16 Amendments of Ádám KÓSA related to 2015/2223(INI)
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to adopt integrated frameworks to combat energy poverty on the basis of best and good practices by linking energy and poverty/social inclusion policies more closely;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Member States to ensure a more efficient and targeted use of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) by national, regional and local authorities in order to tackle energy poverty, and the European Commission should allow greater flexibility in this field;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – introductory part
Paragraph 5 – introductory part
5. Finds regrettable that the EU2020 target to reduce poverty in Europe by lifting 20 million people out of poverty appears even further out of reach than when it was set, as the poverty index has shown improvement only in some Member States; reiterates that one of the target groups is people that face severe material deprivation; calls on the Commission and the Member States to renew their commitment to the poverty reduction target by:
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – indent 2
Paragraph 5 – indent 2
- tackling in a more balanced way both income and expenditure of poor households; , with regard to the changes in household expenses;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – indent 3
Paragraph 5 – indent 3
- ensuring that the Member States provide everyone with accessible adequate income support if it is necessary and justified based on the real material deprivation, including minimum income above the poverty threshold throughout the life cycle;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – indent 5
Paragraph 5 – indent 5
- ending any irresponsible policies in other policy areas and consumption habits that may lead to the rapid increase of poverty and debt on the level of individuals and families and the stability and balance of public finances;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for a Council recommendation similar to the Youth Guarantee on tackling poverty in order to revive the poverty target;(Does not affect the English version.)
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the Commission’s intention to present a new social pillar; recalls that to deliver on Article 9 TFEU, such a pillar should be aimed at setting a European framework for a minimum income above the poverty level, continuing with a rights- based approach to social policy and improving implementation of existing social, labour and anti-discrimination legislation while ensuring sustainable and balanced public finances;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the Commission’s intention to aim for a social triple A score for the Union; finds regrettable that this is currently out of reach owing to increasing inequality, high poverty and social exclusion and less and less availability of quality and affordable social, health and care services; recalls that a social triple A must be based on Article 9 TFEU aimed at a ‘high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion and a high level of education, training and protection of human health’ with ensuring public finances that lead to a sustainable, balanced and responsible management; recalls that achieving a social triple A as a benchmark requires assessing both policies that hinder and work towards achieving the benchmark; finds regrettable that so far the latter has not been addressed at Union level;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that a decent income is a fundamental element for being able to live your life in dignity; recalls that 16.7 % of the population in the EU 28 in 2013 were at-risk-of-poverty after social transfers; invites the Commission to present in 2016 in the context of the announced social pillar an EU framework directive on adequate minimum income and review the efficiency of the current statistical surveys and methods which are based on voluntary interviews and do not take into proper consideration the actual financial situation (e.g. a possible dwelling, amount of debts);
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Recommends that anwhile elaborating an efficient, sustainable and enhancing EU framework directive on minimum income it should be specifyied which criteria Member States’ minimum income schemes would need to meet so as to lift people out of poverty; considers that such a framework would need to be rights-based, considering the consumption habits of the given Member State and the energy consumption related costs; considers that such a framework would need to be evidence- and rights-based and respect Member State competences, address the level of income, income gaps, the non-discriminatory, efficient and easy access and the energy take-up, targeting especially those groups, who currently are excluded from or at risk of exclusion from minimum income schemes;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to address in a more balanced way and by applying the approach based on actual data both income and expenditure of poor households; points to shortcomings in addressing increasing household cost in most Member States and considers the Commission’s work on a reference budget a step in the right direction; stresses that lowering household expenditure for poor households will impact positively on the concerned households as well as on the - mainly local - economy and on social cohesion, if tools that influence and enhance consumption are used in parallel;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Recalls that poor households spend the largest share of their income on housing, utilities and food; stresses that one dimension of household expenditure of poor households – the cost of energy and the related issue of energy poverty lacks an in-depth assessment at Union level; calls on the Commission to improve internal cooperation and the exchange of good practices so as to better link the energy policy and the poverty policy;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses that there is so far no definition of energy poverty at Union level and therefore it is very difficult to properly assess the seriousness, the causes and the consequences of energy poverty of poor households in the Union; calls on the Commission to develop with stakeholders a common definition of energy poverty which should aim at assessing at least the following elements: material scope, difficulty for a household to gain access to essential energy, including the difficulty and costs of access to energy markets on individual and Member State level, affordability and share of total household cost, impact on basic household needs such as heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and transport;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Recalls that targeting and making Union funding more flexible towards reducing energy costs of poor households by investing in renewables or energy efficiency has multiple positive effects: at household level, it improves living conditions and the health of those concerned as well as decreasing household costs and therefore provides budgetary relief for poor families and can increase other expenditures, e.g. the resources that can be spent on consumer durables or the expenses for domestic tourism; at regional and local level, funding will provide for local investment; at Union level it helps to both decrease poverty, improve energy efficiency and decrease energy emissions;
Amendment 345 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Member States not to exempt the energy intensive industries from taxes, butInvites the Member States - while respecting the Member States’ responsibility - to examine and, if necessary, to review the granting of exemption from tax and taking of measures when supporting the energy intensive industries and industries using developed technology, and to use these revenues for measures that benefit low- income households, including targeted energy efficiency measures and financing of social security systems, whichthe reduction in expenditures which, in particular, can in turn reduce the burden of businesses and on labour costs; considers that such an offsetting mechanism could be an integral element of a socially equitable tax shift as proposed by the Commission in the current employment guidelines- with respect for the Member States’ responsibility - could be an integral element of a socially equitable and more competitive and enhancing tax shift;