53 Amendments of Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ related to 2021/2179(INI)
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the social economy represents 2.8 million entities in Europe, employs around 13.6 million workers and significantly contributes to the European GDP; whereas the number of social economy entities and employment in the EU varies depending on the definition, estimates and national statistics; whereas it is important to acknowledge the diversity among social economy actors in different Member States and improving the recognition and visibility of the social economy and its added value to our society;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas social economy entities still face significant obstacles that constrain their economic and overall social impact;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas there is a need for the EU to have a permanent statistical mapping system that will enable it to have suitable comparable and up-to-date data on the size and impact of the sector;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas the social economy plays an important role in the transformation and evolution of our societies, welfare systems and economies thus substantially contributing to economic, social and human development in and beyond the EU and are supplementary to existing welfare regimes in many member states;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
Ae. whereas social partners, at all levels, can play an important role in promoting the social economy and making it fit for responding to current and future challenges;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A f (new)
Recital A f (new)
Af. whereas a significant feature of the social economy is the large number of female workers, who account for over 70% of the labour force in many entities;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A g (new)
Recital A g (new)
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A h (new)
Recital A h (new)
A h. whereas public authorities rarely use the existing possibilities available to facilitate the access of social economy entities to public procurement or funding, nor the flexibility offered by current EU state aid rules; whereas most public tenders are still awarded based only on the price criterion and socially responsible public procurement is still far less known and developed than green public procurement;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A i (new)
Recital A i (new)
Ai. whereas voluntary work plays a fundamental role in the social economy, being important both for the younger generation and for older people, for whom in some cases it represents an important opportunity to play an active role in society that helps to improve their quality of life, gain qualifications and increase their employment prospects;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the social economy has played an important role in mitigating and addressing the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on the EU’s social market, society and economy and has driven and contributed to social and economic resilience thanks to the long- term orientation of the European Pillar business model and the nature of social rights and the targets and activities of the social economyeconomic and social sustainability of its business model12 ; _________________ 12 OECD (2020), Social economy and the COVID-19 crisis: current and future roles.
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas social economy entities demonstrated great resilience and innovation in the face of adversity but faced difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as drops in activity, limited cash reserves, or the need to take their business activity online;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas social economy entities are drivers for new employment initiatives and social innovation, including in the context of the green economy and the promotion of sustainable development;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas governments and public authorities at large have the ultimate responsibility for ensuring equal and universal access of citizens to a high standard of welfare;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas there are numerous challenges and barriers preventing social economy organisations who want to internationalise or operate cross-border from doing so, including different rules and definitions and the lack of financing;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas the best tool to fight poverty and social exclusion is to create decent jobs with decent pay; whereas a way to contribute to such an objective could be through the implementation of direct employment initiatives in the social economy;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission’s Action Plan for the Social Economy (SEAP), the guiding principles defining the social economy set therein, the political impetus it provides to its development, and the wealth of measures announced therein; ; stresses that during times when the European Union is facing enormous challenges in terms of unemployment and social exclusion as well as demographic change, social economy entities have an important role to play, both in society and the labour market;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes, however, that concrete measurstrategies and follow-up measures for achieving each objective need to be laid out and the interlinkages between measures further detailed; considers it necessary to establish a calendar for all actions included in the SEAP, with a view to guiding the relevant authorities in the implementation;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Considers that EU and national actions to promote the development of the social economy are particularly relevant in the current context in which, due to the economic and social crisis caused by COVID-19, it is essential to harness the full potential of the social economy to ensure economic recovery, to promote social entrepreneurship and to create quality jobs; stresses that social economy entities play an essential role in improving the resilience of the economy and society following the COVID-19 pandemic;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Urgesnderlines that despite being a considerable source of economic growth and job creation, more needs to be done to promote the social economy; urges therefore the Commission and the Member States, as well as regional and local authorities, to mainstream the social economy dimension in relevant policies, programmes and practices;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Reiterates its call13 forStresses the need to keep the ‘think small first’ principle to be set as a guiding principle in tin mind when drafting of future legislation and the adoption of policies, so as to make the Union’s ecosystem more competitive andpolicies, without weakening environmental and consumer protection, workers’ rights as well as health and safety provisions, and to better supportive of micro, small and medium-sized organisationenterprises both within and outside the social economy; _________________ 13 In, inter alia, its resolution of 16 December 2020 on a new strategy for European SMEs and that of 24 June 2021 on European regulatory fitness and subsidiarity principle. in applying existing rules and regulations;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Underlines the importance of social economy entities as strategic partners in implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights and in building a European Union where the main function of the economy is to serve the people; calls in this respect on the Member States to raise their ambitions in implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Notes that ensuring quality jobs requires, amongst other things, good management practices, governance and internal decision-making structures and processes as well as good management skills; underlines that the range of management skills needed in the social economy sector is wider and more complex than in mainstream businesses; calls on the Commission and the Member States to support the development of management skills within the social economy through relevant education and training institutions;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Stresses the need to support training and life-long learning of workers in areas such as digitalisation, including media literacy, participatory leadership, resilience and the green transition, in order to support them to enter or remain in the labour market of the social economy; welcomes the commitment of the Commission in the SEAP to skills partnerships for the social economy, in the context of the Skills Agenda and the updated European Industrial Strategy;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Highlights that acting in the general interest, social economy entities create jobs, provide socially innovative services and goods, facilitate social inclusions and promote a more sustainable and locally anchored economy; underlines that when the role of the social economy in creating and maintaining employment involves disadvantaged workers and disadvantaged regions, appropriate support is needed to give proper recognition to these entities;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 e (new)
Paragraph 4 e (new)
4e. Acknowledges the important role played by social economy entities in providing social services, ensuring continuity of employment and offering job opportunities with high democratic values and the inclusion of disadvantaged groups in society and the world of work; underlines in this context their valuable contribution to achieving upward social convergence as well as social and economic inclusion;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 f (new)
Paragraph 4 f (new)
4f. Stresses the fundamental and important role of public services in supplying and supporting the social economy; calls on the Commission and the Member States to invest in staff, digitalisation and social dialogue; emphasises that an approach focusing on promoting the social economy without also enhancing the enabling of public services would be incorrect and ineffective;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 g (new)
Paragraph 4 g (new)
4g. Regrets the lack of references in the SEAP to the importance of workers’ rights and collective bargaining; stresses that all workers in the social economy deserve decent working and employment conditions, ideally based on collective agreements; highlights in this context that social economy entities, however organised, must ensure the respect of trade union rights, social dialogue and collective bargaining; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that no public funding should go to employers, including in the social economy, that do not recognise trade unions and engage in collective bargaining;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 h (new)
Paragraph 4 h (new)
4 h. Recalls that direct employment initiatives already exist or have existed in Europe, such as "Zero long term unemployment territories" in France, and are often part of the social economy; invites the Commission to list and map those initiatives in order to have a better understanding of their functioning and efficiency and to share best practices among Member States;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reminds the Member States that the Public Procurement Directive (Directive 2014/24/EU) allows contracting authorities to use public procurement to pursue environmental and social objectives, and, in particular, allows for reserved tender procedures for organisations whose main aim is the integration of persons with disabilities or other disadvantaged groups into the workforce; invitescalls on public authorities to consider socially and environmentally responsible public procurement as an investment in the socio-economic fabric with a great potential to combine social and competitive objectives; socio-economic investment which combines social and economic objectives; calls on the Commission to further promote socially responsible public procurement as a key tool to achieve employment and to promote socially responsible business practices; stresses that all public funding, including through public procurement contracts, should be subject to social and environmental conditionality;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Encourages the Member States to systematically adopt strategies aimed at developing socially responsible public procurement, thus establishing a link across policy areas between the delivery of services and products and the contribution to social objectives; considers that the transposition of the Public Procurement Directive must be coupled with initiatives to increase knowledge about the relationship between public spending and its contribution to achieving the SDGs, and to build capacity among public procurement officers and social economy organisations; encourages public procurement officers to carry out pre- market consultations before drawing up tender documents, with a view to better understanding the existing needs and howwhat social economy organisations could meet themhave to offer;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes existing initiatives in Member States to provide workers interested in the buyout process and cooperatives emerging from workers’ buyouts with legal counselling, financial support, support in the preparation of business plans, data needed for external investors and business support structuresbusiness support structures, including legal counselling, financial support and help to create business plans; underlines the important role of trade unions and collaboration between trade unions and social economy organisations in order to enhance the chances of successful workers’ buyouts, which preserves jobs, and contributes to innovation and the democratisation of the economy; encourages Member States to include this topicworkers’ buyouts in the 2023 Council recommendations in order to further support these initiatives at regnational and natregional level;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the announced report on the possible extension of the EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance to social objectives; considers that the EU taxonomy needs to cover social factors, without creating an excessively disproportionate burden on businesses, as it can be a driver for investment in the field of the social economy;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the Commission, in collaboration with Member States, to examine transfers of enterprises to employees and to set up an EU platform for exchange of best practice between Member States, local and regional authorities and social economy networks;
Amendment 189 #
9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to set up capacity-building partnerships and formal agreements with social economy networks in order to allow exchange of experience and provide social economy organisations with advisory services such as tailor-made mentoring and coaching, financing capacity-building, training and education, incubating services and networking for capacity-building;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Highlights the key role that new technologies can play in developing and scaling up social economy projects and; stresses the importance of giving social entrepreneurs priority access to training programmes on digital skills and advanced technologies, both at EU and national level, and calls on the Commission and Member States to explore how mainstream businesses and social economy organisations can cooperate in that regardUnion and national level;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to involve social economy entities in all relevant policies regarding the transition to a sustainable economy; stresses that the social economy can play an active role in ensuring a just transition and facilitate workers finding new jobs away from fossil fuel-based industries;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Stresses the importance of promoting the social economy also at international level, as a way to address common global challenges and reach common objectives linked to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers it regrettableRegrets that social economy organisations do not feature to the same extent as more conventional businesses in the curricula of mainstream school education and higher education enterprise and business education14 ; in light of this, invites sector-representative bodies and relevant public authorities, in partnership with the relevant stakeholders, to review and evaluate the curricula and put forward policy recommendations for academic institutions; as well as vocational education and training14; suggests to review school and university curricula in this regard; _________________ 14 Eurofound (2019), Labour market change. Cooperatives and social enterprises: work and employment in selected countries.
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to raise awareness and increase the visibility of the social economy among young people and young entrepreneurs as an opportunity for business start-ups; expects that the new Youth Entrepreneurship Policy Academy will make a contribution in this regard;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Stresses that volunteering and paid traineeships in the social economy are an opportunity for increasing skills and qualifications of young people, with a positive effect on their employment chances; calls on the Commission and the Member States to put in place policies to facilitate the transition from paid traineeships to regular employment;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)
Paragraph 11 c (new)
11c. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support initiatives and the role of local and regional authorities in promoting the social economy, social entrepreneurship and social innovation;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 d (new)
Paragraph 11 d (new)
11d. Underlines that the social economy plays an important role in providing employment opportunities for women, in particular in vulnerable situations, and can be an entry point to transition from informal to formal employment; stresses that gender mainstreaming should be a priority, also in the social economy; calls on the Commission and the Member States to remove all barriers for women in order to achieve gender equality;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Welcomes the proposal to launch a new single EU Social Economy Gateway in 2023; agrees that this initiative has the potential to support social economy entities in providing important information on relevant EU funding, policies, networks and platforms, as well as related initiatives;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Calls for the gender perspective to be taken into account as regards policies and access to funding for social economy entities, given the greater difficulties experienced by women in accessing credit and financial resources compared to men;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Invites the Commission, on the occasion of the next revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), to adequately take into account the specific needs of social economy organisations in terms of access to finance and market development, to strengthen the role of State aid inbetter include social considerations such as promoting the recruitment of disadvantaged workers in State Aid decisions, especially in the context of the post-COVID-19 recovery, and to explore different evidence-based options, after consulting relevant stakeholders, to support the development of social economy organisations;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Invites the Commission to provide clarity and guidance to national authorities on the right choice of the legal basis regarding state aid to support social economy entities, thereby trying to avoid legal uncertainty, facilitating sufficient funding for social economy entities and lowering the risks for recoveries; calls on the Member States and national authorities to make full use of the options provided under state aid rules and the existing Union rules in relation to services of general economic interest in order to maximise the potential of the social economy; welcomes the indicated measures from the Commission in the Action Plan in facilitating this process;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Calls on the Commission to assess the suitability of the SME definition when applying it to social economy entities;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Strongly welcomes the proposal of a Council recommendation on social economy framework conditions to be approved in 2023; believes that it and calls for the full involvement of the European Parliament in this regard to make it joint recommendation of both institutions; stresses that the recommendation should serve as a compass to strengthen the social economy legal and policy frameworks, especially in Member States where the social economy ecosystem is less developed, and should clearly highlight the support instruments made available by the EU and provide guidance in relation to specific policies such as public procurement, state aid, employment and social policies, taxation, education, skills and training and the importance of linking the circular economy and the social economy agendas;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Considers it regrettableRegrets that Parliament’s past calls on the Commission to submit proposals allowing mutual societies, associations and foundations to act on a European and cross-border scale did not lead to any legislative changes, thus undermining the European social model and hindering the completion of the single market; reiterates the Parliament’s call to introduce common minimum standards for non- profit organisations throughout the EU and establish a statute for a European association; suggests, in view of the window of opportunity opened by the SEAP, as well as the activities of the Monitoring Committee of the Luxembourg Declaration, which comprises a majority of Member States, that enhanced cooperation be explored as a tool to overcome the aforementioned decades-long deadlocks;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes that the full potential of the social economy sector for addressing socio-economic challenges requires a clear identification of social priorities by public authorities; highlights that social economy projects do generallyoften require a close partnership with public entities, and calls therefore on the Commission and Member States to develop, within the macro- economic governance framework provided at EU level, a social investment strategy where social priorities are clearly identified and which can provide a framework for cooperation between public authorities and social economy organisations;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Shares the view that labels and certification systems, which have been developed in some countries, could serve as inspiration to other Member States; welcomes the commitment in the SEAP to launch a study on national social economy labels and certification systems with a view to a common European approach;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the announced launch of a new study to collect qualitative and quantitative information on the social economy across all Member States; notes that detailed, standardised, comparable and reliable data on the scale and impact of the social economy need to be generated with a view to facilitating evidence-based policy decisions, future-proofing the development of the social economy and contributing to EU economic and social goals; calls in this respect on the Commission and the Member States to work with Eurostat with a view to promote the development of standardised data, allowing robust analysis and trends in the social economy;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Member States to designate social economy coordinators and to set up local social economy contact points with a view to facilitating access to support and funding, including EU funding;