Activities of Terry REINTKE related to 2022/0212(BUD)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023
Amendments (18)
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Regrets that budgetary tracking of social impacts is very undeveloped in order to measure the objectives in the Action Plan to implement the Social Pillar; recalls that the European Semester was identified as the vehicle to monitor the developments at EU and Member State level via the Social Scoreboard; welcomes the enriched Social Scoreboard after the 2021 Social Summit in Porto which serves as a reference framework to monitor “social progress” and aims to detect the most significant employment and social challenges facing the Member States, the EU and the euro area, as well as progress achieved over time.
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Recalls that ESF+ is expected to contribute to the implementation of the EPSR Action Plan and to the relevant country specific recommendations adopted in the framework of the Semester; reminds that programs decided and their envelops should be respected and calls for fresh money for new tasks; is concerned about the very limited margins available under the MFF and insist for the need to enhance spending to speed up the implementation of the Action Plan;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. HAcknowledges that inequality is not a consequence but one of the root causes of poverty and social exclusion; highlights that the budget should helpmust contribute to createing quality employment, reduce with decent wages, social security protection, and high occupational health and safety standards, reducing poverty and increaseing upward social convergence in a time of unprecedented and cumulated crises so that no one is left behind; stresses that factors such as supply chain disruption, high energy prices, rising inflation and continued pressure on essential services have exacerbated social and economic inequalities and worsened the living and working conditions especially for the people in vulnerable situations, as well as the specific mental health, of many workers and their families challenges linked; warns of the risk of accepting bad quality employment offers for people in desperate situations such as young people or those in long-term unemployment; insists on the need to tackle territorial and regional disparities; takes note of the Commission’s intention to come up with an substantial amending letter this autumn with regards to the budgetary consequences of the war in Ukraine and the RePpowerEU initiative; stresses in thatis regard the importance of taking into account the socio-economical implications of the war also inside the EU and recommends thato analyse the potential of supplementing the ESF+ funding be analysed;; reminds that a healthy economy must work for society and not the other way around.
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Deeply regrets that RePowerEU amended the RRF regulation with exceptions on some of the agreed conditionalities: notably the exemption of “do no significant harm (DNSH)” principle, allowing ETS allowances to increase EU fossil fuel dependency; highlights that in the current context of the war in Ukraine, the EU needs to move towards energy sovereignty, rather than fossil fuel dependency, which has as a consequence increased energy prices, raised inflation and therefore the cost of living, hitting the most vulnerable in our societies, and putting more people at risk of poverty; stresses that the DNSH principle is necessary to achieve our climate targets and provide for a healthy, sustainable and quality life for all;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Highlights the need to ensure that the “do no significant harm” (DNSH) principle is mainstreamed in all Union's activities through the budgetary implementation as agreed in the IIA and welcomes the Commission proposal for amending the Financial Regulation to include DNSH in the regulation in line with the Union’s commitment to sustainable financing and the green transition; calls on the Commission to monitor the proper implementation of the DNSH principle and to take immediate corrective measures if and when needed;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the importance of policies and measures to support labour market transition, as well as to further develop resilient social systems around the UnionEU; insists on the need for up- and reskilling policies to address the demographic challenge and the green and digital transition; insists on the importance of investing in social inclusion and support measures for children and young people and in order to achieve the objectives of the Porto Summit to have 78% employment among 20 to 64 years old and 60% of all adults participate in training every year by 2030; insists on the importance of investing in social inclusion and support measures for children and young people; insists on housing as a human right and the need to have access to decent and affordable housing for all, as well as preventing housing evictions; calls on the Commission to ensure sufficient funding for the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness in order to achieve the objective of ending homelessness by 2030; recalls that the integration into the labour market of those who are able to work and of the most vulnerable groups, such as people in poverty, people with disabilities, young and elderly people, the unemployed, and people displaced as a result of the war in Ukraine,migrants is paramount;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Underlines the link between socio- economic factors such as unemployment, housing insecurity, academic pressures and mental health and well-being and insist that they must be addressed to ensure a holist approach towards mental health at EU level; calls on Member States to make mental health an integral part of the EU recovery from the pandemic and from the current inflation situation; notes with concern the worsening of conditions for many young people already suffering from long-term unemployment and employment uncertainty and social exclusion, and calls for a coordinated approach in creating and offering them opportunities for social inclusion in the framework of the reinforced Youth Guarantee, ESF+ and RRF;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the Commission proposal to allocate EUR 16,7129 billion in 2023 to ESF+; insists that ESF+ must play a key role in supporting the Member States to achieve high employment levels that ensure decent wages, working conditions, healthy work environments and social security coverage, adequate social protection and a skilled and resilient work force ready for the transition to a green and digital economy;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls the obligation by Member States with a higher share than the average Union rate of young people who are not in employment, education or training that is higher than the Union average to allocate at least 12,5 % of their ESF+ resources to implement the Reinforced Youth Guarantee; calls on the Member States to make the best use of the Employment and Social Innovation strand (EaSI) of ESF+ for investment in social innovation and for stimulating labour mobility; takes note of the late start of EaSI in 2021 and the reduced budget for 2023 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues, and expects that it will reach ites full working regime in 2024; stresses the importance of following upregrets that the European Year of Youth 2022 has not come up with concrete actions and policies for social inclusion and employment measures for young people beyond ALMA, which reaches a very narrow range of young people; reminds that such a year could have been used to revise the Quality Framework for Traineeships and ban unpaid internships, which are a form of exploitation; calls on the Commission, therefore, to speed up the process for such revision and start it before the end of 2022; recalls that the Commission should report on a regular basis on the implementation of the Council recommendations establishing a European Child Guarantee and reinforcing a Youth Guarantee;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that Member States with a level of child poverty above the Union average should use at least 5 % of their ESF+ resources to address thatis issue, whereas all other Member States must allocate an appropriate amount of their ESF+ resources to targeted actions to combat child poverty and support the implementation of the Child Guarantee; calls on the Member States to ensure a specific amount of resources under the Child Guarantee to be dedicated for children fleeing from Ukraine.
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls the importance of EGF for its one-off assistance to dismissed workers sor that they can find anothere self-employed to help them find new jobs as rapidly as possiblefter being displaced due to in major restructuring events, in particular those caused by important changes in trade relations of the Union or the composition of the internal market, the transition to a low-carbon economy or as a consequence of digitisation or automation; takes note that the level of EGF commitment appropriations in reserve for 2023 is set at EUR 205,3 million (approximately +1 % compared to 2022 and corresponding to the maximum MFF amount); stresses that, even if EGF does not co-finance social protection measures such as pensions or unemployment benefits, all offers must ensure decent working conditions and social security coverage for the workers.
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Strongly supports cohesion funding as the prime funding instrument of the EU budget that enables economic, social and territorial cohesion, and one of the cornerstones of the recovery; highlights its role in reaching EU strategic objectives such as employment, fight against poverty, gender equality, climate neutral economy, and innovation, and as a driving force of a more inclusive and sustainable Union; highlights that the regional policy must play a key role in boosting equal job opportunities among all genders and supporting the re-skilling of workers by providing adequate life-long training;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recalls that the Porto Declaration of 7 of May 2021 set the target to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million by 2030; welcomes that the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) hwas been integrated into ESF+ and that, in 2023, at least 3 % of the ESF+ budget shall be spent on food aid and basic material assistance for the most deprived persons; welcomes the Commission assessment that the ESF+ should also contribute to the eradication of poverty by supporting relevant national schemes and that a minimum of 4 % of its resources under shared management shall support the most deprived persons, including refugees;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Recalls that currently, the only tracking methodology is the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2105 which defines the methodology for reporting social expenditure, however, this cannot be considered mainstreaming the Social Pillar in the RRF, as it is rather a reporting of the spending under the RRF using macro categories that cannot be linked to any social objectives; calls on the Commission to introduce in the upcoming MFF a methodology for social mainstreaming the expenditure program on social objectives; such methodology should be a tracking system of how specific actions contribute to a given policy priority and provide the possibility to count and aggregate expenditure at the level of the EU budget and monitor progress.
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Welcomes the gender-budgeting classification undertaken by the Commission and expresses the need to work further on the analysis of the 0* programs as well as the methodology to track the implementation of the third gender action plan; reminds that women have been particularly negatively affected by the economic and social crisis stemming from the Covid19 pandemic, including the growth of the cases of gender-based violence; requests in this regards increased funding for the Daphne Programme; highlights that gender mainstreaming and gender equality is a key building stone for allowing Europe to reach its full potential; underlines the important role played by EIGE and the need to ensure adequate funding and staff for its tasks.
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 d (new)
Paragraph 12 d (new)
12d. Regrets the decrease in the allocation for the Budget line 07 20 04 06 (Specific competences in the area of social policy, including social dialogue); recalls that strong social dialogue is a key feature of the European Social model and the commitment of the European Union to promote the role of social partners and to facilitate social dialogue, in line with Article 152 TFEU; stresses the need to ensure adequate support for social dialogue and to develop and improve the capacity of social partners and to increase the allocation for this budget line;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 e (new)
Paragraph 12 e (new)
12e. Recalls the need to ensure an adequate allocation for the European Labour Authority, which should have the necessary financial and human resources to support and strengthen the capacity of national labour inspectorates and authorities, as well as social partners, in order to contribute to fair labour mobility and tackle cross-border fraud and abuses.