Activities of Frédéric DAERDEN related to 2011/2052(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
European platform against poverty and social exclusion (debate)
European platform against poverty and social exclusion (debate)
Reports (1)
REPORT on the European Platform against poverty and social exclusion PDF (357 KB) DOC (207 KB)
Amendments (96)
Amendment 3 #
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 #
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 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (new)
Citation 4 b (new)
Amendment 10 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Amendment 96 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Amendment 204 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Amendment 381 #
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 #
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 #
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 #
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;