2016/2270(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Citation 1

— having regard to Article 5(3) of the Treaty of the European Union (TEU) and Articles 4, 9, 14, 19, 151 and 153 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 11 a (new)

– having regard to its resolution of 20 November 2012 on Social Investment Pact as a response to the crisis,

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital N a (new)

Na. whereas it is also clear that the shortage of skilled and unskilled job opportunities as a result of deindustrialisation, globalisation, the 2008 crisis and robotisation is leading to chronic unemployment which is not being resolved;

Amendment 101 #

Marita ULVSKOG

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

~~O. whereas unemployment leads to a fast and steady deterioration of human capital;~~deleted

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas unemployment leads to a fast and steady deterioration of ~~human capital~~workers’ living conditions and their mental and emotional state, which compromises the prospects of updating their skills;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas a transitional job scheme is one of the most effective forms of minimum income, as it combines income support with a proper job; whereas people who keep themselves busy working in a public transitional job scheme will also find it easier to find new jobs in the private sector;deleted

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas a transitional job scheme ~~is one of the most effective forms of minimum income, as it combines income support with~~may support minimum income schemes, as part of a pbropader ~~job; whereas people who keep themselves busy working in a public transitional job scheme will also find it easier to find new jobs in the private sector~~strategy of social inclusion;

Amendment 105 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI, Jutta STEINRUCK

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas a transitional job scheme ~~is one of the most effective forms of minimum income~~can be an effective tool for social and labour market inclusion for those who are able to work, as it combines income support with a proper job; whereas people who keep themselves busy working in a public transitional job scheme will also find it easier to find new jobs in the private sector;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas ~~a transitional job scheme is one of the most~~social employment programmes are effective forms of minimum income, as ithey combines income support with a proper job; whereas people who keep themselves busy working in a public ~~transitional job sche~~social employment programme will also find it easier to find new jobs in the private sector; whereas these programmes need to provide a decent wage, include a personalized itinerary for the person, based on their qualifications and skills and should never become a precarious job trap;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas a transitional job scheme is one ~~of the most~~ effective forms of minimum income, as it combines income support with a proper job; whereas people who keep themselves busy working in a public transitional job scheme will also find it easier to find new jobs in the private sector;

Amendment 108 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas, together with other mechanisms, a transitional job scheme is one of the most effective forms of minimum income, as it combines income support with a proper job; whereas people who keep themselves busy working in a public transitional job scheme or in a private non-profit sector will also find it easier to find new jobs in the private sector;

Amendment 109 #

Georges BACH, Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Sofia RIBEIRO, Claude ROLIN, Jeroen LENAERS, Heinz K. BECKER, Krzysztof HETMAN, David CASA, Anne SANDER

Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)

Pa. whereas the Council Conclusions on the 2017 Annual Growth Survey and the Joint Employment Report adopted by the EPSCO Council on the 3rd March 20171a call on Member States to ensure that social protection systems provide adequate income support and that reforms should continue to focus, amongst others, on providing adequate income support and high quality activation and enabling services; __________________ 1a6885/17 "The 2017 Annual Growth Survey and Joint Employment Report: Political guidance on employment and social policies - Council Conclusions (3 March 2017)" and 6887/17 "JOINT EMPLOYMENT REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION AND THE COUNCIL accompanying the Communication from the Commission on the Annual Growth Survey 2017 (3 March 2017)"

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)

– having regard to Eurofound report (2015) Access to social benefits: reducing non-take-up,

Amendment 110 #

Anne SANDER, Georges BACH

Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)

Pa. whereas vocational training, in particular through work-related training schemes, provides the necessary skills to pursue a professional activity and build a professional network, which helps to achieve sustainable labour-market integration and reduces the risk of poverty;

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)

Pa. whereas difficulties in accessing minimum income schemes are experienced by those people in the most vulnerable situations such as the homeless;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P b (new)

Pb. whereas Minimum income schemes represent a very small percentage of the government's social spending while providing a huge return on investment and the cost of non-investment has enormous immediate impacts for the individuals concerned and long term costs for society;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P c (new)

Pc. whereas minimum income schemes are good for the whole of society as they are indispensable for more equal societies and more equal societies perform better on many social and economic indicators;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P d (new)

Pd. whereas minimum income schemes are effective economic stimulus packages, as the money is used to address pressing needs and immediately re-enters the real economy;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P e (new)

Pe. whereas the right to an adequate standard of living is recognised in Article 25 of the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and refers to the extent to which the level of benefit provides people with sufficient resources to ensure "a standard of living adequate for their health and well-being"; whereas coverage refers to the extent to which all those in need of support are covered by the eligibility conditions pertaining to a minimum income scheme; whereas take- up refers to the extent to which those who are eligible to receive a minimum income benefit actually do receive it;

Amendment 116 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU

Motion for a resolution
Recital P f (new)

Pf. whereas often the lack of adequate payments coupled with limited coverage and poor take-up due inter alia to poor administration, inadequate access to information, excessive bureaucracy and stigmatisation means that they fall very far short of ensuring a decent life for the most vulnerable in society;4a __________________ 4aEuropean Social Policy Network, Minimum Income Schemes in Europe: A study of national policies 2015, January 2016

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Title (new) before paragraph 1

Title before paragraph 1 Minimum income Schemes: definition, amount and admissibility criteria

Amendment 118 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes the view that introducing minimum income schemes i~~n all EU Member States - consisting of specific measures supporting people whose income is insufficient with a funding supply and facilitated access to services - is one of the most effective ways to~~s one measure, among many, for combating poverty, guaranteeing an adequate standard of living and fostering social integration;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes the view that it is necessary to introduc~~ing~~e minimum income schemes in all EU Member States - consisting of ~~specific measures supporting people whose income is insufficient with a funding supply and facilitat~~a subsistence income oriented to job search or education and training programmes adapted to the personal and family situation of the beneficiary as the most effective measure supporting households with insufficient income. This minimum income should be the last social protection network and consist in an adequate economic benefit in addition to a guaranteed access to quality services - ~~is one of~~as the most effective ways to combat poverty, guarantee an adequate standard of living and foster social integration;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)

– having regard to Eurofound (2015) Access to social benefits: reducing non-take-up,

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes the view that ~~introducing~~ minimum income schemes ~~in all EU Member States - consisting of~~are a matter falling within the scope of competences of the Member States and, if they are to be introduced, they should take account of the economic and social reality in them, with specific measures supporting people whose income is insufficient with a funding supply, coupled with active employment policies for people of working age able to work, and facilitated access to services ~~- is one of the most effective ways to~~as a way of combat poverty, ~~guarante~~achieve an adequate standard of living and foster social integration;

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes the view that introducing minimum income schemes in all EU Member States - consisting of specific measures supporting people whose income ~~is insufficient~~and resources are inadequate to have an acceptable standard of living in the society in which they live with a funding supply and facilitated access to services - is one of the most effective ways to combat poverty, guarantee an adequate standard of living and foster social integration keeping people active in society;

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes the view, however, that introducing minimum income schemes in all EU Member States - consisting of specific measures supporting people and households whose income is insufficient with a funding supply and facilitated access to services ~~- is one of the most effective ways~~(including transport services) - is currently essential in order to combat poverty, guarantee an adequate standard of living and foster social integration;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes the view that introducing minimum income schemes in all EU Member States - consisting of specific measures ~~supporting~~universally available to people whose income is insufficient with a funding supply and facilitated access to services - is one of the most effective ways to combat poverty, guarantee an adequate standard of living and foster social integration;

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes the view that introducing minimum income schemes inby all EU Member States - consisting of specific measures supporting people whose income is insufficient with a funding supply and facilitated access to services - is one of the most effective ways to combat poverty, guarantee an adequate standard of living and foster social integration;

Amendment 125 #

Anne SANDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes the view that introducing minimum income schemes in all EU Member States - consisting of specific measures supporting people whose income is insufficient with a funding supply and facilitated access to services, and accompanied by back-to-work support measures, such as training - is one of the most effective ways to combat poverty, guarantee an adequate standard of living and foster social integration;

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes the view that introducing minimum income schemes in all EU Member States - consisting of specific measures supporting people whose income is insufficient with a funding supply and facilitated access to services ~~- is~~together with active labour policies - are one of the most effective ways to combat poverty, guarantee an adequate standard of living and foster social integration;

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes the view that introducing minimum income schemes in all EU Member States - consisting of specific measures supporting people whose income is ~~insufficient~~, through no fault of their own, insufficient, and who are looking for work, with a funding supply and facilitated access to services - is one ~~of the most effective~~ ways to combat poverty, guarantee an adequate standard of living and foster social integration;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Takes the view that introducing minimum ~~incom~~subsistence schemes in all EU Member States - consisting of specific measures supporting people whose income is insufficient with a funding supply, e.g. through assisted jobs, and facilitated access to services - is one of the most effective ways to combat poverty, guarantee an adequate standard of living and foster social integration;

Amendment 129 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. TCalls on all Member States to put in place adequate minimum income schemes that can be accessed by all who need them; takes the view that introducing well-organised and adequate minimum income schemes in all EU Member States - consisting of specific measures supporting people whose income is insufficient with a funding supply and facilitated access to services - is one of the most effective ways to combat poverty including intergenerational poverty, and inequality, guarantee an adequate standard of living and foster social inclusion and integration;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 b (new)

– having regard to Eurofound report on "Income inequalities and employment patterns in Europe before and after the great Recession",

Amendment 130 #

Anne SANDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

Amendment 131 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1. Takes the view that promoting inclusive and poverty-free societies must be based on the redistribution of the wealth produced, enhancing the status of work with labour rights based on collective bargaining and wage increases, and providing universal, free and high- quality public health, social security and education services that break the cycles of exclusion and promote development;

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1. Considers that the right to an adequate income should be recognised as a fundamental right and should enable people to live a life in dignity, support their full participation in society and ensure their independence across the life cycle;

Amendment 133 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 a (new)

-1a. Points out that minimum income policies constitute an important tool of comprehensive social protection policies; considers that adequate minimum income schemes form the basis on which high quality social protection schemes should be built, while ensuring a positive hierarchy with other social benefits and minimum wages; considers therefore that they need to be complemented with adequate pension rights for older persons and income support for young people, children and their families;

Amendment 134 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Is of the opinion that adequate minimum income schemes should be set at a level equivalent to at least 60% of the median income in the Member State. Minimum income schemes should establish larger amounts depending on the poverty level of the beneficiary household and the number of dependents in the household, especially if they are children or people with high dependence. Recalls in this regard that the European Commission and Eurostat have defined poverty indicators and calls for those to be standardized at EU level;

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Highlights the importance of adequate public funding to finance minimum income schemes; calls on the EU to explore and increase the availability of support measures in this regard, for instance through the ESF; stresses that social protection, including the right to a minimum income, is a fundamental right whose funding should be safeguarded in the context of the SGP;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Acknowledged that it is difficult for Member States to go from no or low quality minimum income schemes to high level schemes; requests therefore from Member States to work towards the progressive realisation of adequate minimum income schemes addressing the issues of adequacy, coverage and take-up of the schemes;

Amendment 137 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Emphasises that the establishment of minimum income schemes can both mitigate inequalities and the social impact of the crisis and have a counter-cyclical impact by providing resources to improve demand in the internal market;

Amendment 138 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI, Elena GENTILE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to produce a definition of poverty that is more in keeping with real life;

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Stresses the importance of defining appropriate admission criteria to benefit from an adequate minimum income scheme; these criteria must include: not being a beneficiary of an unemployment benefit or the fact that this is insufficient to avoid being below the poverty and social exclusion threshold, that the annual economic capacity of the household is less than 80% of the interprofessional minimum wage. These criteria should put a special focus on children and dependents in charge;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 b (new)

– having regard to forthcoming Eurofound report on "Income inequalities and employment patterns in Europe before and after the great Recession",

Amendment 140 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to make the European Semester more binding;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1c. The right to minimum income must subsist as long as the conditions giving access to it remain, taking into account the personal and family situation of the beneficiary. To this end, supervision should be carried out by social services;

Amendment 142 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)

1d. Public employment services should carry out specific programmes oriented to the reintegration of the minimum income beneficiaries into the labour market that should lead to a quality job, considering them as priority objectives and taking into account their qualifications and skills. The repeated and unjustified denial of reintegration from a beneficiary of a minimum income program may lead to temporary or permanent loss of the benefit;

Amendment 143 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 e (new)

1e. Calls on the European Commission, in the forthcoming review of the Common Provisions Regulation for the Structural Funds (Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013), and in particular in the framework of the European Social Fund, to assess how to support the financing of minimum income schemes;

Amendment 144 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 f (new)

1f. Reiterates its call on the European Commission 1a to draw up a European minimum income framework that establishes common principles, definitions and methods so as to guarantee that every person undergoing a situation in need is covered by an adequate income. As a consequence of this European framework, Member States should to take specific action to determine a minimum income threshold, based on relevant indicators, in order to safeguard social and economic cohesion and reduce the risk of poverty throughout the European Union; __________________ 1a http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getD oc.do?pubRef=- //EP//TEXT+REPORT+A8-2016- 0309+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language= en

Amendment 145 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU

Motion for a resolution
Title (new) before paragraph 2

Title before paragraph 2 General considerations on minimum income policies

Amendment 146 #

Georges BACH, Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Sofia RIBEIRO, Claude ROLIN, Jeroen LENAERS, Heinz K. BECKER, David CASA, Anne SANDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Stress~~Believes that ~~it is vital for everyone to have a sufficient minimum income to be able to m~~all citizens and families in Europe should be entitled to an income support which enables them to cover their living costs; believes that support mechanisms, such as minimum income schemes have to guaranteet the~~ir basic requirements~~ non-perpetuation of social dependency and must constitute an incentive to education or entering the job market;

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses that it is vital for everyone to have a sufficient minimum income to be able to meet their ~~basic~~ requirements as well as those of their dependants; considers that adequate minimum income is an income that is indispensable to live a life in dignity and to fully participate in society, across the life span; points out that in order to be adequate, it has to be above bare minimum and needs to allow people not just to survive but to thrive;

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses that it is vital for everyone to have access to sufficient minimum income schemes to be able to meet their basic requirements and that these schemes should guarantee the non-perpetuation of social dependency and should be combined with incentives to education and entering the labour market;

Amendment 149 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses that it is vital for everyone to have a sufficient minimum income to be able to meet their basic requirements including for the most excluded such as homeless people;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 c (new)

– having regard to the draft final report by Policy Department A on "minimum income policies in EU Member States" March 2017,

Amendment 150 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses that it is vital for everyone to have a sufficient minimum income to be able to meet their basic requirements; recalls that the recommendation on Active inclusion recognises the need for an integrated strategy in the implementation of the three social inclusion strands (adequate income support, inclusive labour markets and access to quality services) and the need to ensure the effectiveness of inclusion policies through a comprehensive policy design and coordination;

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses that it is vital for everyone to have a sufficient minimum income to be able to meet their basic requirements; stresses that the right to and definition of a minimum income should be considered in conjunction with the right to universal public and social services as well as the right to employment and hence, should be implemented to support existing systems of social protection and welfare and should not undermine existing wage- setting mechanisms;

Amendment 152 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Stresses that it is vital for everyone to have a sufficient minimum subsistence income to be able to meet their basic living requirements;

Amendment 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Highlights the importance of the automatic stabilisation dimension of welfare systems to absorb social shock waves caused by external effects such as recessions; calls therefore on the Member States, in view of ILO Recommendation No 202, which defines social protection floors, to ensure and increase investment in social protection systems in order to guarantee their performance in tackling and preventing poverty and inequalities while ensuring their sustainability;

Amendment 154 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Points up - in connection with the minimum income debate - the particular position of families and single parents and the particular extent to which they are affected;

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Highlights that people should be put in the condition to participate fully in society and in the economy and that this right should be fully recognised and made visible in the Union policy making by ensuring high quality universal social protection systems which include within them effective and adequate minimum income Schemes;

Amendment 156 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Alex MAYER, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2c. Considers that, social protection, including pensions and services such as healthcare, child care and long-term care, remain essential for balanced and inclusive growth, to contribute to a longer working-life, to create employment and to reduce inequalities; calls therefore on the Commission and the Member States to boost policies which guarantee sufficiency, adequacy, efficiency as well as quality of social protection systems throughout all the life cycle of a person, guaranteeing a decent life, fighting inequalities and boosting inclusion with the aim to eradicate poverty, especially for those excluded from the labour market and the most vulnerable groups;

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Emphasises that an adequate income is ~~fundamental~~important for a dignified life and ~~that without a minimum income and a stake in society~~helps individuals ~~canno~~to develop their potential ~~to the full~~ and participate in the democratic shaping of society;

Amendment 158 #

Anne SANDER, Georges BACH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Emphasises that an adequate income is ~~fundamental for a dignified life and that without a minimum income and a stake in society individuals cannot~~a way of helping people with insufficient levels of income to achieve a decent life and participate in society, which are preconditions for developing their potential to the full ~~and participate in the democratic shaping of society~~;

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Emphasises that an adequate income is fundamental for a dignified life and that without a minimum income and a ~~stake in society~~job, individuals cannot develop their potential to the full and participate in the democratic shaping of society;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 17 a (new)

– having regard to its resolution of 23 October 2015 on reducing inequalities with a special focus on child poverty1a, __________________ 1a Texts adopted, P8_TA(2015)0401.

Amendment 160 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Emphasises that an adequate income across the life cycle is fundamental for a dignified life and that without a minimum income and a stake in society individuals cannot develop their potential to the full and participate in the democratic shaping of society;

Amendment 161 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Emphasises that an adequate income is fundamental for a dignified life and that without a minimum subsistence income and a stake in society individuals cannot develop their potential to the full and participate in the democratic shaping of society;

Amendment 162 #

Georges BACH, Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Sofia RIBEIRO, Claude ROLIN, Jeroen LENAERS, Heinz K. BECKER, David CASA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Emphasises that adequate minimum income schemes as an active inclusion tool promote social participation and inclusion;

Amendment 163 #

Georges BACH, Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Theodoros ZAGORAKIS, Sofia RIBEIRO, Claude ROLIN, Jeroen LENAERS, Heinz K. BECKER, Krzysztof HETMAN, David CASA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Recalls that one of the main goals of the Europe 2020 strategy is reducing poverty and social exclusion by at least 20 million people and that still more efforts are needed to reach that goal; believes that minimum income schemes can be a helpful way to reach this objective;

Amendment 164 #

Georges BACH, Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Theodoros ZAGORAKIS, Sofia RIBEIRO, Claude ROLIN, Jeroen LENAERS, Heinz K. BECKER, Krzysztof HETMAN, David CASA, Anne SANDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Stresses that the best way to fight poverty and social exclusion are decent jobs; recalls in this context the importance to boost growth, investment and job creation;

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that, while most Member States have national minimum income schemes, several do not; calls on those states to provide for the introduction of ~~guaranteed~~ minimum income schemes toso as to help prevent poverty and foster social inclusion;

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that, while most Member States have national minimum income schemes, several ~~do not; calls on those~~of these schemes do not provide adequate income support for all the people that need them; calls on all states to provide for the introduction and upgrading of guaranteed minimum income schemes to prevent poverty and foster social inclusion;

Amendment 167 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that, while most Member States have national minimum income schemes, several do not; calls on those states to provide for the introduction of guaranteed minimum income schemes at a level capable to prevent poverty and foster social inclusion; stresses that the introduction of a national minimum income scheme should not lower the protection afforded by regional minimum income schemes;

Amendment 168 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that, while most Member States have national minimum ~~income sche~~schemes for paid incomes, several do not; calls on those states to provide for the introduction of guaranteed minimum income schemes to prevent poverty and foster social inclusion;

Amendment 169 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Stresses that income support schemes should also be informed by the principles of active inclusion, thereby enabling and supporting the most disadvantaged to participate in the labour market and society; Believes that such measures should include those that combine: access to adequate income support, effective activation measures that involve a proper balance between rights and responsibilities, and access to a range of services that support economic and social inclusion;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)

– having regard to its question for oral answer O-000087/2016 of 16 June 2016,

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Stresses that investments in minimum income schemes constitute a key element for the prevention and reduction of poverty; stresses that even in times of crisis, minimum income schemes should not be regarded as a cost factor but as a core element in combating the crisis; stresses that early investments to combat poverty bring a major return in reducing long-term costs for society;

Amendment 171 #

Georges BACH, Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Theodoros ZAGORAKIS, Sofia RIBEIRO, Claude ROLIN, Jeroen LENAERS, Heinz K. BECKER, David CASA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Stresses the importance of the European Semester in encouraging Member States who do not yet have minimum income schemes to introduce systems of adequate income support;

Amendment 172 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5b. Notes that in some Member States the entitlement to minimum income benefits is subject to the participation in active labour market measures; highlights in this regard the important role of the EU as a means in which Member States can exchange best practice;

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

~~6. Reiterates its position as expressed in its resolution of 20 October 2010 on the role of minimum income in combating poverty and promoting an inclusive society in Europe;~~deleted

Amendment 174 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

~~6. Reiterates its position as expressed in its resolution of 20 October 2010 on the role of minimum income in combating poverty and promoting an inclusive society in Europe;~~deleted

Amendment 175 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to agree on a set of common principles, definitions and methods for adequate minimum income schemes to be achieved in all Member States;

Amendment 176 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

Amendment 177 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

Amendment 179 #

Anne SANDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 b (new)

– having regard to its question for written answer P-001004/16 of 2 February 2016,

Amendment 180 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Recalls the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘European minimum income and poverty indicators’ and supports the proposal concerning a directive on adequate minimum income in the European Union, which should lay down common rules and indicators, provide methods for monitoring its implementation and improve dialogue between the individuals concerned, the Member States and the EU institutions; is of the view that a framework of this kind should be based on tangible factors and should bear in mto further analyse existing schemes and come up with further recommendations; calls on the Commission to facilitate exchange of best practice among Member States with regards to rules and indicators, the manner and the means of providindg the social and economic context of each Member State; calls on the Commission and the Member States, in this regard, to evaluate the manner and the means of providing an adequate minimum income in all Member Stateminimum income as well as methods for monitoring its implementation in order to improve dialogue between the individuals concerned, the Member States and the EU institutions;

Amendment 181 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Rrecalls the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘European minimum income and poverty indicators’ and supports the proposal concerning a directive on adequate minimum income in the European Union, which should lay down common rules and indicators, provide methods for monitoring its implementation and improve dialogue between the individuals concerned, the Member States and the EU institutions; is of the view that a framework of this kind should be based on tangible factors and should bear in mat the Council conclusions on "Towards social investment for growth and cohesion" invited the Commission, Member States, and the Social Protection Committee to work together, as part of efforts to pursue an active inclusion strategy, to examine the methodology and possible usefulness of reference budgets or similar instruments that respect national competences and can demonstrate an added-value ind the ~~social and economic context of each Member State; calls on the Commission and~~design of efficient and adequate income support; calls on the Commission to facilitate the exchange of best practice between the Member States, in this regard, to evaluate the manner and the means of providing an adequate minimum income in all Member States;

Amendment 182 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Recalls the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘European minimum income and poverty indicators’ and supports the proposal concerning a directive on adequate minimum income ~~in the European Union~~, which should lay down co~~mmon~~nsistent rules and indicators, provide methods for monitoring its implementation and improve dialogue between the ~~individuals concerned, the Member States and the EU institution~~various operators; is of the view that a framework of this kind should be based on tangible factors and should bear in mind the social and economic context and historical practices of each Member State; calls on the ~~Commission and the~~ Member States, in this regard, to evaluate the manner and the means of providing an adequate minimum income in all Member States;

Amendment 183 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Recalls the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘European minimum income and poverty indicators’ and ~~support~~notes the proposal concerning a directive on adequate minimum income in the European Union, which should lay down common rules and indicators, provide methods for monitoring its implementation and improve dialogue between the individuals concerned, the Member States and the EU institutions; is of the view that a framework of this kind should be based on tangible factors and should bear in mind the social and economic context of each Member State; calls on the Commission and the Member States, in this regard, to evaluate the manner and the means of providing an adequate minimum income in all Member States;

Amendment 184 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Recalls the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘European minimum income and poverty indicators’ and supports the proposal concerning a framework directive on adequate minimum income in the European Union, which should lay down common rules and indicators, provide methods for monitoring its implementation and improve dialogue between the individuals concerned, the Member States and the EU institutions; is of the view that a framework of this kind should be based on tangible factors and should bear in mind the social and economic context of each Member State; calls on the Commission and the Member States, in this regard, to evaluate the manner and the means of providing an adequate minimum income in all Member States;

Amendment 185 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Recalls the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘European minimum income and poverty indicators’ and supports the proposal concerning a directive on adequate minimum income in the European Union, which should lay down common rules and indicators, provide methods for monitoring its implementation and improve dialogue between the individuals concerned, the Member States and the EU institutions; is of the view that a framework of this kind should be based on tangible factors ~~and~~, should bear in mind the social and economic context of each Member State, and should not lead to a reduction of motivation among the economically active segment of the population to earn a livelihood through work; calls on the Commission and the Member States, in this regard, to evaluate the manner and the means of providing an adequate minimum income in all Member States and to weigh up the various best practices, such as the so- called ‘employment premium’ in France (‘prime pour l’emploi’);

Amendment 186 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Welcomes the Commission statement that the European Semester now has a stronger focus on employment and social performance but believes more efforts are necessary to reach this goal and to assure global coherence, especially through the promotion of social investment; calls on the Commission to regularly monitor and assess the progress made by Member States in the Country Specific Recommendations in delivering accessible, affordable and quality services, as well as implementing adequate and efficient minimum income schemes;

Amendment 187 #

Georges BACH, Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Theodoros ZAGORAKIS, Sofia RIBEIRO, Claude ROLIN, Jeroen LENAERS, Heinz K. BECKER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Believes that, given the many questions minimum income schemes pose, such as accessibility, coverage, financing, entitlement conditions, duration, a concept elaborated at European level on common objectives for national minimum income schemes could be helpful in contributing to a level playing field among Member States;

Amendment 188 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. points out that as has been shown before that it is legally possible to have a framework directive on minimum income within the context of the current EU Treaties;5a __________________ 5aA. Van Lancker, EAPN Working Paper on a Framework Directive on adequate minimum income, September 2010

Amendment 189 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Calls on the European Commission to specifically monitor the use of the 20% of the total allocation of the ESF on poverty and social exclusion, as well as to present good practices in the use of the ESF for innovative approaches to fight poverty and social exclusion, in particular on integrated active inclusion linking minimum income schemes with inclusive labour markets and access to quality services;

Amendment 19 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)

– having regard to its resolution of 26 May 2016 on poverty: a gender perspective,

Amendment 190 #

Georges BACH, Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Sofia RIBEIRO, Claude ROLIN, Jeroen LENAERS, Heinz K. BECKER, David CASA, Anne SANDER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Stresses the importance of the European Semester in monitoring the adequacy of existing minimum income schemes and their impact on reducing poverty, specifically through the country specific recommendations, but also the joint employment report and the Annual Growth Survey;

Amendment 191 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)

7c. Calls on the Commission to carry out an impact assessment on minimum income schemes in the EU, while examining other innovative measures, taking into account the economic and social circumstances of each Member State and to assess whether these schemes allow households to meet their basic personal needs;

Amendment 192 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses that minimum income schemes ~~should ensure payment of an income that is above the poverty line, prevent situations of severe material deprivation or, where applicable, lift households out of those situations~~can serve to reduce poverty, provided that such intervention in the wage formation process is compatible with economic trends at the time;

Amendment 193 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses that minimum income schemes should ensure ~~payment of an income that is above~~support that lifts individuals and/or households beyond the poverty line, prevents situations of severe material deprivation ~~or, where applicable, lift households out of those situations~~and provides access to public services such as health, education or child care;

Amendment 194 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses that minimum income schemes ~~should ensure payment of an income that is above the poverty line,~~help prevent situations of severe material deprivation or, where applicable, lift households out of those situations;

Amendment 195 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses that minimum income schemes should ensure payment of an income that is above the poverty line, prevent situations of severe material deprivation ~~or, where applicable, lift~~and lift households and all household members out of those situations;

Amendment 196 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses that minimum income schemes should ensure payment of an income that is above the poverty line, prevent situations of severe material deprivation or, where applicable, lift households - in particular families, single parents and elderly persons - out of those situations;

Amendment 197 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses that minimum income schemes should ensure payment of an income that is above the poverty line, prevent situations of severe material deprivation or, where applicable, lift households and all households members out of those situations;

Amendment 198 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses that ideally, minimum income schemes should ensure payment of an income that is above the poverty line, prevent situations of severe material deprivation or, where applicable, lift households out of those situations, but that this depends entirely on the wealth of each Member State and the number of jobs available or foreseeable in the short term;

Amendment 199 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Stresses that minimum income schemes should ensure payment of an income that is above the poverty line, prevent situations of severe material deprivation for reasons not dependent on their will or efforts of members of the household who are able to work or, where applicable, lift households out of those situations;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)

– having regard to the European Social Charter and, in particular, articles 1,4,6,12,14,17,19,30 and 31 thereof,

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 b (new)

– having regard to its recommendation to the Council of 7 July 2016 on the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly,

Amendment 200 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Stresses that this idea is therefore likely to be unfeasible;

Amendment 201 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. ~~Considers~~Recalls that adequate minimum income schemes must be part of a comprehensive Active Inclusion Strategy which requires combining the equally important strands of adequate minimum income schemes, inclusive labour markets and access to high-quality social services; considers therefore that minimum income schemes should be embedded in a strategic approach towards social inclusion and integration, involving both general policies and targeted measures - in terms of housing, health care, education and training, social services ~~- helping people to recover from poverty and~~and other services of general interest - helping people to recover from or not to fall into poverty and to address situations where people are confronted with multiple difficulties or problems at the same time; believes such approach will support those who can work to take action themselves to gain access to the labour market; believes that the real objective of minimum income schemes should be not simply to assist but mainly to accompany the beneficiaries in moving from situations of social exclusion to active life;

Amendment 202 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Considers that minimum income schemes should be embedded in a strategic approach towards social integration, involving both general policies and targeted measures - in terms of housing, health care, education and training, social services - ~~helping people to recover from poverty and to take action themselves to~~addressing individuals in such a way as to take account of their psychological and emotional state, social and family context and past life, while providing assistance in gaining access to ~~the labour market~~work and services in order to help resolve poverty; believes that the real objective of minimum income schemes should be not simply to assist but mainly to accompany the beneficiaries in moving from situations of social exclusion to active life;

Amendment 203 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Considers that minimum income schemes should be embedded in a strategic approach towards social integration, involving both general policies and targeted measures - in terms of housing, health care, education and training, social services - helping people to recover from poverty and to take action themselves to gain access to the labour market; believes that the real objective of minimum income schemes should be not simply to assist but mainly to accompany the beneficiaries in moving from situations of social exclusion to active life, avoiding any kind of dependency;

Amendment 204 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Considers that minimum income schemes should be embedded in a strategic approach towards social integration, involving both general policies and targeted measures - in terms of housing, health care, education and training, social services - helping people to recover from poverty and to take action themselves to gain access to the labour market; believes that the real objective of minimum paid income schemes should be not simply to assist but mainly to accompany the beneficiaries in moving from situations of social exclusion to active life;

Amendment 205 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls on Member States to improve coordination and integrated planning between administrations and services dealing with the different strands of active inclusion, developing one point of contact for clients, and enhancing the capacity of and resources available to services so as to increase the access to and quality of the services concerned;

Amendment 206 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9b. Condemns negative or even punitive activation incentives, such as cuts to the level of benefits, sanctions, stricter eligibility criteria, or broad definitions of "suitable" job offers, which can lead to pushing people into precarious employment; considers that guiding people out of unemployment requires adapting the labour market for it to be inclusive and open for those most excluded and/or discriminated, including through personalised approaches;

Amendment 207 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)

9c. Considers it crucial to guarantee adequate income also for people in vulnerable situations for whom a return to work is not possible or no longer an option such as people with a disability, long-term unemployed, older workers, as recognised by the Recommendation on Active Inclusion;

Amendment 208 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Calls for real progress to be made on the adequacy of minimum income schemes, so as to be able to lift every child, adult and older person out of poverty and guarantee their right to a life of dignity;deleted

Amendment 209 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Calls for real progress to be made on the adequacy of minimum income schemes, so as to ~~be able to lift e~~reduce poverty ~~child, adult and older person out of pover~~and social exclusion among the most vulnerable groups in society and help guarantee their right to a life of dignity;

Amendment 21 #

Georges BACH, Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Sofia RIBEIRO, Jeroen LENAERS, Claude ROLIN, Heinz K. BECKER, David CASA, Anne SANDER

Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)

– having regard to the report "Minimum Income Schemes in Europe - A study of national policies 2015" prepared for the European Commission by The European Social Policy Network (ESPN) in 2016,

Amendment 210 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Calls for ~~real~~significant and verified progress to be made on the adequacy of minimum income schemes, so as to be able to lift every child, adult and older person out of poverty and guarantee their right to a life of dignity;

Amendment 211 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

Amendment 212 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Calls for real progress to be made on the adequacy of minimum paid income schemes, so as to be able to lift every child, adult and older person out of poverty and guarantee their right to a life of dignity;

Amendment 213 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Highlights that according to recent studies there is evidence of non-take up of minimum income schemes in more than half of the EU Member states (it differs within countries from 20% to as much as 75%) with the most vulnerable groups like the homeless, migrants or those experiencing social isolation bearing the worst consequences; calls on the Commission and the Member States to urgently address this issue in all the policies they implement regarding minimum income schemes improving the access to information, reducing the complexity of the access to the programmes and addressing the social and administrative barriers, putting a special focus on those groups most affected by the non-take up such as the homeless population;

Amendment 214 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Calls on the Member States to find suitable ways at national level to safeguard families, in particular, against poverty and ensure that, once and for all, children are not put at risk of poverty; encourages the Commission to address this issue in a non-legislative European Family Strategy;

Amendment 215 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Notes with concern that in many Member States, for example the costs of long-term care exceed even the average pension income; stresses the importance of taking into account the specific needs and living costs of different age groups;

Amendment 216 #

Siôn SIMON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Calls on Member States to implement and monitor micro-pilots on the use of a Universal Basic Income;

Amendment 217 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

~~11. Stresses the importance of defining appropriate eligibility criteria in order to benefit from an adequate minimum income scheme;~~deleted

Amendment 218 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Stresses th~~e importance of defining appropriate eligibility criteria in order to~~at appropriate criteria should be laid down at national level for benefiting from an adequate minimum income schemes;

Amendment 219 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Stresses the importance of ~~defining appropriate~~simplified eligibility criteria in order to allow all residents under the poverty line to benefit from an adequate minimum income scheme;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas poverty and social exclusion are infringements of human dignity and fundamental human rights; whereas the EU and Member States committed in 2010 to a reduction of the number of persons at risk of poverty and social exclusion with 20 million by 2020;

Amendment 220 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Stresses the importance of defining ~~appropriate~~ eligibility criteria ~~in order to benefit from an adequate minimum income scheme~~adapted to the socio- economic situation in the Member States in order to benefit from an adequate minimum income scheme; takes the view that each minimum income beneficiary should have a tailor-made integration plan with clear and specific targets involving training and up-skilling; calls for the various relevant social players to be involved in shaping minimum income policies, from defining the eligibility criteria to drawing up the integration plan;

Amendment 221 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Stresses the importance of defining appropriate eligibility criteria in order to benefit from an adequate minimum income scheme; emphasizes that these criteria should not create insurmountable administrative barriers to access minimum income schemes for people who are already in a very vulnerable situation, such as the requirement of having a physical address for homeless people;

Amendment 222 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Stresses the importance of defining appropriate eligibility criteria in order to benefit from an adequate minimum income scheme; however points out that these criteria should not create unsurmountable administrative barriers for very vulnerable people to access minimum income schemes;

Amendment 223 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Stresses the importance of defining appropriate eligibility criteria at national level in order to benefit from an adequate minimum income scheme;

Amendment 224 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Is concerned about the high rate of non-take up amongst people that are entitled to minimum income which highlights the many barriers including intrusive procedures and stigma linked to the application for minimum income schemes; considers that non-take up is a major barrier to the social inclusion of the people concerned; requests the Commission and the Social Protection Committee to further research the problem of non-take up and develop recommendations and guidelines to tackle this problem; calls on Member States to combat non-take-up, including by raising public awareness about the existence of minimum income schemes, providing appropriate guidance on accessing these and improving the administrative organisation;

Amendment 225 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Calls on the Member States and regions to discuss scope for improved and coordinated support for families that guarantees income security for families and single parents above the minimum threshold, and recommends that a value be put at the time on the work done by mothers and fathers in bringing up children in order to prevent long-term disadvantages (‘family pay gap’);

Amendment 226 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Is concerned about the high rate of non-take up amongst people that have the right to minimum income, especially the most vulnerable such as homeless people. Requests the Commission to further research the problem of non-take up in order to tackle this problem;

Amendment 227 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11b. Is of the opinion that all homeless people that are legally residing in the EU should have access to minimum income and that having a physical address should not be a criterion to access minimum income schemes;

Amendment 228 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Stresses the need for Member States to take specific action to determine a minimum income threshold, based on relevant indicators, in order to safeguard social and economic cohesion and reduce the risk of poverty throughout the European Union; calls on the Council to express its views more firmly with regard to such action;deleted

Amendment 229 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Stresses the need for Member States to take specific action to determine a minimum income threshold, based on relevant indicators~~, in order to safeguard~~ geared to different areas (health, housing, education, income, employment, access to culture and political participation, social vulnerability) that will make it possible to monitor progress in relation to social and economic cohesion and reduceing the risk of poverty ~~throughout the European Union; c~~in all the Member States; takes the view that this information should be presented annuallsy on the ~~Council to express its views more firml~~International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October), highlighting developments and taking account of gender, age ranges, households, disability wsit~~h regard to such action;~~ uations, chronic illness, immigration, homelessness, refugee status and various income levels;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas poverty and social exclusion, the causes and duration of which are not dependent on the will of those afflicted by them, are infringements of human dignity and fundamental human rights;

Amendment 230 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Stresses the need for Member States to take specific action to determine a minimum income threshold, based on relevant indicators including reference budgets, in order to safeguard social and economic cohesion and reduce the risk of poverty throughout the European Union; calls on the Council to express its views more firmly with regard to such action;

Amendment 231 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Stresses the need for Member States to take specific action to determine a minimum paid income threshold, based on relevant indicators, in order to safeguard social and economic cohesion and reduce the risk of poverty throughout the European Union; calls on the Council to express its views more firmly with regard to such action;

Amendment 232 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Points out that reference budgets can help set the level of minimum income necessary to meet people's fundamental needs, including also non-monetary aspects, such as access to education and lifelong learning, decent housing, quality healthcare services, leisure and social activities or civic participation, while taking into account household composition and ages; calls therefore to use reference budgets, as a tool to assess the adequacy of minimum income schemes provided by Member States;

Amendment 233 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Invites the Member States and regions to shift the focus on to introducing and coordinating family benefits, e.g. a ‘parenting wage’ for mothers and fathers, in order to prevent long-term discrimination against families up to and including the post-retirement period (‘family pension gap’);

Amendment 234 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Believes that minimum income should be considered temporary and always accompanied with active policies of inclusion in the labour market;

Amendment 235 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12b. Notes that many already use the Minimum Income Protection Indicators (MIPI); calls for the use of MIPI data by all Member States, which will also allow for better comparison between national systems;

Amendment 236 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)

12c. Calls on the Member States where this does not yet exist, to monitor price developments and to put in place a transparent and effective mechanism for uprating the value of their minimum income schemes on an annual basis; points out that this mechanism ought to ensure that the levels of minimum income keep in line both with inflation and rises in standards of living in order to ensure the purchasing power of individuals receiving income support does not decrease;

Amendment 237 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

Amendment 238 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Emphasises the need~~, when the levels of minimum incomes are determined, for due account to be taken of dependants, in particular children, in order to~~ for the minimum income to help break the vicious circle of child poverty; takes the view, furthermore, that the Commission should draw up an annual report on progress in the fight against child poverty;

Amendment 239 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Emphasises the need, when the levels of minimum incomes are determined, for due account to be taken of dependants, in particular children, in order to break the vicious circle of child poverty; ~~takes the view, furthermore, that the Commission should draw up an annual report on progress in the fight against child poverty~~calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the swift implementation of the 2013 recommendation on 'Investing in children – breaking the cycle of disadvantage'; takes the view, furthermore, that the Commission should draw up an annual report on progress in the fight against child poverty and on the implementation of the recommendation with the help of the indicators therein, while using the European Semester as monitoring framework;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas poverty and social exclusion are not matters of individual responsibility but of collective social responsibility, and the causes of these problems are inseparable from the economic and social policies implemented by the Member States and the EU; whereas poverty and social exclusion can be combated only through public employment and social support policies, among others;

Amendment 240 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

Amendment 241 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Recalls that the Commission in its Social Investment Package Communication calls on the Member States to set reference budgets that ensure adequate livelihoods by considering consumption patterns, costs of living, different life situations and types of households;

Amendment 242 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13b. Is of the opinion that the reference budget can be used to more meaningfully compare minimum income support across Member States and to establish its level, bearing in mind the economic and social context of each Member State;

Amendment 243 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

~~14. Is of the opinion that adequate minimum income schemes should set minimum incomes at a level equivalent to at least 60 % of median income in the Member State concerned;~~deleted

Amendment 244 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

~~14. Is of the opinion that adequate minimum income schemes should set minimum incomes at a level equivalent to at least 60 % of median income in the Member State concerned;~~deleted

Amendment 245 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

~~14. Is of the opinion that adequate minimum income schemes should set minimum incomes at a level equivalent to at least 60 % of median income in the Member State concerned;~~deleted

Amendment 246 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Is of the opinion t~~hat adequate~~o set a common criteria of implementation of minimum incomes schemes ~~should set minimum incomes at a level equivalent to at least 60 % of median income in the Member State concerned~~without, however, specifying a minimum threshold at EU level;

Amendment 247 #

Georges BACH, Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Sofia RIBEIRO, Claude ROLIN, Jeroen LENAERS, Heinz K. BECKER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. ~~Is of the opinion that adequate minimum income schemes~~ Recommends that Member States, when setting minimum income schemes, take into account the fact that the at-risk- of-poverty threshould is set ~~minimum incomes at a level equivalent to at least 60 % of median income in the Member State concerned;~~ at 60% of the national median equalised disposable income, however recalls that designing social policies is the responsibility of Member States in line with the subsidiarity principle; notes that there are also other factors that Member States can take into account such as living standards, prices, basket of goods or national relative poverty line;

Amendment 248 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. ~~Is of the opinion that adequate minimum income schemes should set minimum incomes at a level equivalent to at leas~~Believes that Member States, when setting minimum income schemes should take into account that the at-risk-of- poverty threshold is set at 60 % of ~~median income in the Member State concerned~~the national median equivalised disposable income (after social transfers);

Amendment 249 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Is of the opinion that adequate minimum income schemes should set minimum incomes a~~t a level equivalent to at least~~bove the level defined as the poverty threshold, i.e. they should be set at a level above 60 % of median income in the Member State concerned;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas Europe is one of the wealthiest regions in the world, although recent data on income poverty highlights that inequalities enhanced among Member States;

Amendment 250 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Is of the opinion that adequate minimum paid income schemes should set minimum incomes at a level equivalent to at least 60 % of median income in the Member State concerned but that the differences in income between the Member States are virtually insurmountable; notes that in its February 2017 report, Eurofound states that it will take 10 years for a minimum median paid income in Bulgaria to reach the level in Luxembourg;

Amendment 251 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. ~~Is of the opinion that adequate minimum income schemes should set minimum incomes at a level equivalent to at least 60 % of median income in the Member State concerned;~~(Does not affect English version.)

Amendment 252 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Is still of the opinion that adequate minimum income schemes should set minimum incomes at a level equivalent to at least 60 % of median income in the Member State concerned; considers reference budgets could be used to test the robustness of the level of minimum income and of the 60% threshold;

Amendment 253 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the Commission, prior to submitting any proposal, to take into account the fact that this area falls within the competence of Member States, to comprehensively assess the impact of the proposed measures on the social and economic situations of the individual Member States, to consider the capacity of the chosen instruments to help resolve the related social and economic problems, such as falling birth rates, income inequality between men and women, and bureaucratic red tape connected to the system for redistribution, as well as to mitigate the potential negative consequences of a minimum income, such as reduced motivation to work or start a business, a higher unemployment rate, an increase in consumer prices, and welfare tourism;

Amendment 254 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on further measures to be taken to ensure the achievement of Europe 2020 strategy objectives concerning employment, poverty and social exclusion, notably through a review on how Member States calculate poverty levels and set their national targets;

Amendment 255 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Believes that the lack of up-to-date figures on income and living conditions is an obstacle to the implementation and comparison of a reference budget and a minimum income taking into account national specificities;

Amendment 256 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14c. Calls on the Commission and Member States to exchange best practices from minimum income schemes;

Amendment 257 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

Amendment 258 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the Commission to carry out an impact assessment of minimum income schemes in the Union and to consider further steps, taking into account the economic and social circumstances of each Member State as well as assessing whether the schemes ~~enable households to meet their basic personal needs~~help reduce poverty;

Amendment 259 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the Commission to carry out an ~~impact assessment~~evaluation of minimum income schemes in the Union and to consider further steps, taking into account the economic and social circumstances of each Member State as well as assessing whether the schemes enable households to meet their basic personal needs;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas a buoyant economy with low unemployment is still the most effective tool for fighting poverty;

Amendment 260 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

Amendment 261 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the Commission to carry out an impact assessment of minimum income schemes in the Union and to consider further steps, taking into account the economic and social circumstances of each Member State and the needs of the groups most affected (e.g. the long-term unemployed, elderly persons, people with disabilities, families and single parents), as well as assessing whether the schemes enable households and families to meet their basic personal needs;

Amendment 262 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the Commission to carry out an impact assessment of minimum income schemes in the Union and to consider if appropriate further steps, taking into account national competence and the economic and social circumstances of each Member State as well as assessing whether the schemes enable households to meet their basic personal needs;

Amendment 263 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Calls on the Commission to carry out an impact assessment of minimum income schemes in the Union and to consider further steps, taking into account the economic and social circumstances of each Member State as well as assessing whether the schemes enable households and all household members to meet their basic personal needs;

Amendment 264 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Calls on the Commission to examine funding possibilities to help every Member State to establish a minimum income scheme and to set up an appropriate European Fund, if necessary, in a temporary way, to work as an instrument of cohesion policy and European solidarity;

Amendment 265 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15b. Calls on the Commission to request regular monitoring and reporting on the effectiveness of minimum income schemes;

Amendment 266 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Draws attention to the fact that despithe recent gradual economic ~~slowdown, with rising~~revival, some Member States still suffer from ever-lasting high unemployment and fewer job opportunities, what puts many people at risk of poverty ~~and~~, social exclusion~~, and that this is particularly acute in some Member States that suffer from high rates of unemployment~~ or long- term inactivity;

Amendment 267 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Draws attention to the fact that the ~~recent~~austerity measures that have dominated the economic policy defined by the EU in recent years have led to the economic slowdown, with rising unemployment and fewer job opportunities, ~~puts many~~which has increased the number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion, and that this is particularly acute in some Member States that suffer from high rates of unemployment or long-term inactivity;

Amendment 268 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Is concerned about the cuts in the amount and/or duration of unemployment benefits as well as in the tightening of eligibility criteria in many Member States over the last years, which leads also to more people having to rely on minimum income schemes and causes extra pressure on these schemes;6a __________________ 6aEuropean Social Policy Network, Social Investment in Europe: A study of national policies 2015, January 2016

Amendment 269 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Stresses that inequalities are growing within each Member State and within the EU;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)

Ab. whereas income poverty is only a part of the overall concept of poverty, therefore poverty does not only refer to material resources, but also to social resources, notably education, health and access to services;

Amendment 270 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)

16b. Is concerned that in many Member States the level of benefits and coverage of minimum income schemes seems to have been reduced in recent years; considers Member States should increase coverage by minimum income schemes of people in need of support, in line with the recommendations of the European Social Policy Network: 7a a. calls on Member States with very complex and fragmented systems to simplify these and develop more comprehensive systems; b. calls on Member States with currently low levels of coverage to review their conditions to ensure that all people in need are covered; c. calls on Member States whose minimum income schemes currently exclude significant groups experiencing poverty such as homeless people, refugees, asylum seekers, Roma, young people to amend their schemes to better cover them; d. calls on Member States with high levels of administrative discretion in their core minimum income systems to aim to reduce this and ensure that there are clear and consistent criteria for making decisions linked to an effective appeals process. __________________ 7aEuropean Social Policy Network, Minimum Income Schemes in Europe: A study of national policies 2015, January 2016

Amendment 271 #

Motion for a resolution
Title (new) before paragraph 17

Title before paragraph 17 Social Employment Programmes

Amendment 272 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Notes ~~with particular inter~~the implementation of various schemest th~~e proposals concerning transitional job schem~~at have been launched in a number of Member States, w~~hich consist of the option, for those who wa~~ith the aim of promoting reintegration into t~~o and ar~~he lab~~le to work, to have a transitional job, at a pre- established minimum wage, in~~our market, through technical training and provision for workers, notably through the general government sector or in a non-profit institution or non-governmental organisation (NGO); stresses, however, that it is important for these schemes to promote work with rights, based on collective bargaining and on labour legislation that guarantees security for workers and corresponds to employment in permanent posts rather than systems for rotating workers without any real consequences for their sustainable employability;

Amendment 273 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. ~~Notes with particular interes~~Stresses that the proposals concerning transitional job schemes, which consist of the option, for those who want to and are able to work, to have a transitional job~~, at a pre-established minimum wage,~~ in the general government sector or in a non-profit institution or non- governmental organisation (NGO) should not be mandatory and should be designed in such a way that they contribute to the active inclusion of the participants without undermining existing labour standards (in the form of applicable labour and social security law and collective agreements) in those sectors; stresses that transitional job schemes should be negotiated with the social partners and should not derogate from existing labour standards;

Amendment 274 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Notes with ~~particular~~ interest the proposals concerning transitional job schemes, which consist of the option, for those who want to and are able to work, to have a transitional job~~, at a pre-established minimum wage,~~ in the general government sector or in a non-profit institution or non- governmental organisation (NGO);

Amendment 275 #

Marita ULVSKOG

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Notes with particular interest the proposals concerning transitional job schemes, which consist of the option, for those who want to and are able to work, to have a transitional job, ~~at a pre-established minimum wage,~~ in the general government sector or in a non-profit institution or non- governmental organisation (NGO);

Amendment 276 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Notes with particular interest the ~~proposals concerning transitional job sche~~social employment programmes, which consist of the option, for those who want to and are able to work, to have a transitional job, at a pre-established minimum wage, in the general government sector or in a non- profit institution or non- governmental organisation (NGO);

Amendment 277 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Notes with particular interest the proposals concerning transitional job schemes, which consist of the option~~, for those who want to and are able to work,~~ to have a transitional job, at a pre-established minimum wage, in the general government sector or in a non-profit institution or non- governmental organisation (NGO);

Amendment 278 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

Amendment 279 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the~~re are as yet no established indicators of absolute poverty~~ term ‘relative poverty’ says nothing about real need, but, rather, merely describes a person’s income relative to that of others;

Amendment 280 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

Amendment 281 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Takes the view that a transitional job scheme is one of the most effective tools for improving workers’ employability in a labour market that is structurally imbalanced and to facilitate their transition from the state of being unemployed (especially long-term) to that of a private-sector employee; notes, moreover, that such schemes serve to promotctive job policies are fundamental in ensuring the transition from unemployment to employment; notes, however, that only expansive economic policies and a reduction in work-times (without a reduction in wages), as well as stronger labour standards, can ensure sufficient quality employment is available for this transition; stresses, moreover, that access to guaranteed minimum incomes should not be ncon~~-inflationary economic growth as well as to combat unemployment and social exclusion~~ditional to so-called "workfare" schemes, but rather be considered a fundamental right;

Amendment 282 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Takes the view that a transitional job scheme ~~is one of the most effective tools for~~helps improv~~ing~~e workers’ employability in athe labour market ~~that is structurally imbalanced and to~~and facilitate their transition from the state of being unemployed (especially long-term) to that of a private-sector employee; notes, moreover, that such schemes serve to promote non-inflationary economic growth as well as to combat unemployment and social exclusion;

Amendment 283 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Takes the view that ~~a transitional job scheme is one of the most~~social employment programmes are an effective tools for improving workers’ employability in a labour market that is structurally imbalanced and to facilitate their transition from the state of being unemployed (especially long-term) to that of a private- sector employee; notes, moreover, that such ~~sche~~programmes serve to promote non- inflationary economic growth as well as to combat unemployment and social exclusion; recalls that these programmes should include a personalized itinerary based on the person qualifications and skills and that they should never become a precarious employment trap;

Amendment 284 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Stresses the importance of increasing participation in lifelong learning of workers, the unemployed and vulnerable social groups and the need to improve the level of professional qualifications and the acquisitions of new skills, which are a fundamental tool to accelerate integration in the labour market, increase productivity and help people to find a job;

Amendment 285 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Stresses that these social employment programs can only be participated by public entities, non-profit private entities (such as NGOs or third sector organizations) social economy enterprises or small or very small enterprises and that they should provide workers with decent wages;

Amendment 286 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Points up the importance of demographic developments in connection with combating poverty in Europe;

Amendment 287 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Believes that ~~job~~ creati~~on should be a priority for the European Union as a first step towards~~ng jobs with rights, based on collective bargaining and on labour legislation that guarantees security for workers, on wage increases and on better distribution of wealth, while taking account of gender equality and prospects for improving skills, is the main way to reduc~~ing~~e poverty; urges the Member States to boost employment policies and work with rights;

Amendment 288 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Believes that ~~job creation~~the creation of quality jobs with decent working conditions including adequate wages, should be a priority for the European Union as a ~~firs~~n important step towards reducing poverty;

Amendment 289 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Believes that quality job creation should be a priority for the European Union as a first step towards reducing poverty; notes with concern the growth of in-work poverty, particularly as a result of the dismantling of labour rights and collective bargaining institutions through austerity measures and social dumping; stresses the need to strengthen collective bargaining rights and minimum wages systems as a first step towards the creation of quality jobs;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas there are as yet no ~~established~~reliable, replicable indicators ofdefining absolute poverty which can be applied to all Member States;

Amendment 290 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Alex MAYER, Elena GENTILE, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI, Jutta STEINRUCK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Believes that job creation, by providing an environment with flexible labour markets that is economy-friendly and employment-friendly, should be a priority for the European Union as a first step towards reducing poverty;

Amendment 291 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Believes that quality job creation should be a priority for the European Union as a first step towards reducing poverty and social exclusion;

Amendment 292 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Believes that supporting job creation should be a priority for the European Union as a first step towards reducing poverty;

Amendment 293 #

Siôn SIMON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Believes that quality job creation should be a priority for the European Union as a first step towards reducing poverty;

Amendment 294 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure the full participation of all stakeholders, in particular the social partners and civil society organisations in the design, implementation and monitoring of minimum income policies and programmes;

Amendment 295 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Notes that this aim of job creation is one of the EU’s main failings, as is shown by the subject of this report;

Amendment 296 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)

19b. Calls on the Commission to continue its support for the European Minimum Income Network, as a network that monitors and supports the progressive realisation of adequate, accessible and enabling Minimum Income Schemes in all Member States;

Amendment 297 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)

19c. Calls on the European Commission and the Social Protection Committee to document and disseminate examples of successful strategies and promote peer reviews and other methods of exchanging good practice on minimum income schemes; recommends these efforts to focus on key issues such as ensuring regular uprating, improving coverage and take-up, addressing disincentives, enhancing links between the different active inclusion strands;

Amendment 3 #

Marita ULVSKOG

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4

— having regard to International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions Nos ~~26 and 131 on minimum wage fixing and Nos~~ 29 and 105 on the abolition of forced labour,

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas ~~there are~~ as yet no established and multidimensional indicators of absolute poverty; have been defined which might make it possible to monitor social and economic policies;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas reconciling family and working life, especially for single parents, is of the utmost importance in order to be able to escape poverty;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas there is an urgent need to devise such an indicator;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

~~C. whereas according to the methodology developed by Eurostat, the at-risk-of-poverty threshold is set at 60 % of national median equivalised disposable income;~~deleted

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas according to the methodology developed by Eurostat, the at-risk-of-poverty threshold is set at 60 % of national median equivalised disposable income (per household, after deductions);

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas ~~according to~~ the methodology developed by Eurostat, the at-risk-of- poverty threshold is set arbitrarily at 60 % of national median equivalised disposable income, which is very often hard for people to understand, especially because it is a measure of distribution, not of poverty, and income is only an indirect indicator of living standards;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas according to the methodology developed by Eurostat, the ~~at-risk-of-~~poverty threshold is set at 60 % of national median equivalised disposable income;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas the policies of the EU and of international organisations such as the IMF have imposed highly restrictive austerity budgetary policies on some Member States, forcing substantial cuts to spending in fundamental areas such as education, health, justice, culture and social support and services and promoting significant reductions in spending on staff, with cuts to the jobs, wages and rights of public sector workers, fostering the degradation and limitation of the social functions of the state; whereas such policies have hampered and prevented the implementation of investment and development policies serving the needs of the peoples and the Member States; whereas such political options have led to a sharp rise in poverty and social exclusion;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas relative poverty, as a concept, with the poverty threshold being defined as 60% of national median net income, does not tally with real life in that it disregards regional and individual differentials and cannot reflect upward economic trends, since prosperity gains cannot be factored in;1a __________________ 1a The fact is that the 60% threshold - the definition of relative poverty - ensures that there will always be poverty as long as there are income differentials. If, within a society, all incomes double, then, on the basis of that interpretation, the poverty line will automatically be doubled, too, and there will be just as many people classified as poor as there used to be (even if, all of a sudden, they have much more disposable income).

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas reference budget better reflect the diversity of consumption patterns and costs of living across Member States than minimum incomes set as a certain percentage and can be used to more meaningfully compare minimum income support across Member States;

Amendment 4 #

Georges BACH, Elisabeth MORIN-CHARTIER, Sofia RIBEIRO, Claude ROLIN, Jeroen LENAERS, Heinz K. BECKER, David CASA, Anne SANDER

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4

— having regard to International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions Nos 269 and 13105 on ~~minimum wage fixing and Nos 29 and~~the abolition of forced labour, No 1052 on ~~the abolition of forced labour~~Social Security and ILO Recommendation 202 on Social Protection Floors,

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas according to the Parliament's Resolution of 2010, 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 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas poverty especially hits families;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

Cb. whereas there must be no confusion between ‘income differentials’ and ‘poverty’;

Amendment 43 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Alex MAYER, Jutta STEINRUCK, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Elena GENTILE, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)

Cc. whereas a general statutory minimum wage is not necessarily the right way to reduce poverty, since it applies to personal income and not household income;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas ~~120~~, according to the European Commission 1a , 119 million people in the European Union – some 25% of the total population – are at risk of poverty and social exclusion; whereas ~~this fact is accompanied by persistently high unemployment rates;~~ even though numbers are declining, there are still 1,7 million people above the 2008 level; whereas the EU is far from reaching the EU2020 target on poverty and social exclusion since the level remain above the Europe 2020 target by around 21,6 million people; whereas available data suggest that certain groups, such as children, women, unemployed, single-parent households, or persons with disabilities, are especially vulnerable to poverty, deprivation and social exclusion; __________________ 1a COM 2017 90 (final) 2017 European Semester: Assessment of progress on structural reforms, prevention and correction of macroeconomic imbalances, and results of in-depth reviews under Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas ~~120 million people in the European Union~~in 2000 (in the EU15), 15 % of the population were living under the poverty threshold, rising to 16 % in 2005 and 17 % in 2008 (around 85 million people), and whereas currently 120 million people – some 25 % of the total – are at risk of poverty and social exclusion after social benefits; whereas this fact is accompanied by persistently high unemployment rates;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas 120 million people in the European Union – some 25 % of the total – are at risk of poverty and social exclusion; whereas ~~this fact is accompanied by persistently high unemployment rate~~in many countries, however, unemployment and hence poverty, too, are being reduced as a result of structural reforms;

Amendment 47 #

Jérôme LAVRILLEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas 120 million people in the European Union – some 25 % of the total – are at risk of poverty and social exclusion; whereas this fact is accompanied by persistently high unemployment rates and whereas this situation affects young people in particular, for whom the figures are even more alarming;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas 120 million people in the European Union – some 25 % of the total – are at risk of poverty and social exclusion; whereas this fact is accompanied by persistently high unemployment rates, which are two points higher in the eurozone than outside it;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas, according to the methodology developed by Eurostat, 120 million people in the European Union – some 25% of the total – are at risk of poverty and social exclusion; whereas this fact is accompanied by persistently high unemployment rates;

Amendment 5 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Brando BENIFEI, Elena GENTILE, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Jutta STEINRUCK

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)

– having regard to ILO Convention No 102 on Social Security and its Recommendation No 202 on Social Protection Floors,

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas according to the European Commission high unemployment, poverty and inequality remain key concerns in some countries, and socioeconomic convergence across the EU has yet to resume fully 2a; whereas broad income inequalities are not only detrimental for social cohesion, but they also hamper sustainable economic growth, as stated by Commissioner Thyssen 1a ; whereas the impact of the crisis has been generally more acute among lower-income individuals, pushing income inequalities upwards within European societies; whereas income inequality increased in 22 EU Member States because the higher income quintiles decreased less or increased more than the lower income quintiles; __________________ 2aEuropean Commission high unemployment, poverty and inequality remain key concerns in some countries, and socioeconomic convergence across the EU has yet to resume fully 1ahttp://europa.eu/rapid/press- release_SPEECH-16-1744_en.htm

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas account should be taken of the multidimensional nature of poverty and social exclusion, the existence of particularly vulnerable population groups (children, women and elderly people) – which also include people with disabilities, immigrants, large or single- parent families, the chronically ill, the homeless and refugees – as well as the need to incorporate action to prevent and combat poverty and exclusion in other policies, with a guarantee of universal access to public services, high-quality jobs with rights and an income allowing people to live with dignity;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas homelessness represents the most extreme form of poverty and deprivation and has increased in recent years in virtually all Member States, overall in those worst hit by the economic and financial crisis; whereas, according to FEANTSA, around 4 million people across EU are experiencing homelessness every year, over 10.5 million households suffer severe housing deprivation and 22.3 million households face a housing cost overburden, indicating that they spend more than 40% of disposable income on housing;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas according to a forthcoming Eurofound report on "Income inequalities and employment patterns in Europe before and after the great Recession" the impact of the crisis has been generally more acute among lower-income individuals, pushing income inequalities upwards within European societies;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas having a job would protect someone from the risk of poverty and could be considered as a major indispensable means of social integration;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas in 2010 the figure was only 85 million, proving that, over and above the crisis, the problem lies with the intrinsic functioning of the EU;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

Db. whereas available data suggest that certain groups, such as children, women, unemployed, single-parent households, or persons with disabilities, are especially vulnerable to poverty, deprivation and social exclusion;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas ~~the current emergency situation calls for measures to promote~~ national minimum income schemes ~~for~~help citizens~~, so that all citizens are ensured~~ with insufficient incomes to achieve decent living conditions;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the current emergency situation calls for measures to promote national minimum income schemes ~~for citizens~~, so that all ~~citizens are ensured decent living condition~~people meeting specific conditions for eligibility are ensured decent living conditions, while improving skill levels among people excluded from the labour market and guaranteeing equal opportunities in exercising fundamental rights;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the current emergency situation calls for measures to promote national minimum income schemes for ~~citizen~~inhabitants, so that all ~~citizen~~inhabitants are ensured decent living conditions;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)

– having regard to the EPSCO Council Conclusions from June 2013 "Towards social investment for growth and jobs",

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the current extreme emergency situation calls for measures to promote national minimum income schemes for citizens, so that all citizens are ensured decent living conditions;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas the poverty rate in all Member States, and especially in those, such as Greece, which have been affected by the banking and monetary crisis resulting from the Troika’s mismanagement, is such that only a comprehensive policy, probably involving leaving the euro, can be effective;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas according to an overview by Eurofound many people in the EU do not receive the benefits they are entitled to, including in-work benefits, for example because of complexity of benefit systems or application procedures, or unawareness of entitlement for instance assuming that by being employed one is not entitled;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas the concept of a minimum income must not be confused with the concept of a minimum wage, which is fixed by collective agreement or by legislation;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)

Eb. whereas for a long time naivety and ‘human rightism’, with their agreed language, have helped to delay the adoption of specific and effective measures;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas introducing and strengthening minimum income schemes ~~is an important and effective way to overcome poverty, support social integration and access to the labour market and meet the targets of the Europe 2020 strategy~~, with adequate budgetary, human and material resources, is an important and effective way to overcome poverty and promote social inclusion through a holistic approach to the causes of exclusion, combining individual and family empowerment measures with action to facilitate access to the labour market;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas introducing and strengthening minimum income ~~sch~~arrangements is ~~an important and effective way to overcome~~useful for limiting poverty, supporting social integration and access to the labour market and meeting the targets of the Europe 2020 strategy;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas ~~introducing and strengthening minimum income schemes is an important and effective way to~~minimum income schemes, coupled with active employment policies for people of working able to work, may help overcome poverty, support social integration and access to the labour market and meet the targets of the Europe 2020 strategy;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas introducing and strengthening schemes for adequate minimum income s~~chemes~~upport is an important and effective way to overcome poverty and inequality, support social integration and access to the labour market and meet the targets of the Europe 2020 strategy;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas introducing and strengthening minimum income schemes is an important and effective ~~way~~measure to overcome poverty, support social integration and access to the labour market and meet the targets of the Europe 2020 strategy;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)

– having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 20 February 2013 "Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion – including implementing the European Social Fund 2014-2020",

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas introducing and strengthening minimum income schemes is a~~n important and effectiv~~ possible way to overcome poverty, support social integration and access to the labour market and meet the targets of the Europe 2020 strategy;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas introducing and strengthening minimum income schemes is an important and effective way to overcome poverty, that will help to ensure economic and territorial cohesion, protect the fundamental rights of individuals, ensure a balance between economic and social objectives, reallocate wealth and income fairly, support social integration and access to the labour market and meet the targets of the Europe 2020 strategy;

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas introducing and strengthening minimum income schemes is, when rightly combined with other social and labour market activation measures and policies, might be an important and effective way to overcome poverty, support social integration and access to the labour market and meet the targets of the Europe 2020 strategy;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas introducing and strengthening national minimum income schemes is an important and effective way to overcome poverty, support social integration and access to the labour market and help Member States meet the targets of the Europe 2020 strategy;

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)

Fb. whereas the provision and management of social security systems are a Member State competence which the Union coordinates but does not harmonise;

Amendment 75 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

Fa. whereas the setting of wages is a Member State competence;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

Ga. whereas there are many differences between Member States in the treatment of minimum income policies, since the right to a dignified life is not considered as a universal and subjective right in all EU Member States, whereas there exist high levels of non-take-up or the lack of coordination between income support, active labour market policies and social services; whereas in only a few cases minimum income schemes are able to lift people out of poverty;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

Ga. whereas many thousands of citizens currently live close to or in poverty and social exclusion while working (9.8% in the EU-281a), which makes it essential to increase wages alongside the implementation of this instrument, particularly at the lower levels; __________________ 1a Eurostat data.

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

Ga. whereas some of the most vulnerable people such as homeless people experience difficulties to access minimum income schemes;

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas ~~the gu~~a rantege of ~~an adequate minimum income and minimum wage is included in the first draft of the European Pillar of Social Rights9; whereas, at the high-level conference held in Brussels on 23 January 2017, follow~~documents published by the EU institutions enshringe the public consultation on this issue, the President of the Commission, Jean- Claude Juncker, reiterated that such measures should be adopted by all Member States; __________________ 9 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions launching a consultation on a European Pillar of Social Rights (COM(2016)0127) – Annex 1.guarantee of an adequate minimum income and minimum wage, in line with practices in the Member States;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)

– having regard to the Commission Communication of 20 February 2013 entitled 'Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion – including implementing the European Social Fund 2014-2020',

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas ~~the~~ guaranteeing the provision of an adequate minimum income ~~and minimum wage~~for those who lack the requisite resources to achieve a decent standard of living, as well as participation in labour market (re)integration measures and a productivity-linked minimum wage safeguarding access to employment and the motivation to seek work is included in the first draft of the European Pillar of Social Rights9; whereas, at the high-level conference held in Brussels on 23 January 2017, following the public consultation on this issue, the President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, reiterated that such measures should be adopted by all Member States; __________________ 9 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions launching a consultation on a European Pillar of Social Rights (COM(2016)0127) – Annex 1.

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas the guarantee of an adequate minimum income ~~and minimum wage~~ is included in the first draft of the European Pillar of Social Rights9 ; whereas, at the high-level conference held in Brussels on 23 January 2017, following the public consultation on this issue, the President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, reiterated that such measures should be adopted by all Member States; __________________ 9 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions launching a consultation on a European Pillar of Social Rights (COM(2016)0127) – Annex 1.

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas the guarantee of an adequate minimum income ~~and minimum wage~~for those who lack sufficient resources for a decent standard of living and fair remuneration for employment is included in the first draft of the European Pillar of Social Rights9 ; whereas, at the high-level conference held in Brussels on 23 January 2017, following the public consultation on this issue, the President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, reiterated that such measures should be adopted by all Member States; __________________ 9 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions launching a consultation on a European Pillar of Social Rights (COM(2016)0127) – Annex 1.

Amendment 83 #

Siôn SIMON

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas the guarantee of an adequate minimum income and minimum wage is included in the first draft of the European Pillar of Social Rights9 ; whereas minimum income schemes should not substitute for decent wages; whereas, at the high-level conference held in Brussels on 23 January 2017, following the public consultation on this issue, the President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, reiterated that such measures should be adopted by all Member States; __________________ 9 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions launching a consultation on a European Pillar of Social Rights (COM(2016)0127) – Annex 1.

Amendment 84 #

Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Javi LÓPEZ, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Claudiu Ciprian TĂNĂSESCU, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas the guarantee of an adequate minimum income and ~~minimum wage~~a guaranteed minimum wage, based on discussion with the social partners, is included in the first draft of the European Pillar of Social Rights9; whereas, at the high-level conference held in Brussels on 23 January 2017, following the public consultation on this issue, the President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, reiterated that such measures should be adopted by all Member States; __________________ 9 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions launching a consultation on a European Pillar of Social Rights (COM(2016)0127) – Annex 1.

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

Ha. whereas ensuring adequate minimum income support as a tool to fight poverty is not only good in terms of social cohesion, but also economically sound as it will help boost internal demand;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

Ha. whereas, according to Eurostat, in 2015 the employment rate of EU citizens of age 20-64 stood at 70.1% and was far from the EU 2020 strategy goal set for 75%;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas contrary to what is often thought, well-designed, adequate and widely available income support systems do not prevent or discourage a return to the labour market;1a __________________ 1aEuropean Commission, Employment and Social Developments in Europe 2013, January 2014

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)

Ib. whereas the Recommendation on Active Inclusion rightly recognised that apart from facilitating access to quality employment for those who can work, active inclusion policies should also "provide resources which are sufficient to live in dignity, together with support for social participation, for those who cannot";

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)

Ja. whereas the Council on 5 October 2015 adopted conclusions on pension adequacy, considering it essential that public pension or other social protection schemes contain appropriate safeguards for people whose employment opportunities do or did not allow them to build up sufficient pension entitlements and that such safeguards notably include minimum pensions or other minimum income provisions for older people;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 b (new)

– having regard to the Commission recommendation of 20 February 2013 entitled 'Investing in Children: breaking the cycle of disadvantage',

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas in the Commission's recommendation of 3 October 2008 on active inclusion i~~t is stressed that adequate income suppor~~dentifies adequate income support as one of the three equally important strands of an active inclusion strategy and is stressed that it must be accompanied by access to quality services and by inclusive labour markets;

Amendment 91 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas in the Commission recommendation of 3 October 2008 on active inclusion it is stressed that adequate income support must be accompanied by access to quality services and by inclusive labour markets; whereas, likewise, promoting social inclusion requires coordinated measures that address the individual and his or her surroundings, accompanied by action to promote stable work;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)

La. whereas in many countries key barriers to developing effective links between the different strands of active inclusion include lack of capacity, skills and resources in public employment services and social assistance institutions, lack of coordination and cooperation between services, and a tendency to prioritise different groups in need of support who may be easier to reintegrate into the labour market;2a __________________ 2aEuropean Social Policy Network, Minimum Income Schemes in Europe: A study of national policies 2015, January 2016

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L b (new)

Lb. whereas the 2013 European Commission's Social Investment Package again reiterated the importance of an active inclusion approach and within this stressed the importance of adequate minimum income support; whereas it was stated that the adequacy of existing national minimum income schemes can be improved to ensure the level is high enough for a decent life; whereas it was mentioned that "the Commission will, as part of the European Semester, monitor the adequacy of income support and use for this purpose reference budgets once these have been developed together with the Member States";

Amendment 94 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L c (new)

Lc. whereas ILO Recommendation 202 on social protection floors states that countries should "establish as quickly as possible and maintain their social protection floors comprising basic social security guarantees. The guarantees should ensure at a minimum that, over the life cycle, all in need have access to essential health care and to basic income security which together secure effective access to goods and services...";

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L d (new)

Ld. whereas the Council recognised the necessity of active inclusion with adequate income support and the importance of an integrated life cycle approach for tackling poverty;3a __________________ 3aCouncil Conclusions on “combating Poverty and Social Exclusion: An integrated approach”, 16 June 2016

Amendment 96 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

M. whereas the long-term unemployed, who, at the end of 2015, accounted for 48.1 % of total unemployed people in the EU, which is an indicator the extreme seriousness of the situation, equivalent to 10.9 million people, find it much harder to return to the labour market;

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)

Ma. whereas in many instances, as a result of bringing up children and the periods of time spent doing so, there are severe losses of income and continuing financial drawbacks (‘family pay gap’);

Amendment 98 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M b (new)

Mb. whereas mothers and fathers bringing up children are doing real work that must be recognised as such;

Amendment 99 #

Jérôme LAVRILLEUX

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

N. whereas, at the end of 2015, 5.1 % of inactive individuals in the EU consisted of discouraged people, who would have wanted to work but had stopped looking for employment, and whereas these people are not systematically counted in the unemployment figures;

source: 601.150

2017/05/10 ECON 155 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Draft opinion
Recital A

~~A. whereas, in 2015, 23.7% of the population and 12.5% of employed people over the age of 18 in the EU-28 were at risk of poverty and social exclusion1 ; _________________ 1 Eurostat.~~deleted

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

Amendment 100 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Points out that ~~an increase~~ reducing social transfers ~~and progressive, fair and redistributive tax systems, alongside measures to combat tax avoidance and tax evasion,~~, reducing and simplifying taxation, and cutting administrative costs are prerequisites for economic, social and territorial cohesion;

Amendment 101 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Points out that ~~an increase in~~ social transfers ~~and progressive, fair and redistributive tax systems~~, alongside measures to combat tax avoidance and tax evasion, ~~are prerequisites for~~can increase economic, social and territorial cohesion;

Amendment 102 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Points out that ~~an increase in social transfers and progressive, fair and redistributive~~efficient, effective and sustainably funded welfare systems and fair tax systems, alongside measures to combat tax avoidance and tax evasion, are prerequisites for economic, social and territorial cohesion;

Amendment 103 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Points out that ~~an increase in~~ social transfers and progressive, fair and redistributive tax systems, alongside measures to strengthen competitiveness and combat tax avoidance and tax evasion, a~~re prerequisites for~~ll have the potential to contribute to economic, social and territorial cohesion;

Amendment 104 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Points out that an increase in social transfers and progressive, fair and redistributive tax systems, alongside practical measures to combat tax avoidance and tax evasion, are prerequisites for economic, social and territorial cohesion;

Amendment 105 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. PoUnderlintes ~~out~~ that an increase in education, social transfers and progressive, fair and redistributive tax systems, alongside measures to combat tax avoidance and tax evasion, are prerequisites for economic, social and territorial cohesion;

Amendment 106 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Points out that an increase in social transfers and progressive, fair and redistributive tax systems, alongside measures to combat tax avoidance and tax evasion, are prerequisites for economic, social and territorial cohesion. Stresses that, in some countries, expansionary fiscal policy is a part of a problem that contributes to the reduced amount of social services related spending;

Amendment 107 #

Thomas MANN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 108 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Points out that redistribution schemes alone will not bring people into work; reinforces also that having a job is always the best way to protect someone from the risk of poverty and a powerful mean of social integration; Stresses that to avoid a class of assisted people, labour market and business environment reforms need to be conducted and monitored;

Amendment 109 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

~~4. Argues that minimum income schemes are essential transitional instruments in reducing and fighting poverty, and they should be seen as a social investment;~~deleted

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas a number of Member States have b~~een coerced into reducing budget deficits and cutting their social spending, which has undermined public health, education, social security and housing systems~~udget deficits whose existence can partly be explained by the fact that they run welfare systems which are not sustainably funded;

Amendment 110 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

~~4. Argues that minimum income schemes are essential transitional instruments in reducing and fighting poverty, and they should be seen as a social investment;~~deleted

Amendment 111 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

~~4. Argues that minimum income schemes are essential transitional instruments in reducing and fighting poverty, and they should be seen as a social investment;~~deleted

Amendment 112 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Argu~~Stresses, that ~~minimum income schemes are essential transitional instruments in reducing and fighting poverty, and they should~~introducing and strengthening minimum income policy is important for people who find themselves in financial difficulties, this income should constitute a last resort and not ordinary income. It urges that the maintaining a balance be stween ~~as a social investment~~the minimum income and other types of income is key;

Amendment 113 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Argues that minimum income schemes are essential transitional instruments in~~Believes that further study and research into potential different minimum income scheme models could be a useful tool in the battle to reduc~~ing~~e and fight~~ing~~ poverty, and ~~they should be seen as a social investment~~social exclusion, stresses that it is essential that any potential schemes and models must be created with the active involvement of Europe's most deprived, as they are an under-used and under-represented resource with in-depth knowledge and experience which must be harnessed;

Amendment 114 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Argues that non-market-oriented minimum income schemes ~~are essential transitional instruments in reducing and fighting poverty, and they should be seen as a social~~would place a serious strain on State budgets, would burden future generations with high levels of debt and would in no way constitute investments;

Amendment 115 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Argues that minimum income schemes are ~~essential~~ transitional instruments in reducing and fighting poverty~~, and they should be seen as a social investment~~;

Amendment 116 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Argues that minimum income schemes ~~are essential~~could act as transitional instruments in reducing and fighting poverty, social exclusion and inequalities, and they should be seen not only as a social ~~investment~~but also as an economic investment; Notes the counter-cyclical effects of minimum incomes schemes;

Amendment 117 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Argues that national minimum income schemes are ~~essential~~possible transitional instruments in reducing and fighting poverty, and they shcould be seen as a social investment;

Amendment 118 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Argues that minimum income schemes combined with active employment policies are essential transitional instruments in reducing and fighting poverty, and they should be seen as a social investment;

Amendment 119 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Argues that minimum income schemes are essential transitional instruments in reducing and fighting poverty, and they should be seen as a social investment; takes the view, however, that their use should not serve to establish a model disregarding the right to a job, thus devaluing it; takes the view that schemes of this kind should not be employed as a quick fix for the failure – stemming from the wrong policies and decisions – to create the jobs necessary for growth and employment;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas a number of Member States ~~have been coerced in~~which for decades ran up ever increasing debts have recognised the need to reduc~~ing~~e their budget deficits and ~~cutting~~hence have cut their social spending,; wh~~ich has undermined public health, education, social security and housing system~~ereas these decisions were taken by elected national governments and national parliaments;

Amendment 120 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Points out that no redistribution policy is possible unless the number of beneficiaries remains reasonably constant and that mass migration, combined with equal access to social entitlements, would spell the swift collapse of any welfare system, the only way out in such a situation being colossal borrowing, which would, however, eventually prove unsustainable;

Amendment 121 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Points out that, because of the euro and the single market, national labour markets can no longer be shielded by flexible exchange rates; notes that the countries hardest hit by the crisis are in that way compelled to apply wage deflation policies;

Amendment 122 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Believes that minimum income schemes should be temporary and always accompanied with active policies of inclusion in labour market;

Amendment 123 #

Renato SORU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Calls for assessment of the minimum income experiments being carried out in some Member States;

Amendment 124 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Considers that the way to eradicate poverty is not to open borders in order to import poverty into Europe, but, rather, to help create the conditions for development in countries of origin, not least by halting the plundering of their natural resources by greedy multinationals and corrupt governments;

Amendment 125 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Sylvie GOULARD, Marian HARKIN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Points out in any event that the prime aim of policy action should be to create properly paid jobs;

Amendment 126 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Calls on the Commission and Member States to exchange best practices from minimum income schemes;

Amendment 127 #

Thomas MANN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 128 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 129 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas a number of Member States have ~~been coerced into reducing~~reduced budget deficits and cut~~ting~~ their social spending, ~~which has undermined public health, education, social security and housing systems~~but not nearly sufficiently;

Amendment 130 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 131 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 132 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 133 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 134 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 135 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Calls on the Commission to propose a framework di~~MS which have not yet done so should consider the crecati~~ve establishing minimum income schemes set at above 60% of national median equivalised disposable income, taking due account of each country’s specific characteristics~~on of national minimum schemes, of which the level is set by the individual Member States and which is in accordance with national legislation and practices, and corresponds to the socioeconomic situation of the respective Member State.

Amendment 136 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to propose a framework directive establishing minimum income schemes set at above 60% of national median equivalised disposable income, taking due account of each country’s specific characteristics.Emphasises that social policy is a Member State matter and that the European Union should confine itself to implementing structural and employment policies which increase prosperity in all countries;

Amendment 137 #

Sylvie GOULARD, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission ~~to propose a framework directive establishing minimum income schemes set at above 60% of national median equivalised disposable income~~and the Member States to evaluate the manner and the means of providing an adequate minimum income in all Member States and to consider further steps in support of social convergence across the EU, taking due account of each country’s specific characteristics., as well as national practices and traditions;

Amendment 138 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission ~~to propose a framework directive establishing minimum income schemes set at above 60% of national median equivalised disposable income~~, after further study and reflection, to evaluate the potential positive impact of a framework directive establishing minimum income schemes for all Member States, taking due account of each country’s specific characteristics.

Amendment 139 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to propose a framework directive establishing minimum income schemes set at above 60% of national median equivalised disposable income, ~~taking due account of each country’s specific characteristics.~~as part of the European Social Rights Pillar;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas ~~a number of~~certain Member States have ~~been coerced into reducing budget deficits and cutting their~~to deal with severe budget deficits, increased debt levels and, as a result, cuts on social spending,; wh~~ich has undermined public health, educa~~ereas - unlike investment - transfers and government consumption, s~~ocial security and housing systems~~hould never be debt- financed;

Amendment 140 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to propose a framework directive establishing minimum income schemes set at above 60% of national median equivalised disposable income, taking due account of each country’s specific characteristics., notably the role of social partners; is of the opinion that a framework of this kind should contain common rules and indicators as well as concrete methods for monitoring the implementation of such schemes;

Amendment 141 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to propose a framework directive establishing comprehensive and accessible minimum income schemes set at above 60% of national median equivalised disposable income, taking due account of each country’s specific characteristics.;

Amendment 142 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Calls on~~Strongly urges the Commission to propose a framework directive establishing minimum income schemes set at above 60% of national median equivalised disposable income, taking due account of each country’s specific characteristics.

Amendment 143 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. 6. Calls on the Commission, that it should, before submitting any proposal in this field, take into account the fact that this area is of Member States competence and to extensively evaluate the impact of planned measures on the economic and social situation of individual countries examine the appropriateness of the selected instruments to deal with related social and economic problems and limit the potential negative consequences of minimum income,

Amendment 144 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Calls for reference budgets to be used to test the robustness of the level of minimum income and of the 60% threshold; points out that reference budgets can help setting the level of minimum income necessary to meet people's fundamental needs, including also non-monetary aspects, such as access to education and lifelong learning, decent housing, quality healthcare services, leisure and social activities or civic participation;

Amendment 145 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Stresses that establishing minimum income schemes is only a step in the fight against poverty and social exclusion; calls on the Commission to urgently put forward concrete proposals to achieve a true and binding European Pillar of Social Rights;

Amendment 146 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Reiterates the importance of equal access to minimum income schemes without discrimination by ethnicity, gender, education, nationality, sexual- orientation, religion, disability, age, political or socio-economic background;

Amendment 147 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Calls on the Commission to respect the Member States' different approaches to social policy; insists that a Europe united in diversity ceases to exist when social policy is harmonised;

Amendment 148 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Suggests that the future fiscal capacity of the euro area, for the purpose of supporting automatic stabilisers, could be used to finance minimum income policies.

Amendment 149 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Calls on the Commission to examine funding possibilities based on European solidarity to help every Member States to establish a minimum income schemes in every Member States;

Amendment 15 #

Ernest URTASUN, Philippe LAMBERTS

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas for a number of Member States ~~have been coerced in~~, it was necessary to reduc~~ing~~e budget deficits and cut~~ting their~~ social spending~~, which has undermined~~ in order to be able to secure public health, education, social security and sustainable housing systems in the long term;

Amendment 150 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Calls on the Commission: -to evaluate the experiences of basic income that were launched at the municipal, regional or national level and to identify and disseminate best practices in cooperation with civil society, in particular NGOs fighting against poverty and social exclusion; - to assess researches which indicate that basic income policies would necessitate moderate marginal tax increases and will be mainly founded on the elimination of various tax expenditures, such as deductions and personal exemptions, towards fairer and more transparent tax systems; - to consider the issuance of a Green Book and the organisation of a public consultation on a European framework on basic income at EU level.

Amendment 151 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Warns that any transfers between Member States brought about by harmonising social policy will inevitably lead to even stronger rejection of the European Union and possibly to more Member States leaving it.

Amendment 152 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Notes that minimum income schemes ought to be implemented and evaluated in context of the overall national systems of social services, i.e. education, health care, childcare, housing and mobility;

Amendment 153 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5 c. Stresses the advantages of a European unemployment insurance or re- insurance scheme that would stand to enhance the resilience of national welfare states faced with asymmetric shocks and resilience of monetary union overall;

Amendment 154 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)

5 d. Underlines the need for adapting existing minimum income schemes to better address the challenge of youth unemployment;

Amendment 155 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 e (new)

5 e. Draws attention to the problem of child poverty and calls for minimum income schemes to take the needs of children into special consideration;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas ~~a number of Member States have been coerced into reducing budget deficits and cutting their social spending, which has~~salaries, pensions and social spending have been slashed, particularly in those Member States, such as Greece and Portugal, to which the Memorandum provisions apply, thereby undermineding public health, education, social security and housing systems;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas a number of Member States have been coerced into reducing budget deficits and cutting their social spending, which has undermined public health, education, social ~~security~~protection and housing system and in particular the access to, adequacy, availability and quality of the related services;

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas ~~a number of Member States have been coerced into reducing budget deficits and cutt~~, in order to respect their treaty obligations, a number of Member States have reduced their budget deficits; some Member States decided to achieve this goal in part by reducing their social spending, which has ~~undermined~~often resulted in the degradation of public health, education, social security and housing systems, which has had a disproportionate impact on the most deprived members of society in those Member States;

Amendment 19 #

Thomas MANN

Draft opinion
Recital B

B. whereas a number of Member States have been coerced into reducing budget deficits and cutting their social spending, which has undermined public health, education, social security and housing systems; whereas consolidated budgets and structural reforms in the Member States are important components of sustainable economic and social policies;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Recital A

~~A. whereas, in 2015, 23.7% of the population and 12.5% of employed people over the age of 18 in the EU-28 were at risk of poverty and social exclusion1 ; _________________ 1 Eurostat.~~deleted

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas structural labour market reforms and fiscal consolidation have backfired to the extent that they have widened the gaps among Member States as regards living standards and disposable household income, leading to disparity within the EU; whereas, for example, the median living standard of the poorest 10% of households in France is higher than that of the Portuguese population as a whole, and the median living standard of the richest 1% of Luxembourg households is 75 times higher than that of the poorest 10% in Romania;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas, in keeping with the subsidiarity principle, social policy is a Member State matter;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)

Bb. whereas inflation in 2015, though low, was still higher than the increase in purchasing power, which stands at the dangerously low level of 0.3%;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Recital B c (new)

Bc. whereas the IMF in 2013, followed later by the OECD, admitted that fiscal multipliers were being underestimated and were very probably greater than 1; whereas, that being the case, minimum income policies are a tool for sustainable growth;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Recital B d (new)

Bd. whereas minimum income policies act as an automatic stabiliser and whereas the recession has been less severe in countries which have solid systems to support disposable household income;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Recital C

~~C. whereas tax avoidance and tax evasion schemes have deprived countries of revenue that is essential for a robust social state and public welfare policies, leading to worsening poverty;~~deleted

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Recital C

~~C. whereas tax avoidance and tax evasion schemes have deprived countries of revenue that is essential for a robust social state and public welfare policies, leading to worsening poverty;~~deleted

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Recital C

C. whereas tax avoidance and tax evasion schemes have ~~deprived countries of revenue that is essential for a robust social state and public welfare policies, leading to worsening poverty~~reduced government revenue which could be spent on better conditions for economic growth, rising incomes and social policies;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Recital C

C. whereas tax avoidance and tax evasion schemes ~~hav~~are depriveding countries of ~~revenue that is essential for a~~large volumes of revenue, a phenomenon which constitutes a serious problem for the EU, but does not pose a threat to robust social state and public welfare policies~~, leading to worsening poverty~~;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Recital C

C. whereas tax avoidance and tax evasion schemes ~~have deprived countries of revenue that is essential~~create an un-level playing field within the European Union and have deprived countries of revenue that helps to contribute to sufficient funding for a robust social ~~state~~ and public welfare policies~~, leading to worsening poverty~~; whereas this has often resulted in increasing levels of poverty in these Member States in recent years;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Recital A

A. whereas, in 2015, ~~23.7~~17.3% of the population ~~and 12.5% of employed people over the age of 18 in the EU-28 were at risk of poverty and social exclusion1~~ in the EU-28 were at risk of poverty1; whereas according to Eurostat this indicator does not measure prosperity or poverty, but shows that an individual has - by comparison with other persons in the same country - a low income, which cannot necessarily be equated with a low standard of living; _________________ 1 Eurostat.

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Recital Γ

C. whereas the absence of any strategy forthe eradication of tax avoidance and tax evasion ~~schemes have~~has deprived countries of revenue that is essential for a robust social state and public welfare policies, leading to worsening poverty;

Amendment 31 #

Luke Ming FLANAGAN, Miguel VIEGAS

Draft opinion
Recital C

C. whereas tax avoidance and tax evasion schemes have deprived countries of revenue that is essential for a robust social state and public welfare policies~~, leading to worsening poverty~~;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Recital C

C. whereas tax avoidance and tax evasion schemes have deprived countries of revenue that is essential for a robust social state and public welfare policies, leading to worsening poverty; these schemes are operating right around the globe, including within the EU itself, and those negative impacts are likewise felt right around the globe, and likewise also within the EU itself;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas wealth inequalities, in Europe and all over the world, have risen to a level that is both unprecedented and unacceptable, as can be seen from the fact that a handful of multibillionaires own more than the majority of the population;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Recital C b (new)

Cb. whereas this situation is a direct result of globalisation and of the liberal market deregulation policies advocated by the EU, which are enabling multinationals to take advantage of the lowest production costs, a worldwide market, and the possibility of escaping tax with the aid of tax planning;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Recital D

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Recital D

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Recital D

D. whereas, according to ~~the~~a ILO2 ~~, transfers and social benefits are the most powerful~~research paper made on 13 G20 nations, redistributive social transfer and tax policies were important factors for ~~reducing inequalities~~mitigating income inequalities; whereas this is not at all surprising; _________________ 2 Decomposing income inequality into factor income components: Evidence from selected G20 countries, p. 1.

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Recital D

D. whereas, according to the ILO2 , transfers and social benefits are the most powerful factor for reducing inequalities; _________________ 2 Decomposing income inequality into factor income components: Evidence from selected G20 countries, p. 1.n efficient and flexible labour market makes the greatest contribution to reducing poverty;

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Recital D

D. whereas, according to the ILO2 , transfers and social benefits are the most powerful factor for reducing inequalities; _________________ 2 Decomposing income inequality into factor income components: Evidence from selected G20 countries, p. 1. reducing tax pressure is the most powerful factor in increasing the wealth of society, as well as in reducing discrimination and material inequalities;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

A a. whereas the cumulated number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion has increased by 1,6 million in the EU (+5,5 million in the Euro area) between 2008 and 2015, contrasting with the EU2020 target of reducing it by 20 million by 2020;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Recital D

D. whereas~~, according to the ILO2 , transfers and social benefits are the most powerful factor for reducing inequalities; _________________ 2 Decomposing income inequa~~ the most effective welfare policy consists of a sound employment politcy ~~into factor income components: Evidence from selected G20 countries, p. 1.~~and a fair tax policy which lower the unemployment rate, reduce inequalities and cut poverty;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Recital D

D. whereas, according to the ILO2 , education, transfers and social benefits are ~~the most~~ powerful factors for reducing inequalities; _________________ 2 Decomposing income inequality into factor income components: Evidence from selected G20 countries, ~~p. 1.~~http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/ ---dgreports/--- inst/documents/publication/wcms_499918. pdf

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas minimum income schemes are generally defined as guaranteed income levels for those who cannot work or whose employment income is below the poverty line of 60% of the national median equivalised disposable income; whereas a more comprehensive framework for minimum income schemes should also include non- monetary benefits such as education, healthcare, childcare, housing and mobility3a; _________________ 3aEuropean Commission (2015) Towards adequate and accessible Minimum Income Schemes in Europe: Analysis of Minimum Income Schemes and roadmaps in 30 countries participating in the EMIN project (p. 15). European Commission (2016) Minimum Income Schemes in Europe: A study of national policies (p. 9).

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas reducing inequality by redistributive policies may entail serious disincentives for the productive use of labor and capital, thereby increasing unemployment and reducing the fiscal scope for social policies;

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas poverty may also be a cause for economic instability by containing internal demand and/or leading to a bust of household debt and by contributing to the production of an excess of liquidity;

Amendment 45 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Sylvie GOULARD, Marian HARKIN

Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas the share-out of wealth created within the economy needs to be substantially adjusted in favour of labour;

Amendment 46 #

Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas the concept of minimum income must not be confused with the concept of a minimum wage, which is fixed by collective agreement or by legislation;

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas a European citizens' initiative calling for basic subsistence security was launched in January 2013;

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)

D a. E. Whereas an open economy with low unemployment is still the most effective tool for combating poverty;

Amendment 49 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Sylvie GOULARD, Marian HARKIN

Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas monetary inflation increases inequality drastically;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

A a. whereas Europe is one of the wealthiest regions in the world, although recent data on income poverty highlights the rising of poverty and severe poverty in Europe;

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Recital D b (new)

D b. considering the different propensity to consume of the various quintiles of income1b where it appears that policies supporting the most deprived social sectors in the EU will benefit the whole economy and will tend to be budgetary neutral; whereas the IMF concluded that "if the income share of the top 20 percent increases by 1 percentage point, GDP growth is actually 0.08 percentage point lower in the following five years. Instead, a similar increase in the income share of the bottom 20 percent (the poor) is associated with 0.38 percentage point higher growth1c ; _________________ 1b ECB, The distribution of wealth and the marginal propensity to consume, 2014 1cIMF, Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality: A Global Perspective, 2015

Amendment 51 #

Draft opinion
Recital D b (new)

D b. whereas some member states are launching pilot projects for testing universal basic income policies, such as in Finland, where a random sample of 2,000 unemployed persons will receive an unconditional sum of EUR 560 per month, which should produce an adequate incentive to accept temporary and part-time work;

Amendment 52 #

Draft opinion
Recital D b (new)

D b. F. whereas the introduction and strengthening of the minimum income policies, if properly combined with other measures and policies on social and labour markets, can present a way of tackling poverty, supporting social inclusion and access to the labour market;

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Recital D b (new)

D b. whereas a number of studies show poverty negatively affecting economic growth4a; _________________ 4aWorld Bank (2006) Poverty Reduction and Growth: The Virtuous and Vicious Circle. OECD (2014) Trends in Income Inequality and its Impact on Economic Growth.

Amendment 54 #

Draft opinion
Recital D c (new)

D c. whereas establishing and strengthening income support schemes is an effective way to overcome poverty as well as in line with the European Commission's Social Investment Package;

Amendment 55 #

Draft opinion
Recital D c (new)

D c. G. whereas ensuring a minimum income for those who do not have enough resources for a decent life, or do not receive adequate pay for their work, is covered by the first pillar of social rights;

Amendment 56 #

Draft opinion
Recital D c (new)

D c. whereas universal basic income could be one of the solutions for reforming social security, cutting red tape, poverty and unemployment;

Amendment 57 #

Draft opinion
Recital D c (new)

D c. whereas minimum income schemes can act as macroeconomic automatic stabilizers in response to economic shocks;

Amendment 58 #

Draft opinion
Recital D d (new)

D d. whereas the effectiveness of minimum income schemes to alleviate poverty, foster labour market integration especially for the young, and act as automatic stabilisers varies significantly between member states;

Amendment 59 #

Draft opinion
Recital D d (new)

D d. whereas well-designed income support systems do not act as disincentives to work1d ; _________________ 1dEuropean Commission, Employment and Social Developments in Europe 2013, January 2014

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

A a. Having regard to the Declaration of 9 May 1950, which called for 'the equalisation and improvement of the living conditions of workers',

Amendment 60 #

Draft opinion
Recital D e (new)

D e. whereas according to the Parliament's Resolution of 2010, 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 61 #

Draft opinion
Recital D e (new)

D e. whereas every fourth child under 16 years is affected by poverty in Europe5a; whereas the socio-economic background is determining too often the opportunities of children; _________________ 5a Eurostat.

Amendment 62 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Stresses that urgent practical s~~Calls on the Member Stateps ~~need to be taken~~to take suitable measures to eradicate poverty and social exclusion ~~and promote the fair distribution of income and wealth~~;

Amendment 63 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that urgent practical steps need to be taken to ~~eradicate poverty and social exclusion and promote the fair distribution of income and wealth~~reduce the tax burden on citizens and companies, and to simplify tax systems;

Amendment 64 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that ~~urgent~~ practical steps need to be taken to ~~eradic~~further mitigate poverty and social exclusion ~~and promote the fair distribution of income and wealth~~;

Amendment 65 #

Sylvie GOULARD, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that urgent practical steps need to be taken to eradicate poverty ~~and social exclusion and promote the fair distribution of income and wealth~~by defining poverty in absolute terms instead of defining it as a household income below 60 percent of median income;

Amendment 66 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that urgent practical steps need to be taken to eradicate poverty and social exclusion ~~and promote the fair distribution of income and wealth~~; stresses that these steps need to be undertaken at the appropriate level - with actions at national and European level according to the division of competencies for the relevant policies;

Amendment 67 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that urgent practical steps need to be taken to eradicate poverty and social exclusion and ~~promote the fair distribution of income and wealth~~reduce inequalities that will help to ensure economic and territorial cohesion and an equilibrium between economic and social objectives;

Amendment 68 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that ~~urgent practical steps need to be taken~~the most effective measure to eradicate poverty and social exclusion ~~and~~is job creation, which serves to promote the fair distribution of income and wealth; calls on the Commission to continue to tailor its policies in this area towards the promotion of employment, in particular for young people;

Amendment 69 #

Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Sylvie GOULARD, Marian HARKIN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that urgent practical steps need to be taken to eradicate poverty and social exclusion and promote ~~the fair distribution of income and wealth~~effective social safety nets. Also stresses, that the provision of minimum income means additional burden to member states. The member states are developed differently, with different economic power and with different ability to provide financial resources;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)

A b. whereas income poverty is only a part of the overall concept of poverty, therefore poverty does not only refer to material resources, but also to social resources, notably education, health and access to services;

Amendment 70 #

Luke Ming FLANAGAN, Miguel VIEGAS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that urgent practical steps need to be taken to eradicate poverty and social exclusion and ~~promote the fair distribution of income and wealth;~~to greatly reduce the current hugely unequal distribution of income and wealth, with just eight men owning the same wealth as the 3.6 billion people (half the world's population), according to a Jan 2017 report by Oxfam1. 1 https://www.oxfam.org/en/research/econ omy-99

Amendment 71 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that urgent practical steps need to be taken by the Union and the Member States to eradicate poverty and social exclusion and promote the fair distribution of income and wealth;

Amendment 72 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that urgent practical steps need to be taken here and now to eradicate poverty and social exclusion and promote the fair distribution of income and wealth;

Amendment 73 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that urgent practical steps need to be taken to eradicate poverty and social exclusion and promote the fair distribution of income and wealth; Insists that more attention be given by the Commission to this issue when it proposes the country-specific recommendations and that, on the occasion of the review of the EU economic governance, the pertaining EU2020 target be made more binding;

Amendment 74 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 – point 1 (new)

(1) Considers that minimum income schemes are the responsibility of the national authorities and that their introduction or development should accordingly take into account the economic and social situation, as well as the production system, in each case; recommends that, with their possible introduction, guarantees be given to safeguard incentives for (re) integration into the labour market;

Amendment 75 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Reinforces that the best way to reduce poverty and avoid social exclusion is to boost sustainable growth and to create favourable framework conditions for European companies - notably avoiding excessive administrative burdens as well as ensuring access to finance - in order to allow them to create jobs;

Amendment 76 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Supports the European Commission's social investment approach which views well-designed social policies as contributing to economic growth, whilst protecting people from poverty and acting as economic stabilisers 2a ; _________________ 2aEuropean Commission Communication on “Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion – including implementing the European Social Fund 2014-2020”, European Commission “Social Investment in Europe: A study of national policies 2015”

Amendment 77 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Welcomes reflections and studies concerning how to improve the fair distribution of income and wealth within our societies;

Amendment 78 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1 b. Stresses that a key factor impeding the development of a social investment approach by Member states is the impact of the economic crisis and a policy environment dominated by austerity;2b _________________ 2bEuropean Commission “Social Investment in Europe: A study of national policies 2015”

Amendment 79 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

~~2. Calls for priority to be given, when shaping macroeconomic policies, to reducing social inequalities and guaranteeing universal free access to public social services;~~deleted

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)

A b. whereas 10 % of Europeans are unable to make ends meet and up to 20 % in 6 Member States 1a; _________________ 1a Eurostat

Amendment 80 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

~~2. Calls for priority to be given, when shaping macroeconomic policies, to reducing social inequalities and guaranteeing universal free access to public social services;~~deleted

Amendment 81 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for ~~priority to be given, when shaping macroeconomic po~~reducing social inequalities by enabling people to make best use of their gifts and capabilicties, ~~to reducing social inequalities and guaranteeing universal free access to public social service~~calls for focusing social support on those which are both poor and unable to earn a sufficient income by their own efforts;

Amendment 82 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls ~~for priority to be given~~, when shaping macroeconomic policies, for due attention to be paid to the need to reduc~~ing~~e social inequalities and ~~guaranteeing universal free access to public social services~~to the impact of the aforementioned macroeconomic policies on the most deprived in society;

Amendment 83 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for priority to be given, when shaping macroeconomic policies, to ~~reducing social inequalities and guaranteeing universal free access to public social service~~lowering the level of taxation and simplifying tax systems;

Amendment 84 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for ~~priority~~due account to be ~~giv~~taken, when shaping macroeconomic policies, ~~to reducing social inequalities and guaranteeing universal free access to~~of access to effective, efficient and sustainably funded public social services;

Amendment 85 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for ~~priority to be given, when shaping macroeconomic policies, to reducing social inequalities and guaranteeing universal free access to public social servic~~account to be taken of the need to reduce poverty and social exclusion and guarantee decent and affordable social services when shaping macroeconomic policies;

Amendment 86 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for priority to be given now, when shaping macroeconomic policies, to reducing social inequalities and guaranteeing universal ~~free~~ access to public social services, thus tackling poverty;

Amendment 87 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for priority to be given consistently, when shaping macroeconomic policies, to reducing social inequalities and guaranteeing universal free access to public social services;

Amendment 88 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for priority to be given, when shaping macroeconomic policies, to reducing social inequalities and guaranteeing universal free access of all social groups to public social services. Successfully implemented structural reforms have, in many countries, reduced the number of unemployed and therefore contributed in eradication of poverty;

Amendment 89 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Calls for priority to be given, when shaping macroeconomic policies, to reducing social inequalities and guaranteeing universal free access to public social services;, as part of a binding European Pillar of Social Rights:

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Recital B

Amendment 90 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Points out that social policies may use as instruments either minimum income or minimum wages but not both, points out that social policies are an obligation of the state and not an obligation of private employers; points out that mimimum wage laws are at risk of contributing to the loss of jobs for low-skilled workers;

Amendment 91 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 – point 1 (new)

(1) Points out that social support must always be distinctively lower than wage income for those who work;

Amendment 92 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Calls on the Commission to incorporate the following indicators into the European Semester: fiscal multiplier levels by country, the European Semester purchasing power trend, and interdecile and interpercentile household income ranges, and to translate them into targets in the country-specific recommendations;

Amendment 93 #

Renato SORU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Points to the importance of factoring income inequality indicators into policy-making, not least where the European Semester is concerned;

Amendment 94 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Respects the sovereign right of any Member State to democratically choose their own economic policy;

Amendment 95 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Points out that recent experience of reforms based on tax exemptions shows that it is preferable to finance minimum income policies using budget support rather than through tax incentives;

Amendment 96 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2c. Notes that the implementation of universal basic income is being discussed in several Member States and that the French Senate has recommended that schemes of this kind be tested at local level; calls on the Commission to make an assessment once the current trials have been completed in Finland;

Amendment 97 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)

2d. Calls on the Commission to hold a public consultation on universal minimum income with a view to following up the trials now taking place and the European citizens' initiative launched in 2013;

Amendment 98 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 99 #