Activities of Frédéric DAERDEN
Plenary speeches (78)
Enhancing worker mobility by improving the acquisition and preservation of supplementary pension rights (debate)
Posting of workers in the framework of the provision of services (debate)
Enhanced cooperation between Public employment services (debate)
Enhanced cooperation between Public employment services (debate)
Preparations for the European Council meeting (20-21 March 2014) (debate)
Copernicus programme (A7-0027/2014 - Vittorio Prodi)
European Semester for economic policy coordination: annual growth survey 2014 - European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social aspects - Single market governance (debate)
Domestic passenger transport services by rail - Normalisation of the accounts of railway undertakings - European Union Agency for Railways - Single European railway area - Railway safety - Interoperability of the rail system (continuation of debate)
Steel industry in Europe (A7-0028/2014 - András Gyürk)
EU homelessness strategy (debate)
Reindustrialising Europe to promote competitiveness and sustainability (debate)
European Globalisation Adjustment Fund 2014-2020 (debate)
Programme for social change and innovation (debate)
Multiannual financial framework 2014-2020 - Interinstitutional agreement on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (debate)
Common provisions on European funds - European Social Fund - European Regional Development Fund and the 'investment for growth and jobs' goal - European Regional Development Fund and the 'European territorial cooperation' goal - Cohesion Fund - European grouping of territorial cooperation (debate)
Draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2014 - all sections (debate)
Implementation of the EU youth strategy 2010-2012 - Tackling youth unemployment: possible ways out (debate)
Equal pay for male and female workers (debate)
Fund for European aid to the most deprived (debate)
Financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings - Transparency requirements in relation to information about issuers whose securities are admitted to trading on a regulated market (debate)
Social pillar of the economic and monetary union (debate)
EU trade and investment agreement negotiations with the US (debate)
Adequate, safe and sustainable pensions (short presentation)
Preparations for the European Council meeting (14-15 March 2013) (debate)
Guidelines for the 2014 budget - Section III (debate)
European Semester for economic policy coordination: annual growth survey 2013 - European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social aspects in the annual growth survey 2013 - Governance of the single market (debate)
Recovery of European industry in the light of current difficulties (debate)
Information and consultation of workers, anticipation and management of restructuring (debate)
Draft amending budget No 6/2012 - Revenue from own resources and other resources - Increase in payment appropriations in headings 1a, 1b, 2, 3a and 4 of the Multiannual Financial Framework - Reduction in the level of commitment appropriations entered in the budget - New general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 - all sections (debate)
Cases of restructuring in the European car industry (debate)
EU steel industry (debate)
Access to basic banking services (debate)
Preparation for the European Council meeting (28-29 June 2012) - Multiannual financial framework and own resources (debate)
Economic and budgetary surveillance of Member States with serious difficulties with respect to their financial stability in the euro area - Monitoring and assessing draft budgetary plans and ensuring the correction of excessive deficit of the Member States in the euro area (debate)
Equal pay for male and female workers for equal work or work of equal value (debate)
Youth opportunities initiative (debate)
SMEs’ access to Structural Funds - Evaluation of the SME definition
Preparation of the informal European summit - Investment, growth and jobs (debate)
Fight against homophobia in Europe (debate)
Coordination of social security systems (debate)
Food distribution to the most deprived persons in the Union (debate)
European Globalisation Adjustment Fund crisis derogation (debate)
Question Time (Commission)
Question Time (Commission)
Food distribution to the most deprived persons in the Union (debate)
Danish Presidency Programme (continuation of debate)
Recent Council decisions and Commission revision of the EGF regulation - Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (application EGF/2009/019 FR/Renault from France) (debate)
European platform against poverty and social exclusion (debate)
European platform against poverty and social exclusion (debate)
Commission work programme for 2012 (debate)
Parliament's position on the 2012 draft budget as modified by the Council - Mobilisation of the flexibility instrument (debate)
Surge in job dismissals in Europe as a result of the economic crisis in particular at Arcelor and Nokia (debate)
Future of the European Globalisation Fund - Amendment of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 establishing the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (debate)
"Food for Free" programme (debate)
EU homelessness strategy (debate)
Scheme for food distribution to the most deprived persons in the Union (debate)
Review of the Hungarian Presidency (debate)
Prevention and correction of macroeconomic imbalances - Implementation of excessive deficit procedure - Requirements for budgetary frameworks of Member States - Budgetary surveillance in euro area - Surveillance of budgetary positions and surveillance and coordination of economic policies - Enforcement measures to correct excessive macroeconomic imbalances in euro area (continuation of debate)
A new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for a competitive, sustainable and inclusive Europe (continuation of debate)
Conclusions of the European Council meeting (24-25 March 2011) (debate)
Respect of national wage and retirement-setting mechanisms (debate)
Explanations of vote
Guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States - Europe 2020 - Implementation of the guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States (debate)
Adequate, sustainable and safe European pension systems (debate)
Review of the Belgian Presidency of the Council (debate)
One-minute speeches (Rule 150)
Explanations of vote
Development aspects of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty - Role of minimum income in combating poverty and promoting an inclusive society in Europe (debate)
Funding and functioning of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (short presentation)
Promoting youth access to the labour market, strengthening trainee, internship and apprenticeship status (short presentation)
One-minute speeches on matters of political importance
Implementation of the synergies of research and innovation earmarked funds in Regulation (EC) No 1080/2006 concerning the European Fund of Regional Development and the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development - Delivering a single market to consumers and citizens - Long-term sustainability of public finances for a recovering economy - Contribution of the Cohesion policy to the achievement of Lisbon and the EU 2020 objectives (debate)
Principle of subsidiarity and universality of social public services in the EU (debate)
Question Hour with the President of the Commission
Eligibility of housing interventions in favour of marginalised communities (debate)
One-minute speeches on matters of political importance
Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: Sweden-Volvo; Austria-Steiermark; Netherlands-Heijmans (debate)
Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: Belgium - textile industry; Ireland - Dell - Relocation of undertakings in the EU and the role of EU financial instruments (debate)
Reports (12)
REPORT on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 13 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (application EGF/2012/007 IT/VDC Technologies from Italy) PDF (186 KB) DOC (85 KB)
REPORT on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 13 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (application EGF/2012/004 ES/Grupo Santana from Spain) PDF (191 KB) DOC (86 KB)
REPORT on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 13 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (application EGF/2013/008, ES/Comunidad Valenciana textiles from Spain) PDF (207 KB) DOC (92 KB)
REPORT on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on enhanced co-operation between Public Employment Services (PES) PDF (268 KB) DOC (362 KB)
REPORT on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management (application EGF/2011/010 AT/Austria Tabak from Austria) PDF (192 KB) DOC (106 KB)
REPORT on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management (application EGF/2012/023 IT/Antonio Merloni SpA from Italy) PDF (202 KB) DOC (112 KB)
REPORT on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management (application EGF/2011/026 IT/Emilia-Romagna Motorcycles from Italy) PDF (194 KB) DOC (110 KB)
REPORT on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management (application EGF/2012/005 SE/Saab from Sweden) PDF (187 KB) DOC (104 KB)
REPORT on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management (application EGF/2011/009 NL/Gelderland Construction 41 from the Netherlands). PDF (180 KB) DOC (96 KB)
REPORT on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management (application EGF/2011/021 NL/Zalco from the Netherlands) PDF (188 KB) DOC (104 KB)
REPORT on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 28 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management (application EGF/2012/001 IE/Talk Talk from Ireland) PDF (196 KB) DOC (109 KB)
REPORT on the European Platform against poverty and social exclusion PDF (357 KB) DOC (207 KB)
Shadow reports (3)
REPORT on an Agenda for Adequate, Safe and Sustainable Pensions PDF (353 KB) DOC (250 KB)
REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014 - 2020) PDF (846 KB) DOC (1 MB)
REPORT on the role of minimum income in combating poverty and promoting an inclusive society in Europe PDF (243 KB) DOC (210 KB)
Opinions (4)
OPINION on the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 establishing a single European railway area, as regards the opening of the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail and the governance of the railway infrastructure
OPINION on the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 concerning the opening of the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail
OPINION on EU Member States preparedness for an effective and timely start of the new Cohesion Policy Programming period
OPINION on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the strengthening of economic and budgetary surveillance of Member States experiencing or threatened with serious difficulties with respect to their financial stability in the euro area
Shadow opinions (7)
OPINION on the action plan for a competitive and sustainable steel industry in Europe
OPINION on reindustrialising Europe to promote competitiveness and sustainability
OPINION on the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2014 - all sections
OPINION on the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 – all sections
OPINION on the mandate for the trilogue on the 2013 Draft Budget
OPINION on optimising the role of territorial development in cohesion policy
OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on common provisions for monitoring and assessing draft budgetary plans and ensuring the correction of excessive deficit of the Member States in the euro area
Written declarations (1)
Amendments (852)
Amendment 1 #
2014/2027(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Notes the explanations of the Commission that the 330 layoffs within the reference period and the additional 689 redundancies are related to the same collective dismissal procedure and that the dismissals combined with very fragile economic and social situation of the region fulfil the condition of exceptionality of the case in line with Article 2(c) of the EGF Regulation;
Amendment 2 #
2014/2027(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the Spanish authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 16 May 2012, and regrets that its assessment was made available by the European Commission only on 5 March 2014; regdeplorets the lengthy period of evaluation of nearly22 months and believes that this delay contradicts the aim of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund two yearsprovide a quick aid to workers made redundant;
Amendment 3 #
2014/2027(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that to date, the automotivehis is yet another EGF application addressing dismissals in the automotive sector and that with 17 applications this sector has been the subject tof the most numerous EGF applications, with 16 cases, of which seven are based submitted both in relation to crisis and to globalisation criterion; points out that this another case concerning the automotive industry demon strade related globalisation, while the other nine are crisis relatedtes the need for an Union industrial strategy and illustrates how the EGF assists workers in restructuring process;
Amendment 4 #
2014/2027(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the fact that the region of Andalucia, where the unemployment rate is much higher than the national and Union average, yet again avails itself of the EGF; points to the fact that EGF has already supported workers of Delphi located in Andalucia (EGF/2008/002 ES/Delphi);
Amendment 5 #
2014/2027(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the fact that the training offered is of considerable length and that it will be complemented with on-the-job activities; welcomes the fact that the training will be matched to the skills and qualifications needs of the enterprises settling in the business park, which makes part of the measures provided in addition to the EGF funded package;
Amendment 6 #
2014/2027(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. In this context, welcomes the fact that the city of Linares, heavily affected by the closure of Santana (and of its suppliers) which was the main employer in the municipality, took a global and comprehensive approach reflected in the strategy of rehabilitation of Grupo Santana business park to attract new investors; is of the view that the fact that the city of Linares decided to improve the environment for businesses will boost the effect of the EGF measures targeting workers;
Amendment 7 #
2014/2027(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the fact that trade unions MCA-UGT Andalucía and Federación de la industria de CCOO-Andalucía wehe city of Linares consulted by the autonomous government of Andalucía on the whole package of measurepackage with the social partners atnd the time of the negotiations prior to the closing down of Grupo Santana and later during the application procesat the social partners are monitoring the implementation of the measures, and that a policy of equality of women and men as well as the principle non-discrimination will be applied during the various stages of the implementation of and in access to the EGF;
Amendment 8 #
2014/2027(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Points out to the fact that the EGF will provide "training wage" allowances amounting to 150% of the Spanish minimum wage; welcomes however the confirmation of the Commission that those allowances do not substitute for the unemployment benefits and will be provided in addition to the unemployment benefits paid out under the national legislation; stresses in this context that the new EGF regulation for 2014-2020 will limit the inclusion of financial allowances in the package to a maximum of 35% of the cost of the measures and that accordingly the rate of allowances within the coordinated package for this demand will not repeat under this new regulation;
Amendment 1 #
2014/2015(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the Italian authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 31 August 2012, and regrets that its assessment was made available by the European Commission only on 5 March 2014; regdeplorets the lengthy evaluation of eighteen monthsperiod of 19 months and believes that this delay contradicts the aim of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to provide a quick aid to workers made redundant;
Amendment 2 #
2014/2015(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recognises the need for drawing lessons from numerous EGF applications based on globalisation criterion in a given sector in view of reforming the Union trade policy, both in terms of liberalisation and trade defence instruments;
Amendment 3 #
2014/2015(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes that almost 40% of dismissed workers are older than 55 years; regrets that the package does not contain any specific measures targeting older workers;
Amendment 4 #
2014/2015(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Points out that the package contains various types of financial allowances: allowance for workers living with persons who need care, mobility allowance, and participation allowance; points out to relatively high level of recruitment incentive (EUR 6 000 per worker) but welcomes the fact that this measure is conditioned upon offering a permanent contract or a fixed-term contract of 24 months to workers;
Amendment 5 #
2014/2015(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the fact that the social partners, including trade unions (CGIL USB, CISAL, CISL, UIL, UGL), werecoordinated package of personalised services was consulted bywith the Italian authorities on the actions to reintegrate the redundant workers in the labour marketsocial partners and that a local support network was activated with the involvement of various local partners, and that a policy of equality of women and men as well as the principle non-discrimination will be applied during the various stages of the implementation of and in access to the EGF;
Amendment 6 #
2014/2015(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Welcomes the fact training is foreseen for every worker targeted by the EGF package; regrets however that the Commission proposal does not describe the areas and sectors in which the training will be offered;
Amendment 1 #
2014/2013(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that that the redundancies in the textile sector in Comunidad Valenciana will further aggravate Comunidad Valenciana has been severely affected by globalisation withe unemployment situation in the affected region which has already experienced a rapid increase in unemployment rate, rising from 9,61 % (Q1 2008) to 29,19 % (Q1 2013)reaching 29,19 % in the first quarter of 2013; welcomes the fact that the region avails itself yet again of EGF aid to alleviate high unemployment by addressing for the second time lay-offs in textile sector;
Amendment 2 #
2014/2013(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Congratulates Comunidad Valenciana on the capacity to apply for and use EGF to address problems of its labour market characterised by a high percentage of SMEs; in this context recalls that Valenciana region has already applied for the EGF support on five instances for textile, ceramic and natural stone as well as construction sector (applications: EGF/2009/0014, EGF/2010/005 and EGF/2010/009, EGF/2011/006 and EGF/2013/004);
Amendment 3 #
2014/2013(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Underlines the capacity of EGF to help address fragile employment situation in the regions dependant on traditional sectors such as textiles or construction sectors; stresses that this capacity depends on the readiness and effectiveness of national and local authorities to apply for EGF support;
Amendment 4 #
2014/2013(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Welcomes the fact that the coordinated package includes vocational training focusing on sectors where opportunities exist or are likely to arise as well as contains on-the-job training which will match the identified needs of local enterprises;
Amendment 5 #
2014/2013(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Regrets that the Commission proposal does not outline the educational structure of the dismissed labour force;
Amendment 6 #
2014/2013(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9c. Notes that the coordinated package foresees financial incentives for job- search (lump sum of EUR 300), mobility allowance, outplacement incentive (up to EUR 350) as well as contribution for carers of dependent persons; welcomes the fact that the overall amount of financial incentives is relatively limited leaving the majority of the contribution to be spent on training, counselling, job search assistance and support of entrepreneurship;
Amendment 7 #
2014/2013(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 d (new)
Paragraph 9 d (new)
9d. Notes that the case at hand typically reflects the social and economic landscape of a region with local economy characterised by a high percentage of SMEs; stresses that the new EGF 2014- 2020 with its extended scope will be able to assist self-employed workers as well;
Amendment 31 #
2014/2005(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is deeply concerned atwith the fact that any budgetary debate in the Council has been for many years poisoned by the logic of ‘'fair returns’' ; stresses that this situation is largely due to the current system of EU financing, whereby some 85 % of revenues stem from national contributions instead of genuine own resources, as foreseen in the Treaty of Rome; considers that such a system places disproportionate emphasis on net balances between the Member States and has led to the progressive introduction of complex and opaque rebates and other correction mechanisms for the financing of the EU budget;
Amendment 43 #
2014/2005(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that the European Council took a top-down approach toin deciding the overall size of the MFF 2014-2020, which in turn demonstrates a worrying discrepancy between EU political commitments which the European Council has been making and its reluctance to adequately finance them; believes, on the contrary, that this decision should be based on a bottom-up process, resulting from a thorough assessment of EU financial needs and political objectives as set out in EU multiannual programmes and policies defined by the legislator; underlines that the European Parliament has underestimated the ability of the European Council to evaluate the impact of the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty regarding the EP powers on the MFF adoption and to maintain this approach;
Amendment 46 #
2014/2005(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Is, therefore, convinced that any decision on the financial framework should be preceded by – and based on – a genuine political debate on the role, function and added value of the EU budget and on its compatibility with the political strategy adopted by the Union and operational objectives assigned to the Union; considers that, in order to bridge the gap between divergent visions on what the EU budget stands for and what it can achieve, this debate should be organised in due time and involve the three EU institutions and all national parliaments, but also engage the highest political level in the Member States;
Amendment 47 #
2014/2005(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Invites the next European Commission and the next European Parliament to carefully look at the achievements of the EU 2020 strategy, especially at the employment-related targets, and to use the review clause to add financial resources to boost the Strategy, taking into account that the negative impact of the ongoing crisis has jeopardised it;
Amendment 68 #
2014/2005(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Points out that the conclusions of the European Council are to be seen as negotiating instructions for the Council and that they in no case constitute red lines which cannot be negotiated with Parliament; deeply regrets the fact that this problem marked the negotiations on EU multiannual programmes, notably regarding the European Social Fund and the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund; calls for a standard formula recalling the provisions of Article 15(1) TFEU to be included in the conclusions of the European Council;
Amendment 75 #
2014/2005(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Regrets that the European Parliament decided not to make full use of the possibilities provided by the ordinary legislative procedure in the negotiations with the Council on the legislative basis; considers, in this context, that special attention should be given to the cases where a legislative proposal has been recognised to fall in the competences of more than one committee; is of the view that in these special cases, the mandate for negotiations with the Council should be obtained from the plenary in order to assure broad support, strengthen the EP negotiation position and guarantee transparency;
Amendment 76 #
2014/2005(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Considers that, while agreements negotiated with the Council should be given the possibility of a smooth adoption in plenary, this cannot be at the price of preventing plenary of any possibility to amend the agreed texts; is of the view that such procedures could only be applied when a very broad political consensus has been found on the agreed text; calls, therefore, on its competent committee to examine the possibility to apply the provisions of Rule 138 of the EP Rules of Procedure to first and second reading agreements;
Amendment 77 #
2014/2005(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18c. Suggests, if the Treaty remains unchanged, that in the next MFF negotiations the European Parliament should approach the MFF regulation and legislative proposals of the different multiannual programs as a whole package like it did it successfully in case of the Supervision System Mechanism;
Amendment 88 #
2014/2005(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Recalls that the foreseen revision of the MFF shall not have a downward impact on any pre-allocated national envelopes for cohesion policy and in particular on ESF allocations;
Amendment 7 #
2013/2264(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Welcomes the fact that the redundancies and the preparation of the coordinated package of specialised services are addressed by a dedicated working group comprising the social partners (including Nokia representatives) and regional authorities;
Amendment 1 #
2013/2192(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that employment in Comunidad Valenciana has been severeally affected by the crisis. The with unemployment rate in the region increased rapidly, rising from 9,61% (Q1 2008) to 29,19% (Q1 2013)reaching 29,19% in the first quarter of 2013; welcomes the fact that the region avails itself yet again of EGF aid to address high unemployment;
Amendment 2 #
2013/2192(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Congratulates Communidad Valenciana on the capacity to apply for and use EGF to address problems of its labour market characterised by a high percentage of SMEs; in this context recalls that Valenciana region has already applied for the EGF support on four instances for the textile, ceramic and natural stone as well as construction sector (Applications EGF/2009/0014 ES/Comunidad Valenciana; EGF/2010/005 ES/Comunidad Valenciana and EGF/2010/009 ES/Comunidad Valenciana, EGF/2011/006 ES/Comunidad Valenciana Construction of buildings;
Amendment 3 #
2013/2192(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes that the Spanish authorities inform that in their assessment based on the experience with previous EGF applications, only 300 of the workers targeted for the EGF support will choose to participate in the measures; calls on the Spanish authorities to use the EGF support to its full potential, in particular for upskilling the workers with basic education, who make up 74,4% of targeted workers;
Amendment 4 #
2013/2192(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes that the coordinated package foresees financial incentives for job- search (lump sum of EUR 300), mobility allowance (up to EUR 400), outplacement incentive (up to EUR 700); welcomes the fact that the overall amount of financial incentives is limited leaving the majority of the contribution to be spent on training, counselling, job search assistance and support towards entrepreneurship;
Amendment 5 #
2013/2192(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Welcomes the fact that the social partners were consulted on several occasions on the design and the implementation of the coordinated package of personalised services;
Amendment 6 #
2013/2192(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Welcomes the fact that the coordinated package includes vocational training focusing on sectors where opportunities exist or are likely to arise as well as contains up-skilling designed to the future needs of manufacturers in the sector concerned by redundancies;
Amendment 8 #
2013/2192(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Notes that the case at hand typically reflects the social and economic landscape of a region whose local economy is characterised by a high percentage of SMEs which should in the future be addressed by extending the scope of the EGF to self-employed workers (as proposed by the Commission in the proposal for the new Regulation on European Globalisation Adjustment Fund 2014-2020).
Amendment 1 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
- having regard to Eurofound's Representativeness study of the European social partner organisations: Steel industry1; __________________ 1 Eurofound (2009) Representativeness study of the European social partner organisations: Steel industry , http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/docs/eiro /tn0811027s/tn0811027s.pdf.pdf
Amendment 7 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Recital A (a) (new)
Recital A (a) (new)
Aa. whereas centres of steel production form the backbone of local economies and when they undergo any form of restructuring there is a major impact on the whole economic fabric of the areas concerned;
Amendment 12 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Recital A (f) (new)
Recital A (f) (new)
Af. whereas, compared with other sectors, industrial relations are strongly organised in the steel industry; whereas this characteristic is made manifest by the high degree of unionisation, the strong presence of employer organisations which also have a high density, and the high level of collective bargaining coverage; whereas this is reflected at the European level, where the steel industry has been at the forefront in terms of developing social partnership relations 1; __________________ 1 Eurofound (2009) Representativeness study of the European social partner organisations: Steel industry , http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/docs/eiro /tn0811027s/tn0811027s.pdf.pdf
Amendment 17 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Recital A (k) (new)
Recital A (k) (new)
Ak. whereas Eurofound will publish the 2013 report entitled "Industrial relations practices related to psychosocial constraints at work in the steel sector"1; __________________ 1 Forthcoming Eurofound (2013) industrial relations practices related to psychosocial constraints at work in the steel
Amendment 18 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Recital A (l) (new)
Recital A (l) (new)
Al. whereas Eurofound will publish the 2014 report entitled "Role of social dialogue in industrial policies"1; __________________ 1 Forthcoming Eurofound (2013) industrial relations practices related to psychosocial constraints at work in the steel
Amendment 19 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Recital A (m) (new)
Recital A (m) (new)
Am. whereas Eurofound will publish the report on "Working conditions and job quality in manufacturing: sectoral information sheet from the 5th European Working Conditions Survey"1; __________________ 1 Eurofound working conditions and job quality in manufacturing: sectoral information sheet from the 5th European Working Conditions Survey which includes the Steel Sector, January 2014
Amendment 23 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Is concerned at the lack of ambition in the action plan for the steel industry in Europe; calls for a strategy that draws on all the European Union policy tools, – which should be better funded – including for employment and training and R&D;
Amendment 26 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 (a) (new)
Paragraph 1 (a) (new)
1a. Calls for enhanced efforts to be made to implement the EU 2020 objectives of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth by promoting a stronger European steel industry; stresses, in this context, the importance of maintaining a strong industrial base in Europe; points out that research, development and innovation are becoming increasingly important, especially as regards the need to develop less resource-intensive methods of production which do not harm the competitiveness of European companies and boost employment;
Amendment 27 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 (b) (new)
Paragraph 1 (b) (new)
1b. Recommends too that the Member States channel investment into human resources and that they improve the conditions for the exercise of the right to training and learning, while allowing permeability among the various training systems, not only in order to anticipate, and respond to, the demand for skilled labour in a steel industry oriented towards new technologies and an energy-efficient green economy but also to reinforce the entire production chain, including the basic steel production facilities necessary for the development of high-technology industries;
Amendment 29 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 (d) (new)
Paragraph 1 (d) (new)
1d. Stresses that steelworkers are considerably more likely than other workers in the manufacturing industries to report being 'under-skilled' for their current duties at work; calls for significant investment in skills and training to address skills mismatch in the steel sector and secure the sector's competitiveness and future viability;
Amendment 30 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 (e) (new)
Paragraph 1 (e) (new)
1e. Welcomes the two EU policy instruments involving social partners namely European Sectoral Social Dialogue Committees and the High-Level Group for the Steel Industry, as they have made a positive contribution to industrial policy issues in this sector and supports the continuation of the High-Level Group;
Amendment 36 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 (a) (new)
Paragraph 2 (a) (new)
2a. Calls for higher involvement of social partners at national level in the debate on the implementation of the Action Plan for the steel industry in Europe;
Amendment 37 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 (b) (new)
Paragraph 2 (b) (new)
2b. Highlights how the cost of energy puts European steel plants’ competitiveness under pressure; notes the Commission’s commitment to publish the guidelines on State aid rules in relation to renewables and to publish an orientation letter on evaluating the competitiveness of long- term electricity contracts, as well as to invest in research and innovation in the field of energy production technology for the steel industry;
Amendment 39 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 (d) (new)
Paragraph 2 (d) (new)
2d. Emphasises that a binding international agreement on climate change, including as many parties as possible, will afford the European steel industry some degree of protection against environmental dumping; asks Member States to assess thoroughly the potential impact on the EU steel industry of all national measures concerning the energy prices charged to electricity-intensive industries or green taxation;
Amendment 43 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Endorses the principle that ongoing social dialogue with workers' representatives should be a requirement; calls for ambitious EU-level arrangements for keeping workers informed and consulting them, and for works councils to be given more rights and responsibilities; the existence of additional (formal and informal) social dialogue structures such as working groups, Steering Committees, etc. offer a place for increased exchange between workers and the employer;
Amendment 45 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 (a) (new)
Paragraph 3 (a) (new)
3a. Underlines the need for long-term strategies permitting enterprises and employees to adapt to structural transformations, while anticipating change and minimising social impact; reiterates its call for a legal act on information and consultation of workers and anticipation and management of restructuring; attaches particular importance to long-term planning for structural change designed to ensure a gradual transition if labour requirements change; stresses that skill levels should be such as to secure employment and allow a transition to new forms of production and business models where necessary;
Amendment 51 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 (g) (new)
Paragraph 3 (g) (new)
3g. Stresses that, in order to enhance further social dialogue on the topic of psychosocial constraints at work in the European steel sector, special attention should paid to the specific features of working conditions, to identifying sector- specific causes - such as, for example, the heavy nature of steel production work, the properties of the workforce (male, high age structure), environmental concerns, the proliferation of technological innovations and the substantial restructuring of the European steel industry - and to verifying their impact on the work floor, which can improve sectorial exchange and reflection on prevention practices; further stresses that all key prevention players (be it at European, national or local level), including company management, OSH services, workers' representatives, etc.) can prevent psychosocial constraints at work on all prevention levels; they can continue improving the two sides of the same coin, i.e. health and performance;
Amendment 59 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the importance of EU support for training to anticipate skill needs and to adapt workers' skill levels, also through lifelong learning, and employment in industrial transition processes; calls for such support to be kept in place and for its use to be monitored;
Amendment 64 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 (a) (new)
Paragraph 4 (a) (new)
4a. Calls for the European Social Fund to be used for the retraining and reskilling of workers and improvements in lifelong learning, addressing skills needs, skills matching and anticipation of change in the steel industry, taking into account the need to shift towards a less resource intense economy;
Amendment 65 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 (b) (new)
Paragraph 4 (b) (new)
4b. Calls on the Member States to make full use of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) as a short-term measure in the event of plant closures and significant downsizing; reiterates its view that the design of EGF measures should be compatible with the shift towards a resource-efficient and environmentally sustainable economy;
Amendment 72 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for account to be taken in the new European strategy on health and safety at work, and in policy documents on pensions, of the arduous nature of work in the steel sector; stresses that workers in the steel sector are at higher risk of experiencing job strain, being exposed to physical risks and experiencing health problems as a result of their work activity than the average worker in the EU28.
Amendment 73 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 (a) (new)
Paragraph 5 (a) (new)
5a. Recommends that the Commission assess the extent to which refusal by a group with worldwide operations to surrender a steel production site which it has decided to close to another group which might take it over, or to a public entity for temporary use, is permissible under European competition law;
Amendment 75 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 (c) (new)
Paragraph 5 (c) (new)
5c. Stresses the need for the Union to protect its steel industry interests in the context of its trade relations, both in the drafting of its trade agreements, or its legislation on access to its public markets for third-country undertakings, and in the too rare use of its protection tools against unfair competition from third-country undertakings;
Amendment 76 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 (d) (new)
Paragraph 5 (d) (new)
5d. Recommends that the Commission and Member States adopt the necessary provisions for the emergence of a European industrial policy which is not weakened by competition between Member States such as exists at present; recommends, to this end, upward convergence of national social standards and fiscal harmonisation;
Amendment 77 #
2013/2177(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 (e) (new)
Paragraph 5 (e) (new)
5e. Calls on Member States, in the event of potential amendments to the Treaties, to establish a common industrial policy with an ambition and instruments comparable to those of the common agricultural policy, i.e. involving genuine transnational consultation with a view to a common strategy, ample funding and market regulation tools such as the other major trading areas in the world have, for example a monetary tool or State aid rules adapted to the needs of our industry, while complying with international law;
Amendment 1 #
2013/2145(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that the draft Budget 2014, with 142.01 billion Euros in commitments and 135.9 billion Euros in payments, is 6% lower than Budget 2013; welcomes, however,underlines that despite the cuts, the commitments in the area of competitiveness, growth and employment have risen by 3.3%; regrets, however, the decrease by 13.1 % of the Category 1b;
Amendment 2 #
2013/2145(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses the need of an adequate MFF which allows reaching social and employment goals in line with the Europe2020 strategy;
Amendment 3 #
2013/2145(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Commission to clarify how the allocations dedicated to the fight against youth unemployment will be used, which amounts will be directly dedicated to the youth guarantee and which method will be used to the annual margins for this purpose as agreed in MFF;
Amendment 5 #
2013/2145(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the fact that EGF budget line includes payment appropriations even if those should be higher; is, however, disappointed with the annual ceiling allocated to this Fund in MFF agreement and reiterates its demand to increase the annual ceiling to 500 million Euros, given that part of this sum will be allocated to combating youth unemployment;
Amendment 8 #
2013/2145(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses the need for increased funding for the Progress axis of EaSI, especially in order to combat social exclusion, to fight poverty and to tackle youth unemployment;
Amendment 9 #
2013/2145(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Demands enhanced support for the EURES axis of PSCEaSI, in order to provide easier access to available job vacancies in other countries for unemployed youth and counselling for mobile workers and employers through cross-border- partnerships;
Amendment 10 #
2013/2145(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses the need for increased financial support for the Microfinance programme within PSCI and European enterprisesand Social Entrepreneurship axis within EaSI, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, to give them the possibility to create growth and thereby increase new job-openingsvulnerable people the opportunity to enter the labour market and thereby contribute to economic growth;
Amendment 1 #
2013/2139(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the Italian authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 5 November 2012, supplemented by additional information up to 5 March 2013; notes and that its assessment was made available by the European Commission on 28 June 2013; welcomes the relatively speedy evaluation period of 7 months;
Amendment 2 #
2013/2139(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. RecallStresses that the Commission has already statrecognised the impact of the economic and financial crisis on the automobile manufacturing sector which has been a subject of the motive sector and that this sector had the largest numberous EGF of applications with 16 previous EGF automotive cases, of which 7 are based on trade related globalisation3(16) for EGF support;
Amendment 3 #
2013/2139(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Italian authorities to use the EGF support to its full potential and encourage the maximum number of workers to participate in the measures, recalls that early EGF interventions in Italy suffered from relatively low rate of budget implementation mainly due to low participation rates;
Amendment 4 #
2013/2139(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes that the dismissals were covered by the wage compensation fund (CIG), Italian social safety net, which provided financial benefits to workers in compensation of salary payments; notes that the Italian authorities have requested EGF support to finance subsistence allowances, however, of additional value to usual welfare payments available under Italian labour law for unemployed;
Amendment 5 #
2013/2139(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Recalls that the EGF should in the future be primarily allocated to training and job search as well as occupational orientation programs, and its financial contribution to allowances should always be of additional nature and in parallel to what is available to dismissed workers by virtue of national law or collective agreements; recalls in this context the conclusion of the Court of Auditors in the Special Report No 7/2013 on EGF that "One third of EGF funding compensates national workers' income support schemes, with no EU added value" and the recommendation that such measures should be limited in the future;
Amendment 6 #
2013/2139(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Welcomes the fact that the social partners were consulted on the design of the package and the a steering committee will monitor the implementation of the package;
Amendment 7 #
2013/2139(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Member States to include in future applications the following information concerning the training measures to be supported by EGF: types of training provided, in which sectors and if the offer matches the anticipated skills needs in the region/locality and if is aligned with future economic prospects of the region;
Amendment 1 #
2013/2138(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes with regret that the Italian authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 30 December 2011, supplemented by additional information up to 12 March 2013; notes and that its assessment was made available by the European Commission on 28 June 2013; regrets the lengthy evaluation period of 18 months;
Amendment 2 #
2013/2138(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that Lombardia, Italy's most prosperous region, where a producing one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced, experiences decline in the manufacturing sectors due to the global financial and economic crisis: Lombardia's industrial production contracted in 2009 by 9.4% with direct consequences on the labour market causing an increase in the unemployment rate in Lombardia: 3,7 % in 2008, 5,4 % in 2009, 5,6 % in 2010, 5,8 % in 2011 and 7,5 % in 20123 , needs to tackle major structural challenges aggravated by the economic and financial crisis; welcomes the fact the Lombardia for the second time avails itself of EGF help to deal with economic and social difficulties;
Amendment 3 #
2013/2138(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls on the Italian authorities to use the EGF support to its full potential and encourage the maximum number of workers to participate in the measures, recalls that early EGF interventions in Italy suffered from relatively low rate of budget implementation mainly due to low participation rates;
Amendment 4 #
2013/2138(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. RecallStresses that the Commission has already statrecognised the impact of the economic and financial crisis on the enterprises operatingICT sector and that the EGF has supported workers dismissed in the ICTis sector4 (cases: EGF/2011/016 IT/Agile and EGF/2010/012 NL/Noord Holland);
Amendment 5 #
2013/2138(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes that to limit the social impact of the dismissals in ICT sector, extensive use was made of social safety nets such as the wage compensation fund (CIG) which provided financial benefits to workers in compensation of salary payments; notes with satisfaction that the Italian authorities have not requested any EGF support to finance subsistence allowances;
Amendment 6 #
2013/2138(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes that training and re-training measures are not included in the coordinated package of personalised services given the fact that those measures will be financed through regional sources;
Amendment 7 #
2013/2138(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Notes that the coordinated package of personalised services, consulted with the social partners, contains measures relating to career advice and planning, mentoring, matching of skills and jobs as well as support for self-employment and traineeship;
Amendment 8 #
2013/2138(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Regrets the decision of the Council to block the extension of the "crisis derogation"Welcomes the agreement reached in the Council on reintroducing in the EGF implementing regulation, for the period 2014-2020, the crisis mobilisation criterion, which allows for the provision of financial assistance to workers made redundant as a result of the current financial and economic crisis in addition to those losing their job because of changes in global trade patterns, and allows for an increase in the rate of Union co-financing to 65% of the programme costs, for applications submitted after the 31 December 2011 deadline; calls on the Council to reintroduce this measure without delay;
Amendment 1 #
2013/2087(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Deeply regrets that the Commission did not analyse the effectiveness of the use of the crisis derogation criterion until now, specially taking into account that these EGF cases were not evaluated in the EGF mid-term review; notes that the Commission is entering the final phase of the ex-post evaluation of the EGF (2007- 2013); regrets, however, that the results are likely toresults of the final ex-post evaluation of EGF will arrive too late to feed into the discussion on the new regulation for the EGF in 2014-2020, especially regarding the effectiveness of the use of the crisis derogation criterion, since the concerned EGF cases were not analysed in the EGF mid-term evaluation report.
Amendment 3 #
2013/2087(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. WelcomNotes that the Commission will continue to workhas already started to work in 2011 on the electronic application form and on the standardised procedures for simplified applications, faster processing of the applications and better reporting; asks the Commission to present the progress made following the use of technical assistance in 2012; recalls the need to shorten the application procedures1 and in 2012.
Amendment 6 #
2013/2087(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission to invite the Parliament to the seminars and meetings of the Expert Group of Contact Persons organised by means of technical assistance, by using the relevant provisions of the Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission1; __________________ 1. OJ L 304, 20.11.2010, p. 47.
Amendment 8 #
2013/2087(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls on the Commission to invite the social partners to the seminars for practitioners organised by means of technical assistance;
Amendment 9 #
2013/2087(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Is concerned about the possible adverse impact which reducing the staffing level may have on the swift, regular and effective evaluation of incoming applications and implementation of the EGF technical assistance; considers that any short-term or long-term revision in staff should be based on a prior impact assessment and should take full account, inter alia, of the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences and increased tasks arising from the Treaties;
Amendment 10 #
2013/2087(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Regrets that the Commission does not envisage any particular awareness-raising activities for 2013 given that some Member States, including users of the EGF, question the utility and advantages of the EGF;
Amendment 25 #
2013/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1(a) Stresses that evaluating the impact of new regulations on SMEs or large companies must not result in discrimination between workers on the basis of the size of their companies or erode workers’ fundamental rights, including the right to information and consultation, working conditions, well- being at work and rights to social security; nor must it hinder improvements to these rights or their safeguarding at the workplace in the face of existing and new risks connected with work.
Amendment 1 #
2013/2049(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes with regret that the Italian authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 30 December 2011, supplemented by additional information up to 2 October and that its assessment was made available by the European Commission on 7 March 20123; notes that its assessment was made available by the Commisregrets the lengthy evaluation period of 15 months; calls on the Commission to conclude the evaluation phase and finally present proposals for decisions on 7 Marchthe remaining cases submitted in 20131;
Amendment 2 #
2013/2049(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that the Commission has already stated the impact of the economic and financialrecognised that ICT sectors had been hit by the crisis oin the enterprises operatingpast as the EGF has supported workers dismissed in the ICT sector1; --------- (1) of ICT in Holland (case EGF/2010/012 Noord Holland ICT, COM(2010)0685 final)1; --------- (1) Decision 2011/99/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 41, 15.2.2011, p. 8).
Amendment 3 #
2013/2049(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on the Italian authorities to use the EGF support to its full potential and encourage the maximum number of workers to participate in the measures, recalls that early EGF interventions in Italy suffered from relatively low rate of budget implementation mainly due to low participation rates;
Amendment 4 #
2013/2049(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Welcomes, in the coordinated package of personalised services, the module "Mentoring after reintegration into work", which is aimed at assuring that the return of the workers on the labour market is sustainable;
Amendment 5 #
2013/2049(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Welcomes the fact that the contribution to expenses of residence shall only be paid as a one-off contribution upon presentation of proof of the expenditure incurred;
Amendment 6 #
2013/2049(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Welcomes the contributions towards special expenses for carers foreseen to enable reconciliation of trainings and job search with family obligations;
Amendment 7 #
2013/2049(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Ask the Commission to further detail in future proposals the types of training to be provided, in which sectors the workers are likely to find employment and if the training on offer is aligned to the future economic prospects and labour market needs in the regions concerned by the dismissals but welcomes the strict link between the voucher and each worker's agreed pathway of reintegration;
Amendment 8 #
2013/2049(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Underlines the importance of good and swift cooperation between the Commission and Member States when preparing applications under the forthcoming new EGF regulation in order to provide EGF support speedily;
Amendment 2 #
2013/2048(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes with regret that the Austrian authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 20 December 2011, supplemented by additional information up to 9 October and that its assessment was made available by the European Commission on 7 March 20123; notes that its assessment was made available by the Commisregrets the lengthy evaluation period of 15 months; calls on the Commission to conclude the evaluation phase and finally present proposals for decisions on 7 Marchthe remaining cases submitted in 20131;
Amendment 3 #
2013/2048(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that at NUTS II level, the Landthe EGF has already supported workers dismissed in the region of Niederösterreich was also ahich suffectred by other mass redundancies for which EGF applications were submitted to the Commission: 704 redundancies in the metal sector in 20091 and 1 274 redundancies related to the road transport sector in 20102; ------------ (1) from mass lay-offs in 2009 and 2010 in the metal and road transport sectors (EGF/2010/007 AT/Steiermark- Niederösterreich, OJ L 263, 7.10.2011. (2)1 and EGF/2011/001 /AT/Niederösterreich- Oberösterreich, 2); -------- (1) Decision 2011/652/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 263, 7.10.2011, p. 9). (2) Decision 2011/770/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 317, 30.11.2011, p. 28).
Amendment 4 #
2013/2048(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Welcomes the fact that the EGF supported measures will be provided to workers by means of a labour foundation established as a part of the social plan which was agreed with the social partners; recalls that labour foundations are institutions set up by sectoral social partners in order to accompany workers in industrial change with training measures to enhance their employability; recalls, further, that this model of providing active labour market measures was very successful in the past regarding the reintegration of workers into the labour market and the use of the EGF funds for this purpose;
Amendment 5 #
2013/2048(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Calls on the Austrian authorities to use the EGF support to its full potential and encourage the maximum number of workers to participate in the measures;
Amendment 6 #
2013/2048(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8c. Welcomes the proposed coordinated package of personalised services and the detailed descriptions of the measures presented in the Commission proposal; welcomes the fact that the training on offer is combined with the future economic prospects and the future skills and qualification needs in the region;
Amendment 8 #
2013/2048(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Draws the attention to the subsistence allowance for workers on training and on job search which is said to amount EUR 1 000 per worker per month (calculated for 13 months, unemployment benefit will be interrupted during that period) which will be combined with training allowance of EUR 200 per worker per month; recalls that the EGF should in the future be primarily allocated to training and job search as well as occupational orientation programs, and its financial contribution to allowances should always be of additional nature and in parallel to what is available to dismissed workers by virtue of national law or collective agreements;
Amendment 9 #
2013/2048(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Regrets that EUR 4 266 000 of the total cost of the package amounting to EUR 5 864 615 is devoted to various financial allowances, a similar proportion to previous cases; recommends that a proportionate amount should be dedicated to training-related measures in future mobilisations;
Amendment 3 #
2013/2042(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that, in a time of increasing demand for quality social services, financial pressure on regional and local authorities due to financial constrains may have a negative effect on social cohesion and employment, therefore preventing the achievement of the Europe 2020 goals;
Amendment 20 #
2013/2042(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Highlights that cohesion policy is an important factor boosting public and private investment, thus contributing to economic growth in the Union as a whole and not only in the regions directly benefitting from it, thereby ensuring solidarity between peoples and territories;
Amendment 34 #
2013/2042(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Stresses that there is no direct relation between the regional policy performance and the macroeconomic performance of a Member State, and that the regions should not be punished for the failure of the national level to comply with procedures related to economic governance; believes that imposing additional penalties could thus exacerbate the problems of Member States already facing macroeconomic difficulties, and, therefore, that macroeconomic conditionalities are not acceptable;
Amendment 35 #
2013/2042(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Calls for options to be explored vis-à- vis exemptions for Member State contributions to Structural Funds from the Stability and Growth Pact limitations; is also interested in examining the possibility of excluding Member State participation in co-financing of EU funds from the calculation of structural deficit or even Member State contributions to the EU budget.
Amendment 2 #
2013/2032(BUD)
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes with regret that the Italian authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 29 December 2011, supplemented by additional information up to 4 September and that its assessment was made available by the European Commission on 20 February 20123; notes that its assessment was made available by the Commregrets the lengthy evaluation period of 14 months; calls on the Commission to conclude evaluation phase and finally present proposals for decissions on 20 Februarythe four remaining cases submitted in 20131;
Amendment 3 #
2013/2032(BUD)
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that Antonio Merloni SpA was ruled insolvent already in October 2008 and the sale of its assets and the take over of 700 workers were concluded only in December 2011; notes that the Italian authorities launched their original request for EGF assistance previously in 2009; however, the application had to be re-launched in late 2011 given that the workers were formally dismissed only when the assets had been sold and administrative proceedings concluded;
Amendment 4 #
2013/2032(BUD)
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Recalls that already in 2008 the Parliament sent a written question to the Commission bringing its attention to the gravity of dismissals in Antonio Merloni SpA and calling for a quick reaction at Union level by means of EGF and of cohesion funds to alleviate the situation of the regions concerned;
Amendment 5 #
2013/2032(BUD)
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Recalls that the EGF has already supported workers dismissed in the sector of manufacturing of domestic appliances (case EGF/2009/010 LT/Snaige);
Amendment 6 #
2013/2032(BUD)
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the fact that in order to provide workers with rapidspeedy assistance, the Italian authorities decided to startinitiate the implementation of the personalised measures on 29 March 2012, well ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package; however, deplores that the EGF could only intervene almost 3 years and a half after the company had been ruled insolvent;
Amendment 7 #
2013/2032(BUD)
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the fact that the design of the measures was consulted with the social partners and that it made part of social plan "Accordo di Programma" signed by the Ministry of Economic Development and the concerned regions and that the implementation of the EGF support will be monitored by a coordination group;
Amendment 9 #
2013/2032(BUD)
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Asks the Commission to further detail in future proposals the types of training to be provided through a voucher, in which sectors the workers are likely to find employment and whether the training on offer is aligned to the future economic prospects and labour market needs in the regions concerned by the dismissals;however, welcomes the strict link between the voucher and each worker's agreed pathway of reintegration;
Amendment 10 #
2013/2032(BUD)
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Calls on the Italian authorities to use the EGF support to its full potential and to encourage the maximum number of workers to participate in the measures; recalls that early EGF interventions in Italy suffered from relatively low rate of budget implementation mainly due to low participation rates;
Amendment 11 #
2013/2032(BUD)
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8c. Welcomes in the coordinated package of personalised services the modul "Guidance for over-50s" intended for older employees, which make 12% of the targeted labour force;
Amendment 12 #
2013/2032(BUD)
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8d. Welcomes the fact that the contribution to expenses of residence shall only be paid as a one-off contribution upon presentation of proof of the expenditure incurred;
Amendment 13 #
2013/2032(BUD)
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 8 e (new)
Paragraph 8 e (new)
8e. Takes note that 5 684 000 EUR of the total cost of the package of services amounting to 7 451 972 EUR is devoted to various financial incentives and allowances, including the facilitation of dismissed workers mobility; recommends that a proportionate amount should be dedicated to training-related measures in future mobilisations;
Amendment 14 #
2013/2032(BUD)
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 8f (new)
Paragraph 8f (new)
8f. Points out that the biggest part of the costs of personalised services is to be committed to "Job search allowance" (2 000 EUR per worker for the days of participations to EGF measures), which is an equivalent of the Italian subsistence allowance "CIGS" for the sake of simplification; reiterates therefore that the EGF support should primarily be allocated to training programs instead of contributing directly to financial allowances which are the responsibility of Member States by virtue of national law; recommends that in future cases of a mobilisation of that Fund such measures should be discouraged;
Amendment 15 #
2013/2032(BUD)
8g. Notes the relatively high "Hiring benefit" (5 000 EUR per worker); welcomes the fact that such measures will only be disbursed to employers guaranteeing permanent contracts for targeted workers and expects the Commission to deliver the relevant detailed information regarding the contract conditions for these workers;
Amendment 16 #
2013/2032(BUD)
Proposal for a decision
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Underlines the importance of good and swift cooperation between the Commission and Member States when preparing applications under the coming new EGF regulation;
Amendment 25 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the scope of this resolution encompasses the countries identified by the EU Sahel Strategy, specifically Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and relevant parts of Burkina Faso and Chad; whereas the broader geographic and ecological definition of the Sahel also remains crucial with regard to the region’s shared human rights challenges; whereas this report will also discuss thesecurity and human rights situation in Western Sahara and the Tindouf campsissues in the countries neighbouring the Sahel which have a direct impact on the current situation in the Sahel, such as Western Sahara and the Tindouf camps in Algeria, Libya and the consequences of the Libyan conflict, Nigeria and the presence of terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, and terrorist groups and drug trafficking in West Africa;
Amendment 26 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the scope of this resolution encompasses the countries identified by the EU Sahel Strategy, specifically Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and relevant parts of Burkina Faso and Chad; whereas the broader geographic and ecological definition of the Sahel also remains crucial with regard to the region’s shared human rights challenges; whereas this report will also discuss thesecurity and human rights situation in Western Sahara and the Tindouf camps; issues in the countries neighbouring the Sahel which have a direct impact on the current situation in the Sahel, such as Western Sahara and the Tindouf camps in Algeria, Libya and the consequences of the Libyan conflict, Nigeria and the presence of terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, and terrorist groups and drug trafficking in West Africa;
Amendment 67 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas a ceasefire in Western Sahara between the Moroccan Government and the Polisario Front has been in place since 1991; whereas the UN considers Western Sahara a non-self-governing territory; whereas no country recognises Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; whereas the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is currently recognised by the AU and over 45 UN states, but not by the UN collectively or by any EU Member State; whereas the UN and EU do not explicitly consider Morocco to be an occupying power; whereas a referendum on the status of Western Sahara, first agreed on principle in 1988, has still not taken place; whereas the Kingdom of Morocco proposed a draft autonomous status for the Southern Provinces in 2007;
Amendment 68 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas a ceasefire in Western Sahara between the Moroccan Government and the Polisario Front has been in place since 1991; whereas the UN considers Western Sahara a non-self-governing territory; whereas no country recognises Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; whereas the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is currently recognised by the AU and over 45 UN states, but not by the UN collectively or by any EU Member State; whereas the UN and EU do not explicitly consider Morocco to be an occupying power; whereas a referendum on the status of Western Sahara, first agreed on principle in 1988, has still not taken place; whereas the Kingdom of Morocco proposed a draft autonomous status for the Southern Provinces in 2007;
Amendment 210 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Expresses deep concern about evidence of child labour in Malian gold mines, agriculture and forestry, reportedly involving children as young as six years old; notes Malian lawthe laws in force in the Sahel States prohibiting child labour, and the particularly hazardous nature of gold mining; calls, therefore, on the Malian authorities to implement the policy proposals in its Action Plan for the Fight against Child Labour (PANETEM) of June 2011, and to promote universal education more actively; calls on the EU to work with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other national and international organisations, to eradicate fully child labour in Mali; calls on all the Sahel States to combat child labour and promote education;
Amendment 211 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Expresses deep concern about evidence of child labour in Malian gold mines, agriculture and forestry, reportedly involving children as young as six years old; notes Malian lawthe laws in force in the Sahel States prohibiting child labour, and the particularly hazardous nature of gold mining; calls, therefore, on the Malian authorities to implement the policy proposals in its Action Plan for the Fight against Child Labour (PANETEM) of June 2011, and to promote universal education more actively; calls on the EU to work with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other national and international organisations, to eradicate fully child labour in Mali; calls on all the Sahel States to combat child labour and promote education;
Amendment 244 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Notes the April 2013 report of the UN Secretary-General on the situation concerning Western Sahara, which stresses 'the critical importance of addressing the Western Sahara conflict as part of a broader strategy for the Sahel', and that 'the issue of human rights remains important for any resolution of the conflict'; further notes that the conclusions of many observers that Western Sahara risks becoming destabilised by the conflict in the Sahel and the groups participating in itgoing conflicts in the Sahel, and in particular the presence of terrorist groups such as AQMI in northern Mali and southern Algeria, are factors destabilising Western Sahara;
Amendment 245 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Notes the April 2013 report of the UN Secretary-General on the situation concerning Western Sahara, which stresses 'the critical importance of addressing the Western Sahara conflict as part of a broader strategy for the Sahel', and that 'the issue of human rights remains important for any resolution of the conflict'; further notes that the conclusions of many observers that Western Sahara risks becoming destabilised by the conflict in the Sahel and the groups participating in itgoing conflicts in the Sahel, and in particular the presence of terrorist groups such as AQMI in northern Mali and southern Algeria, are factors destabilising Western Sahara;
Amendment 253 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Emphasises the need for human rights in Western Sahara to be considered without anticipating any final political settlement or expressing a view on such a settlement; reiterates, nevertheless, that self- determination is a fundamental human right, as specified by Article 1 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and that territorial integrity is a principle enshrined in international law; moreover, recalls UN Security Council Resolution 1754, urging the parties to enter into negotiations in good faith, without preconditions, 'with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which would provide for the self- determination of the people of Western Sahara'; fears that the 25-year delay in arranging a referendum is increasing Sahrawi alienation and the potential for violence, particularly amongst the young;
Amendment 264 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Expresses deep concern at the recent report from the UNSR on torture, who found evidenceobtained credible testimony stating that Moroccan officials have detained individuals on political grounds, inflicted torture and rape on Sahrawi inmates, kidnapped and abandoned protesters in the desert to intimidate them, and deliberately and frequently targeted pro-independence advocates, including in their homethat these types of treatment, which are contrary to international law, are being suffered by both Moroccan citizens and Sahrawis; notes further widespread allegations of forced disappearances and unfair trials; draws particular attention to the dismantling of the Gdeim Izik protest camp in November 2010, where significant violence claimed Moroccan and Sahrawi lives, and the subsequent trial of 25 Sahrawis, many of them known human rights activists, in February 2013; notes Morocco's insistence regarding the trial's fairness and due process, and the positive conclusions of some international observers, but also recalls the UNSR's concern at the use of a military court, the allegations of torture, and the Moroccan authorities' failure to investigate them; notes the conclusions by some NGOs and human rights observers relating to the case's alleged politicised prosecutions, deficient evidence and excessive sentences; calls thereforenotes that the King of Morocco has endorsed the proposal made by the Moroccan National Human Rights Council urging that civilians should not be tried by military tribunals; calls on the Moroccan authorities to work with civil society and other actors to guarantee the transparency and fairness of its judicial processes, and to investigate and prosecute security officials alleged to have been involved in arbitrary detentions, torture and other abuses of power;
Amendment 265 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Expresses deep concern at the recent report from the UNSR on torture, who found evidenceobtained credible testimony stating that Moroccan officials have detained individuals on political grounds, inflicted torture and rape on Sahrawi inmates, kidnapped and abandoned protesters in the desert to intimidate them, and deliberately and frequently targeted pro-independence advocates, including in their homethat these types of treatment, which are contrary to international law, are being suffered by both Moroccan citizens and Sahrawis; notes further widespread allegations of forced disappearances and unfair trials; draws particular attention to the dismantling of the Gdeim Izik protest camp in November 2010, where significant violence claimed Moroccan and Sahrawi lives, and the subsequent trial of 25 Sahrawis, many of them known human rights activists, in February 2013; notes Morocco's insistence regarding the trial's fairness and due process, and the positive conclusions of some international observers, but also recalls the UNSR's concern at the use of a military court, the allegations of torture, and the Moroccan authorities’ failure to investigate them; notes the conclusions by some NGOs and human rights observers relating to the case's alleged politicised prosecutions, deficient evidence and excessive sentences; calls thereforenotes that the King of Morocco has endorsed the proposal made by the Moroccan National Human Rights Council urging that civilians should not be tried by military tribunals; calls on the Moroccan authorities to work with civil society and other actors to guarantee the transparency and fairness of its judicial processes, and to investigate and prosecute security officials alleged to have been involved in arbitrary detentions, torture and other abuses of power;
Amendment 287 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Welcomes the significant economic and infrastructural development implemented by the Moroccan Government in Western Sahara; welcomes the regional development model for the southern provinces drawn up by Morocco's Economic, Social and Environmental Council, which would allow the people of the area to exercise their economic, social and cultural rights to the full and to prepare to make the Moroccan autonomy initiative a success; remains concerned, however, by the ongoing dispute over the exploitation of the territory's natural resources, particularly relating to phosphate mines, fisheries, and preliminary oil exploration; recalls the UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs' advice in 2002, which stressed the Western Saharan people's 'inalienable rights' to their territory's natural resources, and determined that further exploitation 'in disregard of the interests and wishes of the people of Western Sahara' would be illegal; draws attention to the UN Secretary- General's statement to the effect that Morocco was seeking to improve living conditions in the territory and, to that end, to draft a new regional development strategy for the area; stresses, therefore, that Western Saharan goods and resources should be exempt from any trade agreements between Morocco and the EU unless the Sahrawi population's consent and benefit can be clearly demonstrated; expresses particular concern that the EU should not re-institute a fisheries agreement with Morocco while this controversy remains unresolved;
Amendment 311 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Expresses concern that the poverty in Tindouf, coupled with an absence of long- term prospects for many refugees, leaves them vulnerable to radicalisation along religious fundamentalist lines; points to the danger of young people being recruited by criminal or terrorist organisations and draws attention to the region's porous borders, which risk facilitating deeper infiltration of the camps by jihadi groups from northern Mali and elsewhere; stresses, therefore, the paramount importance of ensuring the safety and security of the camps;
Amendment 312 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43
Paragraph 43
43. Expresses concern that the poverty in Tindouf, coupled with an absence of long- term prospects for many refugees, leaves them vulnerable to radicalisation along religious fundamentalist lines; points to the danger of young people being recruited by criminal or terrorist organisations and draws attention to the region's porous borders, which risk facilitating deeper infiltration of the camps by jihadi groups from northern Mali and elsewhere; stresses, therefore, the paramount importance of ensuring the safety and security of the camps;
Amendment 323 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Welcomes efforts to improve the documentation of alleged human rights abuses in Western Sahara, in particular through the institution of the Moroccan National Council for Human Rights (CNDH), with offices in Laayoune and Dakhla; notes the positive work of the CNDH, and calls on the Moroccan Government to help strengthen its independence and remit, and to ensure the implementation of its recommendations; welcomes the adoption in 2012 of five recommendations on the human rights situation in Western Sahara; furthermore welcomes Moroccan invitations to, and acceptances of, ad-hoc international delegations, including the UNSR on torture, and urges all relevant parties to continue such engagement with UN human rights bodies;
Amendment 324 #
2013/2020(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45
Paragraph 45
45. Welcomes efforts to improve the documentation of alleged human rights abuses in Western Sahara, in particular through the institution of the Moroccan National Council for Human Rights (CNDH), with offices in Laayoune and Dakhla; notes the positive work of the CNDH, and calls on the Moroccan Government to help strengthen its independence and remit, and to ensure the implementation of its recommendations; welcomes the adoption in 2012 of five recommendations on the human rights situation in Western Sahara; furthermore welcomes Moroccan invitations to, and acceptances of, ad-hoc international delegations, including the UNSR on torture, and urges all relevant parties to continue such engagement with UN human rights bodies;
Amendment 1 #
2013/2017(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Shares the view expressed in the European Council conclusions of 15 March 2013 that "addressing unemployment is the most important social challenge facing us. Active employment, social and labour market policies therefore require special priority and attention in the present context and a particular priority must be given to promoting youth employment"; calls for ambitious budgetary allocations for this priority;
Amendment 3 #
2013/2017(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Is of the opinion that the priority of the European budget in 2014 should be to sustain economic growth and competitiveness, boost employment and fight against youth unemployment; Recalls that growth is the key to create more jobs and increased prosperity and that it is necessary to direct the structural funds more efficiently towards promoting growth and job creation and to accelerate the payments of commitments;
Amendment 5 #
2013/2017(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Recalls its resolution of 13 March 2013 in which it emphasises its determination to prevent any further shifts of payments from 2013 to the next MFF and makes the final adoption of an amending budget a precondition for the conclusions of the MFF negotiations, as well as it demands a political engagement from the Council that all legal obligations due in 2013 will be paid out by the end of this year; further stressed that more than a quarter of the draft amending budget 2/2013 (EUR 3 253 million) is aimed at honouring past and current commitments for the European Social Fund;
Amendment 10 #
2013/2017(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Urges the Commission to act swiftly to facilitate the implementation of the ESF and of the PSCI to promote supportive active labour market policies and good labour policy mix to improve the transition rates back to employment, especially for the long-term unemployed while benefiting from the synergies of trans- border cooperation;
Amendment 13 #
2013/2017(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to facilitate quick iInsists on prioritising the fight against youth unempleoymentation of in the 2014 budget; Calls for the Youth Employment Initiative and to use the full potential of ‘Your first EURES Job’to be "frontloaded" through utilisation in the first three years of the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework and to use the full potential of ‘Your first EURES Job’ and the targeted mobility schemes under the EURES axis of the PSCI to foster mobility and of the preparatory action ‘Activation measures targeting young people - implementing Youth on the Move initiative’ to put into operation the ‘youth guarantee’ schemes;
Amendment 15 #
2013/2017(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Is of the view that the EU budget should support vocational training and professional qualification measures through adequate budgetary allocations for the ESF and the "Erasmus for all" programme; recalls, in this regard, the proposal for a Council Recommendation on establishing a Youth Guarantee ;
Amendment 17 #
2013/2017(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Emphasises the key role that a renewed EGF can play in improving the transition rates to employment given its strong focus on vocational training and career advice ; Urges the Commission to assure sufficient payment appropriations of at least 75 000 000 EUR on the budget line for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund; regrets that the lack of payment appropriations at the end of 2012 contributed to further delay in mobilisations of this fund ; recalls that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that, therefore, it deserves a dedicated allocation, which will avoid transfers to the extent possible from other budget lines, as has happened in the past, which could be detrimental to the achievement of the policy objectives of the EGF; hopes that further improvements in the procedure will be integrated in the new Regulation on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014– 2020) and that greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the EGF will be achieved;
Amendment 22 #
2013/2017(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for solid and accelerated commitment and payment appropriations for the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived in order to fight extreme poverty against the current rise of extreme poverty, and not less in real terms than the 2007-2013 annual allocation for the European food aid programme for deprived persons; considers that given the date on which invitations to tender must be issued and the deadlines for adoption of this Regulation and the preparation of the operational programmes, rules should be drawn up to facilitate a flexible transition in 2014, so as to avoid any interruption in supplies in winter 2013- 2014;
Amendment 23 #
2013/2017(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Highlights the role of the PSCI programme in supporting activities and best practice sharing concerning successful policy interventions and mechanisms to reduce and prevent long- term exclusion;
Amendment 25 #
2013/2017(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Underlines that in the area of social inclusion the gender mainstreaming principles should apply since a higher percentage of women than men suffer from poverty because of exclusion from the labour market and because of the gender pay gap;
Amendment 28 #
2013/2017(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines that the 2014 budget should support measures promoting entrepreneurship in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, including social entrepreneurship and innovative social enterprises and self-employment, as well as facilitate access to financing through the ‘Microfinance and social entrepreneurship’ axis of PSCI;
Amendment 30 #
2013/2017(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses that the 2014 budget should assure proper funding for OSHA and for the health and safety at work related strand in the PSCI programme in order to sustain and further promote high level of workers' protection and prevention culture across the EU and help to address new challenges to health and safety at work resulting from the economic and financial crisis. within the framework of a renewed 2014-2020 EU strategy for occupational health and safety;
Amendment 33 #
2013/2017(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Recalls that Article 312(4) TFEU foresees the application of the ceilings of the last year of the current MFF in case no agreement on the next MFF is reached in due time and Article 30 of the current inter-institutional agreement on budgetary discipline and sound financial management will apply, which means a prolongation of the 2013 ceilings, adjusted with a 2 % fixed deflator a year, until adoption of a new MFF regulation; reiterates, in this eventuality, its readiness to reach a swift agreement with the Council and the Commission on ensuring that the legal bases are in force for the implementation of EU programmes and policies in 2014 in particular for the new PSCI, the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived ;
Amendment 4 #
2013/2006(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the Member States which have best withstood the economic crisis are those which have given priority to strong social dialogue and, particular types of investment and an active employment policy designed to preserve the maximum number of jobs; is of the opinion that those priorities ought to be studied and used as a guide for the purpose of reindustrialising Europe on a solid, competitive, sustainable, and diversified basis, particularly by making public investment conditional on a guarantee that jobs will be created or preserved;
Amendment 7 #
2013/2006(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses that industrial sectors make it possible to survive crises, partly by dint of the service economy which they generate around their production;
Amendment 12 #
2013/2006(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recommends that investment be channelled into human resources and eimphasis laid on training and learningroving the conditions for the exercise of the right to training and learning, while allowing permeability among the various training systems, not only in order to anticipate, and respond to, the demand for skilled labour in industry oriented towards new technologies and an energy-efficient green economy but also to reinforce all production chains, including the basic industries necessary for the development of high-technology industries;
Amendment 17 #
2013/2006(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Recommends that the Union and Member States also invest massively in R&D, particularly to facilitate the transition to a less energy-hungry industry compatible with the Union’s environmental ambitions, which should be pursed in equilibrium with its industrial ambitions;
Amendment 22 #
2013/2006(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Maintains that industry-wide social dialogue is an essential way to chart a new direction for European industries by fostering corporate social responsibility (CSR) and promoting a European social label based on a body of common criteria, the aim being to turn employees into stakeholders in their company’s future and bring about a flexi-security which is balanced in both its aspects;
Amendment 25 #
2013/2006(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses that, in terms of reindustrialisation, there is a major role to be played by socially responsible management of restructuring in anticipating and managing change in sectors, as stressed in the European Parliament Resolution of 15 January 2013;
Amendment 30 #
2013/2006(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Maintains that measures need to be taken urgently with a view to establishing and supporting innovative industries by helping SMEs to gain access to financing, cutting tax charges and administrative red tape, and exploiting the possibilities offered by the digital single market;
Amendment 39 #
2013/2006(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Suggests that the Commission make an in-depth study, by sector, of the added value of European industrial production in world production chains in order to ascertain how rooted the various sectors of industry are in our various Member States and to establish more effectively a common strategy to defend European industrial interests;
Amendment 40 #
2013/2006(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Suggests that the Commission assess the extent to which the refusal by a group with worldwide operations to surrender a site which it has decided to close to another group which might take it over or to a public entity for temporary public operation accords with European competition law;
Amendment 41 #
2013/2006(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Stresses the need for the Union to protect its industrial interests in the context of its trade relations, both in the drafting of its trade agreements or its legislation on access to its public markets for third-country undertakings, and in the too rare use of its protection tools against unfair competition from third-country undertakings;
Amendment 42 #
2013/2006(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6d. Recommends that the Commission and Member States adopt the necessary provisions for the emergence of a European Industrial Policy which is not weakened by competition between Member States such as exists at present; recommends, to this end, upward convergence of national social standards and fiscal harmonisation;
Amendment 43 #
2013/2006(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 e (new)
Paragraph 6 e (new)
6e. Calls on Member States, in the event of potential amendments to the Treaties, to establish a Common Industrial Policy with an ambition and instruments comparable to those of the Common Agricultural Policy, i.e. involving genuine transnational consultation with a view to a common strategy, ample funding and market regulation tools such as the other major trading areas in the world have, for example a monetary tool or State aid rules adapted to the needs of our industry, while complying with international law;
Amendment 27 #
2013/0202(COD)
Proposal for a decision
Citation 1
Citation 1
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Articles 149 and 14 thereof,
Amendment 28 #
2013/0202(COD)
Proposal for a decision
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
Having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and in particular Articles 29 and 36 thereof,
Amendment 30 #
2013/0202(COD)
Proposal for a decision
Recital 2 a (new)
Recital 2 a (new)
(2a) Public Employment Services are Services of General Economic Interest and as such are governed by Article 14 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 36 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Moreover, Article 29 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union states that 'everyone has the right of access to a free placement service'.
Amendment 43 #
2013/0202(COD)
Proposal for a decision
Recital 10 a (new)
Recital 10 a (new)
(10a) In order to ensure that the common tasks of PES are closely matched to the actual situation on the labour market, Eurostat should have real-time unemployment figures at NUTS 3 level.
Amendment 46 #
2013/0202(COD)
Proposal for a decision
Article 1 – paragraph 3
Article 1 – paragraph 3
3. Member States with local or regional autonomous Public Employment Services shall ensure adequate representation in the specific initiatives of the Network. Representatives of national Public Employment Services should also make every effort to ensure that the opinions and experience of local and regional authorities are incorporated into the Network's activities, and to keep these local and regional authorities fully informed of its activities.
Amendment 48 #
2013/0202(COD)
Proposal for a decision
Article 1 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 1 – paragraph 3 a (new)
In order to help the Network determine the appropriate level responsible, observer status in the Network shall be awarded to a representative nominated by the Committee of the Regions.
Amendment 62 #
2013/0202(COD)
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) Develop and implement European wide evidence-based benchmarking systems among public employment services based on the use of quantitative and qualitative indicators to assess PES performances and to gather evidence with a view to establishing an appropriate mutual learning vehicle. It shall also participate actively in the implementation of these activities by sharing data, knowledge and practices. The objective should on no account be to create a 'classification' or define objectives, but rather to facilitate learning on the basis of a common methodology.
Amendment 71 #
2013/0202(COD)
Proposal for a decision
Article 4 – paragraph 1
Article 4 – paragraph 1
1. The Network shall cooperate, on an occasional basis and exclusively on its initiative, with labour market stakeholders including other providers of employment services, including temporary work agencies, private employment services, NGOs working in the field of employment, regional and local authorities, where appropriate, and the European network for a lifelong guidance policy, by involving them in relevant activities and meetings of the Network and by exchanging information and data.
Amendment 21 #
2013/0029(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) Over the past decade, the growth of passenger traffic by rail has been insufficient to increase its modal share in comparison to cars and aviation. The 6 % modal share of passenger transport for rail in the European Union has remained fairly stable. Rail passenger services have not kept pace with evolving needs in terms of offer or qualityinland transport, on average, in the EU-15 group of Member States, but not, on average, in the Member States that joined the Union in 2004 and 2007. Changes in rail's modal share are not correlated with the governance structures in place.
Amendment 26 #
2013/0029(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Recital 5
Recital 5
Amendment 36 #
2013/0029(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Recital 19 a (new)
Recital 19 a (new)
(19a) The Commission should assess the impact of this Directive on the development of the labour market for railway staff.
Amendment 56 #
2013/0029(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – point 4
Article 1 – point 4
Directive 2012/34/EU
Article 7a to 7e
Article 7a to 7e
Amendment 72 #
2013/0029(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – point 9 a (new)
Article 1 – point 9 a (new)
Directive 2012/34/EU
Article 63 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
Article 63 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
9a. In Article 63(1), the following subparagraph is added: The Commission shall, no later than 18 months after the entry into force of this Directive, assess its impact on the development of the labour market for railway staff.
Amendment 49 #
2013/0028(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) In view of creating framework conditions for enabling society to fully reap the benefits of effective opening of the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail it is important that Member States ensure in any case an adequate level of social protection for the staff of public service operators. on a national, regional or local level. The adequate level should be guaranteed at the latest at the opening of the domestic railway market by national law and/or sector-wide collective agreements by setting social standards and/or requiring the transfer of staff for the relevant sector.
Amendment 59 #
2013/0028(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16 a (new)
Recital 16 a (new)
(16 a) In view of creating framework conditions for enabling society to fully reap the benefits of effective opening of the market for domestic passenger transport services by rail it is important that Member States ensure in any case an adequate level of social protection for the staff of public service operators on a national, regional or local level. The adequate level should be guaranteed at the latest at the opening of the domestic railway market by national law and/or sector-wide collective agreements by setting social standards and/or requiring the transfer of staff for the relevant sector.
Amendment 83 #
2013/0028(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – point 2
Article 1 – point 2
Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007
Article 2a - paragraph 6 – point b
Article 2a - paragraph 6 – point b
Amendment 87 #
2013/0028(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – point 3 – point c
Article 1 – point 3 – point c
Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007
Article 4 – paragraph 6
Article 4 – paragraph 6
Amendment 91 #
2013/0028(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – point 3 – point c a (new)
Article 1 – point 3 – point c a (new)
Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007
Article 4 – paragraph 6 a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 6 a (new)
If for the staff concerned there is no existing law, regulation or binding sector- wide collective agreement including one of the options of paragraph (5) and paragraph (6) of this article (compulsory transfer of staff and/or binding social standards) at the national or local level, the competent authority has to ascertain that at the latest at the opening of the domestic railway market social standards and/or transfer of staff are required in the tendering process.
Amendment 93 #
2013/0028(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – point 4 – point a
Article 1 – point 4 – point a
Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007
Article 5 – paragraph 4
Article 5 – paragraph 4
Amendment 40 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas social housing, which is a large and varied sector in the EU, plays a key part in the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy; whereas this sector makes an active contribution to achieving the goal of making the EU a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy by helping to ensure high levels of employment, productivity and social inclusion and cohesion, as well as to combating both climate change and energy poverty;
Amendment 45 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the economic and financial crisis will have a long-term impact, not only on economic growth, employment rates and poverty and exclusion levels but also on ease of access to housing and on investment in affordable social housing in the Member States;
Amendment 48 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas austerity and fiscal consolidation measures must go hand-in- hand with an overall strategy of investment in sustainable, inclusive growth in pursuit of the Europe 2020 objectives, including as regards combating poverty and social exclusion;
Amendment 51 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
Cc. whereas the EU-27 unemployment rate rose above 10% in January 2012 and whereas young people, low-skilled workers and the long-term unemployed have been particularly hard-hit; whereas, given that, at the same time, Europe's population is ageing, this development carries with it a serious risk of households no longer being able to find or hold on to housing and could have an irreversible impact on social and urban cohesion;
Amendment 54 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
Cd. whereas 80 million Europeans are currently at risk of poverty and homelessness, and whereas the proportion of children and adults living in jobless households rose to nearly 10% in 2010; whereas this development, combined with the increase in the number of working poor and the high level of youth unemployment, cannot but result in a possibly long-term increase in the number of people at risk of poverty and homelessness;
Amendment 56 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
Ce. whereas social welfare and personal housing support schemes are increasingly coming under pressure as a result of rising house prices, falling revenues and the pressure to reduce costs;
Amendment 58 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C f (new)
Recital C f (new)
Cf. whereas investment in social housing is important in order to ensure that an adequate number of jobs are available at local level, stabilise the economy, keep property bubbles in check and combat energy poverty;
Amendment 59 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C g (new)
Recital C g (new)
Cg. whereas housing is a public good in respect of which Member States lay down, in line with their own policy choices, minimum standards of habitability and comfort, specific urban planning and construction rules and maximum income percentages, with some regulating house price increases and even establishing mechanisms for providing social assistance or tax support to help out with what is the leading item of household expenditure;
Amendment 60 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C h (new)
Recital C h (new)
Ch. whereas Member States also establish and organise a parallel supply of social housing to complement the supply generated by the private market; whereas this social housing is made available under specific conditions by not-for-profit agencies set up specifically for this purpose; whereas 25 million European households are in social housing in respect of which local and regional planning requirements, access rules and prices are laid down directly by the public authorities in the Member States; whereas, owing to its stability and to the fact that prices are regulated, this parallel housing supply helps in particular to keep property market cycles and housing bubbles in check;
Amendment 88 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Reminds the Member States and the Commission that spending on social housing enables urgent social need to be met and, as strategic social investment, helps in a sustainable way to provide local jobs that cannot be ‘off-shored’, to stabilise the economy by preventing property bubbles, to counter climate change and to combat energy poverty; calls accordingly on Member States and the Commission to set out a European social housing action framework, which might take the form of an action plan or a framework for coordinating housing policy in such a way as to ensure consistency between the various policy instruments the EU uses to address this issue (State aids, structural funding, energy policy, action to combat poverty and social exclusion, health policy); calls on Member States and the Commission to bring social housing investment within the scheme of the European Semester by including in it an evaluation of targets for combating and preventing property bubbles;
Amendment 98 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Points out that social housing investment forms part of broader policy efforts to organise and fund public social, health and education services with a view to ensuring that basic social rights may be enjoyed and responding to new social needs and cyclical economic changes;
Amendment 101 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Takes the view, therefore, that targeted social housing investment should be made a key strand of Union and Member State economic and employment policies and crisis-response strategies, with a view to meeting the social, employment and environmental objectives laid down under the Europe 2020 strategy;
Amendment 106 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises the need for tighter monitoring of social investment as part of a social investment pact modelled on the Euro Plus Pact and designed to strengthen the Union’s economic and budgetary governance and including investment in social housing, and for social investment targets which the Member States would be required to meet with a view to attaining the social, employment and education objectives laid down under the Europe 2020 strategy; welcomes the conclusions of the European Council meeting held in December 2012, which stress that ‘the possibilities offered by the EU's existing fiscal framework to balance productive public investment needs with fiscal discipline objectives can be exploited in the preventive arm of the Stability and Growth Pact’, thus bearing out the validity of this proposal;
Amendment 121 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Proposes the establishment of the European Housing Observatory to develop knowledge about the housing situation in the various countries, especially social housing, on the basis of reliable statistical indicators; stresses the need for the regular publication of EUROSTAT indicators (price, quality) regarding the housing dimension of social integration, together with regional and local statistics, so to as to assess what progress is being made;
Amendment 127 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Notes the growing impoverishment of the elderly in all the Member States and accordingly seeks the inclusion in the new European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on active and healthy ageing, which coordinates research in this area, of affordable measures specifically designed to ensure that the elderly are allowed to stay in their homes as long as possible; notes in this connection that action to improve current housing accessibility is a reasonable and feasible way of reducing assistance requirements by encouraging people develop closer links with their home and facilitating their social integration by measures to enhance their independence as individuals;
Amendment 133 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1 a (new)
Subheading 1 a (new)
Include housing investments in a social investment pact
Amendment 134 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Urges Member States to redouble their efforts to include social housing investment in their medium and long- term budgetary objectives, in their national reform programmes and in the strategic axes of the 2014-2020 Partnership Contact; calls on the European Council and Commission to monitor more effectively the implementation and achievement of the social objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy;
Amendment 135 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Notes that, in order to secure proper implementation of employment and social targets, the recently developed system for macroeconomic and budgetary surveillance in the EU must be supplemented by improved monitoring of social policies and social housing investments ; calls, therefore, on the Commission to consider developing a scoreboard of common social investment indicators for monitoring the progress made in the Member States and at Union level in this regard;
Amendment 136 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5d. Calls on the Member States to include social housing investments in the conclusion of a ‘social investment pact’, laying down investment objectives and creating an enhanced monitoring mechanism so as to step up efforts to achieve the social, employment and environment objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. This ‘Social Investment Pact’ would contain a list of specific measures in form of social investments to be taken by Member States within a given timeframe in order to meet social housing targets and combat energy poverty in line with the social, employment and environment objectives of the Annual Growth Survey and National Reform Programmes; this should be subject to a regular surveillance framework with a strong role for the European Commission and the European Parliament and the involvement of all relevant formations of the Council;
Amendment 150 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. AdvocatesWelcomes the Commission proposal to makinge priority investment in heat efficiency and in the use of renewables in social housing, as well as integrated projects for sustainable urban development, access to housing for marginalised communities and the promotion of social enterprises, eligible for Structural Fund support in the 2014-2020 budgetary period;
Amendment 159 #
2012/2293(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Regards such measures as necessary and considers that they must go hand in hand with the provisions of the energy efficiency directive and be accompanied by the necessary investment funding, not only from the ERDF but also through the establishment of a European dedicated investment fund;
Amendment 2 #
2012/2280(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the Spanish authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 28 December 2011, supplemented by additional information up to 5 September 2012, and that its assessment was made available by the Commission on 19 October 2012; regrets the lengthy evaluation period of 10 months;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2280(BUD)
3. Welcomes the fact that, in order to provide workers with immediatespeedy assistance, the Spanish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures on 19 March 2012 - well ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package;
Amendment 4 #
2012/2280(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that the Spanish authorities inform that, in their assessment based on the experience with previous EGF applications, only 500 of the dismissed workers will choose to participate in the EGF supported measures; calls on the Spanish authorities to use the EGF support to its full potential;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2280(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the fact that the design of the measures was consulted with the social partners and that the regional authorities, business representatives and the trade unions formed a special committee responsible for the coordination, management and implementation of the EGF project;
Amendment 8 #
2012/2280(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Regrets that the information on the training measures in the Commission proposal does not describe in which sectors the workers are likely to find employment and if the package is adapted to the future economic prospects in the region;
Amendment 9 #
2012/2280(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Regrets that the measures supporting entrepreneurship do not contain any financial support to set up own business while several financial incentives are offered for workers following training measures;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2280(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Welcomes the fact that a comprehensive package of information and publicity activities accompanies the EGF supported project;
Amendment 2 #
2012/2279(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Welcomes the Swedish application; deplores, however, the fact that, despite applying for EGF support, Sweden is among the countries undermining the future of the Fund after 2013 and blocking the extension of the crisis derogation;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2279(BUD)
2. Notes that the Swedish authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 25 May 2012, supplemented by additional information up to 20 August 2012, and that its assessment was made available by the Commission on 19 October 2012; welcomes the relatively speedy evaluation period;
Amendment 4 #
2012/2279(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the fact that, in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Swedish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures on 20 December 2011, the same date as the start of the redundancy reference period, and the Swedish authorities aimed to help to the dismissed workers immediately and that the implementation of the coordinated package of personalised services started already on 20 December 2011 - well ahead of the final decision ton granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2279(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes that this is yet another EGF application addressing dismissals in the automotive sector and that with 16 applications this sector has been the subject of the most numerous EGF applications submitted both in relation to crisis and to globalisation criteria;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2279(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Regrets that Saab bankruptcy led to 20% increase in unemployment in the region of Trollhattan where the production plant was based; in this context, notes that the Swedish authorities targeted only 1 350 of 3 239 dismissed workers for EGF support; calls on the Swedish authorities to use the EGF potential to the full in favour of dismissed workers;
Amendment 9 #
2012/2279(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the fact that the Swedish authorities underline the additionality of the measures contained in the package in comparison to regular services available to unemployed;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2279(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Welcomes the fact that the training offered is matched with the future skills and qualifications needs in the region and that it will be focused on growth areas such as greens jobs;
Amendment 11 #
2012/2279(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Notes the fact that the municipality developed positive relations with the social partners while assisting Saab workers; however, regrets that the Commission proposal does not include more detailed information concerning the consultation process of the social partners in the design and the implementation measures and in particular concerning the involvement, possibly financial, of Saab;
Amendment 12 #
2012/2279(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Notes that the payment appropriations in the EGF budget line 04 05 01 have been exhausted; however, is strongly critical of the fact that the Commission has decided to use the European Progress Microfinance Facility budget line in order to make the transfer for this application;
Amendment 2 #
2012/2278(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the Danish authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 21 December 2011, supplemented by additional information up to 23 August 2012, and that its assessment was made available by the Commission on 19 October 2012 and that its assessment was made available by the Commission only on 19 October 2012; regrets the lengthy evaluation periods and inquires why this particular Danish application required 10 months of assessment; urges the Commission to speed up the evaluation process;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2278(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Welcomes the Danish application; deplores, however, the fact that, despite several successful Danish mobilisations of the EGF under both the trade-related and the crisis related criteria, Denmark is among the countries undermining the future of the Fund after 2013 and blocking the extension of the crisis derogation; furthermore, it is of concern that Denmark is applying for the mobilisation of the EGF fund on behalf of the Flextronics International Denmark, established by the Singapore-registered Flextronics International Ltd, which is moving its facilities to Asia;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2278(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls for reciprocity in trade between the EU and third countries as an essential condition for EU companies to gain access to new non-European markets;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2278(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Notes that the Danish authorities inform that in their assessment only 153 of 303 workers dismissed would choose to participate in the measures; calls on the Danish authorities to use the EGF support to its full potential;
Amendment 8 #
2012/2278(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes that the region of Midtjylland, where the municipality of Skive is located, has already benefited from the EGF support by means of two applications, viz.: EGF/2010/017 Midtjylland Machinery and EGF/2012/003 Vestas;
Amendment 9 #
2012/2278(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes that the Danish authorities propose an expensive coordinated package of personalised services (EUR 12 891 per worker); welcomes, however, the fact that the package consists of measures that are additional and innovative compared to those offered regularly by the employment agencies and are adapted to assist different groups of workers in terms of skills and experience so that they can cope with the difficult local labour market;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2278(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Welcomes the fact that the vocational training courses target new areas of possible growth and that the design of the coordinated package is based on an in- depth research of the local labour market and of the features of the dismissed workers;
Amendment 11 #
2012/2278(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a Welcomes the fact that the coordinated package of personalised services also offers courses to start a new business which are foreseen for 20 workers; notes that no financial incentive is proposed for business start-ups;
Amendment 12 #
2012/2278(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Notes, however, the subsistence allowance of EUR 4 439 per worker for the participation in the measures and considers them as too high; recalls that the EGF should in future be primarily allocated to training and job search as well as occupational orientation programs and its financial contribution to allowances should always be of additional nature and in parallel to what is available to dismissed workers by virtue of national law or collective agreements;
Amendment 2 #
2012/2277(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the Austrian authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 21 December 2011, supplemented by additional information up to 25 June 2012, and that its full assessment was made available by the Commission on 19 October 2012; regrets the lengthy evaluation period of 10 months;
Amendment 4 #
2012/2277(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the fact that, in order to provide workers with immediate assistance, the Austrian authorities decided to start the implementation of the measur the Austrian authorities decided to address the dismissals immediately and launched the coordinated package of services on 1 October 2011 -, well ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2277(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that the region of Steiermark has already been affected by mass lay-offs and workers in this region have benefited from the EGF support by means of three applications, viz.: EGF/2009/009 AT/Steiermark, EGF/2010/007 AT/Steiermark-Niederosterreich and EGF/2010/008 AT/AT&S;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2277(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes that EGF project will be carried out in the framework of a labour foundation established at the regional level managed by a development association experienced with a past EGF application (EGF/2009/009 AT/Steiermark); recalls that labour foundations are institutions set up by sectoral social partners in order to accompany workers in industrial change with training measures to enhance their employability; recalls further that this model of providing active labour market measures was very successful in the past regarding the reintegration of workers into the labour market and the use of the EGF funds for this purpose;
Amendment 9 #
2012/2277(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Regrets that this EGF application is a direct result of budget cuts in social policy which are being implemented despite a controversial debate between the social services providers and the regional government; further regrets that more social workers are expected to be dismissed in the region in the course of 2012;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2277(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Welcomes the proposed co-ordinated package of personalised services and the detailed descriptions of the measures presented in the Commission proposal; welcomes the fact that the training on offer is combined with the future economic prospects and the future skills and qualification needs in the region;
Amendment 11 #
2012/2277(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Draws the attention to the subsistence allowance for workers on training and on job search which is said to amount EUR 1000 per workers per month (calculated for 11 months, unemployment benefit will be interrupted during that period) which will be combined with training allowance of EUR 200 per worker per month; recalls that the EGF should in future be primarily allocated to training and job search as well as occupational orientation programs and its financial contribution to allowances should always be of additional nature and in parallel to what is available to dismissed workers by virtue of national law or collective agreements;
Amendment 13 #
2012/2277(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Notes that the proposed measures cost approximately EUR 22 000 per worker, of which roughly EUR 14 000 is to be covered by the EGF, making it a very high contribution per capita compared to other EGF applications;
Amendment 2 #
2012/2276(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Agrees with the Commission that the conditions set out in Article 2 (a) of the EGF Regulation are met and that, therefore, Finland is entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2276(BUD)
2. UnderlinNotes that the Finnish authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 4 July 2012, supplemented by additional information up to 21 August 2012, and that its assessment was made available by the European Commission only on 19 October 2012; welcomes the improvement of the evaluation processfact that the application was submitted immediately after the reference period allowing for instant response to the dismissals; welcomes also the speedy evaluation period by the Commission;
Amendment 4 #
2012/2276(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Regrets that the redundancies Salo in Finland and in Cluj in Romania (application EGF/2011/014/ RO/Nokia from Romania) stem from a corporate decision of Nokia to move its production plants to Asia and are part of its plan to reduce global employment in Nokia Corporation by 17 000 workers by the end of 2013;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2276(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes that the Commission proposal indicates that another EGF application is expected to cover the second wave of dismissals in Nokia centre in Salo;
Amendment 8 #
2012/2276(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls for reciprocity in trade between the EU and third countries as an essential condition for EU companies to gain access to new non-European markets;
Amendment 9 #
2012/2276(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes that the Salo area was heavily dependant on Nokia as an employer and grew into a highly specialised region in the information and communication technologies; notes that the dismissals in Nokia will seriously affect the local employment market as it is expected that the unemployment rate may rise to 17% as a result of the current Nokia redundancies;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2276(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the fact that a widely representative working group has been set up to deal with the reorganisation of Nokia and advise on a range of issues such as well-being, studies, new jobs outside Nokia and business opportunities;
Amendment 11 #
2012/2276(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Considers the cost of the coordinated package of personalised services (approximately EUR 10 000 per worker) as high; notes, however, the fact that the package contains innovative measures like protomo - matching service for new business start-ups and that financial allowances to be covered by the EGF are limited; welcomes the fact that the measures are well described in the Commission proposal;
Amendment 12 #
2012/2276(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Regrets that there are no details concerning the types of training measures to be provided within the coordinated package and how these are matched with the local skills and qualification needs and possible areas of future growth in the region, given the structural changes it is currently undergoing;
Amendment 14 #
2012/2276(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Welcomes the fact that, in view of the structural changes in the region, the use of the EGF and the ESF and the division of responsibilities between the two Funds has been coordinated by a dedicated project group, involving regional authorities and the social partners, which established strategic guidelines and goals for the region;
Amendment 16 #
2012/2276(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Considers that the payment of subsistence allowances of EUR 7 500 per worker for 360 workers is excessive; recalls that the EGF should in the future be primarily allocated to training and job search as well as occupational orientation programs and its financial contribution to allowances should always be of additional nature and in parallel to what is available to dismissed workers by virtue of national law or collective agreements;
Amendment 17 #
2012/2276(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Regrets that the Commission proposal does not explain whether and how Nokia was involved in the creation of the package of services and possibly co- financing of the measures;
Amendment 2 #
2012/2275(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the Romanian authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 22 December 2011, supplemented by additional information up to 22 August 2012, and that its assessment was made available by the Commission on 19 October 2012 and that its assessment was made available by the Commission only on 19 October 2012; regrets the lengthy evaluation periods and inquires why this particular application required 8 months of assessment; urges the Commission to speed up the evaluation process;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2275(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Welcomes the first application of Romania for the EGF support;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2275(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Regrets that the redundancies in Cluj in Romania and Salo in Finland (application EGF/2012/006/ FI/Nokia from Finland) stem from a corporate decision of Nokia to move its production plants to Asia and are part of its plan to reduce global employment in Nokia Corporation by 17 000 workers by the end of 2013;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2275(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls for reciprocity in trade between the EU and third countries as an essential condition for EU companies to gain access to new non-European markets;
Amendment 9 #
2012/2275(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes that the EGF already acted in favour of 1 337 workers dismissed in result of re-location of Nokia from Germany to Romania in 2008; now three years after the EGF has to act again as the production plant opened in Cluj following the closure in Germany was closed down in 2011 as a consequence of re-location to Asia; inquires whether, at the time of relocation from Germany, Nokia had benefited from any financial incentives on regional, national or European level (in particular from the cohesion funds) to locate its plant in Romania;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2275(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes that the Commission proposal indicates that another EGF application is expected to cover the second wave of dismissals in Nokia centre in Salo and therefore calls on the Commission to clarify to what extent Nokia itself supports the redundancy financially;
Amendment 11 #
2012/2275(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Regrets that the Commission proposal do not present any statistics concerning unemployment rates in the region concerned; notes, however, that in 2011 almost 40% of the total working population of the Cluj-Napoca region in the area of IT and communications worked in Nokia; judges that the impact of Nokia dismissals on the employment situation in the region is considerable;
Amendment 12 #
2012/2275(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Expects the Commission to explain whether and how Nokia was involved in the creation of the coordinated package of personalised service and possibly in co- financing;
Amendment 14 #
2012/2275(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Regrets that there are no details concerning the types of training measures and internships to be provided within the coordinated package and how these are matched with the local skills and qualification needs and possible areas of future growth in the region;
Amendment 2 #
2012/2265(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1 Agrees with the Commission that the conditions set out in Article 2(b) of the EGF Regulation are met and that, therefore, Italy is entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation; therefore notes that the number of dismissed employees lies just above the intervention criteria;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2265(BUD)
2. Notes that the Italian authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 30 December 2011, supplemented by additional information up to 10 September 2012 and that its assessment was made available by the Commission on 19 October 2012; regrets the lengthy evaluation period of 10 months;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2265(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Welcomes the fact that the design of the measures was consulted with the social partners during several meetings;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2265(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Regrets that the information on the training measures in the Commission proposal does not describe in which sectors the workers are likely to find employment and if the training on offer is adapted to the future economic prospects and labour market needs in the region;
Amendment 8 #
2012/2265(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Notes that the payment appropriations in the EGF budget line 04 05 01 have been exhausted for 2012; however, is highly critical of the fact that the Commission decided to use the European Progress Microfinance Facility budget line in order to make the transfer for this application;
Amendment 35 #
2012/2257(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
L a. whereas the European budget is primarily an investment budget, with 94% of its total being reinvested back in the Member States, and Heading 1 of this budget is precisely named "sustainable growth";
Amendment 141 #
2012/2257(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Stresses the need to undertake the necessary reforms in order to guarantee the sustainability of the pensions systems; bBelieves that retirement age should be linked to the evolution of life expectancy, but recalls that there is still scopmargin of manoeuvre to raise the actualeffective retirement age without raising the mandatory retirement age by reducing early exit from the labour market; bBelieves that, if actual retirement ages are to be raised successfully to successfully higher effective retirement ages, reforms in pension systems need to be accompanied by policies that develop employment opportunities for older workers' access to life-long learning, and introduce tax benefit policies giving incentives to stay longer at work, and support active healthy ageing;
Amendment 154 #
2012/2257(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41 a. Asks the Commission to explore the possibility of excluding Member States participation in co financing of EU funds or programs, within the heading 1 "sustainable growth" of the Multiannual Financial Framework, from the calculation of the structural deficit as defined in the two-pack
Amendment 4 #
2012/2256(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recalls that the European budget is primarily an investment budget, with 94% of its total being reinvested back in the Member States; asks the Commission to explore the possibility of excluding the GNI-based contribution to the EU budget and/or Member States participation in cofinancing of EU funds or programs, within the the heading 1 "sustainable growth" of the Multiannual Financial Framework, from the calculation of the structural deficit as defined in the two- pack;
Amendment 1 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the opinions of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality: ‘Towards adequate, sustainable and safe European pension systems’ (A7- 0025/2011),
Amendment 3 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
Citation 8 a (new)
- having regard to the Council Declaration on the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations (2012): The Way Forward (SOC 992/SAN 322) of 7 December 2012,
Amendment 4 #
Amendment 22 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the worst financial and economic crisis in decades has turned into an acute sovereign debt and social crisis that has already severely affected the pension incomes of millions of EU citizens; primarily as a result of the decrease in contributions linked to the rise in unemployment and the political decisions taken by some Member States to drastically reduce public spending on social protection systems, which is likely to exacerbate the situation;
Amendment 25 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas this crisis has revealed just how interdependent the Member State economies now are and that no Member State alone can guarantee that its social protection system is adequate, safe and sustainable;
Amendment 28 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the first cohort of the so-called ‘baby boom generation’ has reached pensionable age, causing the demographic challenge to no longer be a future challenge but today’s reality, causingand whereas the number of people aged 60+ is set to increase by more than 2 million per year – double the amount as compared to previous decades;
Amendment 31 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas being older can be viewed as an opportunity rather than a burden, and whereas the skills older people have to offer, their experience and their contribution to the functioning of society should be recognised and encouraged; whereas older people are an asset to society and it is essential to draw on their knowledge and experience in all areas of life; whereas the market for certain goods and services generated by the phenomenon of an ageing population (the ‘silver economy’) and the related potential for job creation should be promoted;
Amendment 32 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
Amendment 36 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas rising unemployment has hurtand job insecurity have weakened both pay-as- you-go pension schemes, while funded systems are hit by disappointing financial markets return and supplementary pension schemes in some Member States;
Amendment 43 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas, moreover, funded pension schemes are increasingly hit by disappointing returns and higher levels of risk on the financial markets;
Amendment 49 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas retirement systems are a key element of the European social model which ensure a decentn adequate standard of living for people in old agewhich offers people in old age a decent life, in accordance with Article 1 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; whereas their broader political aim is to ensure an adequate overall standard of living, which would have an automatic stabilising effect on the economy by maintaining purchasing power and, therefore, domestic demand;
Amendment 54 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas studies show that increasing the number of years people are required to work before they can draw a pension does very little to help governments meet the cost of an ageing population;
Amendment 57 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas a linear increase in the retirement age or minimum contribution periods would be grossly unfair as it would arbitrarily disregard the strenuous nature of certain occupations;
Amendment 66 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Deplores the weakening of the EU’s social dimension foreshadowed in the Commission White Paper by, for example, the proposal to link the retirement age to increases in life expectancy;
Amendment 71 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises, given the likelihood of a long- term, low-growth economic scenario, which willould require Member States to consolidate their budgets and reform their economies under austere conditions; subscribes, therefore, to the view expressed in the Commission’s White Paper that people will need to build up complementary occupational and if possible private pension saving, the need to safeguard social protection systems;
Amendment 81 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that first-pillar pensions must remain the most important source of income for pensioners; calls on Member States to implement reforms to their first-pillar systems aligning contributory years to the changing ratio between pensioners and people in working age, also to prevent public pension costs crowding out other imporcontinue to work on more active and inclusive labour market strategies to decrease the economic dependency ratio between inactive persons and people in employment and maintain a sufficiently large workforce, and to combine these reforms with constant gimprovernment spends in working; calls on the Member States to ensure first-pillar pensions - if necessary complemented by minimum income provisions - to provide a decent minimum incomeonditions and the implementation of lifelong training schemes which enable people to have healthier and longer careers;
Amendment 100 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recalls that public pension schemes are the only ones that rely on the principle of inter- and intra-generational solidarity; therefore takes the view that it is public pension schemes that are best placed to maintain the standard of living of pensioners and prevent poverty among older people, and that while they may be supplemented by other schemes they may on no account be replaced by them; calls on the Member States to ensure first- pillar pensions in order to provide an adequate income for a decent standard of living;
Amendment 101 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Regrets that the Commission’s White Paper does not address the fundamental need to strengthen public pension schemes and diversify their funding sources, e.g. by means of a general social contribution which would ensure that capital income formed part of their funding;
Amendment 102 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Recalls that incentives to promote individual pension schemes, such as tax reductions, have a negative impact on public finances and social security systems; calls for greater cost reductions, greater transparency, and better supervision and consumer protection than in private savings schemes;
Amendment 104 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – introductory part
Paragraph 4 – introductory part
4. Observes that the crisis has revealed in some Member States the vulnerability of both funded and pay-as- you-go pension schemes; recommends multi-pillar pension systems, consisting of at leasta holistic approach to pension reforms, taking account of all the components of pension schemes, namely:
Amendment 115 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point i
Paragraph 4 – point i
i. a public, first-pillar, decent minimum pensionfirst and foremost an adequate public, first-pillar pension permitting a decent standard of living and guaranteeing a sufficient replacement income;
Amendment 122 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point ii
Paragraph 4 – point ii
ii. a universal funded, employment-related, mandatosupplementary collective second-pillar pension, preferably governed by (sectoral) social partners, preferably resulting from collective agreements and incorporating the fundamental elements of worker solidarity and employer responsibility; this responsibility should not be shouldered by the public authorities;
Amendment 135 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point iii
Paragraph 4 – point iii
iii. an individual third-pillar pension based on private savingd for those who have the means, optional individual third-pillar private savings schemes, which must not, however, under any circumstances be promoted by tax incentives;
Amendment 140 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1
Paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1
calls on the Member States to consider introducing such or comparable schemes where they do not yet exist; calls on the Commission to ensure any existing or future regulation in the field of pensions to be conducive to multi-pillarpension schemes which are both financially and socially sustainable, while enhancing policies to improve the welfare of older people over and above pensions, suchemes as tax support for access to residential property or healthcare cover;
Amendment 144 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Welcomes the recommendation of the European Economic and Social Committee that minimum pension levels should rise with a view to providing pension incomes above the poverty threshold;
Amendment 150 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recognises the potential importance of pension fundsscheme funding instruments (pension funds and insurance firms) as substantial and reliable long-term investors in the EU economy; emphasises their significance for achieving the Europe 2020 strategy’s headline targets concerning economic growth, more and better jobs and attaining socially inclusive societies, provided they focus their investments responsibly on forward-looking sectors within the Union; takes the view that such investments might focus first of all on developing the specific undertaking which is the subject of the pension schemes; welcomes the forthcoming evaluation, as part of a future Green Paper announced by the Commission on long-term investment, of the impact on such investment of the Union’s rules governing the investments of supplementary pension schemes; urges the Commission not to jeopardise the investment potential of pension funds when introducing or changing EU regulations, especially when reviewing the directive on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision;
Amendment 156 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Is of the opinion that to arrive at a comprehensive solution to the pension challenge, taking into account the need to work longer, to adapt working conditions and lifelong learning so as to enable people to work longerreduce the economic dependence of social protection systems, to improve working conditions still further and to promote lifelong learning to a greater extent so as to enable people to work longer and reach the statutory retirement age, consensus between governments and social partners is paramount;
Amendment 163 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses that the main consequence of raising the statutory retirement age will be that the expenditure formerly insured by pension schemes is shifted to other expenditure items in the social protection system, such as unemployment benefits and healthcare;
Amendment 164 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the main thrust of the White Paper that suggests focusing on: balancing time spent in work and retirement; developing complementary occupational and private pension savings, andensuring the financial stability of pension schemes with the aim of providing adequate pension income to enable older people to have a decent standard of living and thus financial independence, as well as enhancing the EU’s pension monitoring tools;
Amendment 183 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses that implementing structural reforms aimed at havenabling people work more and longer is the only feasibleto reach the statutory retirement age and reduce the level of financial dependence is the main way tof generateing the tax revenues and social and pension premiums needed to consolidate Member State budgets and to fund adequate, safe and sustainable pension schemes; stresses that these structural reforms must not be sudden and must be carried out transparently, so that contributors are fully informed about the outcome for their pensions; points to the risk of part-time and atypical work leading to only partial pension entitlements; calls on the Member States to put funds aside to combat the rising public costs of the retiring population;
Amendment 195 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Emphasises the acceleration of the pressure posed by demographic developments on national budgets and pension systems in some Member States now that the first cohorts of the ‘baby boom generation’ retire; notes the uneven progress and levels of ambition across Member States in formulating and implementing structural reforms aimed at raising employment, phasing out early retirement schemes and putting both the statutory and effective retirement age on a sustainable footing with increases in life expectancy and reducing the gap between the statutory and effective retirement age while taking account of the strenuousness and length of some careers; stresses that Member States that fail to implement gradual reforms now may at a later stage find themselves in a scenario where they have to implement reforms shock-wise and with significant social consequences;
Amendment 205 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Reiterates the call for closely linking pension benefits to years worked and premiums paid (‘actuarial fairness’),at it is possible to ensure that working more and longer pays off for workers by having a better pension; recommends that the Member States, particularly, in consultation with social partners, by allowing individual workers, on a voluntary basis, to continue working after the statutory retirement age, as extending the period of premiums paid while at the same time shortening the period of benefit eligibility can help workers reduce any pension gaps at a fast pacend by taking account of the number of years’ contributions when calculating pension rights and determining entitlement to pensions; also stresses the need to take account of periods not worked, such as parental leave, disability leave or leave to care for a family member, in calculating pensions;
Amendment 212 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
Amendment 222 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the social partners (on the employers’ side) to adopt a life-cycle approach to human resources management and to adapt workplaces; calls on employers to come up with programmes to ensure that employees can work longer, including by making adjustments to the hours worked and the type of work performed by employees reaching the end of their careers; stresses that such adjustments can be coupled with an entitlement to income support provided under social security schemes; calls on workers to engage actively in available training opportunities and to keep themselves fit for the labour market at all stages of their working life, while acknowledging the strenuous nature of some occupations, in which people should be able to work for fewer years without losing pension entitlements;
Amendment 235 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Draws attention to the gender challenge in the pensions field; stresses the need to ensure greater gender equality at all ages and draws attention to the social impact that a shift from pay-as-you- go to funded systems and from defined benefit to defined contribution schemes would have; emphasises the pressing need to guard against the risk of poverty, in particular among women with little or no entitlement to a personal or a widow’s pension, by introducing a non- contributory income safety net to keep people out of poverty;
Amendment 242 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the call in the White Paper for developing funded, complementary occupational pensions and private savings; stresses, however, that the Commission should rather recommend collective mandatory occupational pension savings, as collective (second pillar) pension systems − usually governed by (sectoral) social partners − usually established at the company or sectoral levels that allow for more solidarity within and between generations, whereas individual schemes do not; stresses the need to start building uppromote complementary occupational pension systems now, despite the crisis, taking into account and struggling with the difficulties to access to those systems for some people, and on the need to establish minimum contributions schemes, guaranteeing an adequate complementary pension;
Amendment 263 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Urges the Member States and social partnerthe agencies responsible for pension schemes to inform citizens properly about their accrued pension entitlements, and to raise their awareness and educate them so that they are able to make well-informed decisions as regards future additional pension savings; calls on the Member States to formulate and enforce strict disclosure rules regarding the operating costs and risk and return on investments of pension funds operating within their jurisdiction;
Amendment 267 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. RegretAcknowledges the wide dispersion in characteristics and outcomes across Member States’ occupational pension schemes as regards access, solidarity, cost- effectiveness, risk and return; welcomes the Commission’s intention, in close consultation with the Member States, social partners, the pension industry and other stakeholders, to develop a code of good practice for occupational pension schemes, in particular with a view to looking into the possible ways of tackling the difficulties and pressures that the second-pillar systems in some Member States are facing as a result of the economic and financial crisis;
Amendment 272 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Welcomes the call made in the White Paper for the development of care credits as a means of ensuring that periods spent taking care of dependent persons are taken into account when calculating individual women’s or men’s pension entitlements; points out that some 30% of women of working age in the EU with responsibility for dependant persons remain unable to work, or are able to work only on a part-time basis, owing to a lack of dependant care facilities; points out that an unequal sharing of family responsibilities between women and men and a lack of accessible and affordable services and facilities are having a direct impact on the size of women’s pensions;
Amendment 273 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Points out that elderly care credit schemes remain few and far between, despite the fact that such care is provided primarily on an informal basis by family members, in particular women; in nine Member States fewer than 10% of elderly dependants are cared for by specialised institutions, and more than 50% of elderly dependants are cared for on an informal basis in 19 Member States1; __________________ 1 See European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), Review of the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in the area F: Women and the Economy, 2011.
Amendment 274 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Stresses that care for the elderly is an issue that must be addressed, in particular in view of the increasing need for such care resulting from the ageing of the population;
Amendment 275 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)
Paragraph 17 d (new)
17d. Calls for EU rules to be introduced on care credits, as provided for in some Member States1, in order to ensure that women and men can, as a matter of course and at any time in their lives, devote themselves to taking care of dependent persons without being penalised on retirement, in that their pensions will still offer them a decent standard of living; __________________ 1 See European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), Review of the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in the area F: Women and the Economy, 2011.
Amendment 276 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 e (new)
Paragraph 17 e (new)
17e. Draws attention to the social value of providing care for dependent persons; emphasises the fact that EU rules should allow career breaks to be taken into account for pension purposes so as to reduce the shortfall in pension contributions resulting from career breaks being taken to look after dependent persons, and that care credits should continue to accrue if carers work at the same time and should not end when the carers reach the official retirement age;
Amendment 277 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 f (new)
Paragraph 17 f (new)
17f. Stresses that care credit schemes should encourage, rather than penalise, parallel employment, and that care credits should give rise to pension entitlements in the same way as employment;
Amendment 278 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 g (new)
Paragraph 17 g (new)
17g. Stresses that care credit schemes should make it possible for responsibility for caring for dependent persons to be shared fairly between women and men and that they should not encourage women to take/retain responsibility for providing such care on a full-time basis;
Amendment 279 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 h (new)
Paragraph 17 h (new)
17h. Stresses that all statutory leave arrangements, including maternity, paternity and parental leave, leave for lifelong learning purposes, compassionate leave and leave for palliative care, should give rise to pension entitlements;
Amendment 280 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 i (new)
Paragraph 17 i (new)
17i. Takes the view that EU rules are needed on care credits (for looking after children, older persons and other dependants) that will be taken into account for pension purposes;
Amendment 281 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Supports the Commission’s intention to continue to target EU funding – notably through the European Social Fund (ESF) – to support projects aimed at active and healthy ageing in the workplace, and, through the Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (Progress) and the Programme for Social Change and Innovation (PSCI), to provide financial and practical support to Member States and social partners considering to gradually implement cost-effective supplementary pension schemes;, subject to Parliament oversight; (Progress’s incorporation into the PSCI is currently being considered under the codecision procedure in connection with the proposal for the PSCI’s establishment.)
Amendment 289 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Recognises the significant heterogeneity of pension schemes across the EU yet emphasises the importance for workers changing jobs within or outside their Member State not to have their mobility hampered by concerns about acquiring and preserving occupational pension entitlements; endorses the approach advocated by the Commission to focus on safeguarding the acquisition and preservation of pensions entitlements, aiming at ensuring that dormant pension rights of mobile workers are treated in line with those of active scheme members or those of retirees; is of the opinion that mobility on the labour market ismay be hampered by long vesting periods and calls on Member States to lower those; is aware, nonetheless, that a lack of proper pension portability is one of a number of factors hampering worker mobility, which include family ties and a lack of the necessary language skills;
Amendment 293 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Notes the Commission’s proposal to assess possible linkages between Regulation 883/2004/EC on the coordination of social security systems and ‘certain’ occupational pension schemes; highlights the, which could, in the long run, give the EPSCO Council greater influence in this area than the ECOFIN Council; stresses that, although practical difficulties are being experienced in applying the said regulation to the 27 Member States’ markedly differing social security systems; points to, the regulation remains useful; points out that, despite the complexity of applying a coordination approach to the tens of thousands of very divergent pension schemes operating in the Member States, and therefore questions the that approacticability of applying such an approach in the field of pensionsh also remains useful;
Amendment 295 #
2012/2234(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to work ambitiously to set up and maintain tracking services that enable citizens to track their employment- and non-employment-related pension entitlements and thereby make timely and well-informed decisions on additional, individual (third-pillar) pension savings; calls for coordination at EU level to ensure adequate compatibility of the national tracking services; welcomes the Commission’s pilot project in this field;
Amendment 2 #
2012/2230(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Welcomes the fact that social partners adopted a social plan for the redundancies in Manroland and that two transfer companies will design and manage the coordinated package of personalised services;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2230(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes that more than half of the EGF support will be spent on allowances - 2001 workers are said to receive during their active participation in the measures a short-time allowance (estimated cost EUR 2 727,67 per worker over 6-8 months) to complement a subsistence allowance paid by the public employment services on the basis of the net salary earned; further notes that the application includes a lump sum of EUR between 4 000 and EUR 1 000 as activation premium for 430 workers who accept a work contract with a lower salary than the one in their previous job;
Amendment 4 #
2012/2230(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the fact that, in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the German authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures ahead of the final decision on granat the implementation of the coordinated package of personalised services started on 1 August 2012 - well ahead of the decision to grant EGF support by the budgetary authority; notes that redundant workers have also benefitted to from the ESF support before participating in the EGF support for the proposed coordinated packagemeasures; notes that the German authorities confirmed that necessary precautions have been taken to avoid double financing from Union funds;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2230(BUD)
5a. Recalls that that the EGF support should primarily be allocated to job search and training programs instead of contributing directly to financial allowances; believes that, if included in the package, EGF support should be of complementary nature and never replace allowances under the responsibility of Member States or companies by virtue of national law or collective agreements;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2230(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the fact that the coordinated package of personalised measures seeks to enhance transborder mobility by supporting international job- search;
Amendment 8 #
2012/2230(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Notes that according to the German authorities the EGF coordinated package of personalised services constitutes a significant added value to the measures available under national and ESF funds;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2230(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Deplores the fact that, despite several successful German mobilisations of the EGF under both the trade-related and the crisis related criteria, Germany is among the countries undermining the future of the EGF after 2013 and blocking the extension of the crisis derogation;
Amendment 2 #
2012/2228(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Welcomes this call for the EGF financial contribution by the Danish Government even though this Member State has opposed the extension of the crisis derogation for the current EGF and jeopardises the future of the EGF after 2013;
Amendment 4 #
2012/2228(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the fact that, in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Danish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures the implementation of the coordinated package of personalised services started on 12 August 2012 - well ahead of the final decision ton granting the EGF support forby the proposed coordinated packagebudgetary authority;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2228(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Is of the opinion that the EU wind energy market is set to grow further generating demand for Europe's wind turbine manufacturers and associated industries through the on-going promotion of energy from renewable sources at EU level; points in this respect to the mandatory national targets for the use of renewable energy by 2020; therefore, expresses concern about this particular relocation and points out the risk of importation of wind turbines produced in Asia to the European market;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2228(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Notes that this is the third EGF application addressing the layoffs in the wind turbine industry, all of them from Denmark (EGF/2010/017 DK/Midtjylland Machinery and EGF/2010/022 DK/LM Glasfiber);
Amendment 8 #
2012/2228(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the fact that the relevant social partners and municipalities have been involved have been consulted during the preparation of the EGF application and retraining measuresdesign phase of the package and that they will be briefed on the implementation of the project;
Amendment 9 #
2012/2228(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes that the dismissals in the municipality of Ringkøbing-Skjern are the direct result of the strategic decision taken by Vestas group in November 2011 to reorganise its structure and increase proximity to its customers in the regional markets, especially in China; notes that this reorganisation will result in 2 335 layoffs world-wide and is estimated to bring EUR 150 million reduction in fixed costs to the group;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2228(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes that the EGF has already supported 325 of 825 Vestas group workers made redundant in the first round of dismissals taking place in 2009; inquires about the results of the coordinated package in terms of the reintegration rate of the dismissed workers on the labour market and if any lessons were learnt for the new deployment of the EGF in the region;
Amendment 13 #
2012/2228(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Welcomes the fact that the package contains considerable financial incentives for setting-up own businesses which will strictly be linked to participation in entrepreneurship courses and monitoring exercise at the end of the EGF project;
Amendment 15 #
2012/2228(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Notes, however, that more than half of the EGF support will possibly be spent on financial allowances - 720 workers are said to receive subsistence allowance (including student grants) which is estimated at EUR 10 400 per worker;
Amendment 17 #
2012/2228(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Recalls that that the EGF support should primarily be allocated to job search and training programs instead of contributing directly to financial allowances; considers that, if included in the package, the EGF support should be of complementary nature and never replace allowances under the responsibility of Member States or companies by virtue of national law or collective agreements;
Amendment 18 #
2012/2228(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Deplores the fact that despite eight successful Danish mobilisations of the EGF under both the trade-related and the crisis related criteria, Denmark is among the Member States undermining the future of the EGF after 2013 and blocking the extension of the crisis derogation;
Amendment 2 #
2012/2165(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Regrets the period of 27 months of assessment between the submission of the application on 5 May 2010 and the adoption of the proposal for a decision of the Budgetary Authority on 21 August 2012; notes that this is so far the longest period of assessment of an application for EGF mobilisation since its creation in 2007;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2165(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that the coordinated package of personalised services supported by the EGF is part of the voluntary redundancy plan launched to help 5 100 workers to leave PSA and which comprises also measures required by French national law in case of mass redundancies, like early retirement schemes;
Amendment 4 #
2012/2165(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes that the EGF will only support measures additional to those required by virtue of national law falling within three strands of the redundancy plan: "professional or personal project", "redeployment leave" and "setting up or taking over a business"; requests more information on the features of the measures included in the coordinated package of personalised service making them additional compared to the measures obligatory under national legislation or collective agreements;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2165(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a Notes that the coordinated package includes allowances provided under the category "redeployment leave" amounting to an average of 5 105,18 EUR per worker offered to 1 080 workers; recalls that the EGF support should be primarily allocated to training and job search as well as training programs instead of contributing directly to unemployment benefits which are the responsibility of national institutions;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2165(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a Requests more information on the types of training provided, especially for employees older than 55 years, who represent more than 41,55% of targeted workers and highlights the importance of (re)training for active labour market measures in line with the future needs of the labour market so as to promote sustainable employment;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2165(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a Notes that the measures will not replace measures within the responsibility of the company under national law or collective agreements and that the measures target individual workers and will not be used for restructuring of PSA;
Amendment 9 #
2012/2165(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Recalls that the Commission in its Communication "Responding to the crisis in the European automotive industry" (COM(2009)0104) has presented an integrated approach to address structural problems by making the sector more competitive and more in tune with the needs of the future, to which EGF measures can positively contribute, albeit on a small scale;
Amendment 2 #
2012/2164(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Welcomes this call for the EGF financial contribution by the Dutch Government even though this Member State has opposed the extension of the crisis derogation for the current EGF and jeopardises the future of the EGF after 2013;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2164(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the Dutch authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 28 December 2011, supplemented by additional information up to 18 June 2012, and that its assessment was made available by the European Commission on 9 August 2012; welcomes the fact that regrets the lengthey evaluation process and submission of additional information by the Netherlands were speedy and accurateeriod;
Amendment 4 #
2012/2164(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes that the application clearly states that 'cuts in public expenditure had a direct negative impact on investments in infrastructure and housing programmes', thus nurturing the vicious circle between austerity and the accelerated destruction of industrial jobs in the Union;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2164(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the fact that in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Dutch authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures on 2 January 2013 well ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2164(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Notes that the redundancies will have a noticeable impact on local communities and the number of open positions compared to the number of unemployed; regrets that the application does not provide any statistical data about the labour market concerned;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2164(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the involvement of the social partners in the design of the coordinated package via the Mobility Center Zalco, a collective initiative of the parties involved in the Zeeland labour market;
Amendment 8 #
2012/2164(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Regrets that the information on the training measures does not describe in which sectors the workers are likely to find employment and if the package has been adapted to the future economic prospects in the region;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2164(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Welcomes the fact that the EGF contribution is planned to support solely active labour measures (training and counselling) and will not be used for allowances;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2160(BUD)
2. Notes that the Spanish authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 28 December 2011, supplemented by additional information up to 28 May 2012, and that its assessment was made available by the European Commission on 9 August 2012; observes that regrets the lengthey evaluation process of the application could have been more expeditiouseriod;
Amendment 4 #
2012/2160(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that the employment situation in the region is difficult as the unemployment rates reached 18,% for women and 16,32% for men in the end of 2011; welcomes the fact that EGF is seen as an efficient tool to support local labour markets and that the region has already applied for the EGF support (EGF/2010/003 ES Galicia / Textile sector);
Amendment 5 #
2012/2160(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes that the Spanish authorities inform that in their assessment based on the experience with previous EGF applications, only 450 of the workers targeted for the EGF support will choose to participate in the measures; calls on the Spanish authorities to use the EGF support to its full potential;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2160(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the fact that, in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, despite the long approval process, the Spanish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures on 23 March 2012, well ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2160(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Welcomes the fact that the regional authorities engaged in dialogue with the social partners in order to plan and implement the coordinated package of personalised services;
Amendment 8 #
2012/2160(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes that the coordinated package foresees several participation incentives to encourage participation in the measures: job search allowance (EUR 400) (lump sum) outplacement incentive (EUR 200), mobility allowance (EUR 180), on-the-job training allowance (EUR 300); recalls that the EGF support should be primarily allocated to training and job search as well as training programs instead of contributing directly to unemployment benefits which are the responsibility of national institutions;
Amendment 9 #
2012/2160(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Regrets that the information on the training measures does not describe in which sectors the workers are likely to find employment and if the package has been adapted to the future economic prospects in the region;
Amendment 11 #
2012/2160(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Regrets that the measures supporting entrepreneurship do not contain any financial support to set up own business while several financial incentives are offered for workers following trainings.
Amendment 2 #
2012/2157(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Regrets the decision of a Talk Talk to form alliances with three key non-EU providers where a significant bulk of work is being transferred, reflecting a strategy that is detrimental to EU industrial jobs and to the Europe 2020 strategy;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2157(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls for reciprocity in trade between the EU and third countries as a an essential condition for EU companies to gain access to new non European markets;
Amendment 4 #
2012/2157(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Notes that the dismissals took place in the South East region which has seen it employment rates decreased from 62,7 to 58,1% over the period 2007-2011 and suffers from the unemployment rate higher then the state average;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2157(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Regrets that TalkTalk decided to close the Waterford site was abruptly and left the workers only 30 day notice not allowing for proper discussion on the redundancy plan and nor the involvement of the social partners; regrets that no social partners were involved in the planning and design of the EGF application as no trade unions existed at Talk Talk level; notes however that the concerned workers were consulted directly;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2157(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the fact that the Irish authorities decided to start the implementation of the coordinated package already on 7 September well in advance of the decision of the budgetary authority on granting the support;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2157(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Notes that the coordinated package foresees several participation incentives to encourage participation in the measures: training, education and enterprise allowance of EUR 3 612,14 per worker which is available "in lieu of social welfare payments", EGF training grant of EUR 2 600,84 and EGF course expenses contribution of EUR 2 500; notes that despite evidently high cost and risk of launching own business, the support foreseen for business start-up and self- employment of EUR 2 600 is lower then the allowances available to participants on training;
Amendment 9 #
2012/2157(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Regrets that the regulation allows EGF support to substitute social welfare payments required under the national legislation; emphasizes that the fund should be primarily allocated to training and job search as well as occupational orientation programs and promotion of entrepreneurship, acting complementarily to national institutions and not substituting employment benefit or any other social welfare payments which are the responsibility of national institutions under national laws;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2157(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Notes that the Irish authorities complain about time constraints for EGF implementation which prevents from providing training courses exceeding the 24-month implementation period; welcomes the fact that an accelerated bachelor course has been designed for the targeted workers that addresses identified skills shortages and which can be concluded within the EGF implementation period;
Amendment 2 #
2012/2155(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Welcomes this call for the EGF financial contribution by the Swedish Government even though this Member State is opposed to the EGF after 2013;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2155(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that the Swedish authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 23 December 2011, supplemented by additional information up to 16 April 2012, and that its assessment was made available by the European Commission on 16 July 2012; welcomes the fact that therelatively speedy evaluation process and submission of additional information by Sweden were speedy and accurate;
Amendment 4 #
2012/2155(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Regrets the decision of AstraZeneca to increase R&D investments in countries like China or Russia, reflecting a strategy that is detrimental to highly skilled jobs in the Union and contrary to Europe 2020 strategy;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2155(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the fact that, in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Swedish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures on 26 October 2011 well ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2155(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls for trade reciprocity in trade between the Union and third countries as an essential condition for EU companies to gain access to new non-European markets;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2155(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes that the workers dismissed from Astra Zeneca are highly skilled and educated and therefore require specific approach; regrets that the Swedish authorities do not inform about the areas in which the training measures and occupational guidance have been planned and if and how these have been adapted to the local labour markets affected by the dismissal;
Amendment 8 #
2012/2155(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes that the R&D activities carried out in Lund site have been transferred by AstraZeneca to Mölndal site; inquires if any of the Lund workers were offered the possibility to be employed in the enlarged site of Mölndal instead of being dismissed;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2155(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Notes that the coordinated package foresees several participation incentives to encourage participation in the measures: job search allowance of EUR 7 170 (calculated for an average of 6 months of participation) mobility allowance of EUR 500; recalls that the EGF support should be primarily allocated to training and job search as well as training programs instead of contributing directly to unemployment benefits which are the responsibility of national institutions;
Amendment 11 #
2012/2155(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Welcomes the fact that Swedish authorities plan to organise an awareness raising campaign about activities supported by the EGF;
Amendment 2 #
2012/2154(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Welcomes this call for the EGF financial contribution by the Dutch Government even though this Member State has opposed the extension of the crisis derogation for the current EGF and jeopardises the future oft the EGF after 2013;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2154(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that the Dutch authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 15 December 2011 and that its assessment was made available by the European Commission on 16 July 2012; regrets the lengthy evaluation process;
Amendment 4 #
2012/2154(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Understands that the construction sector is an important employer in the Gelderland region and the redundancies will have an impact on local communities given that already 4100 jobs were lost in the sector in 2010 and that youth unemployment has risen by 10% in 2011;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2154(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Notes however that according to Eurostat the national unemployment rate in the Netherlands in July stood at 5,3 % and is the second lowest in the EU;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2154(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Welcomes the involvement of the social partners in the design and in the implementation of the coordinated package which makes a part of a social plan agreed by the social partners;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2154(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes more extensive explanations of the modules included in the coordinated package compared to the previous Dutch applications; notes however, the very high cost of training amounting to EUR 18 000 per worker (foreseen for 75 workers) and the outplacement assistance - EUR 8 500 per worker (foreseen for 150 workers) and requests more information concerning those two measures and operators carrying them out;
Amendment 8 #
2012/2154(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Welcomes the fact that the EGF contribution is planned to support solely active labour measures (training and counselling) and will not be used for subsistence allowances;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2154(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Welcomes the fact that in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Dutch authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures on 1 January 2012 well ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package;
Amendment 14 #
2012/2151(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. In the meantime, the Commission should explore the possibility of excluding, in a spirit of solidarity and consistency, Member States' gross GNI-based contributions to the Union Budget as well as their part in the co-financing of EU programs/funds from the calculation of the structural deficit as defined in the 'two- pack' and in the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union.
Amendment 2 #
2012/2121(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Agrees with the Commission that the conditions set out in point b) of Article 2 of the Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 are met and that, therefore, Spain is entitled to a financial contribution under that regulation;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2121(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Notes that the Spanish authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 28 December 2011 and that its assessment was made available by the European Commission on 18 June 2012; welcomes the relatively speedy evaluation process;
Amendment 4 #
2012/2121(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that the employment situation in the region is difficult as the unemployment rates doubled in the period 2008-2011 and that the region is suffering from depopulation; welcomes the fact that EGF is seen as an efficient tool to support local labour markets and that the region already applied for the EGF support (EGF/2008/004 ES Castilla y León & Aragón automotive and EGF/2010/016 ES Aragón retail);
Amendment 6 #
2012/2121(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes that the Spanish authorities inform that in their assessment based on the experience with previous EGF applications, only 320 of the workers targeted for the EGF support will choose to participate in the measures; calls on the Spanish authorities to use the EGF support to its full potential;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2121(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the fact that in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Spanish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures on 28 December 2011 well ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package;
Amendment 9 #
2012/2121(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Welcomes the fact that the regional authorities engage in dialogue with the social partners in order to improve the match between the demand and supply in the labour market and that the coordinated package of personalised services has been discussed and developed with the social partners;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2121(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes in particular the training course which was designed to match the identified needs of local enterprises, which will in turn undertake to employ some of the workers participating in this action;
Amendment 11 #
2012/2121(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Regrets that the measures supporting entrepreneurship are foreseen only for 20 workers; hopes that the Spanish authorities will promote entrepreneurship and be able to adapt the coordinated package of services in case of increased interest in this kind of measures;
Amendment 13 #
2012/2121(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Notes that the coordinated package foresees several participation incentives to encourage participation in the measures: job search allowance of EUR 300 (lump sum), outplacement allowance of EUR 200 and EUR 400 for self-employed per month for a maximum of three months; recalls that the EGF support should be primarily allocated to training and job search as well as training programs instead of contributing directly to unemployment benefits which are the responsibility of national institutions;
Amendment 14 #
2012/2121(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Notes that the case at hand reflects the social and economic landscape of the specific region which could in the future be addressed by extending the scope of the EGF to self-employed workers (as proposed by the Commission in the proposal for the EGF 2014-2020);
Amendment 2 #
2012/2110(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Agrees with the Commission that the conditions set out in Article 2 (a) of the Regulation No. 1927/2006 are met and that, therefore, Denmark is entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation;
Amendment 3 #
2012/2110(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Notes that the Danish authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 28 October 2011 and that its assessment was made available by the Commission on 6 June 2012; urges the Commission to speed up the evaluation process, in particular in case of applications targeting sectors where EGF was already deployed on several occasions;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2110(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Notes that the Danish authorities have indicated that, in their assessment, only 550 of 981 workers dismissed would choose to participate in the measures while others would either decide to retire or would find new employment themselves; calls on the Danish authorities to use the EGF support to its full potential;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2110(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Welcomes the fact that the municipalities of Odense and Kerteminde, which are heavily affected by the dismissals in the Odense Steel Shipyard, were closely involved in the application, which is a part of a strategy for new growth opportunities in the region formulated by a consortium of local, regional and national stakeholders following the announcement of the closure of the shipyard in 2009;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2110(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Notes that the Danish authorities propose a relatively expensive coordinated package of personalised services (EUR 11 737 of EGF support per worker); welcomes, however, the fact that the package consists of measures that are additional and innovative compared to those offered regularly by the employment agencies and which are adapted to assist highly skilled workers in a difficult employment market;
Amendment 9 #
2012/2110(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Welcomes the fact that the vocational training courses target new areas of strong growth or where strong public commitments are to be implemented in coming years, namely Energy Technology, Construction and Landscaping, Robotics and Welfare Technology;
Amendment 11 #
2012/2110(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the fact that the coordinated package of personalised services offers also incentives and courses to start a new business which are foreseen for ten workers (including one start up loan of EUR 26 000), especially in the region where entrepreneurship is weak;
Amendment 12 #
2012/2110(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Notes, however, the proposed subsistence allowance of EUR 103 per worker per day of active involvement and that the amount foreseen for those allowances represent more than one-third of the total cost of the package; recalls that that EGF support should primarily be allocated to job search and training programmes rather than contributing directly to financial allowances which are the responsibility of Member States by virtue of the national law;
Amendment 14 #
2012/2110(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Welcomes the fact that the EGF support in this case is coordinated by a newly set-up EGF Secretariat under the Odense Municipality and that a dedicated website was established and two conferences are planned to promote the outcome of the two EGF applications;
Amendment 15 #
2012/2110(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Stresses that the Danish authorities recognise the advantages of the EGF and its unique capacity to assist dismissed workers immediately with specific tailored measures; notes that in the Danish authorities' view those measures could have been deployed either in the framework of the European Social Fund or of the European Regional Development Fund;
Amendment 16 #
2012/2110(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Deplores the fact that, despite several successful Danish mobilisations of the EGF under both the trade-related and the crisis related criteria, Denmark is among the countries undermining the future of the EGF after 2013, blocking the extension of the crisis derogation and decreasing the financial allocation to the Commission for technical assistance for the EGF for 2012.
Amendment 2 #
2012/2092(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Lays particular emphasis on the need to maintain an adequate level of payments for the ESF and the Structural Funds as a whole, so that the Commission may honour the undertakings entered into in the last financial year and the Structural Funds may play a full part in boosting Europe’s economy, in line with the European Council conclusions of 28 and 29 June 2012;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2092(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Proposes twohree pilot projects and onetwo preparatory actions to revitalise social convergence and cohesion through a European social label for companies, as well as support for migrants and posted workers and for the homeless in the European Unionmeasures to promote employee shareholding schemes, as well as support for the homeless in the European Union and measures to promote the introduction of a minimum wage in all Member States;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2092(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Emphasises the need for new commitment appropriations for the ‘Youth on the Move’ preparatory action in order to encourage Member States to take part in the pilot phase of this project launched in 2012 and to implement the European Youth Guarantee ensuring that young people are either in a job or training or resume their studies within months of leaving school.
Amendment 4 #
2012/2089(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Agrees with the Commission that the conditions set out in Article 2 b) of the EGF Regulation are met and that, therefore, Spain is entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2089(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Notes that the Spanish authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 28 December 2011 and that its assessment was made available by the Commission on 4 May 2012; welcomes the fact that the evaluation process and submission of additional information by the Member State were speedy and accurate;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2089(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Notes that the footwear sector represented 26% of the total employment in the region of Valenciana and therefore was an important contributor to local economy, which is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises in traditional sectors like textile, shoes and ceramics;
Amendment 7 #
2012/2089(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Notes that the region of Valenciana has been hit in the past by four mass dismissals and welcomes the fact that the region decided to use the EGF support to address those redundancies: EGF/2009/014 ES/Valencia - Ceramic industry, EGF/2010/005 ES/Valencia - Stone marble, EGF/2010/009 ES/Valencia - Textile sector, EGF/2011/006 ES/Valenciana - Construction sector; welcomes the fact that the region builds on the experience with the EGF and quickly assists workers in several sectors;
Amendment 8 #
2012/2089(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1e. Notes the information given by the Spanish authorities that in their assessment based on the experience with previous applications, only 350 of the workers targeted for the EGF support will choose to participate in the measures; calls on the Spanish authorities to use the EGF support to its full potential;
Amendment 9 #
2012/2089(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 f (new)
Paragraph 1 f (new)
1f. Welcomes the fact that, in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Spanish authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package;
Amendment 10 #
2012/2089(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 g (new)
Paragraph 1 g (new)
1g. Notes that the educational background of the dismissed workers is rather poor and recalls the importance of improving the employability of such workers by means of adapted training and recognition of skills and competences gained through out the professional career; expects the training on offer in the coordinated package to be adapted to the level and needs of the dismissed workers;
Amendment 11 #
2012/2089(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 h (new)
Paragraph 1 h (new)
1h. Notes that the training measures target high-added value jobs in the footwear sector, which according to the Spanish authorities are unlikely to relocate, as well as jobs in sectors, which offer prospects for growth in the short or medium-term;
Amendment 12 #
2012/2089(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 i (new)
Paragraph 1 i (new)
1i. Welcomes the fact that the social partners were consulted on the contents of the coordinated package, allocation of roles and distribution and scheduling of tasks;
Amendment 13 #
2012/2089(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 j (new)
Paragraph 1 j (new)
1j. Highlights the fact that lessons should be learned from the preparation and implementation of this and other applications addressing mass dismissals in a high number of SMEs in one sector, in particular, in terms of the eligibility of self-employed and owners of the SMEs for EGF support in the future regulation and the arrangements used by the regions and the Member States to come up quickly with sectoral applications covering a large number of enterprises;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
Amendment 21 #
2012/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas, as consistently highlighted in recent policy papers from the Commission, especially the Europe 2020 Strategy and the Industrial Policy Communication of 278 October 2010, "Better anticipating and managing restructuring would help employees and companies to adapt to transitions imposed by excess capacities and by modernisation and structural adjustment". (…) "Management and employees’ representatives are the key players to agree on restructuring strategies at company level. (...) Management and workers’ representatives are the key players to agree on restructuring strategies at the company level. Policy interventions should accompany such restructuring to avoid social hardship and promote new skills and jobs, thus avoidminimising mass redundancies and the decline of entire regions or the relocation of entire industries, by facilitating economic conversion and professional transition.";
Amendment 42 #
2012/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas, as outlined in the own- initiative opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Cooperatives and restructuring’, cooperatives manage restructuring in a socially responsible manner and their ‘specific cooperative governance model, based on joint ownership, democratic participation and members’ control, as well as the ability of cooperatives to rely on their own financial resources and support networks, explain why cooperatives are more flexible and innovative in managing restructuring over time, as well as in creating new business’;
Amendment 48 #
2012/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas this resolution is without prejudice to the obligations under national law concerning employment protection and the termination of employment contracts;
Amendment 58 #
2012/2061(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)
Recital M a (new)
Ma. whereas the Commission1, with a view to helping workers and undertakings prepare for change more effectively, has conducted detailed research and studies into the phenomenon of restructuring itself and the supervision of sectors of the economy, including a series of studies of the way employment will change between now and 2020; whereas this prospective analysis has been carried out in conjunction with independent researchers, the social partners and the other European institutions, such as the European Parliament, and Union agencies and bodies, such as the European Monitoring Centre for Change (EMCC)2 of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) and the European Centre for the Development of Professional Training (Cedefop); __________________ 1 SEC(2008) 2154 COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER, Restructuring and employment the contribution of the European Union. 2 In 2001 one of the proposals of the Gyllenhammar Expert Group was implemented. This involved the establishment of a European Monitoring Centre on Change (EMCC) within EUROFOUND, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions in Dublin. The EMCC manages in particular the European Restructuring Monitor (ERM), which collects information on restructuring operations on a certain scale.
Amendment 107 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 1, Recital 8
Recommendation 1, Recital 8
(8) The active involvement of stakeholders and public authorities at the relevant level in the preparation and management of restructuring operations contributes greatly to limiting their negative impact.
Amendment 117 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 1, Recital 10
Recommendation 1, Recital 10
(10) Such an Union framework should apply to major companies and groups of companies, those which employ on the territory of the Union at least 500 workers, and to restructuring operations of a certain dimension, covering at least 100 workers in a single company or 500 employees in a company and its dependent companies or one or more Member States othe greatest possible number of European employees, and should therefore haver a period of three monthsbroad scope.
Amendment 134 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 3, paragraph 1, point a
Recommendation 3, paragraph 1, point a
(a) "companies" means companies and groups of companies having a works council as defined by national law or employing at least 500 employees in the Union, as well as any company part of the group referred to above;
Amendment 146 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 3, paragraph 1, point e
Recommendation 3, paragraph 1, point e
(e) "employees" mean thes employees of the companies covered by the Directive, irrespective of n contracts of indefinite duration as defined in Regulation (EC) 1927/2006, as well as employees on fixed-term contracts, employees on contracts withe type of employmemporary work agencies and self-employed workers whose economic activity is dependent contract that of the company in question;
Amendment 153 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 3, paragraph 1, point g a (new)
Recommendation 3, paragraph 1, point g a (new)
(ga) "employability" means the employee's ability, in the light of his or her skills, experience and training, to obtain work or change jobs.
Amendment 162 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 4, paragraph 1
Recommendation 4, paragraph 1
1. Any restructuring operation shall be integrated intoCompanies shall develop a long-term strategy that aims to ensure and strengthening the long- term sustainability and competitiveness of the company and into which any restructuring operation must be integrated..
Amendment 171 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 4, paragraph 2
Recommendation 4, paragraph 2
2. Long-term strategic planning shall include human resources, employment and skills objectives that focus on developing, on a permanent basis, the skills and competences of the workforce in order to increase the competitiveness of the company and its capacity of adaptation, as well as to increase the employability of employees and to managfacilitate their internal and external mobility.
Amendment 176 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 4, paragraph 3
Recommendation 4, paragraph 3
3. To that end, companies shall recognise the right of every employee to benefit from appropriate training leading to a diploma or certificate of competence.. Employees shall recognise that education and lifelong learning are necessary to enhance their employability and shall accept relevant training offers. (This amendment applies throughout the text. Adopting it will necessitate corresponding changes throughout.)
Amendment 178 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 4, paragraph 3 a (new)
Recommendation 4, paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment 179 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 4, paragraph 3 b (new)
Recommendation 4, paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. The training courses on offer must represent a genuine long-term investment, whatever the age of the worker. They must cover in particular the needs of advanced industrial sectors, new information and communication technology, the transition to a green economy, and health care, and more widely the sectors that will be most effective in achieving the objectives of the EU 2020 strategy. The selection and targeting of the training courses offered to employees shall take place after consultation with the sector’s social partners at all levels where a debate on economic changes is under way.
Amendment 199 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 5, paragraph 2, point b, subpoint 1a (new)
Recommendation 5, paragraph 2, point b, subpoint 1a (new)
- identifying and anticipating needs for skills and qualifications;
Amendment 200 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 5, paragraph 2, point b, subpoint 2
Recommendation 5, paragraph 2, point b, subpoint 2
Amendment 202 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 5, paragraph 2, point b, subpoint 2 a (new)
Recommendation 5, paragraph 2, point b, subpoint 2 a (new)
- training plans;
Amendment 203 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 5, paragraph 2, point b, subpoint 3
Recommendation 5, paragraph 2, point b, subpoint 3
Amendment 211 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 5, paragraph 3
Recommendation 5, paragraph 3
3. Every employee shall be offered a given number of hours of training per year to be determined by law or collective agreement. Any refusal with a view to faccept that offer by employees shall only be permitted on justified groundilitating coherent and attractive employment transitions for employees.
Amendment 241 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 6, paragraph 2
Recommendation 6, paragraph 2
2. This preparation shall be carried out as early as possible and shall start as soon as the need to restructure is contemplated, in accordance with methods and procedures negotiated at sectoral, regional or company level, as appropriate. Except in the exceptional circumstances referred to in paragraph 1 above, it shall be carried out within a timeframe that allows for the adoption of measures making it possible to avoid or to mitigate to the minimum its economic, social and local impact. Anticipation of possible restructuring must be integrated into the way the company works, through the provision of continuous information on the economic situation not just of the company but also of the sector.
Amendment 245 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 6, paragraph 2 a (new)
Recommendation 6, paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. It is crucial that there should be transparency and timely information for employees concerning a company’s situation so that they can be involved in restructuring and in the processes of anticipating change. Employees must be involved in discussions at an early stage so that they can take part in the processes of company restructuring, or of planning the possible buy-out of the company in the event of closure.
Amendment 268 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 7, paragraph 3 a (new)
Recommendation 7, paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. The Member States shall adopt rules granting workers’ representatives: (a) a right to be alerted, so that they can request explanations from the employer when they are notified of events likely to have a serious impact on the economic situation of the company. The request for explanations shall be included automatically on the agenda of the next Works Council meeting. If the employer does not reply to the request, or confirms that the situation is indeed serious, workers' representatives shall draw up a report on this basis which shall be sent to the employer and to the national auditing authorities. (b) a right to an expert opinion, so that they can call on an expert, at the employer's expense, on the occasion of any major project concerning the company's strategy and economic situation. Where there is disagreement on the need for an expert, the matter shall be decided by the national labour courts as soon as possible. The expert may in particular be an accountant when it is a matter of examining the company’s annual accounts, of restructuring operations or of the exercise of the right to be alerted. In such cases the expert shall have the right of access to the same company documents as the national auditing authorities.
Amendment 274 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 7, paragraph 4 a (new)
Recommendation 7, paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. All measures seeking to involve employees (e.g. share ownership in the company) contribute to the successful development of the company. Employee shareholding significantly enhances the company’s performance. At times of crisis in the company, it fosters among employees a sense of responsibility for and concern with the development and long-term prospects of their company. This sense of responsibility and increased concern has major implications for employees’ involvement in the company and their empowerment, and thus helps boost the competitiveness of the company.
Amendment 286 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 8, paragraph 2, point d
Recommendation 8, paragraph 2, point d
Amendment 288 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 8, paragraph 2, point f
Recommendation 8, paragraph 2, point f
(f) in-sourcing of external activities and compensatory measures for dependent companies that are affected;
Amendment 289 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 8, paragraph 2, point h
Recommendation 8, paragraph 2, point h
(h) natural departures, in particular via retirement or, as a last resort, early retirement.
Amendment 298 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 8, paragraph 3
Recommendation 8, paragraph 3
3. When redundancies cannot be avoided or as part of the package to be implemented in the context of alternative options, companies shall make available to the employees concerned measures that aim to enhance their employability and help them to re-enter the labour market as quickly as possible, without prejudice to obligations under national law concerning employment protection and the termination of employment contracts, particularly by granting workers formerly dismissed rights of re-employment if the economic climate improves and the company wishes to start recruiting again.
Amendment 301 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 8, paragraph 3 a (new)
Recommendation 8, paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. In the event of immediate dismissal, the company shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the dismissed worker, and his or her colleagues, receive psycho-social assistance,
Amendment 311 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 10, paragraph 1
Recommendation 10, paragraph 1
1. When a restructuring operation has major local effects, companies shall seek to develop complementarities and synergies between their preparatory action and the actions of the all the other actors, with a view to maximising the re-employment opportunities of employees at risk of being or to be made redundant, in order to encouraging economic and social re- conversion and to developing new economic activities generating jobs, particularly by concluding agreements between companies in the same sector or geographical area permitting priority to be given in recruitment to employees dismissed by one of them in the course of a restructuring operation.
Amendment 317 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 10, paragraph 2 a (new)
Recommendation 10, paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Where the closure of a company is inevitable and in so far as its economic activity may become viable again, it is essential to consider all kinds of business transfer, including business transfers to employees in the form of a cooperative. It is necessary to save viable economic activities from closure and to make them more sustainable. Successful, sustainable business transfers save local jobs and skills, and maintain local prosperity, particularly throughout the upstream and downstream production chain and in local businesses whose jobs are also at risk when the company has to close.
Amendment 318 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 10, paragraph 2 b (new)
Recommendation 10, paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. The Member States shall provide for an automatic mechanism for detecting restructuring operations that meet the conditions for granting financial support from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and shall submit to the Commission an application for each operation detected.
Amendment 329 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 11, paragraph 1, point c a (new)
Recommendation 11, paragraph 1, point c a (new)
(ca) supporting business transfers, including transfers to employees in the form of cooperatives, or measures aiding employees to set up new companies, including in the form of cooperatives or other forms of employee business ownership in the event of closure where economic activity may still be viable.
Amendment 344 #
2012/2061(INI)
b) promote territorial employment pacts aimed at favouring employment creation and adaptation, taking account of the local tissue of micro-, small and medium-sized undertakings;
Amendment 356 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 11, paragraph 3, point e a (new)
Recommendation 11, paragraph 3, point e a (new)
e a) encourage possibilities for technological innovations, particularly in connection with reducing carbon emissions.
Amendment 359 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 12, paragraph 1
Recommendation 12, paragraph 1
1. Without prejudice to the obligations of companies resulting from national laws or practices, public authorities shall co- finance employability measures that favour employees of companies undergoing restructuring, insofar as this type of support is necessary or appropriate for allowing them to quickly re-enter the labour market, including support for business transfers to employees in the form of cooperatives where this is viable, and for the creation of new companies, including in the form of cooperatives or other forms of employee business ownership.
Amendment 362 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 12, paragraph 1a (new)
Recommendation 12, paragraph 1a (new)
1a. Without prejudice to Union law, the public authorities may implement priority support schemes for the employees of companies which: a) draw up a long-term strategic plan of employment and skills needs and multiannual plans of employment and skills development, as referred to in Recommendation 4(2) of the Directive, either on their own initiative or by means of an agreement with the employees’ representatives; b) commit themselves to the agreements referred to in Recommendation 9 of the Directive; c) include dependent companies and their employees in the measures taken in accordance with Recommendations 4 to 9 of the Directive.
Amendment 374 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 14, paragraph 1
Recommendation 14, paragraph 1
1. Companies shall monitor, on a permanent basis, in co-operation with external bodies and authorities, the psycho- social health of employees affected by restructuring processes, both redundant employees and those staying in the company, paying particular attention to gender.
Amendment 382 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 14, paragraph 2 a (new)
Recommendation 14, paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. The competent public authorities shall ensure that the reports on the number and type of employees made redundant, which are required in accordance with the Collective Dismissals Directive, are collected and compiled at national level.
Amendment 384 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 15, paragraph 1
Recommendation 15, paragraph 1
Amendment 387 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 15, paragraph 2
Recommendation 15, paragraph 2
Amendment 390 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 15, conclusion part
Recommendation 15, conclusion part
Amendment 392 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 15a, paragraph 1 a (new)
Recommendation 15a, paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. This Directive is without prejudice to the Member States’ right to apply or introduce legislative, regulatory or administrative provisions which are more favourable to workers or to promote or permit collective agreements concluded between the social partners which are more favourable to workers.
Amendment 393 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 15a, paragraph 1 b (new)
Recommendation 15a, paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. The implementation of this Directive shall under no circumstances constitute sufficient grounds for justifying a reduction in the general level of protection of workers in the fields covered by this Directive.
Amendment 397 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 16, paragraph 1
Recommendation 16, paragraph 1
1. Member States shall provide for appropriate measures in the event of failure to comply with the Directive; in particular, they shall ensure that procedures are available for adequate administrative or judicial procedures are availableenalties to enable the obligations deriving from the Directive to be enforced, particularly in order to ensure that companies contribute to the social and environmental cost of the restructuring operation.
Amendment 402 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 16, paragraph 2
Recommendation 16, paragraph 2
2. Member States shall provide that companies that do not comply with the provisions resulting from the Directive shall not benefit from any funding in provenance of European Union budget in the five-year period following a judicial decision recognising the breach, or that have distributed their profits to shareholders rather than reinvesting them in the company during the five years prior to the restructuring operation, or have manifestly implemented a strategy of destroying the physical and human capital of the company so as to prevent its being taken over by a competitor, shall not benefit from any funding in provenance of European Union budget in the five-year period following a judicial decision recognising the breach, and shall reimburse any funding they have received during the financial years during which the breaches were recognised, particularly in order to ensure that the company contributes to the social and environmental cost of the restructuring operation.
Amendment 413 #
2012/2061(INI)
Proposal for a recommendation
Recommendation 16, paragraph 3
Recommendation 16, paragraph 3
3. Member States shall exclude from the benefit of public aids from the national budgets during the same period the companies referred to in paragraph 2, and shall reimburse those which were received during the financial years in which the breaches were recognised.
Amendment 5 #
2012/2058(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Agrees with the measures proposed by the Commission to be financed as technical assistance in accordance with Article 8(1) and (4) as well as with Article 9 (2) of the EGF Regulation;
Amendment 8 #
2012/2058(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Notes that the Commission will start to prepare the final evaluation of the EGF; regrets, however, that the results will arrive too late to feed into the discussion on the new regulation for the EGF in 2014-2020, especially regarding the effectiveness of the use of the crisis derogation criterion, since the concerned EGF cases were not analysed in the EGF mid-term evaluation report;
Amendment 12 #
2012/2058(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Regrets that the Commission does not envisage any particular awareness raising activities for 2012 in the situation where the utility of the EGF and its existence in the next financing period are questioned by Member States, including the frequent users of the Fund; recalls that the current proposal for the technical assistance will leave around EUR 630 000 unused for 2012;
Amendment 14 #
2012/2058(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Interrogates the Commission on the impact and efficiency of the information tools funded by technical assistance in previous years; asks for reliable data on the use of those tools;
Amendment 15 #
2012/2058(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Notes that the Commission will continue to work on the standardised procedures for simplified applications, faster processing of the applications and better reporting; asks the Commission to present the progress made following the use of technical assistance in 2011; recalls the need to shorten the application procedures;
Amendment 16 #
2012/2058(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3d. Recalls the importance of networking and exchange of information on the EGF; supports, therefore, the funding of the Expert Group of Contact Persons of the EGF; underlines further the importance to liaise all those involved in EGF applications, including the social partners, to create as much synergies as possible;
Amendment 17 #
2012/2058(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 e (new)
Paragraph 3 e (new)
3e. Encourages the Member States to profit from the exchange of best practices and to learn particularly from those Member States that have already put in place national information networks on the EGF involving the social partners and stakeholders at local level with a view to having a good structure for assistance in place once mass redundancies might occur;
Amendment 17 #
2012/2039(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 20 #
2012/2039(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers that legislationNotes that national laws on mutual societies variesy considerably within the EU and that the European statue could be used as a starting point leading to a certain approximation of national legislationmutual societies do not possess the legal tools needed to facilitate their development within the internal market;
Amendment 22 #
2012/2039(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Considers that the European statute could permit the emergence of trans- national mutual society operators, thus strengthening the European social protection model;
Amendment 4 #
2012/2023(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the fact that the package of coordinated measures includes an ‘Equal opportunities supervisor’ scheme aimed at ensuring that no personal or family constraints prevent the workers targeted from benefiting from the measures;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2023(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Welcomes the fact that social partners have been the main stakeholders in the debate on this request and are involved, through the ‘interest group’, in implementing and monitoring the effectiveness of the measures;
Amendment 6 #
2012/2023(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Notes that this case gives an accurate picture of the socio-economic situation in the region concerned, one which could be better handled, for example by extending the scope of the Fund to the self- employed, in accordance with the Commission proposal to revise the EGF Regulation;
Amendment 1 #
2012/2016(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that the 2013 budget should support the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy and calls for adequatembitious funding ofor the flagship initiatives ‘Youth on the Move’, ‘New Skills for New Jobs’, ‘European Platform Against Poverty’ and ‘An Innovation Union’;
Amendment 5 #
2012/2016(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses the need for recognition in the budget of the dramatic situation facing theimportance of budgetary provision for combating youngth unemployed andment, as well as the need to relaunch job creation; calls for clear earmarking by the Commission of the funds for this purpose; highlights the need to provide for appropriate financing of all employment instruments;
Amendment 21 #
2012/2016(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses that the current revision of the EGF implementing regulation must make the fund more effective, in particular as regards the budgetary aspects of its mobilisation;
Amendment 24 #
2012/2016(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for an enhancement of targeted public information on existing programmes, such as EURES, the ‘Your First EURES Job’ and ‘Social Solidarity for Social Integration’ pilot projects and the Microfinance Facility;
Amendment 26 #
2012/2016(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls for Parliament be given regular, detailed updates on the various stages in the implementation of pilot projects by the Commission;
Amendment 27 #
2012/2016(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Calls for pilot projects to be launched, focusing primarily on a youth guarantee and worker shareholding schemes;
Amendment 29 #
2012/2016(BUD)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that the EU budget should support the promotion of social convergence, the development of a policy on socially responsible enterprises and the monitoring of the application of statutory social standards by enterprises in order to ensure the creation of decent jobs (jobs that are stable and offer good working conditions and sufficient pay to gain access to essential goods and services).
Amendment 17 #
2012/2004(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the work of social business makes it possible to build a stronger Europe with greater solidarity;
Amendment 33 #
2012/2004(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas social entrepreneurship is necessary to achieve the objective of the Europe 2020 strategy;
Amendment 52 #
2012/2004(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas social business represents a key actor for the development of the internal market in a broad sense;
Amendment 79 #
2012/2004(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – point B
Paragraph 3 – point B
B. Social enterprises: the acting and operating institutions and organisations in the social business economy, in the form of either welfare organisations, classical private enterprises, or social enterprises: associations, cooperatives, mutuals or foundations;
Amendment 121 #
2012/2004(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the need for young entrepreneurs and for female entrepreneurs to engage in social business and explore new forms of social business; calls, therefore, for better access for young and female entrepreneurs to Community programmes and funding;
Amendment 135 #
2012/2004(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses that mutual societies should, by means of a European statute, be recognised as a distinct and important actor within the European economy and society; mutual societies, strong, forward looking enterprises creating better quality jobs fall within the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy for sustainable growth;
Amendment 163 #
2012/2004(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – introductory part
Paragraph 16 – introductory part
16. Points to twohree further specific characteristics of social enterprises that need to be considered:
Amendment 169 #
2012/2004(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – indent 1 bis (new)
Paragraph 16 – indent 1 bis (new)
- highlighting values of solidarity and taking into account the general interest;
Amendment 264 #
2012/2004(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support smaller businesses set up by young and/or innovative entrepreneurs and to encourage entrepreneurship among women;
Amendment 272 #
2012/2004(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Asks the Commission to continue to promote the visibility of social enterprises to raise awareness of them, especially by encouraging the creation of statistical registers on social enterprises;
Amendment 10 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) In line with the conclusions of the European Council of 17 June 2010, whereby the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth was adopted, the Union and the Member States have set themselves the objective of having at least 20 million fewer people at risk of poverty and social exclusion by 2020. However, the number of people faced with poverty or social exclusion undeniably rose from 23.4% in 2010 to 24.2% in 2011.
Amendment 13 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (hereinafter the 'Fund') should strengthen social cohesion by contributing to the reduction of poverty in the Union by supporting national schemes that provide non-financial assistance to the most deprived persons to alleviate food deprivation, homelessness and material deprivation of children.
Amendment 16 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) The operational programme of each Member State should identify and justify the forms of material deprivation to be addressed, and describe the objectives and features of the assistance to the most deprived persons that will be provided through the support of national schemes. Access to food aid should be the first deprivation to be addressed by the Member States. It should also include elements necessary to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the operational programme.
Amendment 20 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) It is necessary to establish a maximum level of voluntary co-financing from the Fund to the operational programmes to provide for a multiplier effect of Union resources, while the situation of Member States facing temporary budget difficulties should be addressed.
Amendment 23 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) Member States should designate a managing authority, a certifying authority and a functionally independent auditing authority for their operational programme. To provide flexibility for Member States in the set-up of control systems, it is appropriate to provide the option for the functions of the certifying authority to be carried out by the managing authority. The Member States should also be allowed to designate intermediate bodies to carry out certain tasks of the managing authority or the certifying authority. The Member States should in that case lay down clearly their respective responsibilities and functions. The Member States shall make every effort to eliminate obstacles arising from administrative burdens possibly affecting charitable organisations.
Amendment 24 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) Without prejudice to the Commission's powers as regards financial control, cooperation between the Member States and the Commission in the framework of this Regulation should be ensured and criteria should be established which allow the Commission to determine, in the context of its strategy of control of national systems, the level of assurance it should obtain from national audit bodies. The Commission must make every effort to ensure that the criteria are not so exacting as to add to the administrative burden of beneficiaries, given the nature of the Fund and the fact that most of the beneficiaries operate on a voluntary basis.
Amendment 25 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 42 a (new)
Recital 42 a (new)
(42a) Given the date on which invitations to tender must be issued and the deadlines for adoption of this regulation and the preparation of the operational programmes, rules should be drawn up to facilitate a flexible transition in 2014, so as to avoid any interruption in supplies.
Amendment 30 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – subparagraph 1 – point 7
Article 2 – subparagraph 1 – point 7
(7) 'end recipient' means the most deprived persons receiving the food or goods and/or benefiting from the accompanying measures, as defined by the Member States in accordance with their national criteria;
Amendment 34 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1
Article 4 – paragraph 1
1. The Fund shall support national schemes whereby food products and basic consumer goods for the personal use of homeless persons or of childrenthe end recipients are distributed to the most deprived persons through partner organisations selected by Member States.
Amendment 36 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a The fund shall make every effort to support local initiatives to prevent food wastage (such as making the issuing of supermarket operating licences conditional on the supply of unsold stocks to food banks) and combat poverty and exclusion.
Amendment 39 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1
Article 6 – paragraph 1
1. The global resources available for budgetary commitment from the Fund for the period 2014-2020 shall be at least EUR 2 500 000 000 at 2011 prices, in accordance with the annual breakdown set out in Annex II.
Amendment 40 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1
Article 6 – paragraph 1
1. The global resources available for budgetary commitment from the Fund for the period 2014-2020 shall be EUR 23 500 000 000 at 2011 prices, in accordance with the annual breakdown set out in Annex II.
Amendment 45 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3 – point a a (new)
Article 6 – paragraph 3 – point a a (new)
(aa) the relative poverty threshold, i.e. the percentage of the population living in a household which does not have an income of at least 60% of the national median income;
Amendment 47 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – introductory part
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – introductory part
Each Member State wishing to apply for assistance from the Fund shall submit to the Commission one operational programme covering the period between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2020 within three months of the entry into force of this Regulation, containing the following items:
Amendment 57 #
Amendment 59 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 – paragraph 1
Article 18 – paragraph 1
1. TheEach Member State is free to provide national support for Fund initiatives. The voluntary co-financing rate at the level of the operational programme shall not be higher than 85% of the public eligible expenditure.
Amendment 63 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 – paragraph 2
Article 18 – paragraph 2
2. The Commission decision adopting an operational programme shall fix the voluntary co- financing rate applicable to the operational programme and the maximum amount of support from the Fund.
Amendment 68 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 21 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Article 21 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
The food and the goods for homeless persons or for childrenend recipients may be purchased by the partner organisations themselves.
Amendment 71 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 21 – paragraph 4
Article 21 – paragraph 4
4. That materialFood and assistance shall be distributed free of charge to the most deprived persons without exception.
Amendment 72 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 24 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) the costs of purchasing food and basic consumer goods for personal use of homeless persons or of children;the end recipients.
Amendment 73 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 24 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) where a public body purchases the food or basic consumer goods for personal use of homeless persons or of childrenend recipients and provide them to partner organisations, the costs of transporting of food or goods to the storage depots of the partner organisations at a flat rate of 1 % of the costs referred to in point (a);
Amendment 81 #
2012/0295(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 61 a (new)
Article 61 a (new)
Article 61 a Transitional period Member States willing to apply for the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived in 2014 will be entitled to do so using a simplified procedure where: (a) Members States will send to the European Commission a programme and its main characteristics (goals, beneficiaries, specific demands regarding the quantity of products), (b) the European Commission will establish the allocation of resources per Member State, based on the above mentioned programmes, (c) Member States will report on the programme developments and the impact of distribution; Food aid will be delivered by the European Commission free of charge; This simplified procedure will last until 31 December 2014.
Amendment 79 #
2012/0061(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Recital 3 c (new)
Recital 3 c (new)
(3c) In case of non-compliance, such as when a worker is found not to be genuinely posted, an undertaking should be subject to the relevant legislation applicable in the Member State to which the posting takes place, and all persons posted by the undertaking concerned shall be deemed workers exercising their freedom of movement within the Union.
Amendment 232 #
2012/0061(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 1 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. This Directive shall comply, with respect to the application and enforcement of working conditions and employment of workers posted, with the provision of Article 1, paragraph 4 of Directive 96/71/EC, which states: "Undertakings established in a non- member State must not be given more favourable treatment than undertakings established in a Member State".
Amendment 664 #
2012/0061(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 11 – paragraph 3
Article 11 – paragraph 3
3. Member States shall ensure that trade unions and other third parties, such as associations, organisations and other legal entities which have, in accordance with the criteria laid down by their national law, a legitimate interest in ensuring that the provisions of this Directive and Directive 96/71/EC are complied with, may engage, on behalf or in support of the posted workers or their employer, with their approval in any judicial or administrative proceedings provided for with the objective of implementing this Directive and Directive 96/71/EC and/or enforcing the obligations under this Directive and Directive 96/71/EC. Trade unions shall have the right of collective action in order to ensure compliance with the requirements of this Directive and Directive 96/71/EC and the possibility of taking representative action on behalf of posted workers.
Amendment 697 #
2012/0061(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 12
Article 12
Amendment 700 #
2012/0061(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 1
Article 12 – paragraph 1
Amendment 701 #
2012/0061(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Article 12 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Amendment 718 #
2012/0061(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point a
Article 12 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point a
Amendment 736 #
2012/0061(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
Article 12 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
Amendment 744 #
2012/0061(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 2
Article 12 – paragraph 2
Amendment 755 #
2012/0061(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 3
Article 12 – paragraph 3
Amendment 764 #
2012/0061(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 4
Article 12 – paragraph 4
Amendment 770 #
2012/0061(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 12 a (new)
Article 12 a (new)
Article 12a Subcontracting and liability 1. Each Member State shall take the necessary measures to ensure that an undertaking which appoints a subcontractor to provide services is liable, in addition to and/or in place of that subcontractor, for obligations of that subcontractor and any other intermediate. 2. This shall not in any way preclude the application of already existing more stringent rules at national level nor the introduction of those. 3. Member States may limit vertical subcontracting to three levels provided that the limitation is not discriminatory.
Amendment 825 #
2012/0061(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 19 a (new)
Article 19 a (new)
Article 19a Clause of non-regression - More favourable provisions 1. This Directive and Directive 96/71/EC are without prejudice to the Member States' right to apply or introduce legislative, regulatory or administrative provisions which are more favourable to workers or to promote or permit collective agreements concluded between the social partners which are more favourable to workers. 2. The implementation of this Directive shall under no circumstances constitute sufficient grounds for justifying a reduction in the general level of protection of workers in the fields covered by this Directive and Directive 96/71/EC. This is without prejudice to the rights of Member States and/or management and labour to lay down, in the light of changing circumstances, different legislative, regulatory or contractual arrangements to those prevailing at the time of the adoption of this Directive, provided that the minimum requirements laid down in this Directive are respected.
Amendment 833 #
2012/0061(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 21 – paragraph 1
Article 21 – paragraph 1
No later than 5 years after the expiry of the deadline for transposition, the Commission shall report to the European Parliament, the Council and, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the implementation of this Directive, making appropriate proposals where necessary.
Amendment 13 #
2012/0060(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) For contracts with an estimated value equal or above EUR 5.000.000 the Commission should approve the intended exclusion if the international agreement concerning market access in the field of public procurement between the Union and the country where the goods and/or services originate contains, for the goods and/or services for which the exclusion is proposed, explicit market access reservations taken by the Union. Where such an agreement does not exist, the Commission should approve the exclusion where the third country maintains restrictive procurement measures leading to a lack of substantial reciprocity in market opening between the Union and the third country concerned. A lack of substantial reciprocity should be presumed where restrictive procurement measures result in serious and recurring discriminations of EU economic operators, goods and services, or paramount EU economic interests are at stake, for instance in the field of industry. In the case of massive violations in the field of trade unions rights and international law, including fundamental International Conventions, including ILO 94, in the field of labour, social and environmental law, the Commission shall equally consider a restriction of market access for the concerned goods and/or services;.
Amendment 14 #
2012/0060(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) For contracts with an estimated value equal or above EUR 5.000.000 the Commission should approve the intended exclusion if the international agreement concerning market access in the field of public procurement between the Union and the country where the goods and/or services originate contains, for the goods and/or services for which the exclusion is proposed, explicit market access reservations taken by the Union. Where such an agreement does not exist, the Commission should approve the exclusion where the third country maintains restrictive procurement measures leading to a lack of substantial reciprocity in market opening between the Union and the third country concerned. A lack of substantial reciprocity should be presumed where restrictive procurement measures result in serious and recurring discriminations of EU economic operators, goods and services. In the case of serious and repeated violations in the field of fundamental workers' rights and international law, including fundamental international conventions, including ILO 94, in the field of labour, social and environmental law in the country concerned, the Commission shall equally consider a restriction of market access for the concerned goods and/or services.
Amendment 15 #
2012/0060(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) When assessing whether a lack of substantial reciprocity exists, the Commission should examine to what degree public procurement laws of the country concerned ensure transparency in line with international standards in the field of public procurement and preclude any discrimination against Union goods, services and economic operators. In addition, it should examine to what degree public authorities and/or individual procuring entities maintain or adopt discriminatory practices against Union goods, services and economic operators, or jeopardizes the EU economic interests for instance in the field of industry.
Amendment 16 #
2012/0060(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16 a (new)
Recital 16 a (new)
(16 a) The respect of social, labour and environmental law applicable in the place of work in a third country, including the respect of fundamental international agreements such as ILO Convention 94 on labour clauses in public procurement, should not be seen as discriminatory practice.
Amendment 18 #
2012/0060(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 19
Recital 19
(19) In view of the greater difficulty for contracting authorities/entities to assess, in the context of tenders comprising goods and/or services originating outside the European Union, in which the value of the non-covered goods or services exceeds 50 % of the total value of these goods or services, the explanations of tenderers it is appropriate to provide for an increased transparency in the treatment of abnormally low tenders. In addition to the rules provided by Article 69 of the Directive on public procurement and Article 79 of the Directive on procurement by entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors the contracting authority/entity that intends to accept such an abnormally low tender, should inform the other tenderers of this in writing including the reasons for the abnormally low character of the price or costs charged. Special attention should be paid to the respect of international labour, social and environmental law, including fundamental international conventions, such as ILO 94. This allows these tenderers to contribute to a more accurate assessment as to whether the successful tenderer will be able to fully perform the contract under the conditions spelled out in the tender documentation. Therefore, this additional information would achieve a more level playing field on the EU public procurement market.
Amendment 21 #
2012/0060(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 24
Recital 24
(24) It is imperative that contracting authorities/entities have access to a range of high-quality products meeting their purchasing requirements at a competitive price. Therefore contracting authorities/entities should be able to set aside measures limiting access of non- covered goods and services in case there are no Union and/or covered goods or services available which meet the requirements of the contracting authority/entity to safeguard essential public needs for example health and public safety, including social and environmental sustainability characteristics, or application of the measure would lead to a disproportionate increase in the price or costs of the contract.
Amendment 24 #
2012/0060(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
Article 6 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
Contracting authorities/entities shall require tenderers to provide information on the origin of the goods and/or services contained in the tender, and their value. Criteria relating to fundamental workers' rights and international law, including fundamental international conventions, including ILO 94, in the field of labour, social and environmental law shall also be taken into account. They shall accept self-declarations as preliminary evidence that tenders cannot be excluded pursuant to paragraph 1. A contracting authority may ask a tenderer at any moment during the procedure to submit all or parts of the required documentation where this appears necessary to ensure the proper conduct of the procedure. The Commission may adopt implementing acts establishing standard forms for declarations concerning the origin of goods and services. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to in Article 17 (3).
Amendment 26 #
2012/0060(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 – point b
Article 6 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 – point b
(b) where an agreement referred to in point (a) does not exist and the third country maintains restrictive procurement measures leading to a lack of substantial reciprocity in market opening between the Union and the third country concerned, notably where those restrictive measures are detrimental to the EU economic interest, such as its industry.
Amendment 27 #
2012/0060(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 – point b a (new)
Article 6 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 – point b a (new)
(b a) where there is evidence of serious and repeated violations in the field of fundamental workers' rights and international law, including fundamental International Conventions, including ILO 94, in the field of labour, social and environmental law for certain goods and/or services.
Amendment 29 #
2012/0060(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 5 a (new)
Article 6 – paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. The respect of social, labour and environmental law applicable in the place of work in the country concerned, including the respect of fundamental international agreements such as ILO Convention 94 on labour clauses in public procurement, should not be seen as a restrictive procurement measure resulting in serious and recurring discriminations of Union economic operators, goods and services.
Amendment 31 #
2012/0060(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 1
Where the contracting authority/entity intends, under Article 69 of the Directive on public procurement or under Article 79 of the Directive on procurement by entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors, after verifying the explanations of the tenderer, to accept an abnormally low tender comprising goods and/or services originating outside the Union, in which the value of the non- covered goods or services exceeds 50 % of the total value of the goods or services constituting the tender, it shall inform the other tenderers of this in writing, including the reasons for the abnormally low character of the price or costs charged, referring in particular to the respect of fundamental workers' rights and international law, including fundamental International Conventions, including ILO 94, in the field of labour, social and environmental law, notably to avoid any social or environmental or taxation dumping.
Amendment 39 #
2012/0060(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 10 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Measures limiting the market access of third countries shall be proportionate and shall not have disproportionate negative impacts on the country concerned, in particular in case of developing countries, but shall be rather designed to foster the local social and labour situation.
Amendment 12 #
2011/2312(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Believes that an integrated territorial approach for the ESF and the other EU funds is vital for implementation of the subsidiarity principle through multilevel governance and underlines the importance of ensuring adequate capacity-building at local and regional level, particularly through training in procedures for the allocation of funds;
Amendment 16 #
2011/2312(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Underlines the importance, in shaping and implementing cohesion policy, of ensuring a fair balance between necessary checks on the use of funds and their effectiveness;
Amendment 21 #
2011/2312(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that there are considerable employment and social disparities both between and within regions; believes that programmes have to be tailored to regional and sub-regional needs and considers that the ESF hasand the other EU funds have to continue supporting the development of local approaches in the field of employment and social inclusion, particularly youth employment, social inclusion and combating poverty;
Amendment 27 #
2011/2312(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission to specify the procedures for the allocation of cohesion policy resources for combating youth unemployment and poverty;
Amendment 29 #
2011/2312(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Considers it essential for cohesion policy to cover the entire territory of the EU, and accordingly supports the Commission’s proposal to create an intermediate regions category;
Amendment 32 #
2011/2312(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers it important that partnership contracts and operational programmes provide a comprehensive analysis of the disparities and development needs of territories and integrated strategies to address the specific needs of those geographical areas most affected by unemployment and poverty or of target groups at highest risk ofregional and local needs, e.g. to create job or reduce poverty and combat discrimination orand social exclusion, with special regar; points out that, in this context, special attention should be paid to marginalised communities;
Amendment 40 #
2011/2312(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Member States to ensure an open dialogue with all the interested parties, particularly local authorities, social partners or non-governmental organisations active in the fight against poverty, for the preparation of partnership contracts and operational programmes; believes that, in order to efficiently use the territorial approach for actions funded from the ESF, it is essential to build mutual trust betweenand cooperation between all these stakeholders.
Amendment 4 #
2011/2285(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Deplores the fact that the Commission has not so far responded appropriately to the European Parliament’s resolution of 18 November 2008, or to its resolution of 10 February 2010, and has not started work on a legislative initiative to tackle the problem of unequal pay for male and female workers effectively;
Amendment 12 #
2011/2285(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Is very concerned that in the past decade progress has only been achieved very slowly, that the wage differential between men and women has remained persistently high in recent years and that, despite the legally binding principle of equal pay for work of equal value, women’s hourly earnings in the EU27 were on average 17.51% less than men’s for the same work in 2009; notes that, with widely varying differentials of between 3.2% and 25.9%; notes that it is not the primary objective of the flexicurity strategy is not of a nature to reduce existing disparities in employment and pay protection and pay between women and men, and draws attention to the need for the wage differential issue to be taken into account in the flexicurity strategy itself and during its implementation in national employment policies;
Amendment 31 #
2011/2285(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Observes that statistics must be coherent, comparable, gender-specific and complete and must take account of new developments in the organisation of work; considers that, in assessing the pay gap, not only differences in gross hourly wages but also other aspects of individual pay and qualifications, such as contract type, professional experience, employment status and bonuses, should be taken into account;
Amendment 58 #
2011/2285(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Stresses the need to broaden women’s career prospects and to encourage women to take up traditionally ‘male’ technical and scientific occupations;
Amendment 62 #
2011/2285(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Considers that legislative and non- legislative measures are needed at the various levels in order to overcome the wage gap, horizontal and vertical exclusion and stereotyping of occupations and sectors as being typically the realm of women; stresses that such measures should promote the involvement of women in decision-making at all levels and in all sectors;
Amendment 70 #
2011/2285(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the introduction by the Commission of an EU equal pay day to highlight pay inequalities between men and women, as well as the development of software to measure the pay gap; takes the view that the Commission should continue the pay gap information and awareness- raising campaign in the 27 Member States;
Amendment 88 #
2011/2285(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that the social partners have an important role to play in pay negotiations at all levels in order to tackle unequal pay for male and female workers and to combat discrimination against women, including in connection with access to employment and working conditions;
Amendment 100 #
2011/2285(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Encourages the Member States to provide adequate financial support and appropriate training to women wishing to set up businesses, with a view to fostering female entrepreneurship;
Amendment 101 #
2011/2285(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Reminds the Member States of their commitments regarding a review of the effect that employment and tax policies have on the pay gap;
Amendment 103 #
2011/2285(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Considers that, in view of the lack of progress, the Member States should give consideration to effective measurdissuasive and proportionate penalties against employers who contravene the principle of equal pay; takes the view, furthermore, that the Member States should encourage businesses which take steps to encourage pay equality, in order to disseminate good practice;
Amendment 107 #
2011/2285(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls on the Member States and businesses to take the necessary steps to make pay more transparent;
Amendment 110 #
2011/2285(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13 – point a
Paragraph 13 – point a
(a) specific measures to make it possible to reconcile work, training and further training with family and private life; in this connection, access to childcare services is of key importance to equal participation by women in the labour market,
Amendment 2 #
2011/2158(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the EGF application submitted by France does not cover the Renault workers who opted for the early retirement scheme and to which the EGF aid could not be allocated under Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006, but saw their pension rights altered by the pension reform which came into force in the meantime; whereas the efforts made by all partietrade unions involved to find a viable solution so that these former Renault workers can complement their pension rights should be noted; whereas in this regard, the efforts made by the French government, as well as the written engagement made by Renault should be underlined; whereas the constructive dialogue between all parties concerned should be continuensured until a satisfactory solution is found;
Amendment 2 #
2011/2158(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Requests the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF; appreciates in this sense the improved procedure put in place by the Commission, following the Parliament's request for accelerating the release of grants, aimed at presenting to the budgetary authority the Commission's assessment on the eligibility of an EGF application together with the proposal to mobilise the Fund; hopes that further improvements in the procedure will be reached in the framework of the upcoming reviews of the EGF and that greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the Fund will be achieved; takes note, however, of the lengthy assessment period in respect of this particular application for the mobilisation of the EGF for Renault s.a.s and seven of its suppliers; notes that this particular request has so far had the longest period of assessment of any EGF application since the EGF's creation in 2007.
Amendment 3 #
2011/2158(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Requests the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF; appreciates in this sense the improved procedure put in place by the Commission, following the Parliament's request for accelerating the release of grants, aimed at presenting to the budgetary authority the Commission's assessment on the eligibility of an EGF application together with the proposal to mobilise the Fund; hopes that further improvements in the procedure will be reached in the framework of the upcoming reviews of the EGF and that greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the Fund will be achieved; takes note, however, of the lengthy assessment period in respect of this particular application for the mobilisation of the EGF for Renault s.a.s and seven of its suppliers; notes that this particular request has so far had the longest period of assessment of any EGF application since the EGF's creation in 2007;
Amendment 3 #
2011/2158(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Believes that this delay harmed some of the workers who did not take part in the measures financed by the EGF and opted for early-retirement schemes instead, and whose pension benefits were altered by the pension reform that came into force in the meantime; is of the opinion that following this evolution of the legal environment, the Commission should have requested that these workers be offered the possibility of taking part in EGF measures;
Amendment 4 #
2011/2158(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Believes that this delay harmed some of the workers who opted for early- retirement schemes instead, and whose pension benefits were altered by the pension reforms that came into force in the meantime; is of the opinion that following this evolution of the legal environment, the Commission should have requested that these workers be offered the possibility of taking part in EGF measures; requests Renault and France to formally commit to take legal and financial measures so that the full pension rights and benefits of those workers can be restored while granting them an exemption from work at the equivalent conditions;
Amendment 4 #
2011/2158(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Notes that, given the delay between the implementation of the measures targeting the dismissed workers and the validation of the EGF request by the Commission, the first results on the efficiency of those measures are already available; deplores the low success rates and calls for a stronger assessment and more Commission guidance in ensuring that the training on offer matches the local economic trends;
Amendment 5 #
2011/2158(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Notes that, given the delay between the implementation of the measures targeting the dismissed workers and the validation of the EGF request by the Commission, the first results on the efficiency of those measures are already available; deplores the low success rates and calls for a stronger assessment and more Commission guidance in ensuring that the training on offer matches the local economic trends;
Amendment 6 #
2011/2158(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Requests the Commission to mention the urgent need for additional measures to solve the issue of former workers who saw their pension benefits severely altered by the French pension reforms which came into force in its final recommendation report regarding the assessment progress made by France in the implementation of a sustainable and fair pension system;
Amendment 7 #
2011/2158(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Requests the Commission to closely survey and update, notably in the country specific recommendation, its evaluation of the sustainability and adequacy of the French pension reforms and their potential loopholes regarding all workers' situation to deliver on the additional measures needed;
Amendment 8 #
2011/2158(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Amendment 9 #
2011/2158(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Observes that Renault is currently resorting to temporary workers and deplores that the EGF might provide an incentive for multinational companies to replace their contractual workforce with a more flexible and precarious one; believes that this issue needs to be addressed in the forthcoming revision of the EGF regulation;
Amendment 11 #
2011/2158(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Approves the decision annexed to this resolution, except the total proposed amount; requests the Commission to provide the sum of EUR 17 493 525 in commitment and payment appropriations;
Amendment 33 #
2011/2116(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Views with regret the fact that the SCE is not yet a success given its scarce use -– until 2010 only 17 SCEs had been established, with a total of 32 employees – even though many entrepreneurs have expressed an interest in setting up an SCE14;
Amendment 82 #
2011/2116(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Urges the Commission to come up with a framework for the social economy, and specifically for cooperative enterprises, which are key players in this sector, involving both the Member States and stakeholders in order to encourage exchanges of best practices and bring about a gradual improvement in the relevant rules and practices, in particular in the areas of taxation, loans, administrative burdens, consulting and business-support measures;
Amendment 3 #
2011/2052(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Takes note of the 3.3 % increase in the draft budget 2012 for the European Platform against Poverty flagship initiative as compared to last year; asks the Commission to explain in detail which budget lines will benefit from the increaseprovide further explanation on the contribution of the ESF to this flagship initiative and on specific measures addressing priorities such as the fight against poverty among children, women, elderly people and migrant workers, and the prevention of early school leaving;
Amendment 7 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
– having regard to the Council Declaration on ‘The European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion: Working together to fight poverty in 2010 and beyond’, of 6 December 2010,
Amendment 8 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (new)
Citation 4 b (new)
Amendment 10 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion,
Amendment 13 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 19 February 2009 on social economy (OJ C 76 E, 25.3.2010, p. 16),
Amendment 14 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)
Citation 18 a (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 6 July 2010 on promoting youth access to the labour market, strengthening trainee, internship and apprenticeship statusx, __________________ Texts adopted, P7_TA(2010)0262.
Amendment 15 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 25
Citation 25
– having regard to its declaration of 16 December 2010 on an EU homelessness strategy,s of 22 April 2008 on ending street homelessnessx and of 16 December 2010 on an EU homelessness strategy, __________________ x Texts adopted, P6_TA(2008)0163
Amendment 16 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 25 a (new)
Citation 25 a (new)
– having regard to the European Consensus Conference on Homelessness of 9 and 10 December 2010 final recommendations,
Amendment 25 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the Commission’s new strategy for implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights aims, in particular, to improve the most disadvantaged people’s access to fundamental rights; whereas the Charter must be respected in its entirety and whereas poverty represents a violation of human rights and encourages stigmatisation and injustice,
Amendment 49 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas, while it was necessary to set a poverty reduction target figure for purposes of implementing the relevant policies, the fundamental aim should remain the total eradication of poverty,
Amendment 59 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas any stringent budgetary policy needs to be intelligent, with scope for contracyclical investment in major policy priorities,
Amendment AA #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the Commission’s new strategy for implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights aims, in particular, to improve the most disadvantaged people’s access to fundamental rights; whereas the Charter must be respected in its entirety and whereas severe poverty represents a violation of human rights and a serious erosion of human dignity and encourages stigmatisation and injustice; whereas the key objective of income support schemes is to bring people out of poverty and enable them to live in dignity,
Amendment C #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls for regular, critical monitoring ofthe establishment of a regular, critical evaluation mechanism, involving the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee, based on precise indicators at national and European level, by which the multiple dimensions of poverty can be evaluated and the Member States’ progress, by gender and age, towards achieving the poverty reduction target, and towards breaking this target down into sub-targets, can be measured, in view of the fact that the lack of a precise definition of poverty leaves too much leeway for the Member States, to break this target down into sub-targets; hus risking aberrant interpretations; calls on the Commission to improve national and European indicators relating to the comparability of national statistics on the poverty of vulnerable people and to promote, with Eurostat, the production of more precise statistics within a comprehensive scoreboard on poverty and social exclusion by means of which it will be possible to track the number of people below the 50% and 40% levels of median income and on this basis to conduct an annual evaluation of the situations of poverty in the EU, the statistical approach of which should be supplemented by a qualitative and participatory approach; calls on the Commission to ensure the policies implemented are beneficial to all and not just to those close to the poverty threshold;
Amendment D #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for it to be made clear that the Commission will be legally accountable in on the Commission to fully take account of the correct horizontal social clause as specified in Article 9 TFEU, under which the EU is to take into account requirements linked to the promotion of 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, and calls for the Commission to specify how the Platform will affect assessments of the implementation of that clause; calls for the social impact assessments of European policies to go into greater depthe, event that the horizontal social clause is not applied, and calls for the Commission to specify how the Platform will affect assessments of the implementation of that clause where those policies are not initiated by the Commission but by the European Council, as in the case of the Euro Plus pact; considers that such an in- depth analysis of the application of this clause will make it possible to avoid a levelling-down of social standards in Europe and to promote the development of a common social basis in Europe; calls for this social impact assessment to be made with the associations active in combating poverty and to take account of the situation of the poorest people in Europe as a reference; considers that these assessments should involve the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Commission’s departments responsible for social affairs under the responsibility of a director- general reporting to the General Secretariat of the European Commission;
Amendment E #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to identify more precisely the budget lines relevant to the Platform and the level of appropriations allocated to them, particularly as regards the ESF and its contribution to this flagship initiative through the funding of political priorities such as preventing school drop-out and addressing poverty among children, women, older people and migrant workers; calls on the Commission to set out its proposals on combating poverty and social exclusion in the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework in order to ensure adequate funding of the initiatives launched to combat poverty and social exclusion; calls on the Commission to identify the financial support needed for agreed thematic priorities and to urge Member States to support financially the participation of civil society at national level in National Reform Programmes, the Flagship Platform and National Strategies for social protection and social inclusion; recommends pressing ahead with, and providing increased budgetary funding for, the European programmes which can help combat the various aspects of social exclusion, poverty and social and economic inequality, including health inequality (the research Framework Programme, the Progress programme, etc.);
Amendment F #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Contests the Commission’s decision to review downwards, from EUR 500 million to EUR 113.5 million, the budget for the 2012 food distribution programme for the most deprived persons in the European Union; deeply deplores this situation, coming as it does at a time of serious economic and social crisis, which the austerity measures currently being taken by the European Union under the 'Euro Pact' and the 'governance package’ will exacerbate; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Council to find a way of continuing the MDP scheme for the remaining years of the funding period (2012 and 2013) and the new funding period 2014 - 2020 on a legal basis that cannot be contested by the CJEU, maintaining the EUR 500 million annual financial ceiling so as to ensure that people dependent on food aid will not suffer from food poverty; Note: A citation referring to the resolution will be added by oral amendment.
Amendment G #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the open method of social coordination to be strengthened and applied correctly in the field of poverty, inter alia through the common development, implementation and evaluation of national strategies for social inclusion and protection, on the basis of commonly defined objectives, via national platforms against poverty, by exchanges of good practice on policies regarding effective access to fundamental rights and implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the revised Social Charter (not yet ratified by all Member States), in particular Articles 30 and 31 thereof; stresses that, in this context, the work of the Council’s Social Protection Committee should continue to be taken into account; calls for the Platform to promote and follow up the participation of local authorities, social economy enterprises and other local stakeholders in drawing up and implementing national strategic reports;
Amendment GG/PP #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Considérant F a (new)
Considérant F a (new)
Fa. whereas homelessness represents one of the most extreme forms of poverty and deprivation, and a problem which remains unresolved in all EU Member States; whereas most of the Member States now have large numbers of homeless people, owing to diverse factors, and this calls for specific measures for those people's social integration; whereas, according to Eurobarometer, almost one in four Europeans regard the excessive cost of decent housing as one of the main causes of poverty, and almost nine in ten consider that poverty makes it harder to access decent housing; whereas public authorities may lose contact with citizens when they lose their housing, and this not only makes it much harder to help them, but also reveals an advanced stage in the process whereby the individual becomes excluded from society,
Amendment I #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls forWelcomes the Commission’s announcement of a Communication on implementing the Commission’s 2008 recommendation concerning the active inclusion strategy and calls for it to include, in particular, a timetable for implementing thits three Ccommission’s 2008 recommendation concerning the active inclusion strategyponent strands, specifying a multi-annual work programme for delivery at national and EU level; expresses its concern at the postponement of the Communication on Active Inclusion to 2012, and asks the Commission to advance the publication of the Communication to 2011; calls for an explicit commitment by the Council, Commission and Parliament to mobilise all policies to reduce poverty, ensuring that economic, employment and social inclusion policies contribute to the eradication of poverty rather than to its increase;
Amendment L #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Supports the creation of decent jobs through vocationalConsiders that a full and effective way out of poverty can only be found if the appropriate strengthening of social protection instruments is accompanied by significant reinforcement of education and training paths at every level; supports the development of more inclusive education systems to tackle the problem of students dropping out and enable young people from disadvantaged social groups to reach a higher level of education, with a view to countering the intergenerational transmission of poverty; supports access to validation of acquired experience and life-long training, and the provision of personalised job-seeking assistance, in particular for disadvantaged groups; s a means of reducing poverty by securing access to employment, in particular for disadvantaged groups, to help them to access decent jobs; regards it as essential, therefore, for life-long learning programmes to be implemented properly and developed, and for Member States to cooperate in the fields of education and vocational training and personalised job-seeking assistance, and stresses that more measures of this kind must be taken to assist the most vulnerable sectors of the population; recommends the development of an EU strategy to tackle in-work poverty and create quality jobs, agreeing principles for quality work;
Amendment MM #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas unemployment among young people, which is already higher than for other age groups, has exploded in the EU since the crisis and now runs at over 20% reaching a critical level in all Member States, which puts young people at risk of falling into poverty from a very early age; whereas this alarming situation calls for urgent political, economic and social responses and will, in combination with demographic changes, aggravate skills shortages; having regard to the vital role that vocational training can play in helping young people and low skilled workers to join the labour market; whereas, however, getting a job does not always mean escaping poverty, and whereas young people are especially susceptible to falling into the category of working poor,
Amendment N #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Ccalls for equal rights and equal social protection for all workers in each Member State, with due regard for differing practices, collective labour agreements and legislation in the various Member States and for the subsidiarity principle, for respect for equal rights and equal social protection for all in each Member State, whether they are Union citizens or third- country nationals; calls on Member States to fight against illegal and undeclared work;
Amendment O #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Rrecommends that the Member States introduce or further develop measures designed to help people with disabilities find jobs with private companiedevelop new measures designed to help vulnerable and socially excluded groups, especially people with disabilities, find jobs with enterprises, including social economy enterprises, or public bodies, so as to promote inclusion, not least in those regions that are economically weakest and socially more vulnerable, and recommends that they implement existing legislation, such as the 2000 Employment Directive; recommends that the Member States safeguard that people with disabilities participate in education from their early childhood by lifting existing barriers and assisting them; recommends that the Member States promote access to barrier-free environments for public bodies, so as to promote inclusioneople with disabilities and pay particular attention to the situation of early childhood education and care in order to prevent instances of children with disabilities dropping out irreversibly and hopelessly at an early stage; calls on the Commission and the Member States to step up exchanges of best practices and to introduce multifaceted measures for the integration of the disabled into the job market;
Amendment 79 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas, people with few or no qualifications are nonetheless more exposed to the hazards of the labour market, to insecure and poorly paid employment and to poverty,
Amendment P #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Acknowledges the need to assess the impact of EU funds in terms of achieving the poverty reduction target, even where this is not their primary objective, where possible, the effectiveness, impact, coordination and value for money of EU funds, especially of the European Social Fund (ESF) in terms of achieving the poverty reduction target, even where this is not their primary objective, reducing the economic discrepancies, prosperity imbalances and differences in living standard levels across EU Member States and regions, and therefore promoting economic and social cohesion; maintains that priority must be given to projects that combine employment targets and strategies with integrated active inclusion approaches, such as projects designed to strengthen intergenerational solidarity at regional and local level or which specifically contribute to realising gender equality and the active inclusion of vulnerable groups; stresses the importance of effective action for solidarity, including reinforcement, anticipation of transfer and reduction of cofinancing in respect of budgetary funding for creating decent jobs, supporting productive sectors and fighting poverty and social exclusion, rather than creating new forms of dependence; stresses the importance of supporting the combat of poverty and social exclusion, and access to quality employment and non discrimination, ensuring adequate income and promoting access to quality services;
Amendment 81 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas, according to Eurobarometer, almost one in four Europeans regard the excessive cost of decent housing as one of the main causes of poverty, and almost nine in ten consider that poverty makes it harder to access decent housing,
Amendment R #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to initiate a horizontal anti-discrimination directive with a view to further eradicating discrimination; Urges the Member States to agree and adopt as soon as possible the proposal for a Council directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation (COM(2008)0426); calls on the Commission to continue to support the overcoming of technical difficulties within the Council in order to ensure a swift agreement is reached, and to close gaps in the existing anti-discrimination legislation which is currently not covering all relevant aspects, with a view to further eradicating discrimination, including social discrimination; Note: A citation referring to the Kosa report will be added by oral amendment.
Amendment 82 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas homelessness represents one of the most extreme forms of poverty and deprivation, and a problem which remains unresolved in all EU member states,
Amendment S #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the Commission’s desire to clarify the legal framework applicable to social economy enterprises so that there are no obstacles hindering their contribution to poverty reduction; , through various initiatives, to take more account of the role of social economy actors – as defined in Parliament’s resolution of 19 February 2009 on the social economy – in particular by clarifying the legal framework applicable to social economy enterprises (for mutual societies, foundations and cooperatives) so that there are no obstacles hindering their making a full contribution, with legal certainty, to reducing poverty and social exclusion by proposing innovative and sustainable responses to citizens’ needs, while stressing that the social economy is not limited to this scope of activities; is concerned, however, about the lack of reference to the Statute for a European association, given that the not-for-profit sector is a major actor in the fight against poverty; stresses, however, that the measures currently proposed to promote the social economy, in particular associations and mutual societies, do not adequately reflect its potential contribution to the policy to combat poverty and social exclusion, the economy and the European social model and, more generally, do not match its role in responding to the consequences of the economic and social crisis; stresses, in particular, its demands and expectations in relation to the recognition of SSGI, as reaffirmed in the resolution of the European Parliament on the future of social services of general interest adopted on 5 June 2011 (A7-0239/2011); notes the proposals for a revision of the Community provisions on public procurement procedures and state aid, and recalls its demand for them to be adapted to the specific nature of the tasks of SSGIs and to the way in which they are organised; supports the creation of decent jobs and the provision of personalised job-seeking assistance via specialised training and placement agencies and social economy enterprises in view of their expertise in helping disadvantaged persons enter employment; reiterates its call for a framework directive on the quality and accessibility of social services of general interest, in particular in the areas of health, education, public transport, energy, water and communication; Note: A citation referring to the De Rossa report will be added by oral amendment, and amendment 312 will be voted on outside the compromise.
Amendment 83 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas, because our society is ageing, the number of dependent people will increase considerably in the near future,
Amendment T #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. AdvocatesRecommends the Member States to adopt a proactive decent housing policy in order to ensure universal access to decent, affordable housingquality housing at affordable prices or on preferential terms of purchase, and to prevent the loss thereof, with guaranteed access to services essential to health and safety, the lack of such housing being a serious affront to dignity, along with a proactive energy policy that steps up the use of renewable energies and boosts energy efficiency in order to combat energy poverty; calls for more attention to be paid to housing for migrants, who are often exploited and forced to live in sub- standard housing; recalls Protocol 26 annexed to the Treaty of Lisbon on social housing and calls for the provisions contained therein to be respected, in particular on the Member States’ freedom to organise social housing, including the question of financing; encourages the Member States to implement special housing programmes and opportunities for homeless people, in view of guaranteeing the most basic standards of living for the most vulnerable in society;
Amendment 84 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital F c (new)
Recital F c (new)
Fc. whereas the accessibility and quality of social services such as health, cultural, housing and education services are further factors that have an incidence on poverty,
Amendment 85 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital F d (new)
Recital F d (new)
Fd. whereas the fact of being homeless or without a decent home severely erodes human dignity and has major consequences in relation to all other rights,
Amendment V #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for the fight against child poverty to focus on prevention through the provision of equal access to high-quality early childhood serviceseducation and care services, in order to prevent children from starting school life with multiple disadvantages, and to other provisions for children (activity centres during the school period and holidays, etc., extracurricular, cultural, sports activities, etc.), ensuring that the network of such services and centres covers all areas adequately; calls for financial support for proven services and the systematic integration of family-support policies in all relevant areas of activity, combining a universal approach with targeted measures for the most vulnerable families, in particular the families of handicapped children, single-parent families and large families; calls for the relationship between parents and children to be given particular attention in programmes to combat poverty and social exclusion in order to prevent children being placed in care as a consequence of severe poverty;
Amendment X #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Points out that, according to the OECD, 20 to 40% of benefits are not taken up; calls on the Member States to evaluate their income support and social security benefit systems to avoid the creation of hidden poverty by increasing transparency, informing benefit recipients more effectively about their rights, establishing more effective advisory services, simplifying procedures and putting in place measures and policies to fight the stigma and discrimination associated with minimum income recipients;
Amendment Y #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Maintains that elderly care facilitiesprogrammes, including home care, must be developed and reviewed in all the Member States so as to prevent elderly people falling into exclusion or poverty and that financial support should also be provided if possible for families caring for the elderly, in line with achieving the sustainable society and with particular regard to active ageing and improving support for solidarity between generations and encouraging accessibility and solidarity and improving the quality of long-term care; calls on the Commission to assess whether a directive on carer’s leave could help achieve this;
Amendment 95 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Amendment 96 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas, according to the OECD, the proportion of social benefits unclaimed ranges between 20% and 40%,
Amendment 100 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas the principle of non- discrimination, including the rejection of social discrimination, is a cornerstone in the system of fundamental rights,
Amendment 105 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas pension policies are fundamental in any attempt to address poverty,
Amendment 116 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
La. whereas the first signs of a potential drop-out at school are an early warning sign of a recurring cycle of poverty,
Amendment 120 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas unemployment among young people, which is already higher than for other age groups, has exploded in the EU since the crisis; whereas this, in combination with demographic changes, will aggravate skills shortages,
Amendment 122 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas unemployment among young people, which is already higher than for other age groups, has exploded in the EU since the crisis, whereas getting a job does not mean escaping poverty, and whereas young people are especially susceptible to fall into the category of working poor,
Amendment 134 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)
Recital P a (new)
Pa. whereas housing and domestic energy costs are substantial household budget items which have increased over the last decade and must be taken into account as major factors increasing the risk of poverty,
Amendment 137 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital P b (new)
Recital P b (new)
Pb. whereas the inability of people living in poverty to make use of basic banking services, such as withdrawals, transfers or standing orders, is a considerable obstacle to their re-entry to the labour market and reintegration into society,
Amendment 138 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital P c (new)
Recital P c (new)
Pc. whereas public authorities may lose contact with citizens when they lose their housing, and this not only makes it much harder to help them, but also reveals an advanced stage in the process whereby the individual becomes excluded from society,
Amendment 155 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls for the Platform against poverty to also serve to bring together at European level the national organisations representing the groups most at risk of poverty that are not yet federated;
Amendment 160 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Calls for the Platform to be oriented towards achieving rights guaranteeing a dignified life for all, in the areas of employment, housing, protection of health, social security and an adequate standard of living, justice, education, training, culture and the protection of families and children;
Amendment 167 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls for regular, critical monitoring of the Member States’ progress towards achieving the poverty reduction target, and for the Member States to break this target down into sub-targets; calls for the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee to be involved in this monitoring;
Amendment 180 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for it to be made clear that the Commission will be legally accountable in the event that the horizontal social clause is not applied, and calls for the Commission to specify how the Platform will affect assessments of the implementation of that clause; calls for the social impact assessments of European policies to go into greater depth, even where those policies are not initiated by the Commission but by the European Council, as in the case of the Europ Plus pact; considers that such an in-depth analysis of the application of this clause will make it possible to avoid a levelling- down of social standards in Europe and to promote the development of a common social basis in Europe; calls for this social impact assessment to take account of the situation of the poorest people in Europe; considers that these assessments should involve the Commission’s departments responsible for social affairs ;
Amendment 185 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to identify more precisely the budget lines relevant to the Platform, particularly as regards the ESF and its contribution to this flagship initiative through the funding of political priorities such as preventing school drop- out and addressing poverty among children, women, older people and migrant workers;
Amendment 189 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Contests the Commission’s decision to review downwards, from EUR 500 million to EUR 113.5 million, the budget for the 2012 food distribution programme for the most deprived persons in the European Union.
Amendment 193 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the open method of coordination to be strengthened and applied correctly in the field of poverty, inter alia through the common evaluation of national strategies for social inclusion in order to promote and follow up the participation of local authorities, social economy enterprises and other local stakeholders in drawing up and implementing national strategic reports; stresses that, in this context, the work of the Council’s Social Protection Committee should continue to be taken into account;
Amendment 200 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls for the Platform to make it possible to map, as accurately as possible, the degree of access to these basic requirements (which vary in accordance with the places and groups concerned) as a function of the various systems for the provision of assistance to the poor;
Amendment 201 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6c. Calls for a set of indicators to be selected to make it possible to monitor trends in the number of people below the poverty threshold and ensure that the policies introduced benefit everyone, and not just those near the poverty threshold;
Amendment 202 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Calls on the Commission to specify the objectives and content of the Annual Convention of the European Platform against poverty, which might include exchanging best practice and directly involving people living in poverty; suggests that this meeting should last at least the whole week in which the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October) falls;
Amendment 203 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Amendment 204 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 e (new)
Paragraph 6 e (new)
6e. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the Platform takes account of the results of the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and the 2012 European Year of Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity;
Amendment 207 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for a timetable forWelcomes the Commission’s announcement of a Communication on implementing the Commission’s 2008 recommendation concerning the active inclusion strategy and calls for it to include, in particular, a timetable for implementing its three component strands;
Amendment 208 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Draws attention to the three component strands of the European strategy for the active inclusion of people excluded from the labour market set out in the Commission’s 2008 recommendation, namely: -sufficient income support: Member States should recognise the individual’s basic right to adequate resources and social assistance as part of a comprehensive and consistent drive to combat social exclusion; -inclusive labour markets: the Member States should provide persons whose condition renders them fit for work with effective help to enter or re-enter, and stay in, employment that corresponds to their work capacity; -access to quality services: the Member States should ensure those concerned receive appropriate social support to facilitate their economic and social inclusion;
Amendment 211 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls upon the European Commission to develop urgently an EU strategy on homelessness along the lines of the 2010 Joint Report of the Commission and the Council on Social Protection and Social Inclusion, the final recommendations of the European Consensus Conference on Homelessness (2010) and the European Parliament resolution on EU Homelessness Strategyx ; Calls on the European Commission to develop a detailed roadmap for the implementation of this strategy for the period 2011-2020; __________________ x to be adopted in July
Amendment 216 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Calls upon the Social Protection Committee to monitor every year the progress member states make on homelessness on the basis of the national thematic light year reports on homelessness (2009) and along the lines of the 2010 Joint Report of the Commission and the Council on Social Protection and Social Inclusion,
Amendment 219 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Supports the creation of decent jobs through vocational training and the provision of personalised job-seeking assistance, in particular for disadvantaged groups; access to validation of acquired experience and life-long training, in particular for disadvantaged groups, to help them to access decent jobs; regards it as essential, therefore, for life- long learning programmes to be implemented properly and developed, and for Member States to cooperate in the fields of education and vocational training;
Amendment 227 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Emphasises that the main concern of young people is to be autonomous, having access to health care and to a decent accommodation for a reasonable price, while being able to train themselves, work and fulfil themselves; therefore calls on member states to remove age-related discriminations regarding access to Minimum Income schemes such as excluding young people from Minimum Income schemes due to a lack of social security contributions;
Amendment 230 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Supports the creation of decent jobs and the provision of personalised job- seeking assistance via specialised training and placement agencies and social economy enterprises in view of their expertise in helping disadvantaged persons enter employment;
Amendment 234 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Emphasises that the transition from school, vocational training or higher education to employment must be better prepared and must follow on directly from education or training, therefore underlines the major importance to effectively implement the ‘European Youth Guarantee’ initiative and make it an instrument of active integration on the labour market; believes that social partners, local and regional authorities, and youth organisations should be involved in the development of a sustainable strategy to reduce youth unemployment, in which there must be formal recognition of qualifications obtained;
Amendment 237 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Calls on the Member States for increased resources to enable public employment services to operate effectively;
Amendment 238 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8c. Calls on the Commission to relax the rules and procedures for controlling the granting of compensation for the discharge of public service obligations, which place a heavy burden on local authorities which set up local public services to help the most deprived members of society;
Amendment 239 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8d. Points out that the increasing number of atypical employment contracts in most Member States tends to increase poverty; stresses, therefore, that in addition to vocational training and continuous training, the creation of new jobs must proceed on the basis of complying with the basic principles of the ILO and putting into practice the concept of decent work (including decent working conditions, the right to work, health and safety at work, social protection, arrangements for worker representation and dialogue with employees);
Amendment 240 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 e (new)
Paragraph 8 e (new)
8e. Supports the development of more inclusive education systems to tackle the problem of students dropping out and enable young people from disadvantaged social groups to reach a higher level of education, with a view to countering the intergenerational transmission of poverty;
Amendment 241 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 f (new)
Paragraph 8 f (new)
8f. Recommends pressing ahead with, and providing increased budgetary funding for, the European programmes which can help combat the various aspects of social exclusion, poverty and social and economic inequality, including health inequality (the research Framework Programme, the Progress programme, etc);
Amendment 245 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for equal rights and equal social protection for all workers in each Member State, whether they are Union citizens or third-country nationals;
Amendment 260 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recommends that the Member States introduce or further develop measures designed to help people with disabilities find jobs with private companienterprises, including social economy enterprises, or public bodies, so as to promote inclusion;
Amendment 266 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls for the Platform to work towards defining a special status for workers with disabilities which would guarantee their long-term employment,
Amendment 276 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Acknowledges the need to assess the impact of EU funds in terms of achieving the poverty reduction target, even where this is not their primary objective; maintains that priority must be given to projects that combine employment targets and strategies with active inclusion, such as projects designed to strengthen intergenerational solidarity at regional and local level;
Amendment 278 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the Commission to highlight and promote the central role of local authorities and, more particularly, local partnerships based on local authorities and social economy enterprises in tackling the root causes of poverty and exclusion, including through the ESF and the ERDF;
Amendment 285 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Considers that the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, under which specific and customised assistance can be provided for workers made redundant as a result of the current crisis or globalisation, should be allowed to continue operating beyond 2013 and that it should be fully funded by the European budget as regards both commitments and payments;
Amendment 301 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to initiate a Urges the Member States to reach an agreement in the Council on the horizontal anti-discrimination directive with a view to further eradicating discrimination;
Amendment 308 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls for the establishment of wage equality between men and women and for equal treatment of EU workers and third- country nationals;
Amendment 311 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the Commission’s desire to clarifypromote social economy actors – as defined in Parliament’s resolution of 19 February 2009 on the social economy – in particular by clarifying the legal framework applicable to social economy enterprises (for mutual societies, foundations and cooperatives) so that there are no obstacles hindering their contribution to poverty reduction, by proposing innovative and sustainable responses to citizens’ needs; is concerned, however, about the lack of reference to the Statute for a European Statute, given that the not-for-profit sector is a major actor in the fight against poverty;
Amendment 316 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls for a framework directive on the quality and accessibility of social services of general interest, in particular in the areas of health, education, public transport, energy, water and communication;
Amendment 323 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Advocates a proactive decent housing policy in order to ensure universal access to decentquality, affordable housing, the lack of which is a serious affront to dignity, along with a proactive energy policy that steps up the use of renewable energies and boosts energy efficiency in order to combat energy poverty;
Amendment 326 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Advocates a proactive housing policy in order to ensure universal access to decent, affordable housing, and to prevent the loss thereof, along with a proactive energy policy that steps up the use of renewable energies and boosts energy efficiency, which should be actively supported with European funds in a European economy which aspires to be smart and sustainable;
Amendment 334 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Reminds the link between living in deprived neighbourhoods, increasing poverty and social exclusion and increasing health problems; sees therefore the European interventions in deprived neighbourhoods as a cost- efficient way to combat exclusion and reduce health expenditure and calls the European Commission to strengthen those interventions in the next Cohesion Policy and other EU programmes;
Amendment 335 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Calls on the Platform to promote the exchange of best practice in order to prevent the public institutions losing contact with people who are homeless;
Amendment 336 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Calls on the Commission not to hinder the capacity of social housing organisations to include social diversity in their housing projects; calls, therefore, for the rules governing the operation of social services of general interest not to include a requirement to set a rigid ceiling on resources, otherwise there is a risk of their being reclassified as state aid;
Amendment 338 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15c. Draws attention to the major effort required of the EU and the Member States to reduce energy costs in household budgets, the former by ensuring security of supply to protect against major price fluctuations in the energy market, and the latter by strengthening their policies in support of household energy efficiency;
Amendment 349 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for the fight against child poverty to focus on prevention through the provision of access to high-quality early childhood education and care services, ensuring that the network of such services covers all areas adequately, for financial support for proven services and the systematic integration of family-support policies in all relevant areas of activity, combining a universal approach with targeted measures for the most vulnerable families, in particular the families of handicapped children, single-parent families and large families;
Amendment 355 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Points out that thousands of children are separated from their parents as a result of their living conditions (lack of housing) or because the parents are living in severe poverty (material, social and cultural) and have not received the necessary support to help them fulfil their parental responsibilities;
Amendment 362 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Welcomes the Commission’s desire to bring forward a recommendation on child poverty in 2012;
Amendment 378 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Calls on the Member States to evaluate their social security benefit systems to avoid non-take-up and the creation of hidden poverty by increasing transparency, providing more effective information, establishing more effective advisory services, simplifying procedures and putting in place measures and policies to fight the stigma and discrimination associated with minimum income recipients;
Amendment 379 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Amendment 381 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Calls on the Commission to assess the role of high indebtedness in poverty and to promote an exchange of best practice within the Platform on the means to tackle high indebtedness;
Amendment 388 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Maintains that elderly care facilities must be developed in all the Member States so as to prevent elderly people falling into exclusion or poverty, and calls on the Commission to assess whether a directive on carer’s leave could help achieve this;
Amendment 395 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Calls on the Commission to take into account Parliament's report on the green paper on the future of pensions in Europe;
Amendment 396 #
2011/2052(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Recommends that the Member States should establish an adequate minimum pension which allows the elderly to live in dignity;
Amendment 35 #
2011/0389(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) In order to preserve the rights of the parties concerned when the competent authorities of Member States cooperate with the competent authorities of third countries on the exchange of audit working papers or other relevant documents for the assessment of the quality of the audit performed, Member States should ensure that the working arrangements entered into by their competent authorities based on which any exchange of such papers takes place comprise enough safeguards to protect the business secrecy, commercial interests, including the industrial and intellectual property rights of the audited entities. Member States shall ensure that those arrangements comply and are compatible with the provisions of Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and of the free movement of such data.
Amendment 155 #
2011/0389(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – point 20
Article 1 – point 20
Directive 2006/43/EC
Article 43 b– paragraph 3
Article 43 b– paragraph 3
For the purposes of this Article, a “limited reviewassurance engagement” means a procedure undertaken by a statutory auditor or audit firmprofessional or firm that has the qualifications as defined and recognised by Member states, with a view to detecting misstatements due to error or fraud in the financial statements of an entity and which provides a lower level of assurance than statutory audit.
Amendment 161 #
2011/0389(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – point 23 – point -a (new)
Article 1 – point 23 – point -a (new)
Directive 2006/43/EC
Article 47 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 47 – paragraph 1 – point b
(-a) in paragraph 1, point (b) is replaced by the following: (b) the transfer takes place via the home competent authorities to the competent authorities of that third country and upon their reasoned request;
Amendment 162 #
2011/0389(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – point 23 – point aa (new)
Article 1 – point 23 – point aa (new)
Directive 2006/43/EC
Article 47 – paragraph 2 – point d
Article 47 – paragraph 2 – point d
(aa) in paragraph 2, point (d) is replaced by the following: (d) the request from a competent authority of a third country for audit working papers or other documents held by a statutory auditor or audit firm can be refused: – where the provision of those working papers or documents would adversely affect the sovereignty, security or public order of the Community or of the requested Member State, or – where the guarantees offered by the competent authorities of the third country in order to protect the business secrecy and commercial interests, including the industrial and intellectual property rights, of the audited entities are deemed insufficient by the competent authorities of the Member State, or – where judicial proceedings have already been initiated in respect of the same actions and against the same persons before the authorities of the requested Member State.
Amendment 167 #
2011/0389(COD)
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – point 23 – point ca (new)
Article 1 – point 23 – point ca (new)
Directive 2006/43/EC
Article 47 – paragraph 6
Article 47 – paragraph 6
(ca) paragraph 6 is replaced by the following: Member States shall communicate to the Commission the working arrangements referred to in paragraphs 1 and 4. The Commission shall ensure, in particular, the conformity thereof with the provisions of Directive 95/46/EC.
Amendment 18 #
2011/0386(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1 a (new)
Recital 1 a (new)
(1 a) Pursuant to Article 9 TFEU, the Union shall take into account requirements linked to the promotion of 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 when defining and implementing its policies and activities.
Amendment 22 #
2011/0386(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3 a (new)
Recital 3 a (new)
(3 a) The European Council, meeting on 17 June 2010, adopted a new strategy for jobs and growth, the EU2020 strategy, to enable the Union to emerge stronger from the crisis, and to turn its economy towards smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, accompanied by a high level of quality employment, productivity and social cohesion.
Amendment 36 #
2011/0386(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) Biased and unrealistic macroeconomic and budgetary forecasts can considerably hamper the effectiveness of budgetary planning and consequently impair commitment to budgetary discipline. Forecasts from independent bodies canould provide unbiased and more realistic macroeconomic forecasts.
Amendment 39 #
2011/0386(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) As demonstrated by the sovereign debt crisis, and in particular by the need to put in place common financial backstops, Member States whose currency is the euro share enhanced spillovers from their budgetary policy. Each of the Member States whose currency is the euro should consult the Commission and other Member States whose currency is the euro before the adoption of any major fiscal policy reform plans with potential spillover effects, so as to give the possibility for an assessment of possible impact for the euro area as a whole. They should consider their budgetary plans to be of common concern and submit them to the Commission for monitoring purposes in advance of the plans becoming binding. The Commission should be in a position, if necessary, to adopt an opinion on the draft budgetary plan, that the Member State and in particular budgetary authorities should be invited to take into account in the process of the budget law adoption. Such an opinion should ensure that Union's policy guidance in the budgetary area is appropriately integrated in the national budgetary preparations. In particular, this opinion should include an assessment of whether or not the budgetary plans appropriately address the EU 2020 growth, employment and social targets as well as the recommendations issued in the context of the European semester in the budgetary area. The Commission should stand ready to present this opinion to the Parliament of the Member State concerned at its request. The extent to which this opinion has been taken into account should be part of the assessment, if and when the conditions are met, leading to the decision to place the concerned Member State in excessive deficit procedure, where no follow-up to the early guidance from the Commission should be considered as an aggravating factor. Also, based on an overall assessment of the plans by the Commission, the Eurogroup should discuss the budgetary situation and prospects for the euro area.
Amendment 46 #
2011/0386(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) In order to enhance the dialogue between the Union institutions, in particular the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, and to ensure greater transparency and accountability, the competent committee of the European Parliament may offer the opportunity to the Member State concerned by a Commission recommendation as well as the social partners of that Member State to participate in an exchange of views,
Amendment 50 #
2011/0386(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 1 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. The application of this Regulation shall fully respect Articles 153(3) and 152 TFEU and the decisions taken under this Regulation shall respect the principles of subsidiarity and social dialogue and the competences of Member States and social partners with regard to wage formation and pension provision. The application of this Regulation complies with Article 28 of the Charter on Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and does not affect the right to negotiate, conclude or implement collective agreements, as well as the right to collective actions, with due respect to national collective bargaining practices or national law.
Amendment 65 #
2011/0386(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 3 – point a a (new)
Article 5 – paragraph 3 – point a a (new)
(a a) the impact of the draft budgetary plan with regard to the EU 2020 growth, employment and social targets.
Amendment 81 #
2011/0386(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3
Article 6 – paragraph 3
3. The Commission shall make an overall assessment of the budgetary situation and prospects in the euro area as a whole. The assessment shall be made public, as well as their effects with regard to the EU 2020 growth, employment and social targets.
Amendment 86 #
2011/0386(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Member State shall report regularly to the Commission and to the Economic and Financial Committee or any sub-committee it will designate for that purpose, for the general government and its sub-sectors, the in-year budgetary execution, the budgetary impact of discretionary measures taken on both the expenditure and the revenue side, targets for the government expenditure and revenues, as well as information on the measures adopted and their impact with regard to the EU 2020 growth, employment and social targets as well as the nature of those envisaged to achieve the targets. The report shall be made public.
Amendment 91 #
2011/0386(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 a (new)
Article 10 a (new)
Article 10 a Consistency with the Union's growth and employment objectives This Regulation shall neither acquit a Member State to fulfil its obligations with regard to the growth, employment and social targets of the EU 2020 strategy nor to disregard or neglect its general obligation to promote a high level of employment, to guarantee adequate social protection and to fight social exclusion in accordance with Article 9 TFEU.
Amendment 92 #
2011/0386(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2 – point b a (new)
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2 – point b a (new)
(b a) the effects of this Regulation with regard to growth, employment and social targets of the EU2020 strategy.
Amendment 27 #
2011/0385(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) The unprecedented global crisis that and the downturn in economic activity thast hit the world over the last three years hasve seriously damaged economic growth and financial stability and provoked a strong deterioration in financial, economic and social conditions and increased the government deficit and debt position of the Member States, leading a number of them to seek financial assistance outside the framework of the Union.
Amendment 32 #
2011/0385(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1 a (new)
Recital 1 a (new)
(1 a) All policies of the European Union have to be consistent with the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which grants both individual and collective rights to citizens. Besides, the EU and its Member States should respect the main principles of the core conventions of the International Labour Organisation, which protects the basic rights of all workers.
Amendment 42 #
2011/0385(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) A decision regarding the non- compliance of a Member State with its adjustment programme would also entail a suspension of payments or commitments of Union funds as provided by Article 21(6) of Regulation (EU) No XXX laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European SociMember States which are experiencing or threatened with serious difficulties with regard to their financial stability and/or which receive or could receive financial assistance are dependent upon European solidarity. The EU's Structural Fund,s and the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund cove can make a vital contribution to ensuring that, even where there are financial constraints, investment to achieve the Europe 2020 growth, employment and social targets still occurs. A draft adjustment programme could therefored by the common strategic framework and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Socie coupled to a request from the Member State concerned in order to receive a temporary increase in payments or in payments of the final balance from the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006,
Amendment 46 #
2011/0385(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 1 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Application of this Regulation complies with Articles 153(3) and 152 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Decisions taken pursuant to this Regulation shall respect the principle of subsidiarity, social dialogue, and the competences of the Member States and of management and labour in regard to wage formation and the provision of pensions. Application of this Regulation complies with the Article 28 of the Charter on Fundamental Rights of the European Union, and doesn't affect the right to negotiate, conclude or implement collective agreements, as well as the right to collective actions, with due respect to national collective bargaining practices or national law.
Amendment 51 #
2011/0385(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 3 – point d a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 3 – point d a (new)
(d a) communicate to the European Parliament, the Commission and the national parliaments information on public investment in achieving the growth, employment and social targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy.
Amendment 66 #
2011/0385(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5
Article 5
Where financial assistance is sought from the EFSF or the ESM, the Commission shall prepare – in liaison with the ECB and wherever possible, the IMF - an analysis of the sustainability of the government debt of the Member State concerned, including the Member State's ability to repay the envisaged financial assistance while still achieving its targets in regard to growth and poverty levels of the Union and employment strategy, and forward it to the EFC, the EMCO and the SPC or to any subcommittee the lasaid committeres may designate for that purpose.
Amendment 67 #
2011/0385(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1
Article 6 – paragraph 1
1. A Member State receiving financial assistance from one or several other States, the IMF, the EFSF or the ESM shall prepare in agreement with the Commission - acting in liaison with the ECB - a draft adjustment programme aimed at re- establishing a sound and sustainable economic and, social, financial and employment situation and restoring its capacity to finance itself fully on the financial markets. TWithout prejudice to Article 9 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, as well as the Europe 2020 growth, employment and social targets, the draft adjustment programme shall take due account of the current recommendations addressed to the Member State concerned under Articles 121, 126 and/or 148 of the Treaty- and its actions to comply with them - while aiming at broadening, strengthening and deepening the required policy measures. A draft adjustment programme may therefore be coupled to a request from the Member State concerned to receive a temporary increase in payments or in payments of the final balance from the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund.
Amendment 56 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Title 1
Title 1
Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the European Globalisation, Crisis and Restructuring Adjustment Fund (2014 - 2020-2020) (This amendment applies throughout the text)
Amendment 57 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Title 1
Title 1
Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the European GlobalisationCrisis Adjustment Fund (2014 - -2020) (This amendment applies throughout the text)
Amendment 58 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Title 1
Title 1
Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the European GlobalisationRestructuring Adjustment Fund (2014 - 2020) (This amendment applies throughout the text)
Amendment 59 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
– having regard to Directive [...] of the European Parliament and of the Council on information and consultation of workers, anticipation and management of restructuring,
Amendment 66 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3 a (new)
Recital 3 a (new)
(3a) The European Monitoring Centre on Change, which operates under the aegis of Eurofound in Dublin, should be asked to carry out the requisite qualitative and quantitative analysis of the social and economic situation in the various sectors being restructured and the various geographical areas concerned, as well as the added value of the active labour market measures funded by the EGF,
Amendment 86 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) Redundant workers should have equal access to the EGF independently of their type of employment contract or employment relationship. Therefore, workers with fixed term contracts and temporary agency workers made redundant as well as owner-managers of micro, small and medium-sized- enterprises, and self- employed workers who cease their activities and farmers who change or adjust their activitiesor change their existing activities or adjust them to a new market situation following trade agreements, should be regarded as redundant workers for the purposes of this Regulation.
Amendment 93 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) Regarding farmers, tThe scope of the EGFFund should include beneficiaries affected by bilateral agreements concluded by the Union in accordance with Article XXIV of the GATT or multilateral agreements concluded within the World Trade Organisation. This covers farmers changing or adjusting their previous agricultural activities within a period starting upon initialling of such trade agreements and ending three years after their full implementalso include supporting, in accordance with suitably modified procedures, workers in enterprises in specific sectors facing serious economic disruption which places the jobs of a significant number of workers in one or more regions or countries at risk through restructuring operation.s;
Amendment 131 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 2
Article 1 – paragraph 2
The aim of the EGF shall be to contribute to economic growth and employment in the Union by enabling the Union to show solidarity towards workers made redundant as a result of major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation, trade agreements affecting agriculture, or an unexpected crisis, and to provide financial support for their rapid reintegration into employment, or for changing or adjusting their agricultural activitiectivities, but also by supporting workers in enterprises in specific sectors facing serious economic disruption which places the jobs of a significant number of workers in one or more regions or countries at risk through restructuring operations.
Amendment 135 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 3
Article 1 – paragraph 3
Actions benefiting from financial contributions by the Fund pursuant to Article 2(a), (b) and (bc) shall aim to ensure that a minimum of 50 % of workers participating in these actions find stustainable employment within a year from the date of applicationby the end of the implementation period.
Amendment 149 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) workers changing or adjusting their previous agricultural activities during a period starting upon initialling of the trade agreement by the Union containing trade liberalisation measures for the relevant agricultural sector and ending three years after the full implementation of these measures and provided that these trade measures lead to a substantial increase in Union imports of an agricultural product or products accompanied by a significant decrease in prices of such products at the Unin sectors which face serious economic disruption and receive increased sectoral support following a Commission Decision in accordance with the provisions or, where relevant, the national or regional levelf Article 4(3).
Amendment 154 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point d
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point d
(d) '‘a worker'’ means owner-managers of micro, small and medium-sized -enterprises and self-employed workers (including farmers) and all members of the household active in the business, provided that, if farmers, they were already producing the output affected by the relevant trade agreement before the measures concerning the specific sector were implemented.
Amendment 162 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
(da) ‘restructuring operation’ means any re-organisation of the structure, work processes and organisation of the location with a quantitative or qualitative impact on employment;
Amendment 175 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 3
Article 4 – paragraph 3
3. As regards farmers, when, after a trade agreement is initialled andWhen the Commission considers, on the basis of the information, data and analyses available to it, the Commission considers that the conditions for suppand after consulting the European industry concerned and the social partner organisations, that a specific sectort in accordance with Article 2(c) are likely to be met fors facing serious economic disruption which places the jobs of a significant number of farmworkers, it shall adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 24 designating the eligible sectors or products, defining the affected geographical areas where appropriate, setting a maximum amount for potential support at Union leveln one or more regions or countries at risk through restructuring operations, it shall adopt a Decision designating the sector concerned, defining the affected geographical areas, setting reference periods and eligibility conditions for farmworkers and stipulating the nature of, and eligibility dates for, expenditure as well as establishing the deadline by which applications must be submitted and, if necessary, the content of these applications, in accordance withddition to those provided for in Article 8(2).
Amendment 178 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 4
Article 4 – paragraph 4
4. Where owner-managers of micro, small and medium-sized- enterprises and self- employed workers change or, in the case of farmers,(including farmers) change or adjust their previous activities, such situations shall be considered as redundancies for the purposes of this Regulation.
Amendment 191 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point c
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) For owner-managers of micro, small and medium-sized- enterprises and self- employed workers (including farmers), the redundancy shall be counted either from the date of cessation of, or change in, the activities caused by any of the conditions set out in Article 2, and determined in accordance with national law or administrative provisions, or from the date specified by the Commission in the delegated actDecision adopted in accordance with the Article 4(3).
Amendment 197 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point c
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) farmers changing or adjusting their previous agricultural activities following the initialling by the Union of a tradworkers in a severely disrupted sector, as defined by the Commission decision in accordance with Article 4(3), who are at risk of redundancy, or have aglreement referred to in the delegated act taken in accordance with Article 4(3).ady been made redundant, in the circumstances specified in this Regulation,
Amendment 222 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 1
Article 8 – paragraph 1
1. The Member State shall submit a complete application to the Commission within a period of 12 weeks from the date on which the criteria set in Article 4(1) or (2) are met or, where applicable, before the deadline set by the Commission in accordance with Article 4(3). In exceptional and duly justified circumstances the application may be supplemented with additional information by the applicant Member State within six month12 weeks from the date of application, following which the Commission shall assess the application on the basis of the available information. The Commission shall complete its assessment of the application within twelvesix weeks of the date of receipt of a complete application or (in the case of an incomplete application) six month18 weeks after the date of the initial application, whichever is the earlier.
Amendment 229 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 2 – point a
Article 8 – paragraph 2 – point a
(a) a reasoned analysis of the link between the redundancies and the major structural changes in world trade patterns, or the serious disruption of the local, regional or national economy caused by an unexpected crisis, or the new market situation in the agricultural sector in the Member State and resulting from the effects of a trade agreement initialled by the European Union in accordance with Article XXIV of the GATT or a multilateralsector resulting from the effects of a multilateral trade agreement initialled within the World Trade Organisation as per Article 2(c). This analysis shall be based on statistical and other information at the most appropriate level to demonstrate the fulfilment of the intervention criteria set out in Article 4;
Amendment 251 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 1
Article 13 – paragraph 1
1. The Commission shall, on the basis of the assessment carried out in accordance with Article 8(3), particularly taking into account the number of targeted workers, the proposed actions and the estimated costs, evaluate and propose as quickly as possible the amount of a financial contribution, if any, that may be made within the limits of the resources available. The amount may not exceed 50 % of the total of the estimated costs referred to in Article 8(2)(e) or 65 % of these costs in the case of applications submitted by a Member State on the territory of which at least one region at NUTS II level is eligible under the "Convergence" objective of the Structural Funds. The Commission, in its assessment of such cases, will decide whether the 65 % co- funding rate is justified.:
Amendment 257 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point a (new)
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point a (new)
(a) 65 % of the total of the estimated costs referred to in Article 8(2)(e), or
Amendment 260 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point b (new)
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point b (new)
(b) 75% of these costs in the case of applications submitted by a Member State on the territory of which at least one region at NUTS II level belongs to the category of ‘Less developed regions’ as laid down in Regulation XX/XXXX, or
Amendment 264 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point c (new)
Article 13 – paragraph 1 – point c (new)
(c) 80% of these costs in the case of applications submitted by a Member State receiving financial assistance under one of the conditions laid down in Article 77 of Regulation (EC) No 1083/20061 or from the European Financial Stability Facility;
Amendment 272 #
2011/0269(COD)
Proposal for a regulation
Article 14 – paragraph 1
Article 14 – paragraph 1
Expenditure shall be eligible for a financial contribution from the dates set out in Article 8(2)(hf) on which the Member State starts the personalised services to the targeted workers or the administrative expenditure to implement the EGF in accordance with Article 7(1) and (3) respectively. In the case of farmersincreased sectoral support, expenditure shall be eligible for a contribution from the date set in the delegated act taken in accordance with Article 4(3).
Amendment 84 #
2011/0177(APP)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Considers that EU cohesion policy is a strategic tool for investment, growth and competitiveness, with an undisputed EU added value; insists that, in order to effectively reduce macroeconomic imbalances within the EU and contribute to economic, social and territorial cohesion, it should be able to rely on a stable, solid and sustainable financial framework; reaffirms its position that cohesion policy funding should be maintained at least at the level of the 2007-2013 period and that the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund should keep on behing accessible to all regions of the Union;
Amendment 105 #
2011/0177(APP)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Recognises the serious challenges that young people in the EU face with the economic crisis; considers that employment, education, training, mobility and the social inclusion of young Europeans are issues of strategic importance for the development of the EU and European society; insists on mainstreaming and prioritising these issues in all relevant policies financed from the EU budget, alongside the concrete youth- related instruments proposed by the Commission.Calls, therefore, for the creation of a ‘Youth Initiative Axis’ within the EU Programme for Social Change and Innovation, with its own funding to support specific innovative programmes as well as the exchange of best practice and mutual learing in order to fight youth unemployment, including the possibility of introducing a legally enforceable youth guarantee to ensure that every young person in Europe is offered a job, further education or work- focused training at the latest four months after leaving education or after becoming unemployed;
Amendment 107 #
2011/0177(APP)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Stresses that a programme for the most deprived persons, including emphasis on food poverty, should improve the situation of poor people in Europe; reminds the Commission of its commitment to submit, in good time, a legislative proposal in this regard in order to ensure continuity of the support for such a programme after 2014 on a new legal basis and with independent funding (over and above the 20 % of the ESF set aside for promoting social inclusion and combating poverty), with emphasis on facilitating organisations supporting the most needy and addressing the structural problem of food poverty, for instance supporting public authorities initiatives to reduce food waste;
Amendment 172 #
2011/0177(APP)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 50 a (new)
Paragraph 50 a (new)
50a. Points to the essential role played by the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) in combating the harmful effects of globalisation, industrial restructuring and unexpected crisis; recognises its added value as a crisis intervention instrument to help workers having lost their jobs to re-enter the labour market; stresses that the EGF must be continued and upgraded after 2014 as an instrument available, on equal terms, to all categories of workers; stresses the need to encourage the Member States to use the EGF to deliver on the EU 2020 targets, to manage restructuring and to promote new skills, including in connection with new, sustainable, high-quality jobs; stresses as well the need for a simplified and accelerated procedure regarding the payment of grants;
Amendment 1 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation -1 (new)
Citation -1 (new)
- having regard to the horizontal social clause in Article 9 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Amendment 4 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12
Citation 12
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the opinions of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs under Rule 50 of the Rules of Procedure, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (A7-0000/2010),
Amendment 5 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas people are nowadays entering the labour force at a later age due to longer and, for some, higher education, on average people leave the labour market earlier than the legal pension age, and longevity is increasingtheir working lives are punctuated by periods away from work, and they live longer,
Amendment 10 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas current data show that the number of people entering the labour market is declining (the EU population of a working age will start to shrink from 2012) and the number of pensioners is rising (in 2008 there will bere four EU citizens of working age for every one aged 65 or over, by 2020 this figure will be five to one, and by 2060 two to one); whereas this trend varies depending on demographic differences between Member States,
Amendment 15 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the financial crisis has led to a growth in unemployment, rising budget deficits in many Member States and problems in the financing of pensions (whether tax or otherwise funded), and has demonstrated the fragility of certain pension fund systems,
Amendment 18 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the goal of a 75% employment rate laid down in the EU2020 Strategy should help secure the sustainability of pension systems,
Amendment 19 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas a pension is a resource that lasts until the end of the insured person’s life, and not simply a method of capital formation,
Amendment 20 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the increasing prevalence of interim or precarious jobs is reducing contributions to pension systems and damaging the stability of those systems and the adequacy of future pensions,
Amendment 31 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Appreciates the holistic approach adopted by the Green Paper, which is intended to impart fresh impetus at national and EU level with the aim of safeguarding old-age pensions; notes, however, the restrictive conclusions regarding retirement age and the prominence given to the different pillars;
Amendment 52 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that Member States have to tackle both problems of common concern and those arising from very different socioeconomic and legal conditions, and face enormous challenges in ensuring that pensions meet citizens’ expectations;
Amendment 61 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Sorely misses any mention of SMEs, which are one of the main sources of employment in the EU and can, must and wish to make a major contribution to the sustainability and adequacy of pension systems by creating intersectoral or territorial funds capable of establishing a link between SMEs; stresses that the creation of such intersectoral or territorial funds would make it possible to affiliate temporary workers and thus make them more fully involved in financing pension systems;
Amendment 67 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Observes that sound economic and social policies make an important contribution to growth, notably by preserving social cohesion and consumption, to growth, job creation and stability;
Amendment 78 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers that long-term investment in pension systems requires a positive approach as part of economic governance and more particularly in the Stability and Growth Pact, and in the European Union’s financial and corporate governance legislation;
Amendment 87 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that pensions and pension systems are and will continue to be a primary responsibility of the Member States;
Amendment 88 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that pensions and pension systems are a primary responsibility of the Member States; however, since the challenges and concerns as to their sustainability and adequacy are shared by all of the EU, considers it helpful to lay down some minimal common guidelines and a fully coordinated approach, so as to guide and promote more adequate and sustainable pension systems throughout the EU;
Amendment 90 #
2010/2239(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers that the increase insetting the retirement age needs to be correlated with life expectancy and working conditionsis an issue to be addressed according to the subsidiarity principle considering the variety of national, demographic and labour force situations, and taking into account life expectancy and working conditions among other factors; is of the opinion, however, that Member States should coordinate to the fullest possible extent their pension policy strategy, using, if appropriate, the Open Method of Coordination;
Amendment 94 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes that pay-as-you-go systems are those most based on solidarity as they guarantee equal access to entitlements for both sexes, for different categories of workers and for pensioners who devoted part of their career to taking care of dependents;
Amendment 101 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Observes that the EU lacks a set of common criteria and definitions which illuminate the various pension systems and their capacity to meet the needs of citizens, and that there is therefore a lack of transparent supervision applicable to all systems; stresses that the EU should primarily enhance the comparability of pension schemes and promote exchange of good practices.
Amendment 118 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Considers that the European Union, in accordance with its Charter of Fundamental Rights and particularly Article 23 thereof, should adopt framework principles to ensure that women have access to a decent pension;
Amendment 119 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Considers that the gender gap in pensions is the result of persistent inequalities on the labour market, such as the gender pay gap, the over- representation of women in precarious and part-time jobs and obstacles to combining professional and private life; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to continue their efforts to eradicate these inequalities and thus ensure long-term equal treatment for men and women with respect to pensions;
Amendment 124 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Considers that gender impact studies should be carried out to ensure that gender equality is at the core of any proposal on pension systems in Europe;
Amendment 130 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls for positive criteria to be used in calculating women's pensions, so as to ensure that the caring role they play receives due recognition;
Amendment 132 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Considers that the demographic challenge and pressure from the increasing ageing of the European population are also largely due to the current low birth rates; therefore believes that it should be a priority to opt for public policies to encourage the birth rate throughout the EU; to this end sees a need to strengthen support for mothers and the commitment to their inclusion in the employment market on equal terms, for reasons of both economic efficiency and social justice, backing up such measures with an integrated effort to create an employment market that will facilitate the work-life balance;
Amendment 134 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9b (new)
Paragraph 9b (new)
9b. Notes that many European citizens, particularly young people, are joining and even staying in the employment market as a result of the grant system, and regrets that this is still excluded from social security contributions;
Amendment 144 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Does not consider it possible to set an adequate pension at European level, because the amount required is very dependent on specific circumstances in the Member States; calls, however, on the Union to come up with criteria that make it possible for each Member State to establish a set of criteria to guarantee a minimum level of pensions;
Amendment 148 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Considers that assessment of the adequate minimum pension level in each Member State should also take account of the conditions of access to, and the quality and sufficient funding of, social services of general interest, especially social housing, and the cost of healthcare and of caring for dependent persons, so as to safeguard the dignity of older people;
Amendment 151 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Stresses that adequacy has to be guaranteed by the stability of public pension systems, by their fairness and by solidarity between genders and generations, and considers that it may be useful, at the same time, to introduce contractual generalization under the second pillar and tax incentives under the second and third pillar; these measures must be taken at the same time;
Amendment 158 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers that Member States are themselves responsible for making adequate pension provision for their citizens as part of their social and economic policies, at least maintaining pensions above the poverty threshold;
Amendment 167 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses that, within the diversity of pension systems and economic situations in Member States at different times, the general systems (first pillar) combined withsupplemented by a work-related systems (second pillar) afford the best guarantee ofor an adequate pension provisionscheme, provided that the second pillar is generally introduced and managed jointly;
Amendment 178 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Stresses that the financial organisation of pension systems and retirement schemes can also be improved if the Member States significantly increase the level of employment, by measures adapted to all social groups (young people, the elderly, women and the unemployed) and at the same time take steps to prevent job insecurity and combat undeclared labour;
Amendment 181 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Calls on the Member States to consider whether the pension systems and retirement schemes in place can be funded solely by the groups of people at present involved and, if need be, to ascertain whether other forms of revenue, for instance from capital or rental income, should not be taken into account to fund social security systems;
Amendment 185 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses that the sustainability and adequacy of pension systems are certainly also affected by the third pillar, namely individual savings, facilitated or otherwise;
Amendment 204 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Notes that national budgets are under severe pressure and that many Member States are reviewing the efficiency of expenditure; calls on Member States toConsiders that in view of the current budgetary pressure social spending has played a significant economic and social role in softening the effect of the crisis; considers introducing compensation so that all taxpayers who cannot achieve the level of ambition in the first and second pillars are entitled to a supplementary offset of pension contributions in the second pillar or of contributions to private pension schemes in the this regard that pay-as-you- go schemes have demonstrated their fundamental role in creating solidarity within and between generations; also considers that the second and third pillar; notes that this could also help Member States to establish a three-pillar structureve a supplementary role to play in this regard;
Amendment 206 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Points out that because of the financial crisis, several Member States are planning to introduce changes to their pension systems; urges them, however, to ensure that pension systems remain stable, reliable and sustainable, and that all changes are made after adequate social dialogue and on the basis of the provision of sufficient information; advocates that, if choices can be made by employees, enough time should be provided for them to make informed and well thought-out decisions;
Amendment 208 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Stresses that inflation and speculation damages the sustainability and adequacy of pension systems;
Amendment 216 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Points out that postponing the statutory retirement age would to a large extent only displace the pressure on national budgets, from the pensions heading to that for unemployment benefits or the minimum wage;
Amendment 217 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Observes that budgetary consolidation in the Member States must not result in cuts in social security systems and pensions;
Amendment 219 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Considers that tax evasion has become a worrying phenomenon and must be combated as effectively as possible, because it undermines the future adequacy and stability of pension systems;
Amendment 221 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Points out that the spread of interim or precarious jobs may have a harmful impact on the adequacy and stability of pensions, particularly for young people, who often have breaks in their careers and contribution paths;
Amendment 226 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Considers that, in view of demographic trends, and the consequent need to ensure that pensions can be paid for, are not uniform throughout the European Union; but believes it is necessary for more people to participate in the labour market and to do so for longer; observes that life expectancy is growing and calls on Member States to consider linking the statutory retirement age to life expectancy, which requires a concerted effort in terms of combating unemployment, achieving a proper work-life balance and addressing immigration;
Amendment 240 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Opposes any automatic adjustment of the age of entitlement to retirement pensions following the future trend in life expectancy and harmonisation of the statutory retirement age;
Amendment 245 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Considers that in view of the demographic challenge Member States should together consider, as part of the open method of coordination, the desirability of each of them establishing new sources of funding for public pension schemes beyond the work-related resources;
Amendment 254 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes that there are major disparities in the statutory retirement age and in the actual age at which older people cease to be employed; observes that these disparities are especially salient for employees in the most onerous occupational categories; calls on Member States and the two sides of industry, therefore, to exchange information about good experiences and to conclude agreements leading to a prolongation of working life, for example by rewarding people who work for longerparticularly for those employees with the most burdensome and physically demanding jobs; observes in this context that it would be reasonable for Member States to reward people who work for longer, but stresses that any reward system must be fair and balanced, fully taking into account the varying conditions for working until a late age across Member States;
Amendment 257 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes that there are major disparities in the statutory retirement age and in the actual age at which older people cease to be employed; calls on Member States and the two sides of industry, therefore, to exchange information about good experiences and to conclude agreements leading to athe voluntary prolongation of working life, for example by rewarding people who work for longer and by penalising companies which make older workers redundant before the statutory retirement age; calls on the Commission to run information campaigns for citizens, and more particularly for management and human resource managers, to counteract the mistaken idea that experienced workers are less productive; calls for the maintenance of, if not an increase in, the funding for lifelong learning programmes in future proposals for the EU’s annual budget;
Amendment 263 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Notes that working life should not only be prolonged at both ends, but also in the middle; stresses that employment and decent work are the best tools for prolonging careers;
Amendment 268 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Considers that, for older employees performing physically and/or mentally demanding work, a labour market geared to flexibility and security must offer older employees creative solutions such as greater flexibility in the statutory retirement age, part-time pensions or adapted working conditions, with the emphasis on ability to work, to strike a lasting balance between the requirements of employment and the capacities of workers; considers there to be a need for an active policy to prevent discrimination on grounds of age; considers that particular attention must be paid to the extent to which work is physically or mentally demanding when calculating the years of pensionable service required for a full pension;
Amendment 272 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Considers that, for older employees performing physically and/or mentally demanding work, a labour market geared to flexibility and security must offer creative solutions such as greater flexibility in the statutory retirement age, part-time pensions or adapted working conditions, with the emphasis on ability to work, to strike a lasting balance between the requirements of employment and the capacities of workers; considers there to be a need for an active policy to prevent discrimination on grounds of age; observes furthermore that reductions in earned income, breaks in gainful employment, for example for purposes of education or to act as a carer, qualification measures and unemployment arising through no fault of one’s own, must be taken into greater account as prime causes of the risk of poverty in old age;
Amendment 290 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Regrets that the 2020 Strategy devotes no explicit attention to decent, sustainable and adequate pension systems;
Amendment 296 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Considers that, if the 2020 Strategy is successful, this will mean that more people are in work and a strong labour market policy is pursued, this will mean that more people are employed in jobs which entail payment of compulsory social security contributions and are not precarious and that economic growth will benefit from this, thus enhancing the sustainability of pension systems;
Amendment 306 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Supports, in accordance with the 2020 Strategy, a targeted and active labour market policy which will lead to increased participation in employment on the part of older workers, women, members of minority groups, young people making the transition from school to work, disabled people and the long-term unemployed;
Amendment 308 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Supports, in accordance with the 2020 Strategy, a targeted and active labour market policy which will lead to increased participation in employment on the part of older workers, women, young people, members of minority groups and the long- term unemployed;
Amendment 314 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Considers that pension schemes cannot serve as adjustment variables to meet the objectives of the stability and growth pact and that the aim of any reform of pension schemes should be to preserve their long-term sustainability;
Amendment 316 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Considers it a relevant point that the Member States should manage to safeguard an adequate level of pay, as laid down in the EU 2020 Strategy, since adequate pay levels, through their respective contributions, also help to safeguard adequate pension schemes;
Amendment 318 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Considers that the Ecofin Council cannot pre-empt the debate on the future of pensions from the short-term point of view of bringing public finances back into balance;
Amendment 365 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Considers that, because of the diversity and complexity of the various second-pillar systems, conditions need to be laid down concerning the portability of acquired pension entitlements in the sense that portability begins when new contracts are concluded, an application for transfer being approved only if the actuarial sum transferred is to be placed in a fund whose purpose is payment of old-age pensions; considers that tax must be calculated and paid in the Member State where the entitlements have been accumulated; with regard to cross-border issues, the clear focus of EU activity should be on developing minimum standards for the acquisition and preservation of pension rights and on facilitating the establishment of national tracking systems for those rights;
Amendment 373 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Notes that in many Member States the importance of second-pillar pension provision has been recognised, and that it must also bethe EU can add value by providing coordination between the various schemes and encouraging Member States to ensured that such provision meets European conditions and criteria applicable to second-pillar provisa framework is in place which adequately protects pension plan members and guarantees access to pension information;
Amendment 388 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Considers that the second pillar must be available to all employees by right, without any discrimination on grounds of sex, age, sector and/or employment contract;
Amendment 399 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls on the Commission to investigate how employees’ right to participate in the second pillar can be facilitated and to make proposals, through enhanced social dialogue, for developing such a pillar where it does not yet exist and a method of governance to ensure that it is managed jointly, particularly with regard to its savings investment strategy;
Amendment 401 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Points out that some pension funds have short-term profit strategies which destroy jobs and thus create difficulties in funding the pension schemes; therefore stresses the need for pension funds to change their investment strategy and make socially responsible investments in the real economy;
Amendment 403 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27b (new)
Paragraph 27b (new)
27b. Stresses that solvency supervision of pension funds must be based on risks and must require prudence in all cases and at all levels;
Amendment 407 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on the Member States to support the development of a social dialogue in the field of old-age pension provision and to take full account of the results of this dialogue;
Amendment 409 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on the Member States to support the development of a social and civic dialogue in the field of old-age pension provision;
Amendment 415 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Considers that the EU rules concerning the third pillar and its smooth cross-border functioning must be examined in the light of the proper functioning of the internal market, particularly for financial products, and the creation of a level playing field; underlines that this re- examination of the rules must take account of the interests of members of pension schemes;
Amendment 432 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Is concerned about the inadequate information provided to the public by public authorities and bodies administering pensions concerning the necessity, possibilities, accumulated entitlements, likely results and actual state of affairs with regard to old-age pensions; calls on the Commission and Member States to launch campaigns to enable and encourage members of the public to take measures to ensure adequate pension provision for themselves;
Amendment 442 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Considers that the information provided to individual members of the public in Member States and by funds concerning the accumulated entitlements commonly recorded in a national pensions register should be more transparent, accessible and linked at European level;
Amendment 446 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Considers that, w members of then pension provision is reublic must be promptly and fully informed, or when there is a changeover from a promisedf the consequences of a reform of pension to a promvised pension arrangemeion, particularly concerning the amount, or from a final salary to a mean salary system, the public must be promptly and fully informed of the consequencesf their own pension and the total number of years of pension contributions due;
Amendment 450 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Considers that, when pension provision is reformed, or when there is a changeover from a promised pension to a promised pension arrangement, or from a final salary to a mean salary system, the public must be promptly and fully informed of the long- term consequences;
Amendment 454 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Considers that, in the further debate on an adequate, safe and sustainable pension system, it would be helpful to establish a pensions platform on which stakeholdinvolving representatives of EU institutions, the social partners arend represented whlevant stakeholders to contribute information about best practices and help to prepare policy initiatives;
Amendment 457 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Considers that, in the further debate on an adequate, safe and sustainable pension system, it would be helpful, while observing the principle of subsidiarity, to establish a pensions platform on which stakeholders are represented who contribute information about best practices and help to prepare policy initiatives;
Amendment 460 #
2010/2239(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Calls on the Commission to encourage an exchange between Member States of statistical methods and ways to analyse the sustainability of pension schemes to achieve better coordination in this area;
Amendment 2 #
2010/2165(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the fact that, in the context of mobilising the EGF, an alternative source of payment appropriations to unused ESF funds, has been proposed by the Commission, following the frequent reminders by the European Parliament that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that appropriate budget lines for transfers must therefore be identified for the year 2010;
Amendment 2 #
2010/2164(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the fact that, in the context of mobilising the EGF, an alternative source of payment appropriations to unused ESF funds, has been proposed by the Commission, following the frequent reminders by the European Parliament that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that appropriate budget lines for transfers must therefore be identified for the year 2010;
Amendment 2 #
2010/2163(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the fact that, in the context of mobilising the EGF, an alternative source of payment appropriations to unused ESF funds, has been proposed by the Commission, following the frequent reminders by the European Parliament that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that appropriate budget lines for transfers must therefore be identified for the year 2010;
Amendment 2 #
2010/2141(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the fact that, in the context of mobilising the EGF, an alternative source of payment appropriations to unused ESF funds, has been proposed by the Commission, following the frequent reminders by the European Parliament that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that appropriate budget lines for transfers must therefore be identified for the year 2010;
Amendment 2 #
2010/2136(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the fact that, in the context of mobilising the EGF, an alternative source of payment appropriations to unused ESF funds, has been proposed by the Commission, following the frequent reminders by the European Parliament that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that appropriate budget lines for transfers must therefore be identified for the year 2010;
Amendment 2 #
2010/2134(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the fact that, in the context of mobilising the EGF, an alternative source of payment appropriations to unused ESF funds, has been proposed by the Commission, following the frequent reminders by the European Parliament that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that appropriate budget lines for transfers must therefore be identified for the year 2010;
Amendment 2 #
2010/2133(BUD)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the fact that, in the context of mobilising the EGF, an alternative source of payment appropriations to unused ESF funds, has been proposed by the Commission, following the frequent reminders by the European Parliament that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that appropriate budget lines for transfers must therefore be identified for the year 2010;
Amendment 4 #
2010/2072(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas globalisation is a timeless phenomenon and whereas the impact of the economic crisis will continue to be felt after 2013,
Amendment 15 #
2010/2072(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Urges the Commission to enforce correctly Directive 2002/14/EC on informing and consulting employees and Directive 94/45/EC on the European works council in order to give the social partners all the tools to analyse the proposed redundancy or restructuring plan before it is announced and thus to enable them to play their full role in preparing the application;
Amendment 21 #
2010/2072(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Requests the Member States to put in place a communication and administration structure for the EGF at national level, in consultation with all stakeholders, particularly the social partners, and to exchange good practice at European level, which will allow the EGF to take rapid and effective action in cases of large-scale redundancies;
Amendment 33 #
2010/2072(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to evaluate the contributions granted with reference to, among other things: the beneficiaries' re- integration into employment; the difference between the number of potential beneficiaries and the number of workers that have received support; the disparities between Member States in terms of the funding provided per worker and the reasons for those disparities; compliance with the non-discrimination criterion with reference to the contractual position of the workers made redundant; the systems established by the Member States to assess needs for assistance from the fund and to prepare applications; the procedures for consulting the social partners that were or were not used when preparing applications and the checks carried out on their implementation; and the procedures for verifying the implementation of contributions and any repayments Member States are requested to make; calls on the Commission to reflect the findings of that evaluation in its proposal for the revision of the regulation;
Amendment 34 #
2010/2072(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to evaluate the contributions granted with reference to, among other things: the beneficiaries' re- integration into employment; the difference between the number of potential beneficiaries and the number of workers that have received support; the disparities between Member States in terms of the funding provided per worker and the reasons for those disparities; compliance with the non-discrimination criterion with reference to the contractual position of the workers made redundant; the procedures for consulting the social partners that were or were not used when preparing applications and, the checks carried out on their implementation and the way in which account is taken of the web of subcontractors and SMEs potentially affected by the redundancy plan, whose employees could derive benefit from the fund; and the procedures for verifying the implementation of contributions and any repayments Member States are requested to make; calls on the Commission to reflect the findings of that evaluation in its proposal for the revision of the regulation;
Amendment 34 #
2010/2072(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Urges the Member States to use the EGF to implement European objectives, to promote new skills for new, lasting, high- quality jobs and to promote lifelong learning, so as to allow workers to develop their individual careers and to contribute to improving the competitiveness of the EU in the context of globalisation;
Amendment 44 #
2010/2072(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Reminds undertakings of their responsibility to do all they can to ensure that workers can, right frombefore the start of their period of unemployment, authenticate their experience acquired, so as to ensure that their retraining is as specific and as rapid as possible and that they obtain new, stable jobs with a promising future in a sector which will remain viable;
Amendment 54 #
2010/2072(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Invites the Commission to present, in its annual report, statistics showing the effectiveness of the EGF and of training strategies aimed at getting people back to work, analysing the impact of the structure of the labour market on that effectiveness;
Amendment 57 #
2010/2072(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Requests the Commission to publish its data on the efficiency of use of the EGF in the interest of sound EU budgetary management, so as to allow Parliament to conduct an ex post controlparticularly the rate of reimbursement of the appropriations allocated and the explanation for it, so as to allow Parliament to conduct an ex post control and to consider the improvements to be made to the functioning of the fund;
Amendment 62 #
2010/2072(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Wishes the EGF to be made a permanent fund in the next multiannual financial framework, with its own commitment and payment appropriations, instead of on which depends on the non- utilisation or under-utilisation of appropriations from previous financial years; therefore requests the Commission to come forward with proposals for resourcing a permanent fund;
Amendment 8 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
- having regard to the Commission Communication of 3 October 2008 on a Commission Recommendation on the active inclusion of people excluded from the labour market,
Amendment 42 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas a global objective needs to be established, prioritising economic and social cohesion and the protection of fundamental human rights, which implies a balance between economic, employment, social and environmental policies and a fair redistribution of income and wealth, hence the need to draw up social impact studies for all decisions and to apply the horizontal social clause contained in the Lisbon Treaty,
Amendment 51 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas the role of social protection systems is to ensure the level of social cohesion needed for development guaranteeing social inclusion and mitigating the social repercussions of the financial crisis, which also implies improving the level of training of those people excluded from the labour market and guaranteeing equal opportunities in the exercise of fundamental rights,
Amendment 69 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights the need for concrete measures to effectively and significantly reduce poverty and social exclusion, ensuring a fair redistribution of income and wealth and also giving meaning and content to the European Year for Combating Poverty and to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, including guaranteeing an adequate minimum income throughout the European Union, in keeping with national collective bargaining practices or national law;
Amendment 88 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Commission to use its right of initiative to propose a framework directive establishing the principle of an adequate minimum income in Europe, to be determined on the basis of criteria common to all the Member States and in keeping with national collective bargaining practices or national law;
Amendment 89 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Emphasises the need, when the levels of minimum incomes are determined, for due account to be taken of the fact that workers have dependants, in particular children, the aim being to break the vicious circle of child poverty; takes the view, further, that the Commission should draw up an annual report on progress in the fight against child poverty;
Amendment 92 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Takes the view that adequate minimum income schemes must set minimum incomes at a level equivalent to at least 60% of average income in the Member State concerned;
Amendment 93 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Calls on the Council to adopt, by means of a statement, a clear position in favour of an adequate minimum income in Europe;
Amendment 96 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Notes that, if no Commission legislative proposal is forthcoming, the concept of an adequate minimum income can be promoted by means of closer cooperation among the Member States which support the idea and/or through incentives, such as a stipulation that the provision of assistance under the Structural Funds will be made contingent on the existence of such a minimum income in the Member State concerned;
Amendment 108 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for the promotion of social integration and inclusion, in order to guarantee protection of fundamental human rights, and clear commitments to draw up EU and national policies to combat poverty and social exclusion, by ensuring universal access to public health services, vocational education and training, housing and social protection, in addition to employment with rights, fair wages, decent pensions and an adequate minimum income for everyone, in keeping with national collective bargaining practices or national law; notes, further, that in the long term the more the Member States invest in these various policies the less need there will be for a system based on a minimum household income;
Amendment 114 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Takes the view that the Commission should study the impact which a legislative proposal it might submit concerning the introduction of an adequate minimum income at European level would have in each Member State; suggests, in particular, that any such study should examine the difference between the adequate minimum income and the minimum wage in the Member State concerned and the implications for jobseekers of the introduction of an adequate minimum income;
Amendment 122 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that the European Commission, in its ‘Europe 2020’ strategy document, announces that removing the risk of poverty for 20 million people is one of the EU’s five headline targets; believes that this absolute target should be at least doubledcombined with a target of reducing poverty by at least 25% in each Member State, in order to encourage every Member State to contribute to the task of achieving it, and made more credible with appropriate measures;
Amendment 147 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Believes that the various experiments with minimum incomes, accompanied by social integration measures, show that this is a further essential way of combating poverty and social exclusion; therefore calls on the European Commission to prepare an initiative supporting these experiments, taking into account best practices and ensuring an adequate minimum income throughout the European Union as a means to prevent poverty and guarantee social justice and equal opportunities for all, without calling into question the specific situations in each Member State, in keeping with national collective bargaining practices or national law;
Amendment 160 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses the urgent need to define and use appropriate economic and social indicators in various areas, such as (health, housing, education, income and(for example the Gini coefficient, which can be used to measure income gap trends), material privation or employment), which will allow the progress made in combating poverty and promoting social inclusion to be monitored and measured; states that these indicators should be presented annually on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October), should evolve as necessary and should include gender, age ranges, households, disability situations, immigration, chronic illness and various income levels (60% of median income; 50% of median income; 40% of median income) in order to take account of relative poverty, extreme poverty and the most vulnerable groups;
Amendment 167 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Takes the view that, in addition to measurements of reductions in poverty, and looking ahead to a possible Commission proposal on the introduction of an adequate minimum income, eligibility for this income should also be measured by means of common European indicators, on the understanding that such eligibility cannot be made contingent on nationality or age;
Amendment 168 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Takes the view that, in respect of the poverty reduction policies which accompany the establishment of an adequate minimum income in the Member States, the open method of coordination should be revised in order to make for a genuine exchange of best practices among the latter;
Amendment 177 #
2010/2039(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Urges those people in a state of poverty and, their representative organisations and the social partners to participate in the preparation and application of policies, measures and indicators at European, national, regional and local levels;
Amendment 41 #
2010/2018(INI)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Endorses the European Parliament's report 2008/2034(INI) and once again calls on the Council to agree an EU target for minimum pay of at least 60% of indicative average pay and a timetable for meeting that target in all the Member StatesCalls for an ambitious long-term strategy against poverty with the aim of reducing inequalities and social exclusion with far-reaching targets for poverty reduction and in-work poverty; proposes in this regard an EU framework policy on minimum income schemes in accordance with subsidiarity, different practices, collective bargaining and national law in the member states, on the basis of European criteria scaled to reflect the standard of living in each Member State; calls also for a child allowance with above aim of reducing poverty, inequalities and social exclusion;
Amendment 275 #
2010/0115(NLE)
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 10 – paragraph 1
Annex – Guideline 10 – paragraph 1
Member States’ efforts to reduce poverty should be aimed at promoting full participation in society and economy and extending employment opportunities, making full use of the European Social Fund. Efforts should also concentrate on ensuring equal opportunities, including through access to affordable, sustainable and high quality services and public services (including online services, in line with guideline 4) and in particular health care. Member States should put in place effective anti-discrimination measures. Equally, to fight social exclusion, empower people and promote labour market participation, social protection systems, lifelong learning and active inclusion policies should be enhanced to create opportunities at different stages of people’s lives and shield them from the risk of exclusion. Social security and pension systems must be modernised to ensure that they can be fully deployed to ensure adequate income support and access to healthcare — thus providing social cohesion — whilst at the same time remaining financially sustainable. Benefit systems should focus on ensuring income security during transitions and reducing poverty, in particular among groups most at risk from social exclusion, such as one- parent families, minorities, people with disabilities, children and young people, elderly women and men, legal migrants and the homeless. In order to strengthen income security at various stages of life, the Member States should ensure adequate minimum incomes that should at least be above the poverty line, in accordance with the various practices, collective agreements and legislation in the Member States. Member States should also actively promote the social economy and social innovation in support of the most vulnerable.
Amendment 35 #
2009/2221(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Invites Member States to create efficient incentives guaranteeing decent living and working conditions for public and private employers to hire young people, to invest in job creation for young people, to help reduce the number of young people without job security and to support entrepreneurship among youth;
Amendment 1 #
2009/2120(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
Amendment 4 #
2009/2120(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. NotWelcomes the Foundation’s claim to have taken measures in order to ensure the necessary transparency and assessment as to the regularity of recruitment procedures in the future and seeks reliable information in that regard;
Amendment 6 #
2009/2120(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. In view of the fact that some areas of interest are shared, seekswelcomes the close cooperation and synergies between the ETF and CEDEFOP and calls for information to be provided regularly in the Director’s activity reports of both agencies.
Amendment 1 #
2009/2116(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes with regret the Court’s findings in relation to the carry-over of EUR 3.4 million 400 000 and hence the artificial decrease in the budgetary outturn, resulting in a reduction of the level of repayments to the Community budget; calls therefore, in the interest of sound financial management, for the budget forecasts to be adjusted to reflect the actual needs; expectswelcomes the further efforts in ensuring compliance with the principle of annuality and sound financial management in the future, particularly the undertaking to no longer commit significant funds at the year-end;
Amendment 2 #
2009/2116(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Expects the Agency to resolve the existing problems with its public procurement procedurproblem of using a public procurement framework contract beyond its maximal value in order to give effect to European budgetary law;
Amendment 1 #
2009/2111(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Draws attention to the Court of Auditors’ confirmation that the annual accounts for a budget of EUR 21 million fairly presents the Foundation’s actual financial position as of 31 December 2008 and that its operations and cash flows for that financial year are in accordance with the Foundation’s financial rules; notes the change of accounting officers and the problems found by the European Court of Auditors;
Amendment 2 #
2009/2111(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
Amendment 3 #
2009/2111(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
Amendment 4 #
2009/2111(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Regrets thatCalls upon the Foundation’s Director and supervisory board did not solve the problems arising from the change of accounting officers in a timely manner; calls upon the Foundation’s management to take appropriate stepmanagement to take steps, as part of its human resources management policy, and in keeping with the its obligations concerning implementation of the budget, to make better provision in advance for the departure of key staff members;
Amendment 5 #
2009/2111(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
Amendment 7 #
2009/2111(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes the findings of the ECA that EUR 4.9 million (55%) of operational expenditure was carried forward without sufficient justification; calls therefore forfor in-depth consideration to be given to ways of ensuring that the Foundation's specific needs in terms of multiannual contracts can be met in a manner consistent with programming and budget forecasts to be adjusted to reflect the actual annual needs;
Amendment 8 #
2009/2111(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
Amendment 9 #
2009/2111(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Regrets that the ECA has once again discoveredWelcomes the Foundation's readiness to correct the weaknesses in the procurement procedures; notes the shortcomings to which attention was drawn in the previous year; calls for anotes the stronger commitment to the structures and processes required for proper procurement procedures;
Amendment 11 #
2009/2111(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
Amendment 1 #
2009/2110(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
Amendment 2 #
2009/2110(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that the Centre employs 128 staff and introduced a performance measurement system in 2009; expects results from that system; draws attention to the continuing increase in staffing at the Centre;
Amendment 4 #
2009/2110(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. In view of the fact that some areas of interest are shared, requireswelcomes the close cooperation and synergies between CEDEFOP and the ETF and calls for information to be provided regularly in the Director’s activities report of both agencies.
Amendment 1 #
2009/2068(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Regrets that the Commission’s Action Plan for the Improvement of the Management of the Structural Funds is not yet ready for assessment; stresses that Italy and Spain accounted for 82% of the financial corrections in the ESF for the period 2000 to 2006; considers targeted efforts with the Member States concerned necessary, as well as a graduatedn information and sanctions system that would quicker eliminate errors and, with best and worst practice examples, support the proper utilisation of funds;
Amendment 3 #
2009/2068(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the Commission’s efforts to hold all Member States fully to account through annual audit control reports and summary annual reports; calls for the examination of the reporting duty, to avoid information being sought twice; considers the non-provision of accountability reports, or incomplete reports, by national administrative and control bodies, as well as any contravention of the minimal requirements of the financial regulations, unacceptable and punishable; calls therefore on the Commission to develop proposals for the improvement and expansion of the existing reporting responsibilities incorporating a sanctions mechanism;
Amendment 44 #
2009/0096(COD)
Proposal for a decision
Recital 6 a (new)
Recital 6 a (new)
(6a) The measures financed by means of this Facility should be accompanied by training, sponsorship and individual advice programmes in order to optimise the chances of creating viable and competitive microenterprises.