18 Amendments of Verónica LOPE FONTAGNÉ related to 2013/2277(INI)
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the economic adjustment programme measures in Greece (May 2010 and March 2012), Ireland (December 2010), Portugal (May 2011) and Cyprus (June 2013) havextremely difficult economic situation experienced by Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus has had a direct and indirect impact on employment levels and dire consequences for the social situation; whereas, although all the programmes were formally signed by the Commission, they were designed, and their conditionality determined, jointly by the IMF, the Eurogroup, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Commission;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas fiscal and budgetary consolidation policies are the response to the economic and social situation facing Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Cyprus, and not the cause;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas the economic adjustment programmes were implemented owing to the extremely difficult situation of their economies, which were even at risk of bankruptcy;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas once the economic and budgetary sustainability of these four countries can be guaranteed, efforts should be focused upon social aspects, paying special attention to job creation;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that the EU institutions (the ECB, the Commission and the Eurogroup) are fully co-responsible for the conditions imposed under the economic adjustment programmes, and therefore for their social consequences;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Notes that despite the need to guarantee the sustainability of public finances, the European Union has to fight to ensure its citizens have proper social protection;
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that the adjustment policies and structural reforms inextremely difficult situation experienced by the four countries haves led to dramatic unemployment rates, historically high rates of job losses and worsening working conditions; points out that the consequences for activity rates, in particular as regards the sustainability of social protection and pension systems, are even more serious because the gap between the Europe 2020 targets and reality is rapidly growing ever wider;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Points out that although new jobs are the final stage of the benefits of fiscal and budgetary consolidation, the four countries have to make an effort to create the favourable conditions needed for companies, and SMEs in particular, to be able to develop their business sustainably in the long term;
Amendment 100 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Warns that, if not remedied, these huge divergences, especially in the case of the younger generation, will result in structural damage to the labour market of the four countries, limit their capacity for recovery, provoke massive forced migration with tremendous brain-drain effects and increase the persistent divergences between Member States supplying employment and those supplying a low-cost workforcewide-scale migration and increase the persistent divergences between Member States;
Amendment 109 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls that the Europe 2020 strategy accurately states that the figure to watch is the employment rate, which indicates the availability of human and financial resources to ensure the sustainability of our economic and social model; regretasks that the slowdown in the unemployment rate isnot be confused with the recovery of jobs lost; recalls that in the last four years job losses have reached 2 million in the four countries, which is 15% of existing jobs;
Amendment 113 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Points to the important role the Structural Funds and especially the ESF need to play in regard to assisting job creation;
Amendment 122 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Is concerned that, among the conditions for financial assistance, the programmes include recommendations for specific cuts in fundamental areas of the fight against poverty, such as pensions, basic services, health care and pharmaceutical products for the basic protection of the most vulnerable; highlights the fact that the main impact of these measures is on the fight against child poverty;
Amendment 130 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Restates that fighting child poverty shall continue to be an objective to be achieved by Member States and that fiscal and budgetary consolidation policies shall not undermine this;
Amendment 139 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes that Commission figures and various studies show that between 2008 and 2012 income distribution inequality grew in the four countries, and that the cuts in social and unemployment benefits resulting from austerity measures, as well as the wage reductions due to structural reforms, are raising poverty levels; notes, furthermore, that the Commission report found relatively high levels of in-work poverty due to low minimum wages being cut or frozen as a result of the austerity measures;
Amendment 190 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Commission to carry out a detailed study of the social and economic consequences of the adjustment programmes in the four countries in order to provide a precise understanding ofin both the short-term and long-term damage to of the social protection systems, with particular regard to the fight against poverty, the maintaining of good social dialogue and the balance between flexibility and security in labour relations; calls on the Commission to use its consultative bodies when drafting this study, as well as the Employment Committee and the Social Protection Committee; suggests that the EESC be asked to draft a specific report;
Amendment 199 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission to ask the ILO and the Council of Europe to draft reports on possible corrective measures and incentives to ensure full compliance with the European Social Charter and the Protocol thereto and with the ILO Core Conventions, since the obligations deriving from them have been affected by the budgetary adjustment measures and the structural reforms requested by the Troika;
Amendment 213 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Asks the Commission and the Member States, once the sustainability of public finances is assured, to focus their efforts on job creation, paying special attention to youth and the long-term unemployed;
Amendment 221 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the EU not to apply such institutional and financial solutions in future, and to put in place mechanisms enabling the EU institutions to achieve the social goals and policies set out in the Treaties, in particular those relating to the individual and collective rights of those at greatest risk of social exclusion;