19 Amendments of Birgit SIPPEL related to 2012/2039(INI)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Notes that mutual societies are voluntary groups of persons (natural or legal) whose purpose is to meet the needs of their members rather than achieve a return on investment, they operate according to the principles of solidarity between members and are managed according to democratic principles;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Stresses that two main types of mutual societies exist in Europe, which are 'mutual benefit' (or 'health providence') societies and 'mutual insurance' societies. "Mutual benefit" societies provide welfare coverage supplementary, complementary or integrated into statutory social protection systems. "Mutual insurance" societies can cover all types of property and life risks. In some Member States mutual societies can even provide services in other fields such as housing or credit;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that retirement and survivor's pensions make up the largest share of social protection expenditure and that population ageing risks putting public expenditure on social protection under pressure; stresses that mutual societies can play an important role proposing socially responsible pension schemes in the private sector, nevertheless they cannot replace a strong first pillar of the pension system;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that the increase in expenditure on health care and pensions could have significant consequences for the continuity and cover of the current social protection schemes, which could lead Member States to lower their level of contribution to statutory; underlines that mutual societies promote key values of the welfare state such as solidarity, non-discrimination, equal access and high quality of social services in the private sector; stresses however that private social protection cand to transfer the costs of social security to the private sector only be complementary and must not replace statutory social security;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Points out that mutual societies lack the necessary legal instruments to facilitate their development and their cross-border activities within the internal market; underlines that, in absence of a European statute, mutual societies are often obliged to make use of inadequate legal instruments for their cross-border activities leading to their demutualisation;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Stresses that mutual societies do not exist in all Member States; underlines that this creates market distortions; points out that a European statute could remedy this and that it could inspire the creation of mutuals in these Member States;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Welcomes the study commissioned by the European Commission on the current situation and prospects of mutual societies in the EU, which explores the difficulties mutuals have due to the lack of existing legal frameworks in some Member States, for the creation of new mutuals due to capital requirements and the lack of solutions for grouping; calls on the Commission to propose adequate solutions to resolve these problems in order to better recognize the contributions of mutuals to the social economy, including a Statute;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Points out that mutual societies play an important role in the Member States' economies, given that they contribute to the EU's strategic objectives of ensuring inclusive growth with access to basic resources, to social rights and services for all and to high-quality health care for all on the basis of solidarity, non-discrimination and non-exclusion;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Points out the benefits of the democratic principles governing mutual societies, such as the one member - one vote principle, contributing to responsible and sustainable management;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Points out that mutual societies have a role to play in meeting these challenges alongside the private sector, and that in order to do so they must be able to compete on equal terms with other forms of undertaking in the EU; underlines that the existing European statutes like the European Cooperative (SCE) or the European Company (SE) are not suitable for mutual societies due to the differences between their business models;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Points out that the EU should take the specific nature of the capital of mutuals into account when devising legislation regarding fund requirements; underlines that a European Statute would make it possible to maintain this specificity while allowing to reach more persons through cross-border activity;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Points out that the European statute for a mutual society is essential for achieving better integration in the single market and thereby helping to achieve the growth and employment objectives of the 2020 strategy; stresses that a European statute would also facilitate the mobility of European citizens by enabling Mutual Societies to provide services in several Member States and thus create more continuity and coherence in the single market;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses that mutual societies are solid and durable elements which have better withstood the financial crisis in all economies and have contributed to a more resistant, diversified market, particularly in the area of insurance and social protection; points out that mutual societies are particularly active in the area of population ageing and social needs, and that the involvement of mutual societies in the area of pensions offers additional opportunities for EU citizens;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Underlines that mutual societies have no shares but are owned jointly and that surpluses are reinvested rather than distributed to the members, stresses that this has helped mutual societies to resist the crisis better than other private sector entities;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Notes that a European Statute would be a voluntary tool additional to existing national legal provisions applying to mutual societies and would thus not affect the already existing statutes, but would rather be a "28th" system facilitating mutuals to have cross-border activities;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Commission to take into account the specific characteristics of mutual societies so as to ensure a level playing field, with a view to avoiding additional discrimination and guaranteeing a fair and, competitive and sustainable market.
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Annexe - Paragraph 17 a (new) - Recommendation 7 (new)
Annexe - Paragraph 17 a (new) - Recommendation 7 (new)
17a. Underlines that a European statute for mutual societies should be supplemented by a Directive with regard to the involvement of employees, not watering down existing workers rights on information, consultation and participation and provide for adequate provisions on employee involvement that have to be negotiated before the establishment of a new European mutual society. Minimum standards should be guaranteed: Employees should be consulted and informed regarding all issues which might significantly affect their interests, such as conditions of employment, structural changes of the society, cross-border issues, vocational training and health and safety of employees. Forms of escape from co- determination, e.g. by moving the headquarters from one Member State to another, should be prevented.
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Annexe - Paragraph 17 a (new) - Recommendation 8 (new)
Annexe - Paragraph 17 a (new) - Recommendation 8 (new)
17a. Underlines the importance of the solidarity principle in mutual societies where clients are also members and thus share the same interests; recalls the principle of common ownership of the capital and its indivisibility; stresses the importance of the principle of disinterested distribution in case of liquidation, that is to say that assets should be distributed to other mutual societies or to a body having as object the support and promotion of mutual societies;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Annexe - Paragraph 17 a (new) - Recommendation 9 (new)
Annexe - Paragraph 17 a (new) - Recommendation 9 (new)
17a. Stresses that a European Statute for mutual societies should not affect national systems for statutory social security managed by mutual societies;