29 Amendments of Bas EICKHOUT related to 2014/2059(INI)
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas a smart compliance with the EU fiscal and macroeconomic surveillance framework is essential to the proper which fully uses the flexibilities foreseen in the framework can improve the functioning of the European Monetary Union (EMU);
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas, in thea context of persistently high debt and unemployment levels, and low nominal GDP growth, andin which our societies face the challenges of an ageing society and of supporting job creation, particularly for young people, a long term strategy for fiscal consolidation must continueshould be pursued in a growth-friendly and differentiated manner and should balance productive investments needs with fiscal discipline objectives;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the global financial crisis and the sovereign debt crisis in the EU have significantly hampered access by small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) to financial resources;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. NotesIs strongly worried by the fact that the economic recovery in the EU is under way; reiterates, howehas significantly lost impetus and came to an halt in the euro area over, that this recovery is fragile and uneven, and must be sustained ie second quarter of 2014 in a context where the zero-lower bound has been reached and very low inflation rates are generalised; underlines that an ambitious plan forder to deliver more growth and jobs in the medium term triggering investment across the EU is urgently required to address the current economic downturn;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the ambitiousTakes notes of the far reaching structural reforms implemented by Member States under the macroeconomic adjustment programmes; finds it regrettable that thsome Member States in the rest of the euro area are lesslack ambitiousn in modernising their economies, which is one of the reasons for the low sustainable growth prospects in the medium and long term;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that the euro area and the EU risk falling further behind other regions in terms of economic developmentprospects and opportunities, making the EU less attractive for investment from within and outside the EU;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Underlines, once again, the fact that the overall excessive indebtedness of Member States in thein several euro area is not only an obstacle to growth but also puts a huge burden on future generations; is still concerned at the lack of progress in reducing excessive private debt levels; points out that this is not only a concern for financial stability, but also limits the EU's sustainable growth potential;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls, in this connection, on the future Commission to put forward, inter alia, a proposal on the single external representation of the euro area based on Article 138 TFEU as well as to present the report committed in the 'two pack' and the roadmap 'Towards a Genuine EMU' on the possibilities offered by the Union's existing fiscal framework to balance public investments needs with the fiscal discipline objectives;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Supports the objective of placing emphasis on policies that enhance competitiveness, support job creation, fight unemploymentst and non-cost competitiveness, increase overall productivity and resource efficiency, support quality job creation, fight unemployment, reduce poverty, promote inclusion and improve the functioning of the labour market;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Recalls, however, that Member States’' track record of implementaddressing the CSRs is very low; believes that there is an inconsistency between European commitment and national implementation of the CSRs by Member States; stresses the importance of ‘national ownership’ by the relevant governments of EU-level commitmentstresses the importance of 'national ownership' by the relevant governments of EU-level commitments; points out that CSRs should be formulated so as to provide policy space to Member States for designing the measures and specific reforms required for addressing such recommendations;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls in particular the Commission to explore the development of result oriented common benchmarks to measure and compare structural reforms in the framework of any forthcoming proposal aiming at enhancing economic policy coordination in the EMU;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Underlines the fact that the implementation of CSRs is a precondition for achievat compliance with the 'comply or explain' principle regarding CSRs is important for fostering economic convergence in the EMU, which is key to the proper functioning thereof, allowing for financial and economic stability that is conducive to growth and jobs;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Commission, as guardian of the Treaty, to make full use of all measures provided for in EU law to support the enforcement of the implementation ofenhanced economic policy coordination and convergence in the CSRsEMU;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Requests that the Commission report on a quarterly basis in Parliament’'s competent committee on the measures taken to ensure progress on the implementation of the CSRs and on themonitor progress achieved thus far regarding CSRs; invites Member States to explain the reasons for non- compliance with the CRSs in Parliament’'s competent committee;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the President of the Eurogroup to effectively monitor the implementationprogress made ofn the CSRs by the Member States of the euro area, and to report on the progress made as part of the assessment by the Eurogroup of the draft 2015 budgetary plans, to be submitted by mid-October 2014 by the Member States concerned;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Believes that with regard to the forthcoming European Semester, the policy ofa long- term and balanced strategy for growth- friendly fiscal consolidation should be pursued to improve fiscal sustainability; stresses, however, the fact that special emphasis should be placed on sustainable and inclusive growth-enhancing reforms and policies that ensure quality job creation, poverty reduction and an environmentally sustainable economy;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Encourages Member States to overcome domestic political opposition to modernise their economies, social security systems and health care, in order to avoid placing an excessive burden on future generations as well as on persons currently experiencing poverty, unemployment and social exclusion;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Believes that structural reforms should particularly be targeted at improving labour markets’' capacity to integrate young people as well as other excluded groups into the workforce; believes, also, that structural reform should be aimed at improving the mid- and long-term sustainability of social security, health-care and pension systems; while ensuring that the number of people experiencing poverty is drastically reduced, health-care and social security are universally available and pensions are poverty-proofed;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Stresses, once again, its call on Member States to simplify their tax systems and reiterates its call to shift taxes from labour to consumptionunsustainable consumption and environmental taxation so as to make the use of resources more efficient and sustainable; calls on the Commission to take urgent action and develop a comprehensive strategy based on concrete legislative measures to fight tax fraud and tax evasion; calls in particular to the Commission to address country-specific- recommendations regarding the phasing- out of aggressive tax planning to those Member States it has itself identified as places where these practices are well established;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Reiterates the fact that structural reforms must be complemented byand articulated with longer- term investment in education, research, innovation and sustainable energy; stresses, however, the fact that private investment is more conducive to growth than public investment;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Points out that government-induced growth risks being unsustainable over the medium term; stresses the fact that the already high levels of public debt do not allow for a significant increase in spending, if the reform and consolidation efforts are not to be in vain; agrees however with the ECB President that in the current downturn there is leeway to achieve a more growth-friendly composition of fiscal policies and that fiscal policy could play a greater role in consistency with the existing fiscal and macroeconomic surveillance framework, alongside accommodative monetary policy and sustainable structural reforms;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Believes that the biggest limitation on the EU economy is the low level of privateoverall investment;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Underlines the fact that public and private investment is crucial, as it works on the supply and demand side of the economy creating jobs, generating incomes for households, increasing tax revenue, helping governments consolidate and boosting growth;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on the Commission finally to deliver on its commitment to complete the single market, particularly as regards services; urges the Member States to deliver on their commitments on the EU2020 strategy, particularly with regard to research and innovation and resource efficiency;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Takes note on the Commission's follow-up document to the EP Troika report; recalls the Commission to act to fully align the legal obligations arising from the 'two-pack' with the current economic adjustment programmes; underlines in particular that a certain number of requirements of Regulation (EU) N° 472/2013 referred to in Article 1 on the respect of collective agreements as well as in Article 7 on the need to ensure sufficient means for fundamental policies, such as education and health are not yet explicitly addressed in the updated programmes;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Calls on the Commission urgently to propose measures to complete the internal market for capital to improve the allocation of capital to businesses in order to revitalise the real economy; regrets that the monitoring of unit capital costs is not yet integrated in the surveillance of macroeconomic imbalances; reiterates its requests to integrate such monitoring as well as the monitoring of resource efficiency in the framework of the scoreboard for macroeconomic imbalances; believes that further alternatives to bank financing are needed, particularly by improving the conditions for financing through the capital markets;
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Stresses the fact that a solid and stable, downsized, recapitalized and well diversified financial system is crucial for future growth;
Amendment 351 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Stresses the need to strengthen democratic accountability to the European Parliament and the national parliaments as regards essential elements of the euro area’'s operation, such as the European Stability Mechanism, Eurogroup decisions, and the monitoring and evaluation of financial assistance programmes; recalls in that perspective for an Interinstitutional Agreement in order to involve Parliament in the drafting and approval of the AGS and the Economic Policy and Employment Guidelines;