Activities of Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO related to 2017/2044(BUD)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2018
Amendments (13)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that growth is the key to moresustainable growth and investment are key factors for the creation of quality jobs and for increaseding prosperity for all and that it is necessary to direct the structural and investment funds more effectively towards promoting growthinclusive growth, reducing inequalities and boosting upward social convergence; in this sense, stresses that the EU budget should contribute financially towards achieving the Europe 2020 targets in the social and employment area;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes the overall year-on-year increase proposed by the Commission in the appropriations of heading 1 – Smart and inclusive growth (+2,5 % in commitment appropriations and +18,3 % in payment appropriations); notes further the proportionally higher increases in heading 1b – Economic, social and territorial cohesion (+2,4 % in commitment appropriations and + 25,7% in payment appropriations); is concerned however that the commitment appropriations of the "Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion" chapter have been decreased by 8,85%;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Deplores all the further cuts in the "Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion" title made by the European Council;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Points out again that changes that reduce the budgetary programming for the employment, social affairs and inclusion lines must be rejected and that a proper balance between commitment and payment appropriations must be found in order to allow these policies to reach their full potential;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Emphasises that the 2018 budget has to play a key role in enhancing the Union’s contribution to growth and jobs in the Union with a strong focus on those furthest away from the labour market such as the long-term unemployed, the elderly, the NEETs, those in in-work poverty or child poverty; therefore reiterates its call for full implementation of the budget lines dedicated to employment and social affairs;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that youth unemployment rates remain very high in the Union and that the situation of unemployed young people, especially the persons who are not in education, employment, or training (NEETS), is particularly worrying; emphasises that, in order to address this issue, it is of high importance to ensure the proper and timely funding of the Youth Guarantee schemes through the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) and the European Social Fund; highlights in this sense the need of those instrument to be adequately and timely funded and notes with concern the Court of Auditors Statement that it is not possible to address the whole NEET population using the resources available from the EU budget alone;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Underlines the importance of sufficientadequate funding and good budgetary management of the programmes within the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework that aim to address unemployment, poverty and social exclusion, such as the ESF, the YEI, the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), the different axes of the Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD); welcomes the increases proposed for EGF (+2 % in commitment appropriations) and FEAD (+1,9 % in commitment appropriations); however is concerned about the decrease in the payment appropriations proposed for FEAD (-9,07%);
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Reiterates its call that adequate commitment and especially payment appropriations are ensured in Budget 2018 for the European Social Fund given that the ESF is entering a period of intense implementation and payment requests by Member States will increase;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. States that social dialogue is a key instrument for assuring sustainable growth, improving working conditions, achieving upward convergence and balancing competitiveness and fairness; regrets therefore the cuts made by the European Council on the lines related to industrial relations and social dialogue and information, consultation and participation of representatives of undertakings;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Is highly concerned at the Commissions intention to implement the European Solidarity Corps by incorporating it into existing programmes and funds, in particular Erasmus+ and Europe for Citizens Programmes, ESF and the Employment and Social Innovation Programme; recalls that Parliament, as co-legislator on EU programmes and a budgetary authority, is opposed to reallocating funds from priority programmes, and often lacks sufficient resources to finance core actions and finance new policy initiatives;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. WelcomNotes the EUR 72,8 million funding proposed by the Commission for the European Solidarity Corpse (appropriations are to be entered into the reserve until such time as the basic act is adopted by the legislator),; is very much concerned however that EUR 2,511,1 million are being provided in 2018 by the Progress axis of the EaSiESF and EUR 2,5 million by the Progress axis of the EaSi and therefore taken away from other employment, social affairs and inclusion priorities;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the fact that 18.4 million EUR set aside for the Corps in 2018 is fresh money; insists however that the funding of the ESC must not put further pressure and have a negative impact on existing programmes aimed at young and the vulnerable ones and initiatives such as the Europe for Citizens and Erasmus+ programmes, the Employment and Social Innovation programme, and the projects financed from ESF, and will not distort the functioning of existing successful tools;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Reiterates that pilot projects (PPs) and preparatory actions (PAs) are very valuable tools to initiate new activities and policies in the fields of employment and social inclusion and that several ideas of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs have been implemented successfully in the past as pilot projects/preparatory actions; encourages the full use of the margins available under each heading; calls for Parliament to be given regular, detailed updates on the various stages in the implementation of pilot projects and preparatory actions by the Commission; calls on the Commission in the implementation of the PPs and PAs to respect their content as agreed and approved by Parliament and the Council;