14 Amendments of Edite ESTRELA related to 2013/2277(INI)
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Deplores the fact that, in spite of the Commission’s appeals, the EU funds left over from the 2007-2013 framework have not been put promptly to use to tackle the crisis or limit its economic and social effects;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Points out that the fiscal consolidation provided for in the Treaty should be a means of supporting economic growth and employment and not an end in itself; deplores the fact that the agenda for growth and jobs has not been incorporated in the fiscal compact in the way required to make growth and employment central goals ranking equally with fiscal consolidation and public debt management;
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Notes with concern that the gender pay gap has ceased to narrow in the countries undergoing adjustment, where the disparities are wider than the EU average; maintains that wage inequalities and the falling female employment rate need to receive greater attention in the Member States undergoing adjustment;
Amendment 105 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Warns that the crisis and the austerity policies might make themselves felt in terms of the brain drain and the exodus of highly skilled labour from the countries undergoing adjustment1; 1 In Portugal, in 2012, there was a nearly threefold increase, to 28 769, in the number of permanent emigrants in the more highly educated 20-24, 25-29, and 30-34 age groups.
Amendment 106 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7d. Expresses its disquiet at the forecasts that emigration will continue to increase; points out that the worsening phenomenon of enforced emigration has been such that in the years 2012 and 2013, in Portugal’s case alone, the numbers emigrating totalled more than 250 000;
Amendment 111 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls that the Europe 2020 strategy accurately states that the figure to watch is the employment rate, which indicates the availability of human and financial resources to ensure the sustainability of our economic and social model; regrets that the slowdown in the unemployment rate is confused with the recovery of jobs lost and that it is not properly recognised that the fall in the unemployment rate is due essentially to the considerable increase in emigration and to the fact that the long- term unemployed give up looking for work; recalls that in the last four years job losses have reached 2 million in the four countries, which is 15% of existing jobs;
Amendment 116 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Expresses concern at the fact that, in Portugal, not only is private sector employment in decline, but it is proving difficult to place unemployed workers in other sectors, more and more people are becoming discouraged, and long-term unemployment is rising;
Amendment 117 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8c. Notes that the phenomena of emigration, early school-leaving, and more limited access to welfare benefits are broadening the spectrum of poverty; points out that in the countries undergoing adjustment, the fall in GDP, the slump in public and private investment, and the drop in R & D investment are serving to reduce potential GDP and inevitably create long-term poverty;
Amendment 159 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15c. Notes with concern the steady rise in the Gini coefficient [1] in Greece, Spain, Ireland and Portugal, against the general downward trend in the Eurozone, which means that there has been a significant increase in wealth distribution inequalities in the adjustment countries; [1] According to Eurostat data, there has been a steady rise in the Gini coefficient in Portugal, from 33.7 in 2009 to 34.2 in 2011 and 34.5 in 2012.
Amendment 170 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17a. Notes with concern the downward trend in the number of pupils and students enrolled in the education system since the start of the crisis and the fact that Portugal, for example, has one of the highest percentages of young people who wish to continue their studies but cannot afford to do so (38%)[1]; [1] Education to Employment: Getting Europe's Youth into Work, McKinsey Center for Government, 2013
Amendment 185 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Takes the view that the measures put forward by the troika to restrict collective bargaining and cut wages are not an effective way of combating inequalities or promoting economic growth; takes the view that the approach based on wage cuts with the aim of bringing about an increase in exports has led to a decline in domestic consumption and has also affected economic growth;
Amendment 239 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 24 d (new)
Paragraph 24 d (new)
24d. Calls on the Council to consider creating a structure similar to the Eurogroup in which the Eurozone countries can coordinate common policies in the social sphere, with the aim of providing practical responses to social problems; takes the view that the creation of a 'social Eurogroup' could help raise the profile of social issues and promote a fairer economy that is more founded on solidarity and inclusiveness;
Amendment 241 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 24 e (new)
Paragraph 24 e (new)
24e. Urges the EU to establish a programme to combat youth unemployment funded by the revenue accruing from the tax on financial transactions and 40% of the Community funds not used in the current Community framework;
Amendment 243 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 24 f (new)
Paragraph 24 f (new)
24f. Calls on the EU to set an 11% limit on the unemployment rate by 2020 and to include this limit in the Fiscal Compact, whilst at the same time creating the necessary conditions for the mutualisation of mechanisms for social support and the payment of unemployment benefit in Member States exceeding this limit;