Activities of Jean LAMBERT related to 2014/2237(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on reducing inequalities with a special focus on child poverty PDF (215 KB) DOC (134 KB)
Amendments (29)
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. Whereas the destruction of incomes has a major impact on reducing cycles of social inequality which contributes to growing child poverty, both through lower wages and reductions in minimum income support;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. Whereas, the EU has recognized that the multidimensional causes of child poverty need an integrated response with the adoption of the Investing in Children Recommendation, but has not taken coherent steps to implement this through the European Semester;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. Whereas the growing inequality between countries within the EU is reflected in levels of material deprivation of children - it is alarming that in countries such as Estonia, Greece and Italy, the percentage of children who cannot eat meat, chicken or fish two days runningse nutrition is at risk through protein deficiency has doubled since 2008;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. Whereas the financial and economic crisis has led to a deterioration in living and working conditions and to the emergence of a new group, also referred to as 'new to need', with a particular risk of indebtedness and to be most in need of help but being unaware of available support 1a; __________________ 1a(Based on Eurofound's (2012) study on household over-indebtedness)
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. Whereas single-parent families, especially families headed by single mothers, are at greater risk of poverty or social exclusion (49.8% compared to 25.2%), which is due to the feminisation of poverty and wage discrimination between men and women;, the gender pay gap as well as difficulties in accessing quality employment, and higher rates of part-time work; whereas there are large differences between countries and research shows that the social situation of disadvantaged families is linked not only to the extent of the crisis but also to how countries responded to it 1a _______________________ 1a Based on Eurofound research
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. Whereas the effects of poverty and social exclusion on children can last a lifetime and continue into future generations; thatresult in intergenerational worklessness and poverty; whereas the educational gap between children from different socio- economic backgrounds has increased (in 11 countries, the provision of educationarly childhood education and care to children between the ages of 0 and 3 reaches no more than 15% coverage);
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. Whereas, even in countries where the right to health is enshrined in law, there are many children who do not have access to a family doctor or dentist;ffordable health services.
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. Whereas all children have the right to be protected from abuse, violence and neglect and that research has concluded that financial pressures within families and cuts in public services put children at greater risk and that so-called austerity measures arean increase in poverty can leading to greater violence against children;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. Whereas families living at risk of poverty are more likely to live in unsanitary and unsafe areas, and that 17% of children in the EU28 still live in these conditions, with 15 countries above average11 ; the increasing number of evictions due to the inability to pay housing costs has pushed children into shelterincreasingly unstable housing conditions which in turn has negative impacts on the child's development and life chances; __________________ 11 EU-SILC (2013) European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1 a. Recommends that Commission establishes with Member States a Road Map for the implementation of the three- pillared approach adopted in the Investing in Children Recommendation – in terms of access to resources (wages and income support), services and children's participation;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1 a. Calls on Member States to use EU funding and all other available instruments to implement the Commission Recommendation;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recommends that Member States increaseensure adequacy of income for parents by increasing the quantity, amounts, scoverage, take upe and effectiveness of the social support specifically directed to children, but also to parents who are unemployed or only in poorly paying jobs (such as unemployment benefits and adequate minimum income) and to promote labour laws that guarantee social rights and security to families and fight precarious employmentincluding a statutory adequate minimum wage respecting national practises and collective agreements, which will provide greater security to families and fight precarious employment; urges the Commission to investigate the potential to develop an EU framework which will establish an adequate minimum income and social protection floor for all EU citizens and families;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recommends that Member States implement or enhance universal welfare benefits targeting children as an intrinsic right of the child; Regrets the growing trend for Member States governments to move away from universal support policies towards more means-tested support as evidence shows that universal support policies offer better protection against child poverty 1a; ________________________ 1a (Based on Eurofound research)
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to refrain from recommencoherently implement the Commission Recommendation on Investing in Children including through the European Semester and Europe 2020 and to refrain from making country-specific recommendations regarding reformulations and cuts in the public services and social protection of Member States, from promoting flexible labour relations and the privatisation of public services, which have led unequivocally to the weakening of the social rights of childrenreduction of wage levels and the privatisation of public services without safeguards to ensure quality, affordable access, which have led unequivocally to the weakening of the social rights of children and increasing child poverty; and positively recommending the development of integrated strategies;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Stresses that the reduction of child poverty through investing in children should be proposed as a core priority for the 2016 Annual Growth Survey, as key means to progress on the poverty target;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Reminds the Commission of the European Parliament's call for an assessment of the effects on poverty of reforms proposed within National Reform Programmes;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges Member States to implement and monitor plans for alleviatinge child poverty, puttingimplementing integrated strategies based on the Investing in Children Recommendation; Stresses that the Strategies should put the focus on the intrinsic rights of children, and setting targets for reducing child poverty and child social exclusion as sub-targets of the overarching poverty target set within Europe 2020;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Calls on the Commission to include a specific and binding indicator on children at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the social dimension of the Economic and Monetary Union;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Urges the European Commission and the European Parliament to take the opportunity provided by the mid-term review of the multiannual financial framework to increase the appropriations from the European Social Fund and, the Food Aid Program for the most deprived groups and the Programme for Employment and Social Innovation and to check if children are a priority in the programming and implementation of regional and cohesion policies;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Recommends that the European Commission develops guidelines to support the participation of children in the policy-making process; Suggests Member States to put in place mechanisms that promote children's participation in decision making that affects their lives and to enable and encourage children to express informed views, ensuring that those views are given due weight and are reflected in the main decisions affecting them;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on Member States to introduce legislation to protect or increase maternity and paternity rights, paternity and parental leave rights and to support an agreement on the EU directive on maternity leave;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recommends that Member States develop proactive, universal social policies that prevent poverty and the departure of children from their family environment, ensuring that it is not through poverty that children are institutionalised;lacing children in alternative care arrangements due to poverty and social exclusion.
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recommends that Member States guarantee all children access to inclusive, free, quality public education at all ages, including early childhood, and establish appropriate teacher-student ratios;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recommends that Member States provide affordable nutritious school meals, free school materials and school transportation during school hours;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Urges Member States to guarantee universal, public, free and quality health care with regard to prevention, comprehensive immunisation programmes and primary care, access to diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, provide speech and psychological therapies for children, guaranteeing women the right to sexual and reproductive health by ensuring health care for babies, maternity care in the pre- and post-natal care period, particularly in the case of premature birth, access to family doctors, nurses, dentists and mental health specialists for all children, and integrate these aspects into national and the EU public health strategies;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Recommends that Member States provide the necessary support to ensure the right to culture, sport and leisure, access to open space and a healthy environment for all children, with a focus on children in poverty, children in remote areas, children with disabilities, and migrantsethnic minorities and migrants regardless of status; Recalls the right to play as laid down in the UNCRC;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on Member States, particularly those where social inequalities are greater, to strengthen social rights and access to services and social protection, that the state must guarantee, increasing the number of employees and technicians in social security services, and increasing the medical, psychological and social care of children, particularly those with mental health problems, in line with the strategy of early intervention;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Recognises the role of civil society, including children's rights and anti- poverty organisations, in ensuring EU policy coherence, and calls for strengthened civil dialogue on preventing and tackling child poverty in the Member States;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Recommends that the Commission and Member States develop statistical methods that integrate multidimensional indicators in measuring poverty and promoting child well-being to take into account the limitations of relative poverty measurements and the work of the UNDP, UNICEF and the OECD, going beyond the AROPE indicator;