria;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the continuation of funding for the Youth Employment Initiative; calls for equal participation of girls and young women in the measures covered by that initiative to be ensured and that special attention is paid to quality offers of training and employment for them, including in the digitalised economy, ICT and STEM sectors, while rejecting offers based on job insecurity; takes the view that measures such as the YEI should contribute not only to helping young people join the labour force, but also to promoting wage rises and permanent contracts and regulating working hours;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls for additional appropriations for the Connecting Europe Facility, in particular its energy and ICT strands, to ensure that isolated markets areregions are better connected and remaining bottlenecks are removed.
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls the important role of the European Institute for Gender Equality and calls for the Institute’s budget, staff establishment plan and independence to be maintained.Stresses that in the past decade, with the outbreak of the economic and financial crisis, economic, social, labour and gender inequalities within and between Member States have been aggravated; recalls the important role of the European Institute for Gender Equality in raising awareness of the extent and causes of gender inequality in the EU; calls, therefore, for the Institute to be endowed with a greater budget, increased staffing levels and enhanced independence and for greater resources for the budget line 'promoting non- discrimination and equality';
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses the need for the EU budget to play a more active role in efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals; calls, therefore, for the budget to be used to support measures and projects aimed at eradicating female and child poverty, better integration into the labour market, eliminating wage and labour inequalities between men and women, improving access to and provision of health care, and combating violence against women, children and young people;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Recommends in particular increasing funding to promote the protection of maternity, parenthood and early childhood through the appropriate programmes; calls, to that end, for maternal and child health to be given special importance in the EU's 2020 budget; further recommends that funds be guaranteed for the defence, promotion and support of breastfeeding, thereby contributing to efforts to achieve the World Health Organisation's target of having 50% of babies worldwide exclusively breastfed for the first six months of their lives by 2025, which would require, among other measures, ensuring maternity and paternity leave is long enough and sufficiently well remunerated;