Activities of Dominique BILDE related to 2022/0165(NLE)
Plenary speeches (1)
Guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the proposal for a Council decision on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States
Amendments (31)
Amendment 48 #
Recital 1
(1) Member States and the Union are to work together towards developing a coordinated strategy for employment and particularly for promoting a skilled, trained and adaptable workforce in sectors in demand, as well as labour markets that are future-oriented and responsive to economic change, with a view to achieving the objectives of full employment and social progress, balanced growth, a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment laid down in Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). Member States are to regard promoting employment as a matter of common concern and are to coordinate their action in that respect within the Council, taking into account national practices related to the responsibilities of management and labour.
Amendment 50 #
Recital 2
(2) The Union is to combat social exclusion and discrimination, and promote social justice and protection, equality between women and men, solidarity between generations and the protection of the rights of the child as laid down in Article 3 TEU. In defining and implementing its policies and activities, the Union is to take into account the respect for the competences and national specificities of each Member State, the requirements linked to the promotion of a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against poverty and social exclusion, a high level of education and training and protection of human health as laid down in Article 9 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
Amendment 62 #
Recital 4
(4) The Guidelines are consistent with the Stability and Growth Pact, existing Union legislation and various Union initiatives, including Council Directive of 20 July 20016 , Council Recommendations of 10 March 20147 , 15 February 20168 , 19 December 20169 , 15 March 201810 , 22 May 201811 , 22 May 201912 , 8 November 201913 , 30 October 202014 , 24 November 202015 , 29 November 202116 Commission Recommendation of 4 March 202117 , Council Recommendation of 14 June 202118 , Council Resolution of 26 February 202119 ,Commission Communication of 9 December 202120 , Decision of the EU Parliament and the Council of 22 December 202121 [, the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on adequate minimum wages in the European Union22 , the Proposal for a Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality23 , the Proposal for a Council Recommendation on a European approach to micro-credentials for lifelong learning and employability24 , the Proposal for a Council Recommendation on individual learning accounts25 , the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms26 , the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on improving working conditions in platform work27 and the Proposal for a Council Recommendation on learning for environmental sustainability28 ]. But more importantly, they reflect the real priorities of the Member States and their national situations. __________________ 6 Council Directive 2001/55/EC of 20 July 2001 on minimum standards for giving temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons and on measures promoting a balance of efforts between Member States in receiving such persons and bearing the consequences thereof (OJ L 212 , 07/08/2001 P. 0012 – 0023) 7 Council Recommendation of 10 March 2014 on a Quality Framework for Traineeships (OJ C 88, 27.3.2014, p. 1). 8 Council Recommendation of 15 February 2016 on the integration of the long-term unemployed into the labour market (OJ C 67, 20.2.2016, p. 1). 9 Council Recommendation of 19 December 2016 on Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for Adults (OJ C 484, 24.12.2016, p. 1). 10 Council Recommendation of 15 March 2018 on a European Framework for Quality and Effective Apprenticeships (OJ C 153, 2.5.2018, p. 1). 11 Council Recommendation of 22 May 2018 on key competences for lifelong learning (OJ C 189, 4.6.2018, p. 1). 12 Council Recommendation of 22 May 2019 on High-Quality Early Childhood Education and Care Systems (OJ C 189, 5.6.2019, p. 4). 13 Council Recommendation of 8 November 2019 on access to social protection for workers and the self- employed (OJ C 387, 15.11.2019, p. 1). 14 Council Recommendation of 30 October 2020 on A Bridge to Jobs – Reinforcing the Youth Guarantee and replacing the Council Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee (OJ C 372, 4.11.2020, p. 1). 15 Council Recommendation of 24 November 2020 on vocational education and training (VET) for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience (OJ C 417, 2.12.2020, p. 1). 16 Council Recommendation of 29 November 2021 on blended learning approaches for high-quality and inclusive primary and secondary education (OJ C 66, 26.2.2021, p. 1–21) 17 Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021/402 of 4 March 2021 on an effective active support to employment following the COVID-19 crisis (EASE) (OJ L 80, 8.3.2021, p. 1). 18 Council Recommendation (EU) 2021/1004 of 14 June 2021 establishing a European Child Guarantee (OJ L 223, 22.6.2021, p. 14). 19 Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030) (2021/C66/01) (OJ C 66, 26.2.2021, p. 1–21) 20 Commission Communication (EU) 2021/778 of 9 December 2021 on building an economy that works for people: an action plan for the social economy 21 Decision (EU) 2021/2316 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 December 2021 on a European Year of Youth (2022) (OJ L 462, 28.12.2021, p. 1– 9) 22 COM/2020/682 final 23 COM/2021/801 final 24 COM/2021/770 final 25 COM/2021/773 final 26 COM/2021/93 final 27 COM/2021/762 final 28 COM/2022/11 final
Amendment 64 #
Recital 5
Amendment 78 #
Recital 6
(6) Climate change and environment- related challenges, the need to accelerate energy independence and ensure Europe’s open strategic autonomy, globalisation, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, an increase in teleworking, the platform economy and demographic change, and the need for recovery from successive crises are transforming European economies and societies. The Union and its Member States are to work together, in accordance with their respective prerogatives, to effectively and proactively address those structural developments and adapt existing systems as needed, recognising the close interdependence of the Member States’ economies and labour markets, and related policies. This requires coordinated, ambitious and effective policy action at both Union and national levels, in accordance with the TFEU and the Union’s provisions on economic governance, while implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights. Such policy action should encompass a boost in sustainable investment, a renewed commitment to appropriately sequenced reforms that enhance economic growth, the creation and maintenance of quality jobs, productivity, adequate working conditions, social and territorial cohesion, upward convergence, resilience and the exercise of fiscal responsibility, with support from existing EU funding programmes, and in particular the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Cohesion Policy Funds (including the European Social Fund Plus and the European Regional Development Fund) as well as the Just Transition Fund. It should combine supply- and demand- side measures, while taking into account their environmental, employment and social impacts.
Amendment 83 #
Recital 8
(8) On 8 May 2021, at the Porto Social Summit, Heads of State or Government recognised the European Pillar of Social Rights as a fundamental element of the recovery, noting that its implementation will strengthen the Union’s drive towards a digital, green and fair transition and contribute to achieving upward social and economic convergence and addressing demographic challenges. They stressed that the social dimension, social dialogue and the active involvement of social partners are at the core of a highly competitive social market economy. They found that the Action Plan provides useful guidance for the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, including in the areas of employment, skills, health and social protection. They welcomed the new Union headline targets for 2030 on employment (78 % of the population aged 20-64 should be in employment), skills (60 % of all adults should participate in training every year) and poverty reduction (by at least 15 million people, including five million children), as well as the revised Social Scoreboard with a view to monitoring progress towards the implementation of the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights as part of the policy coordination framework in the context of the European Semester. The Porto commitment further called on Member States to set ambitious national targets which, taking due account of the starting position of each country, should constitute an adequate contribution to the achievement of the European 2030 targets. In Porto, Heads of State or Government noted that, as Europe gradually recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, the priority will be to move fromkeep protecting to creating jobsjobs, promoting job creation and improving job quality, and stressed that implementation of the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights will be essential to ensure the creation of more and better jobs for all within the framework of an inclusive recovery. They emphasised their commitment to unity and solidarity, which also means ensuring equal opportunities for all and that no one is left behind. They affirmed their determination, as established by the European Council’s Strategic Agenda 2019-2024, to continue deepening the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights at Union and national levels, with due regard for respective competences and the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. Lastly, they stressed the importance of closely following, including at the highest level, the progress achieved towards the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Union headline targets for 2030.
Amendment 88 #
Recital 9
(9) Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Council, in its conclusions of 24 February 2022, condemned Russia’s actions, which seek to undermine European and global security and stability, and expressed solidarity to the Ukrainian people, underlining the violation of international law and the principles of the UN Charter. In the current context, temporary protection, as granted by the Council Decision of 4 March 202230 activating the Temporary Protection Directive31 , is necessary in light of the scale of the influx of refugees and displaced persons. This allows Ukrainian refugees to enjoy harmonised rights across the Union that offer an adequate level of protection, including residency rights, access and integration to the labour market, access to education and training, access to housing, as well as to social security systems, medical care, social welfare, or other assistance, and means of subsistence. By participating in Europe’s labour markets, Ukrainian refugees can contribute to strengthening the EU’s economy, while avoiding precariousness and dependency, and help support their country and people at home. In the future, the acquired experience and skills can contribute to rebuilding Ukraine. For unaccompanied children and teenagers, temporary protection confers the right to legal guardianship and access to childhood education and care. Member States should involve social partners in the design, implementation and evaluation of policy measures aimed at addressing the employment and skills challenges stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Social partners play a key role in mitigating the impact of the war in terms of preserving employment and production. __________________ 30 Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/382 of 4 March 2022 establishing the existence of a mass influx of displaced persons from Ukraine within the meaning of Article 5 of Directive 2001/55/EC, and having the effect of introducing temporary protection. 31 Council Directive 2001/55/EC of 20 July 2001 on minimum standards for giving temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons and on measures promoting a balance of efforts between Member States in receiving such persons and bearing the consequences thereof.
Amendment 91 #
Recital 10
(10) Reforms to the labour market, including national wage-setting mechanisms, should follow national practices of social dialogue, with a view to providing fair wages that enable a decent standard of living and sustainable growth. They should allow for the necessary opportunity for a broad consideration of socioeconomic factors, including, where consistent with the country's social structure, habits and tradition, improvements in sustainability, competitiveness, innovation, the creation of quality jobs, working conditions, in- work poverty, education and skills, public health and inclusion, and real incomes. In this sense, the Recovery and Resilience Facility and other EU funds are supporting Member States in implementing reforms and investments that are in line with the EU’s priorities, making the European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the green and digital transitions. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has further aggravated pre-existing socio-economic challenges from the COVID-19 crisis. The Union should support Member States andin the Union should continueir efforts to ensure that the social, employment and economic impacts are mitigated and that transitions are socially fair and just, also in light of the fact that increased open strategic autonomy and an accelerated, smartly implemented, green transition will help reduce the dependence on imports of energy and other strategic products/technologies, notably from Russia. Strengthening resilience and pursuing an inclusiv stable and resilient society in which people are protected and empowered to live decently, anticipate and manage change, and in which they can actively participate in society and the economy, are essential. AMember States need a coherent set of active labour market policies, consisting of temporary hiring and transition incentives, skills policies and improved employment services, is needed to support labour market transitions, also in light of the green and digital transformations, as highlighted in Recommendation (EU) 2021/402 [and the Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality].
Amendment 97 #
Recital 11
(11) Discrimination in all its forms should be tackled, gender equality ensured and employment of young people supported. Access and opportunities for all should be ensured and poverty and social exclusion, including that of children and Roma people, should be reduced, in particular by ensuring an effective functioning of labour markets and adequate and inclusive social protection systems32 , and by removing barriers to inclusive and future- oriented education, paid internships and decent apprenticeships, training and labour-market participation, including through investments in early childhood education and care, and in digital and green skills. There is an urgent need for the EU to support Member States in their efforts and programmes to achieve decent work and decent pay in order to combat the growing phenomenon of in-work poverty. Timely and equal access to affordable long-term care and healthcare services, including prevention and healthcare promotion, are particularly relevant, also in light of the COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2020 and in a context of ageing societies. The potential of persons with disabilities to contribute to economic growth and social development should be further realised. As new economic and business models take hold in workplaces throughout the Union, employment relationships are also changing. Member States should ensure that employment relationships stemming from new forms of work maintain and strengthen Europe’s social model, while continuing to ensure that work is paid properly, to enable workers to have a decent lifestyle.. __________________ 32 Council Recommendation of 8 November 2019 on access to social protection for workers and the self- employed, 2019/C 387/01
Amendment 102 #
Recital 11 a (new)
(11a) The guidelines should also take into account the ever-increasing number of "NEETS", young people who are not in employment, education or training, and who need to be helped integrating the working society. It is important that the EU supports national initiatives and projects in the Member States.
Amendment 103 #
Recital 12
(12) The Integrated Guidelines should serve as a basis for country-specific recommendations that the Council may address to Member States. These recommendations should systematically take into account the geographical reality of the Member States, and in particular the specific challenges of outermost, mountainous and peripheral regions. Member States are to make full use of their REACT-EU resources established by Regulation (EU) 2020/222133 , which reinforces the 2014- 2020 Cohesion Policy funds and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) until 2023, and due to the current Ukrainian crisis, has been further enhanced by the Regulation on Cohesion’s Action for Refugees in Europe (CARE)34 , and a further amendment to the Common Provisions Regulation35 concerning increased pre- financing for REACT-EU and a new unit cost in order to help accelerate the integration of people leaving Ukraine into the EU36 . In addition, for the 2021-2027 programming period, Member States should fully utilise the European Social Fund Plus established by Regulation (EU) 2021/105737 , the European Regional Development Fund established by Regulation (EU) 2021/105838 , the Recovery and Resilience Facility, established by Regulation (EU) 2021/24139 , and other Union funds, including the Just Transition Fund established by Regulation (EU) 2021/105640 as well as the InvestEU established by Regulation (EU) 2021/52341 , to foster employment, social investments, social inclusion and accessibility, and to promote upskilling and reskilling opportunities of the workforce, lifelong learning and high-quality education and training for all, including digital literacy and skills. Member States are also to make full use of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers established by Regulation (EU) 2021/691 of42 to support workers made redundant as a result of major restructuring events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, socioeconomic transformations that are the result of more global trends, and technological and environmental changes. While the Integrated Guidelines are addressed to Member States and the Union, they should be implemented in partnership with all national, regional and local authorities, closely involving parliaments, as well as the social partners and representatives of civil society. __________________ 33 Regulation (EU) 2020/2221 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 December 2020 amending Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 as regards additional resources and implementing arrangements to provide assistance for fostering crisis repair in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and its social consequences and for preparing a green, digital and resilient recovery of the economy (REACT-EU) (OJ L 437, 28.12.2020, p. 30). 34 Regulation (EU) 2022/562 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 April 2022 amending regulations (EU) no 1303/2013 and (EU) no 223/2014 as regards cohesion’s action for refugees in Europe (CARE) 35 Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (OJ L 231, 30.6.2021, p. 159–706) 36 Regulation (EU) 2022/613 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 April 2022 amending Regulations (EU) No 1303/2013 and (EU) No 223/2014 as regards increased pre-financing from REACT-EU resources and the establishment of a unit cost 37 Regulation (EU) 2021/1057 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 establishing the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1296/2013 (OJ L 231, 30.6.2021, p. 21). 38 Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 on the European Regional Development Fund and on the Cohesion Fund (OJ L 231 30.6.2021,p.60) 39 Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility (OJ L 57, 18.2.2021, p. 17–75) 40 Regulation (EU) 2021/1056 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 establishing the Just Transition Fund (OJ L 231, 30.6.2021, p. 1). 41 Regulation (EU) 2021/523 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 March 2021 establishing the InvestEU Programme and amending Regulation (EU) 2015/1017 (OJ L 107, 26.3.2021, p. 30). 42 Regulation (EU) 2021/691 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013 (OJ L 153, 3.5.2021, p. 48).
Amendment 108 #
Annex – Guideline 5 – paragraph 1
Member States should be supported in their actively promote a sustainable social market economion of a strong national economy, as it would allow a real economic recovery and facilitate and support investment in the maintenance and the creation of quality jobs and in the support of decent wages, also taking advantage of the potential linked to the digital and green transitions, in light of the 2030 EU headline target on employment. To that end, they should be supported in their national initiatives to reduce the barriers that businesses face in hiring people, and the administrative and fiscal burden, to foster responsible entrepreneurship and genuine self- employment and, in particular, support the creation and growth of small and medium- sized enterprises, including through access to finance. Member States should actively promote the development and tap the full potential of the social economy, foster social innovation and social enterprises, and encourage those business models creating quality job opportunities and generating social benefits at local level, in particular in the circular economy and in areas most affected by the transition to a green economy due to their sectoral specialisation,. To this end, the relocation of our industry would boost national employment and respect for the planet, while ensuring material independence for our Member States.
Amendment 114 #
Annex – Guideline 5 – paragraph 2
Following the COVID-19 crisis, well- designed short-time work schemes and similar arrangements should also facilitate and support restructuring processes, on top of preserving employment when appropriate, helping the modernisation of the economy, including via associated skills developmentthere is a need for Member States to be supported by the EU in their efforts to recover economically and mitigate the social consequences. Well-designed hiring and transition incentives and upskilling and reskilling measures should be considered in order to support job creation and transitions, and address labour and skill shortages, also in light of the digital and green transformations as well as of the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is therefore important that Member States are supported in their initiatives to promote employment in the energy sectors.
Amendment 121 #
Annex – Guideline 5 – paragraph 3
Amendment 126 #
Annex – Guideline 5 – paragraph 4
Member States, including those with statutory minimum wages, should promote collective bargaining with a view to wage setting and ensure an effective involvement of social partners in a transparent and predictable manner, allowing for an adequate responsiveness of wages to productivity developments and fostering fair wages that enable a decent standard of living, paying particular attention to lower and middle income groups with a view to strengthening upward socio-economic convergence. WMember States should sovereignly decide over wage-setting mechanisms and should take into account socio-economic conditions, including regional and sectoral developments. Respecting national practices and the autonomy of the social partners, Member States and social partners should ensure that all workers have fair wages by benefitting, directly or indirectly, from collective agreements or adequate statutory minimum wages, taking into account their impact on competitiveness, job creation and in-work poverty.
Amendment 130 #
Annex – Guideline 6 – paragraph 1
In the context of the digital and green transitions, demographic change and the Ukrainian war, Member States should promote sustainability, productivity, employability, health, access to decent wages and human capital, fostering acquisition of skills and competences throughout people’s lives and responding to current and future labour-market needs, in light of the 2030 EU headline target on skills. Member States should also adapt and invest in their education and training systems to provide high quality and inclusivemerit- based education, including vocational education and training, access to digital learning, and language training (e.g. in the case of refugees including from Ukraine)apprenticeships and paid internships, and digital and language training. Member States should work together with the social partners, education and training providers, enterprises and other stakeholders to address structural weaknesses in education and training systems and improve their quality and labour-market relevance, also with a view to enabling the green and digital transitions, addressing existing skills mismatches, enable effective learning pathways and paid internships, and preventing the emergence of new shortages, in particular for activities related to REPowerEU, such as renewable energy deployment or buildings’ renovation. Member States should be supported in their attempts to raise the level of recognition of technical and vocational courses, in particular by promoting these courses to pupils. Particular attention should be paid to challenges faced by the teaching profession, including by investing inupgrading the recognition, value and role teachers’ and trainers’ digital competences. Education, learning and training systems should equip all learners with key competences, including basic and digital skills as well as transversal competences, to lay the foundations for adaptability and resilience throughout life. The selection of teachers, especially in secondary education, should be tougher and refocused on their ability to teach their subject in order to raise the standard of teaching. Attractive salaries should be offered to attract young graduates into the teaching profession. Member States should seek to strengthen the provision of individual training entitlements and ensure their transferability during professional transitions, including, where appropriate, through individual learning accounts, as well as a reliable system of training quality assessment. Member States should deliver on the potential of micro-credentials, by enhancing their value and recognition, to support lifelong learning and employability. They should enable everyone to anticipate and better adapt to labour-market needs, in particular through continuous upskilling and reskilling and the provision of integrated guidance and counselling, with a view to supporting fair and just transitions for all, strengthening social outcomes, addressing labour-market shortages and skills mismatches, improving the overall resilience of the economy to shocks and making potential adjustments easier.
Amendment 142 #
Annex – Guideline 6 – paragraph 2
Member States should foster equal opportunities for all by addressing inequalities in education and training systems. In particular, children of legal residents should be provided access to good quality early childhood education and care, in line with the European Child Guarantee. Member States should raise overall qualification levels, reduce the number of early leavers from education and training, support access to education of children from remoted areas, increase the attractiveness of vocational education and training (VET), access to and completion of tertiary education, facilitate the transition from education to employment for young people through paid quality traineeships and apprenticeships, as well as increase adult participation in continuing learning, particularly among learners from disadvantaged backgrounds and the least qualified. Taking into account the new requirements of digital, green and ageing societies, Member States should strengthen work-based learning in their VET systems, including through quality and effective apprenticeships, and increase the number of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates both in VET and in tertiary education, especially women, but without devaluing the quality of such training in favour of quantity. Furthermore, Member States should enhance the labour-market relevance of tertiary education and, where appropriate, research; improve skills monitoring and forecasting; make skills more visible and qualifications comparable, including those acquired abroad; and increase opportunities for recognising and validating skills and competences acquired outside formal education and training. They should upgrade and increase the supply and uptake of flexible continuous VET. Member States should also support low-skilled adults to maintain or develop their long- term employability by boosting access to and uptake of quality learning opportunities, through the implementation of Upskilling Pathways Recommendation including a skills assessment, an offer of education and training matching labour- market opportunities, and the validation and recognition of the skills acquired.
Amendment 146 #
Annex – Guideline 6 – paragraph 3
Member States should provide unemployed and inactive people with effective, timely, coordinated and tailor-made assistance based on support for job search, training, requalification and access to other enabling services, paying particular attention to vulnerable groups and people particularly affected by the green and digital transitions. CWhile respecting national systems and the functioning of the country, comprehensive strategies that include in-depth individual assessments of unemployed people should be pursued as soon as possible, at the latest after 18 months of unemployment, with a view to significantly reducing and preventing long- term and structural unemployment. These unemployment strategies should be clearly framed and provide incentives to return to work, rather than keeping people on welfare. Youth unemployment and the issue of young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) should continue to be addressed through prevention of early school leaving and structural improvement of the school- to-work transition, including through. The guidelines should therefore support Member States' efforts to ensure close cooperation between education and the labour market, in order to guarantee this necessary transition from education to further education or employment. To this end, the full implementation of the reinforced Youth Guarantee, which should also importantly supportould help to promote quality youth employment opportunities in the post- pandemic recovery. In addition, and in the light of the European Year of the Youth 2022, Member States should boost efforts notably at highlighting how the green and digital transitions offer a renewed perspective for the future and opportunities to counter the negative impact of the pandemic on young people.
Amendment 151 #
Annex – Guideline 6 – paragraph 4
Member States should aim to remove barriers and disincentives to, and provide incentives for, participation in the labour market, in particular for low-income earners, second earners and those furthest away from the labour market including people with a migrant background and marginalised Roma. In view of high labour shortages in certain occupations and sectors, Member States should contributebe supported in their efforts to fostering labour supply, notably through promoting adequate wages in the face of rising inflation and steadily declining purchasing power, and decent working conditions, as well as effective active labour market policies. Member States should also support an adapted work environment for persons with disabilities, including through targeted financial support and services that enable them to participate in the labour market and in society.
Amendment 157 #
Annex – Guideline 6 – paragraph 5
The gender employment and pay gaps should be tackled. Member States should ensure gender equality and increased labour market participation of women, including through ensuring equal opportunities and career progression and eliminating barriers to access to leadership at all levels of decision making. Equal pay for equal work, or work of equal value, and pay transparency should be ensured. The reconciliation of work, family and private life for both women and men should be promoted, in particular through access to safe, affordable, quality long-term care and early childhood education and care services. While recalling that it is not the employer's role to take responsibility for all the contingencies of the personal life of its employees, Member States should ensure that parents and other people with caring responsibilities have access to suitable family-related leave and flexible working arrangements in order to balance work, family and private life, and promote a balanced use of those entitlements between women and men.
Amendment 167 #
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 1
In order to benefit from a dynamic and productive workforce and new work patterns and business models Member States should work together with the social partners on decent, fair, transparent and predictable working conditions, balancing rights and obligations, and allowing for a decent working life. They should reduce and prevent segmentation within labour markets, fight undeclared work and bogus self-employment, and foster the transition towards open-ended forms of employment. Employment protection rules, labour law and institutions should all provide both a suitable environment for recruitment and the necessary flexibility for employers to adapt swiftly to changes in the economic context, while protecting labour rights and ensuring social protection, an appropriate level of security and healthy, safe and well- adapted working environments for all workers. Promoting the use of flexible working arrangements such as voluntary teleworking can contribute to higher employment levels and more inclusive labour markets in the context of the post- pandemic environment. At the same time, it is important to ensure that the workers’ rights in terms of working time, working conditions, and work-life balance are respected. Employment relationships that lead to precarious working conditions should be prevented when not voluntary, including in the case of platform workers, especially if low-skilled, and by fighting abuse of atypical contracts. Access to effective, impartial dispute resolution and a right to redress, including adequate compensation, should be ensured in cases of unfair dismissal.
Amendment 169 #
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 2
Policies should aim to improve and support labour-market participation, matching and transitions, including in disadvantaged regions or regions with complicated geographical features (outermost, mountainous or difficult regions). Member States should effectively activate and enable those who can participate in the labour market, especially vulnerable groups such as lower-skilled people, people with a migrant background, including persons under a temporary protection status, and marginalised Roma. Member States should strengthen the scope and effectiveness of active labour-market policies by increasing their targeting, outreach and coverage and by better linking them with social services, training and income support for the unemployed, whilst they are seeking work and based on their rights and responsibilities. Member States should enhance the capacity of public employment services to provide timely and tailor-made assistance to jobseekers, respond to current and future labour-market needs, and implement performance-based management, supported also via digitalisation.
Amendment 175 #
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 3
Member States should provide the unemployed with adequate unemployment benefits of reasonable and clearly defined duration, in line with their contributions and national eligibility rules. Unemployment benefits should not disincentivisbe decent, but conditions should nonetheless encourage a prompt return to employment and should be accompanied by active labour market policies.
Amendment 181 #
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 4
The mobility of learners and workers should be adequately supported with the aim of enhancing their skills and employability and exploiting the full potential of the European labour market, while also ensuring fair conditions for all those pursuing a cross-border activity and stepping up administrative cooperation between national administrations with regard to mobile workers, benefitting from the assistance of the European Labour Authority. TIn the event of temporary border closures triggered by public health considerations, the mobility of workers in critical occupations and of cross-border, seasonal and posted workers should be supported in the cases of temporary border closures triggered by public health considerationdiscussed among the Member States concerned and decided on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the specific situations and needs of those Member States.
Amendment 185 #
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 5
Member States should also strive to create the appropriate conditions for new forms of work, delivering on their job-creation potential while ensuring they are compliant with existing social rights. Member States should thus provide advice and guidance on the rights and obligations applying in the context of atypical contracts and new forms of work, such as work through digital platforms. In this regard, social partners can play an instrumental role and Member States should support them in reaching out and representing people in atypical and platform work. Member States should also provide support for enforcement – such as guidelines or dedicated trainings for labour inspectorates – concerning the challenges stemming from new forms of organising work, such as algorithmic management, data surveillance and permanent or semi- permanent teleworktelework. Unless it is voluntary on both sides, and properly monitored and enforced, Member States should be free not to encourage the systematic use of telework, which cuts social ties at work, impacts workers’ mental health, denaturalises work meaning and reduces workers' productivity.
Amendment 195 #
Annex – Guideline 8 – paragraph 1
Member States should promote inclusive labour markets, open to allbe supported in their promotion of stable and decent national labour markets, which provide workers with the ability to project themselves and look forward to the future, by putting in place effective measures to fight all forms of discrimination and promote equal opportunities for all, and in particular for groups that are under- represented in the labour market, with due attention to the regional and territorial dimension. They should ensure equal treatment regarding employment, social protection, health and long-term care, education and access to goods and services, regardless of gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.
Amendment 200 #
Annex – Guideline 8 – paragraph 2
Member States that wish to do so should modernise social protection systems to provide adequate, effective, efficient and sustainable social protection for all, throughout all stages of life, fostering social inclusion and upward social mobility, incentivising labour market participation, supporting social investment, fighting poverty and addressing inequalities, including through the design of their tax and benefit systems and by assessing the distributional impact of policies. Complementing universal approaches with selective ones will improve the effectiveness of social protection systems. The modernisation of social protection systems should also aim to improve their resilience to multi-faceted challenges.
Amendment 203 #
Annex – Guideline 8 – paragraph 3
Amendment 211 #
Annex – Guideline 8 – paragraph 4
The availability of affordable, accessible and quality services such as early childhood education and care, out-of- school care, education, training, housing, and health and long-term care is a necessary condition for ensuring equal opportunities. Particular attention should be given to fighting poverty and social exclusion, includingespecially in-work poverty, in line with the 2030 EU headline target on poverty reduction. Especially child poverty should be addressed by comprehensive and integrated measures, in particular through the full implementation of the European Child Guarantee.
Amendment 213 #
Annex – Guideline 8 – paragraph 5
The EU should support Member States shouldwishing to ensure that everyone, including children, has access to essential services. For those legally in our territories, who are in need or in a vulnerable situation, Member States should guarantee access to adequate social housing or housing assistance. Depending on the functioning of each Member State, and respecting our national specificities, this assistance could be for a limited period of time, for example an agreement could be made between the lessor (the state) and the tenant. They should ensure a clean and fair energy transition and address energy poverty as an increasingly important form of poverty due to rising energy prices, partly linked to the war in Ukraine, including, where appropriate, via targeted temporary income support measures. Inclusive housing renovation policies should also be implemented. The specific needs of persons with disabilities, including accessibility, should be taken into account in relation to those services. Homelessness should be tackled specifically. Member States should ensure timely access to affordable preventive and curative health care and long-term care of good quality, while safeguarding sustainability in the long term.
Amendment 223 #
Annex – Guideline 8 – paragraph 7
In a context of increasing longevity and demographic change, Member States should secure the adequacy and sustainability of pension systems for workers and the self-employed, providing equal opportunities for women and men to acquire and accrue pension rights, including throughrights, so as to enable workers to access decent pensions and not to become dependent on supplementary schemes to ensure an adequate income in old ageretirement. Pension reforms should be supported by policies that aim to reduce the gender pension gap and measures that extend working lives, such as by raising the effective retirement age, notably by facilitating labour market participation of older persons, and should be framed within active ageing strategieto reassess overall pension levels. Member States should establish a constructive dialogue with social partners and other relevant stakeholders, and allow for an appropriate phasing in of the reforms.