46 Amendments of Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ related to 2017/2039(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)
Citation 10 a (new)
- having regard to the Council Recommendation for a Quality Framework for Traineeships of 10 March 2014;
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
- having regard to the European Social Charter, the Additional Protocol thereto and the revised version thereof, which entered into force on 1 July 1999;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 b (new)
Citation 12 b (new)
- having regard to the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, in particular goal 8 to ‘Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all’ which were adopted by the UN in 2015 and which apply to the whole world, including the EU,
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 c (new)
Citation 12 c (new)
- having regard to the report on completing Europe’s economic and monetary union (the ‘Five Presidents’ Report’) of 22 June 2015, the reflection papers on the Social dimension of Europe, the reflection paper on deepening the European Monetary Union and the White Paper on the Future of Europe;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 d (new)
Citation 12 d (new)
- having regard to the Commission Communication of 26 April 2017 establishing a European Pillar of Social Rights and the Commission Recommendation of 26 April 2017 on the European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 e (new)
Citation 12 e (new)
- having regard to the work and research of Eurofound, Cedefop, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development (OECD), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), the Union of Industrial and Employers’ Confederations of Europe (BusinessEurope), the European Association of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (UEAPME), the European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation (CEEP), Eurocities and the European Youth Forum;
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 f (new)
Citation 12 f (new)
- having regard to President Juncker’s speech on the State of the Union on 13 September 2017, the Roadmap for a More United, Stronger and More Democratic Union (Draft Commission Work Programme 2018) and the Letter of Intents to President Antonio Tajani and to Prime Minister Juri Ratas;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas long spells of youth unemployment can make young people feel isolated from society and lose a sense of belonging, and can cause ‘scarring effects’, as well as skills erosion, meaning that there is a higher probability that they will become unemployed again, and face lower earnings and career prospects during their working lives; whereas the side-lining of young people represents a huge loss of public and private investment, given the unused and faltering human capital that it entails;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the YG is an EU-wide commitment, while the YEI is targeted to only those Member States andwith regions whereof youth unemployment rates are particularly badof 25% or higher, with a total of 20 eligible Member States either partly or totally eligible;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas a quick mobilisation of funds was sought by frontloading the YEI budget for 2014 and 2015; in order to maximise the impact of YEI funded measures; whereas frontloading alone fell short as a measure to effectively speed up the programmes, as a number of Member States raised concerns on their inability to finance the programmes;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas due to delays in the implementation at national and regional level mainly caused by budgetary constraints faced by Member States, as well as the lack of available funding at the initial stage of the YEI programming period, the initial pre-financing paid to operational programmes implementing the YEI has been raised from 1% to 30% of the Union contribution by amending the ESF Regulation; whereas, in order to stimulate rapid implementation, Member States were requested to submit interim payment applications in which the Union contribution from the YEI were at least equal to 50% of the additional pre- financing received by 23 May 2016;whereas the majority of Member States managed to submit such payment applications on time, while only 8 Member States were requested to return the pre-financing obtained;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas the YG is designed to achieve the sustainable integration of NEETs into the labour market by offering an individualised approach, leading to a good-quality offer and enhancing young people’s employability, while in a broader context helpsupporting young people ing tohe school-to-work transition and addressing skills mismatches on the (regional) labour market;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
La. whereas the Commission proposed an increase of 1 billion Euro, to be matched with 1 billion of ESF commitments, in the framework of the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework for the years 2017- 2020;whereas, following an agreement between Parliament and Council the figure was raised to 1,2 billion; whereas Parliament adopted on 5 September 2017 the Draft amending budget No 3/2017 in order to provide for EUR 500 million for the YEI in 2017, financed by the Global Margin for Commitments, while also regretting the delay in the 2017 budgetary procedure due to the blockage and late approval by Council of the mid-term MFF revision;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas in its first Special report on the YG, the ECA raised concerns about the adequacy of funding (both EU and national) of the initiative, about the definition of a ‘good-quality offer’, and about monitoring and reporting on the results; whereas all these elements are inherently intertwined, since the quality of an offer is a multifaceted concept which defines measures in their design, in their implementation and the access to rights and services for young people, as well as in the sustainability of outcomes they produce;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas in its recently published second Special report on the YEI and the YG, conducted on the basis of a seven Member State sample, the ECA voiced concerns that limited progress had been made with YG implementation by Member States, with results falling short of initial expectations; whereas the Youth Employment Initiative and the Youth Guarantee still represent one of the most innovative and ambitious policy responses to the economic crisis that disproportionally hit youth employment, and which are therefore going to require continued financial and political commitment by European, national and regional institutions in their delivery for the years to come;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O a (new)
Recital O a (new)
Oa. whereas the Youth Employment Initiative and the Youth Guarantee are meant to play a central role in the achievement of key Recommendations included in the European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O b (new)
Recital O b (new)
Ob. whereas in his State of the Union 2017 speech the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, made no mention to the still alarming youth unemployment situation in Europe; whereas in the letter of intent accompanying the State of the Union 2017 speech, the Youth Guarantee has been acknowledged in its role to help creating jobs in the EU; whereas the fight against unemployment and youth unemployment in particular should remain a priority for the action of the EU;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O c (new)
Recital O c (new)
Oc. Whereas delays in payment to young people of YEI funded measures have been signalled, often caused by the late set-up of managing authorities or to insufficient administrative capacity of national or regional authorities;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O d (new)
Recital O d (new)
Od. whereas YEI and YG measures such as internships or traineeships should help facilitate transition into the labour market and never substitute regular employment contracts;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph –1 (new)
Paragraph –1 (new)
-1. Reiterates its full support to the Youth Employment Initiative; stresses that further efforts and continued political and financial commitment to address youth unemployment are urgently necessary; calls therefore for a substantial increase in YEI funding for the period 2017-2020;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph –1 a (new)
Paragraph –1 a (new)
-1a. Recalls, in particular, the importance of ensuring funding of at least EUR 700 million for the YEI for the period 2018 to 2020, as agreed within the MFF mid-term revision; calls also for the allocation of sufficient payment appropriations to ensure the proper and timely implementation of the YEI;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph –1 b (new)
Paragraph –1 b (new)
-1b. Calls for funding to be ensured for the post 2020 period in the framework of the next revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes the significant divergence in economic performance in terms of both economic and employment growth across the EU-28; urges the Member States that continue to lag behind to implement the necessary structural reforms in order to catch up with other EU economies which requires a decisive policy response at EU level also via the completion of the Economic and Monetary Union, including with the establishment of mechanisms for automatic macroeconomic stabilization, as already foreseen in the ‘Five Presidents’ report, in the ‘White Paper on the Future of Europe’, in the reflection paper on the ‘Social Dimension of Europe and ‘Deepening the Economic and Monetary Union’; notes that it is sound economic policies, which are ultimately a Member State responsibility, that create jobs;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that the YEI aims to complement national funding and not to replace funding should respect the principle of additionality; stresses therefore that the YEI budget cannot and was never meant to shoulder on its own the ambition ofhas to be complemented by, and not replace, national funding for policies directly targeting young NEETs and in the delivery of the Youth Guarantee, by offering all young people a good-quality offer within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Member States to make all necessary adjustments to guarantee the timely delivery of this objective, including by strengthening the capabilities of public employment services and their coordination at European level in the framework of the PES Network; by encouraging synergies between public and private employment providers, businesses and education systems, both at the school and university level, with education and employment institutions; by fully and periodically consulting and involving social partners and youth organisations in the design, implementation and monitoring of YEI and YG measures;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers the monitoring data and results available at present insufficient to properly assess the implementation and results of the YEI as the main EU financing vehicle for YGs, in particular due to the starting delays in the setting up of operational programmes by Member States and the still relatively early stage since its launch; is concerned, however, about the findings in the recent ECA report, while taking into account its limited territorial and temporal scope, about the impact of the YEI and YG as Union policies aimed at tackling youth unemployment; insists on the need to maintain youth employment as a priority of EU action;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2 a (new)
Subheading 2 a (new)
Reaching out to the most excluded young people
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses therefore the need for more and better data on the entire NEET population, with the objective of registering them and reaching out to them more effectively, as more disaggregated data could identify which groups should be targeted, with which means and what measures would work best;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Highlights the need for holistic strategies to reach all NEETs and to support young people facing multiple barriers, going beyond mere employment aspects but with an integrated approach involving more services such as access to housing and healthcare;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Advocates for a better involvement of youth and civil society organisations as important intermediaries between young people, public administration and public employment services in developing outreach strategies and effectively reaching out to the most excluded young people;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5d. Supports the development of one- stop-shops that can ensure that all services and guidance are easily accessible, available and free-of-charge for young people in one location;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Considers the Youth Employment Initiative and the Youth Guarantee as powerful instruments in the fight against social exclusion of other most excluded groups of young people such as Roma, migrants, refugees and people with disabilities;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to adapt their operational programmes in order to ensure that YEI and YG measures are effectively accessible to all persons with disabilities, providing equity of access for disabled young people, guarantee an adequate income and set specific programmes in order to match the individual’s needs and their type of disability;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2 b (new)
Subheading 2 b (new)
Ensuring the quality of offers under the Youth Employment Initiative
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Points to the quality standards mentioned in the ‘Youth Employment Initiative evaluation guidance’ published by the Commission in 2015, which flags the characteristics of employment offers, their relevance to the participant needs, the labour market outcomes produced by the offers and the proportions of offers not accepted or abandoned prematurely as valid indicators for the assessment of quality of employment;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Encourages Member States to progressively update and revise their YEI operational programmes with the involvement of social partners and youth organisations in order to fine-tune their action based on the actual needs of young people and the labour market;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7d. Calls on the Member States to provide the Commission with updated figures on the actual implementation of the Youth Employment Initiative as often as possible and more frequently than their annual implementation reporting obligations as defined in article 19(2)of the ESF Regulation, which do not provide the most recent data on implementation;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls for a discussion about the future status of the YEI which does not question its continuation but addresses the question of transforming it from a Highlights the need for the YEI to evolve from an anti-crisis instrument into a more permanent, main EU financing instrument for tackling youth unemployment, and which establishes a co-financing requirement in order to underline the primary responsibility of the Member States;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Considers the Youth Employment Initiative and the Youth Guarantee as essential in the effective delivery of key Recommendation included in the European Pillar of Social Rights, in particular Recommendation 1 on education, training and life-long learning; number 4 on active support to employment, number 5 on secure and adaptable employment, number 6 on wages; number 8 on social dialogue and involvement of workers; number 10 on healthy, safe and well-adapted work environment and data protection; number 12 on social protection; number 13 on unemployment benefits and number 14 on minimum income;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Recalls that YEI should provide financial support to measures fostering the integration of young NEETs into the labour market, including paid internship, traineeships and apprenticeships, but should not become an instrument to substitute actual gainful employment;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. is concerned about reports signalling the inappropriate usage of YEI funded measures, including delayed payments to young people or the excessive usage in certain Member States of internships or traineeships instead of more permanent contracts; urges therefore the Member States and the Commission to watch over any abuse in the achievement of the genuine objective of the YEI and the YG;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)
Paragraph 14 d (new)
14d. Takes the view that any repeated take-up of the YG must not go against the spirit of labour market activation and the aim of transition into permanent employment;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 e (new)
Paragraph 14 e (new)
14e. suggests the establishment of an “EU hotline against the violation of youth rights” for young people to directly report to the Commission any eventual negative experience in their participation of YEI and YG measures, therefore allowing for the collection of information and for the investigation of possible abusive practices in the deployent of EU funded policies;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 f (new)
Paragraph 14 f (new)
14f. Welcomes the reference contained in the letter of intent attached to President Juncker’s speech on the State of the Union 2017 to a proposal of establishing a European Labour Authority to strengthen cooperation between labour market authorities at all levels and better manage cross-border situations, as well as further initiatives in support of fair mobility; suggests the attribution of a role to this authority in supervising the correct implementation of YEI and YG measures across the EU;