Activities of Jean LAMBERT related to 2011/2052(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
European platform against poverty and social exclusion (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the European Platform against poverty and social exclusion PDF (357 KB) DOC (207 KB)
Amendments (70)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
– having regard to the revised European Social Charter, in particular Articles 30 (on the right to protection against poverty and social exclusion), 31 (on the right to housing) and 16 (on the right of the family to social, legal and economic protection) thereof,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 25
Citation 25
– having regard to its declaration of 16 December 2010 on an EU homelessness strategy,s of 22 April 2008 on ending street homelessnessx and of 16 December 2010 on an EU homelessness strategy, __________________ x Texts adopted, P6_TA(2008)0163
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas severe poverty represents a violation of human rights and a serious erosion of human dignity,
Amendment A #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Ccalls on the Commission to involve civil society at national and European level and to make discussions with people living in poverty a formal part of the annual convention on povertyboost the involvement in the development of a European strategy at all levels of governance (European, national, regional and local) of organised civil society and of all stakeholders, such as NGOs, social economy organisations, service providers, experts in social innovation and the social partners, as well as people living in poverty themselves, in partnership with the associations in which they freely express their opinions and which have acquired experience and knowledge, particularly through the development of national platforms against poverty and social exclusion in each Member State; calls on the Commission to enhance cooperation between local, regional and national authorities and European Institutions, particularly the European Parliament; believes that the synergies should concern all stakeholders, including SMEs and entrepreneurs; calls for discussions with people living in poverty and social exclusion to be institutionalised, and to be extended at national level, and for their participation and contribution to be made a formal and central part of the annual convention on poverty and social exclusion, and calls for appropriate and regular follow-up of the recommendations so developed;
Amendment AA #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the Commission’s new strategy for implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights aims, in particular, to improve the most disadvantaged people’s access to fundamental rights; whereas the Charter must be respected in its entirety and whereas severe poverty represents a violation of human rights and a serious erosion of human dignity and encourages stigmatisation and injustice; whereas the key objective of income support schemes is to bring people out of poverty and enable them to live in dignity,
Amendment B #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls for poverty awareness seminars to be organised in the European institutions and Member State governments by organisations which have specific experience of combating poverty and for experiments in joint training on social and exclusion issues to be made, bringing together European officials and people with hands-on experience of combating poverty;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas poverty is a multi-faceted problem requiring an integrated response which is tailored to different stages of life and to people'’s multi-dimensional needs, and which is based on guaranteeing access to rights, resources and services, as reflected in the Common Objectives of the open method of coordination on social protection and social inclusion (2006),
Amendment D #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for it to be made clear that the Commission will be legally accountable in on the Commission to fully take account of the correct horizontal social clause as specified in Article 9 TFEU, under which the EU is to take into account requirements linked to the promotion of a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion, and a high level of education, training and protection of human health, and calls for the Commission to specify how the Platform will affect assessments of the implementation of that clause; calls for the social impact assessments of European policies to go into greater depthe, event that the horizontal social clause is not applied, and calls for the Commission to specify how the Platform will affect assessments of the implementation of that clause where those policies are not initiated by the Commission but by the European Council, as in the case of the Euro Plus pact; considers that such an in- depth analysis of the application of this clause will make it possible to avoid a levelling-down of social standards in Europe and to promote the development of a common social basis in Europe; calls for this social impact assessment to be made with the associations active in combating poverty and to take account of the situation of the poorest people in Europe as a reference; considers that these assessments should involve the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Commission’s departments responsible for social affairs under the responsibility of a director- general reporting to the General Secretariat of the European Commission;
Amendment E #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to identify more precisely the budget lines relevant to the Platform and the level of appropriations allocated to them, particularly as regards the ESF and its contribution to this flagship initiative through the funding of political priorities such as preventing school drop-out and addressing poverty among children, women, older people and migrant workers; calls on the Commission to set out its proposals on combating poverty and social exclusion in the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework in order to ensure adequate funding of the initiatives launched to combat poverty and social exclusion; calls on the Commission to identify the financial support needed for agreed thematic priorities and to urge Member States to support financially the participation of civil society at national level in National Reform Programmes, the Flagship Platform and National Strategies for social protection and social inclusion; recommends pressing ahead with, and providing increased budgetary funding for, the European programmes which can help combat the various aspects of social exclusion, poverty and social and economic inequality, including health inequality (the research Framework Programme, the Progress programme, etc.);
Amendment EE #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas poverty is a multi-faceted problem requiring an integrated response which is tailored to different stages of life and to people’s multi-dimensional needs, and which is based on guaranteeing access to rights, resources and services, as reflected in the Common Objectives of the open method of coordination on social protection and social inclusion (2006), in order to cover basic needs and prevent social exclusion,
Amendment FF #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas employmentgrowth and employment, even in a decent job, alone isare not sufficient to lift people out of poverty, and whereas the problem of the working poor has gained increasing recognition in recent years, and whereas the segmentation of the labour market has increased, working and living conditions have very much worsened, particularly during the financial crisis, and work has become much less secure – a trend which must be combated; whereas the problem of the working poor has gained increasing recognition in recent years but is not yet being addressed to an extent commensurate with the challenges it represents for our societies; whereas the number of the working poor has grown considerably in recent years, with 8% of the working population suffering in-work poverty and where 22% of those at risk of poverty are in work1; whereas the fact of people having access to decent, egalitarian working conditions constitutes an advance in terms of reducing poverty and social exclusion among families and people living alone, __________________ 1 EUROSTAT (2009), SPC Report: SPC Assessment of the social dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy (10 Feb. 2011)
Amendment G #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the open method of social coordination to be strengthened and applied correctly in the field of poverty, inter alia through the common development, implementation and evaluation of national strategies for social inclusion and protection, on the basis of commonly defined objectives, via national platforms against poverty, by exchanges of good practice on policies regarding effective access to fundamental rights and implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the revised Social Charter (not yet ratified by all Member States), in particular Articles 30 and 31 thereof; stresses that, in this context, the work of the Council’s Social Protection Committee should continue to be taken into account; calls for the Platform to promote and follow up the participation of local authorities, social economy enterprises and other local stakeholders in drawing up and implementing national strategic reports;
Amendment GG/PP #
Motion for a resolution
Considérant F a (new)
Considérant F a (new)
Fa. whereas homelessness represents one of the most extreme forms of poverty and deprivation, and a problem which remains unresolved in all EU Member States; whereas most of the Member States now have large numbers of homeless people, owing to diverse factors, and this calls for specific measures for those people's social integration; whereas, according to Eurobarometer, almost one in four Europeans regard the excessive cost of decent housing as one of the main causes of poverty, and almost nine in ten consider that poverty makes it harder to access decent housing; whereas public authorities may lose contact with citizens when they lose their housing, and this not only makes it much harder to help them, but also reveals an advanced stage in the process whereby the individual becomes excluded from society,
Amendment H #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to specify th, in consultation with the European Central Bank, to propose common principles used to define the ‘basket of basic goods and services’ accessible to all; required to enable everyone to live in dignity, and points out that these immediate needs are inseparable from respect for human dignity and effective access to all fundamental rights – whether civil, political, economic, social or cultural – without exception; calls for the target of price stability to be clarified so as to allow specific national situations to be taken into account that do not necessarily have a significant impact on the euro- system indicators;
Amendment HH #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the poverty threshold of 60% of median national income is a compelling, helpful and necessary indicator, but where of relative poverty, but should be complemented by other indicators such as the concept and calculation of a ‘basket of basic goods and services’ is just as muchat national level (which does not constitute a direct response to the specific situation of people suffering from poverty) and those agreed at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) in June 2010 (at-risk-of poverty, material deprivation and jobless households) as a matter of public policy needs,
Amendment I #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls forWelcomes the Commission’s announcement of a Communication on implementing the Commission’s 2008 recommendation concerning the active inclusion strategy and calls for it to include, in particular, a timetable for implementing thits three Ccommission’s 2008 recommendation concerning the active inclusion strategyponent strands, specifying a multi-annual work programme for delivery at national and EU level; expresses its concern at the postponement of the Communication on Active Inclusion to 2012, and asks the Commission to advance the publication of the Communication to 2011; calls for an explicit commitment by the Council, Commission and Parliament to mobilise all policies to reduce poverty, ensuring that economic, employment and social inclusion policies contribute to the eradication of poverty rather than to its increase;
Amendment II #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas social protection, including minimum income systems, is a basic element of modern democracies that substantially guarantees the human right to social, economical, political and cultural participation in society and plays a key role in stabilising the economy by limiting the impact of crises and in redistributing resources at every stage of life, while also affording protection against social risks and preventing povertyand alleviating poverty and social exclusion, throughout the life cycle,
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas growth and employment alone isare not sufficient to lift people out of poverty, and whereas the problem of the working poor has gained increasing recognition in recent years, with 8% of the working population suffering in-work poverty and where 22% of those at risk of poverty are in work1 __________________ 1 EUROSTAT (2009), SPC Report: SPC Assessment of the social dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy (10 Feb 2011)
Amendment J #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls for the Platform to be geared towards asserting the rights which enable everyone to live in dignity, particularly in the field of employment, housing, health care, social security and adequate living standards, justice, education, training and culture, and the protection of families and children; calls for the Fundamental Rights Agency to produce a study on effective access by the poorest people to the whole range of fundamental rights and the other rights enshrined in the international agreements to which the Member States are signatories, and on the discrimination they face, with the participation of NGOs in which socially excluded people can freely express themselves, and bearing in mind that securing the right to housing is a necessary prerequisite for the full exercise of other fundamental rights, including political and social rights;
Amendment JJ #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas poverty and social exclusion remain a key social determinant of health1 and life conditions, including life expectancy depe, and oin the social environment and on child povertyparticular the impact of child poverty on child health and well- being, and whereas there is still a significant gap between rich and poor when it comes to health, which is continuing to widen in some respects,affordable access to health services, as well as in income and wealth, which is continuing to widen in some respects, __________________ 1 CSDH (2008). Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health. Final Report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Geneva, World Health Organization
Amendment KK #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas, because our society is ageing, the number of dependent people will increase considerably in the near future; whereas elderly people, in particular women, are at greater risk of poverty than the general population, in several countries, as a result of their loss of income on retirement and other factors such as physical dependence, solitude and social exclusion; whereas the breakdown of intergenerational social bonds is a major problem facing our societies,
Amendment L #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Supports the creation of decent jobs through vocationalConsiders that a full and effective way out of poverty can only be found if the appropriate strengthening of social protection instruments is accompanied by significant reinforcement of education and training paths at every level; supports the development of more inclusive education systems to tackle the problem of students dropping out and enable young people from disadvantaged social groups to reach a higher level of education, with a view to countering the intergenerational transmission of poverty; supports access to validation of acquired experience and life-long training, and the provision of personalised job-seeking assistance, in particular for disadvantaged groups; s a means of reducing poverty by securing access to employment, in particular for disadvantaged groups, to help them to access decent jobs; regards it as essential, therefore, for life-long learning programmes to be implemented properly and developed, and for Member States to cooperate in the fields of education and vocational training and personalised job-seeking assistance, and stresses that more measures of this kind must be taken to assist the most vulnerable sectors of the population; recommends the development of an EU strategy to tackle in-work poverty and create quality jobs, agreeing principles for quality work;
Amendment LL #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas women are in general more vulnerable to poverty than men owing to various factors such as gender discrimination at work, which results in the persistent gender pay gap, the resulting pension disparities, and labour market discriminationbut also career breaks in order to care for dependants and labour market discrimination; whereas only 63% of women work in Europe, compared to 76% of men, and having regard to the lack of support networks and concrete measures to help parents achieve a work/life balance, including affordable care services,
Amendment MM #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas unemployment among young people, which is already higher than for other age groups, has exploded in the EU since the crisis and now runs at over 20% reaching a critical level in all Member States, which puts young people at risk of falling into poverty from a very early age; whereas this alarming situation calls for urgent political, economic and social responses and will, in combination with demographic changes, aggravate skills shortages; having regard to the vital role that vocational training can play in helping young people and low skilled workers to join the labour market; whereas, however, getting a job does not always mean escaping poverty, and whereas young people are especially susceptible to falling into the category of working poor,
Amendment NN #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas migrants are being hit hard by the economic crisis, nd ethnic minorities, including undocumented migrants, are especially vulnerable workers being hit hard by the economic crisis and consequently by increased poverty and social exclusion because of the precarious, temporary or atypical work they are likely to be doing thanks to their place of origin or lack of qualification; whereas migrant workers should enjoy the same working and pay conditions and the same right to training and social protection as nationals of the countries in which they are working,
Amendment P #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Acknowledges the need to assess the impact of EU funds in terms of achieving the poverty reduction target, even where this is not their primary objective, where possible, the effectiveness, impact, coordination and value for money of EU funds, especially of the European Social Fund (ESF) in terms of achieving the poverty reduction target, even where this is not their primary objective, reducing the economic discrepancies, prosperity imbalances and differences in living standard levels across EU Member States and regions, and therefore promoting economic and social cohesion; maintains that priority must be given to projects that combine employment targets and strategies with integrated active inclusion approaches, such as projects designed to strengthen intergenerational solidarity at regional and local level or which specifically contribute to realising gender equality and the active inclusion of vulnerable groups; stresses the importance of effective action for solidarity, including reinforcement, anticipation of transfer and reduction of cofinancing in respect of budgetary funding for creating decent jobs, supporting productive sectors and fighting poverty and social exclusion, rather than creating new forms of dependence; stresses the importance of supporting the combat of poverty and social exclusion, and access to quality employment and non discrimination, ensuring adequate income and promoting access to quality services;
Amendment Q #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Member States to submit national reform programmes consistent with the aim of the Platform, and calls on the Commission to refrain from restricting the Member States’ capacity for investment and social spending in the context of economic governance, bearing in mind that poverty reduction requires smart, sustainable and inclusive growth as indicated in the Europe 2020 strategy; with the Union's objectives of social and sustainable development, and, supporting the Commission’s recognition that poverty ‘is unacceptable in 21st Century Europe’, calls on them to refrain from calling into question wage indexation systems and collective labour agreements or restricting, in an unreasonable and unjustified way, their capacity for investment and social spending in the context of economic governance, whilst ensuring the sustainability of public finances and the creation of well-paid work, bearing in mind that poverty reduction is an essential corollary of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth as indicated in the Europe 2020 strategy; calls for clarification of the status of national action plans for social inclusion and, in particular, the question of their integration into national reform programmes under the EU 2020 strategy; calls on the Commission to develop country-specific Recommendations to meet the poverty reduction target, especially in case of failure, bearing in mind that poverty reduction requires us to step up our efforts and mobilise all parties and all our resources to significantly reduce poverty and extreme poverty in the medium term and to greatly reduce or eradicate poverty by 2020 at the latest; proposes that the Commission draw up guidelines for the Member States at European level to ensure that local authorities and other stakeholders participate effectively in the drafting of national reform programmes; notes that ‘territorial pacts’ potentially offer the most comprehensive and consistent means of involving local authorities in this process, as proposed in the Fifth Cohesion Report; considers that there would be no hope of achieving the Europe 2020 strategy aim of reducing by 20 million the number of people at risk of poverty if austerity measures which are a step backwards in terms of employment and social protection were adopted by the Member States;
Amendment R #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to initiate a horizontal anti-discrimination directive with a view to further eradicating discrimination; Urges the Member States to agree and adopt as soon as possible the proposal for a Council directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation (COM(2008)0426); calls on the Commission to continue to support the overcoming of technical difficulties within the Council in order to ensure a swift agreement is reached, and to close gaps in the existing anti-discrimination legislation which is currently not covering all relevant aspects, with a view to further eradicating discrimination, including social discrimination; Note: A citation referring to the Kosa report will be added by oral amendment.
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas homelessness represents one of the most extreme forms of poverty and deprivation, and a problem which remains unresolved in all EU member states,
Amendment T #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. AdvocatesRecommends the Member States to adopt a proactive decent housing policy in order to ensure universal access to decent, affordable housingquality housing at affordable prices or on preferential terms of purchase, and to prevent the loss thereof, with guaranteed access to services essential to health and safety, the lack of such housing being a serious affront to dignity, along with a proactive energy policy that steps up the use of renewable energies and boosts energy efficiency in order to combat energy poverty; calls for more attention to be paid to housing for migrants, who are often exploited and forced to live in sub- standard housing; recalls Protocol 26 annexed to the Treaty of Lisbon on social housing and calls for the provisions contained therein to be respected, in particular on the Member States’ freedom to organise social housing, including the question of financing; encourages the Member States to implement special housing programmes and opportunities for homeless people, in view of guaranteeing the most basic standards of living for the most vulnerable in society;
Amendment U #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for Roma people, and the organisations that represent and work with them, to be actively involved in the elaboration and implementation of the national Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020, so as to contribute to achieving the EU poverty target; calls on the European Union and the Member States to establish the European strategy to promote Roma inclusion as soon as possible, and calls on the Member States to propose, by the end of this year, measures to promote the inclusion of Roma in accordance with the European framework for coordinating national Roma inclusion strategies presented by the Commission in April 2011; stresses that, as with the fight against poverty and social exclusion, the inclusion and integration of the Roma will require greater effort to achieve, by 2020, their full inclusion and an end to the numerous forms of discrimination to which they are subject; 16a. calls for other marginalised communities such as immigrants to be involved in all EU or Member State policies relating to their social inclusion;
Amendment W #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Wishes the Commission to initiate a framework directive on minimum incomelaunch, in full compliance with the principle of subsidiarity, a consultation on the possibility of a legislative initiative on a sensible minimum income that will allow economic development, designed to prevent poverty and serve as a basis for people to live in dignity, play their full part in society and make headway with finding employment or identifying training opportunities and playing an automatic stabilising role for the economy, with due regard for differing practices, collective labour agreements and legislation in the various Member States, the definition of a minimum income being the prerogative of the Member State; wishes the Commission to help Member States share best practice on minimum income levels and encourages Member States to develop minimum income schemes based on an average of 60% of the median income in each Member State;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the poverty threshold of 60% of median national income is a helpful and necessary indicator, but whereas the concept of relative poverty, but should be complemented by the concept and calculation of a ‘basket of basic goods and services’ is just as muchat national level as a matter of public policy needs,
Amendment Y #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Maintains that elderly care facilitiesprogrammes, including home care, must be developed and reviewed in all the Member States so as to prevent elderly people falling into exclusion or poverty and that financial support should also be provided if possible for families caring for the elderly, in line with achieving the sustainable society and with particular regard to active ageing and improving support for solidarity between generations and encouraging accessibility and solidarity and improving the quality of long-term care; calls on the Commission to assess whether a directive on carer’s leave could help achieve this;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas social protection, including minimum income systems, plays a key role in stabilising the economy by limiting the impact of crises and in redistributing resources at every stage of life, while also affording protection against social risks and preventing povertyand alleviating poverty and social exclusion, throughout the life cycle,
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas health and life expectancy depend on the social environment and on child poverty, and whereas there is still a significant gap between rich and poor when it comes to health, which is continuing to widen in some respects,poverty and social exclusion remain a key social determinant of health1 and in particular the impact of child poverty on child health and well-being, and whereas there is still a significant gap between rich and poor when it comes to affordable access to health services, as well as in income and wealth, which is continuing to widen in some respects, __________________ 1 CSDH (2008). Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health. Final Report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Geneva, World Health Organization.
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas elderly people, in particular women, are at greater risk of poverty than the general population, in several countries, as a result of their loss of income on retirement and other factors such as physical dependence; whereas the breakdown of intergenerational social bonds is a major problem facing our societies,
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas women are more vulnerable to poverty owing to various factors such as the persistent gender pay gap, the resulting pension disparities, and labour market discrimination, and lack of concrete measures to support work/life balance including affordable care services,
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas unemployment among young people, which is already higher than for other age groups, has exploded in the EU since the crisis, whereas getting a job does not mean escaping poverty, and whereas young people are especially susceptible to fall into the category of working poor,
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas migrants are being hit hard by the economic crisis, including undocumented, are especially vulnerable workers being hit hard by the economic crisis and consequently by increased poverty and social exclusion,
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission to involve civil society atnd all stakeholders at local, national and European level, and to make discussions with people living in povertys well as people living in poverty themselves, in partnership with the associations in which they freely express their opinions, particularly through the development of national platforms against poverty and social exclusion in each Member State; calls for discussions with people living in poverty and social exclusion to be institutionalised, and to be extended at national level, and for their participation and contribution to be made a formal part of the annual convention on poverty and social exclusion;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls for experiments in joint training on social and exclusion issues to be made, bringing together European officials and people with hands-on experience of combating poverty;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for it to be made clear that the Commission will be legally accountable in the event that the horizontal social clause is not applied, and calls for the Commission to specify how the Platform will affect assessments of the implementation of that claus, under which the EU is to take into account requirements linked to the promotion of a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion, and a high level of education, training and protection of human health, is not applied, and calls for the Commission to specify how the Platform will affect assessments of the implementation of that clause, linked to the social impact assessment involving the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to identify the budget lines relevant to the Platform and financial support for agreed thematic priorities and to urge Member States to support participation of civil society at national level in National Reform Programmes, the Flagship Platform and National Strategies for social protection and social inclusion;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the open method of social coordination to be strengthened and applied correctly in the field of poverty, inter alia through the common development, implementation and evaluation of national strategies for social inclusion and protection, on the basis of commonly defined objectives, via national platforms against poverty and by exchanges of good practice on policies regarding effective access to fundamental rights; calls for the open method of social coordination to permit the implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the revised Social Charter, in particular Articles 30 and 31 thereof; calls for the open method of coordination to encourage the Member States to ratify the revised European Social Charter;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to specify thpropose common principles used to define the ‘basket of basic goods and services’ accessible to allrequired to enable everyone to live in dignity, and points out that these immediate needs are inseparable from respect for human dignity and effective access to all fundamental rights – whether civil, political, economic, social or cultural – without exception;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls for the European Parliament Employment Committee to be granted an explicit role in the Platform, particularly in monitoring the effectiveness of the Platform, EU and member states' policies in reducing poverty and social exclusion, in the context of the Europe 2020 strategy;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for a timetablen explicit commitment by the Council, Commission and Parliament to mobilize all policies to reduce poverty, ensuring that economic, employment and social inclusion policies contribute to the eradication of poverty rather than to its increase; Calls for a roadmap for implementing the Commission'’s 2008 recommendation concerning the active inclusion strategypecifying a multi-annual work programme for delivery at national and EU level;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls for the Platform to be geared towards asserting the rights which enable everyone to live in dignity, particularly in the field of employment, housing, health care, social security and adequate living standards, justice, education, training and culture, and the protection of families and children; calls for the Fundamental Rights Agency to produce a study on effective access by the poorest people to the whole range of fundamental rights and on the discrimination they face, with the participation of NGOs in which socially excluded people can freely express themselves, and bearing in mind that securing the right to housing is a necessary prerequisite for the full exercise other fundamental rights, including political and social rights;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls upon the European Commission to develop urgently an EU strategy on homelessness along the lines of the 2010 Joint Report of the Commission and the Council on Social Protection and Social Inclusion, the final recommendations of the European Consensus Conference on Homelessness (2010) and the European Parliament resolution on EU Homelessness Strategyx ; Calls on the European Commission to develop a detailed roadmap for the implementation of this strategy for the period 2011-2020; __________________ x to be adopted in July
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Calls upon the Social Protection Committee to monitor every year the progress member states make on homelessness on the basis of the national thematic light year reports on homelessness (2009) and along the lines of the 2010 Joint Report of the Commission and the Council on Social Protection and Social Inclusion,
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Expresses its concern at the postponement of the Communication on Active Inclusion to 2012, and asks the Commission to advance the publication of the Communication to 2011, including an assessment of implementation of active inclusion;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Supports the creation of decent jobs through vocational training and the provision ofCalls for the replacement of punitive activation policies, which increase conditionality without creating access to quality jobs, by integrated active inclusion approaches; Recommends the development of an EU strategy to tackle in-work poverty and create quality jobs, agreeing principles for quality work, including pay and working conditions and supporting vocational training and personalised job-seeking assistance, in particular for disadvantaged groups;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Emphasises that the main concern of young people is to be autonomous, having access to health care and to a decent accommodation for a reasonable price, while being able to train themselves, work and fulfil themselves; therefore calls on member states to remove age-related discriminations regarding access to Minimum Income schemes such as excluding young people from Minimum Income schemes due to a lack of social security contributions;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for equal rights and, equal social protection for all workersand a minimum wage for all in each Member State;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Acknowledges the need to assess the impact of EU funds in terms of achieving the poverty reduction target, even where this is not their primary objective; maintains that priority must be given to projects that combine employment targets and strategies with integrated active inclusion approaches, ensuring adequate income and promoting access to quality services;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Member States to submit national reform programmes consistent with the aim of the Platform and with the Union's objectives of social and sustainable development, and calls on the Commission to refrain from restricting the Member States' capacity for social investment and social spending in the context of economic governance, bearing in mind that poverty reduction requiresis an essential pre-requisite for the development of a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth as indicated in the Europe 2020 strategy; Calls on the Commission to develop country-specific Recommendations to meet the poverty reduction target, especially in case of failure;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Welcomes the proposal on global grants which could help a number of smaller NGOs and associations in their work to combat poverty;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to initiate a horizontal anti-discrimination directive with a view to further eradicating discriminationNotes that the Member States should, as a priority, agree and adopt as soon as possible the proposal for a Council directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation (COM(2008)0426); calls on the Commission to continue to support the overcoming of technical difficulties within the Council in order to ensure a swift agreement is reached;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Urges the Commission to consult as to how best to combat negative discrimination based on social origin;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the Commission’s desire to clarify the legal framework applicable to social economy enterprises so thatfoundations, mutual societies, associations and social economy enterprises so that these organisations can develop with legal certainty and there are no obstacles hindering their important contribution to poverty reduction; reiterates its call for a framework directive on the quality and accessibility of social services of general interest, in particular in the areas of health, education, public transport, energy, water and communication;
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Advocates a proactive decent housing policy in order to ensure universal access to decentquality, affordable housing, the lack of which is a serious affront to dignity, along with a proactive energy policy that steps up the use of renewable energies and boosts energy efficiency in order to combat energy poverty;
Amendment 334 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Reminds the link between living in deprived neighbourhoods, increasing poverty and social exclusion and increasing health problems; sees therefore the European interventions in deprived neighbourhoods as a cost- efficient way to combat exclusion and reduce health expenditure and calls the European Commission to strengthen those interventions in the next Cohesion Policy and other EU programmes;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for Roma and other marginalized communities to be involved in all EU or Member State policies relating to their social inclusion;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Highlights the importance of social, health, care and education services in bridging skills gaps, in promoting the social integration of people and combating poverty and social exclusion; recalls their potential to create new employment and calls for a strong and sustainable investment in and development of these key services and infrastructures; looks forward to the Commission’s action plan to address the gap in the supply of health workers;
Amendment 361 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Supports the June EPSCO Council Conclusions supporting an integrated strategy to prevent child poverty and promote child well-being, focused on adequate family income, access to services, including early learning and childcare, and children’s participation; Calls for a detailed roadmap for implementation of the proposed Communication in 2012;
Amendment 375 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Wishes the Commission to initiate a framework directive on minimum income, designed to prevent poverty and serve as a basis for people to live in dignity and make headway with finding employment or identifying training opportunities and playing an automatic stabilising role for the economy, with due regard for differing practices, collective labour agreements and legislation in the various Member States;
Amendment 379 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Amendment 388 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Maintains that elderly care facilities must be developed in all the Member States so as to prevent elderly people falling into exclusion or poverty, and calls on the Commission to assess whether a directive on carer’s leave could help achieve this;