14 Amendments of Tiziana BEGHIN related to 2015/0000(INI)
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
paragraph 1
paragraph 1
1. Notes that many Member States still have large deficits and that there is a need, in this regard, considers the signs of slowdown that are arriving even from the German economy – which has been a driving force over the years – to be very dangerous; considers it necessary to develop fiscal responsibility programmes that are fully compatible with quality job creation, economic growth and welfare state sustainability; calls on the Commission, which has already received the national budget proposals for 2016, and within the framework of COM(2015)00121, to provide a flexible process of fiscal responsibility at national level that allows for the adoption of socially responsible and economically efficient policies aimed at decent job creation; __________________ 1 COM(2015)0012, ‘Making the best use of the flexibility within the existing rules of the SGP’.
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Maintains that the current situation proves that EU austerity policies have failed utterly, given that the economic and social aims embodied in the Treaty have been disregarded; calls, therefore, for an immediate review of all rules imposing unreasonable fiscal constraints on Member States;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Points out, moreover, that the country- specific recommendations (CSR) should include a recommendation for a moratorium on mortgage payments and on current account debt for households and businesses in difficulty, a ban on distraining people’s first (main) homes and a reduction in the tax burden, especially in relation to the first (main) home;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. WelcomNotes the fostering of a European investment policy aimed at boosting growth and job creation; calls, therefore, for growth-enhancing measures to be taken into consideration, one possibility being to factor out investment in support of research and economic development, excluding it from calculation of the ratio of government deficit to gross domestic product under the Protocol on the excessive deficit procedure; considers it regrettable, however, that Parliament’s call3 to promote social investment not only in pursuit of financial profit but also with the aim of promoting a positive social impact has been neglected; stresses, in this regard, the need to implement forms of control and monitoring where investments are made, in order to address the problem of corruption; __________________ 3 Resolution of 11 March 2015 (Texts adopted, P8_TA(2015)0068), paragraphs 10 and 18.
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Takes note of the recommendations on the need to move forward within new labour reforms, and calls for such reforms, if carried out, to guarantee social protection, social dialogue and to ensure necessary political consensus in order to be sustainable and effective; considers it regrettable that many labour reforms have not ensured the required balance between flexibility and security, resulting in, for example, the exclusion of millions of workers from collective bargaining; calls for labour reforms capable of reducing fragmentation, putting an end to insecurity and increasing the productivity and competitiveness of our economy while ensuring decent jobs and living wages through investment in human capital; stresses in this regard that in order to improve the quality of work, teleworking outside the main place of work should be promoted and working hours should be reduced whilst maintaining the same pay;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points out that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have warned of the social (in-work poverty) and economic (depressed internal demand) problems caused by the wage devaluation that has occurred in recent years; stresses in this regard that pay increases are vital for boosting internal demand; considers it regrettable that there is no reference to the importance of increasing wages, especially in those countries where wages are below the poverty threshold; recalls that minimum wages differ substantially between Member States (Bulgaria EUR 184/month, Luxembourg EUR 1 923/month), and reiterates its request for a study4 on this issue; __________________ 4 Resolution of 11 March 2015 (Texts adopted, P8_TA(2015)0068), paragraphs 10 and 47.
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that some labour reforms have introduced new contractual formulas that, according to the Commission, have increased precariousness in the labour markets; of particular concern are some Member States whose rates of temporary employment are over 90 % for new contracts, which particularly affects young people and women and which, according to the OECD1, is one of the direct causes of increasing inequality; calls on the Commission to check whether these reforms are in keeping with EU legislation on labour contracts; __________________ 1 OECD report ‘In it together: Why less inequality benefits all’, 21 May 2015.
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to take note of the IMF2 report on the causes and consequences of inequality, which states that the increase in the income gap is negatively affecting economic growth, development and the potential for job creation; calls for effective action on labour taxation, labour markets and redistributive policies to facilitate greater and upward economic and social convergence; points out that the tax burden should be shifted from labour to other forms of taxation that are less harmful to employment and growth; __________________ 2 IMF report ‘Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality: A Global Perspective’, June 2015.
Amendment 110 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that high rates in long-term unemployment in the EU, especially in some Member States, are resulting in an increasing number of workers losing their benefits before finding a new job; considers it regrettable that many Member States have limited access to such benefits or have reduced the amount available and/or the eligibility period for them; stresses the need to address the problem of skills mismatch and skills obsolescence as a mean to tackle long-term unemployment; considers it important to maintain a balance between adequate social protection and adequate incentives for active job searching; calls for a specific study on such incentives at EU level, and calls on the Member States to guarantee minimum income schemes to avoid pockets of social exclusion and ensure a minimum income to families;
Amendment 119 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the reduction in youth unemployment rates, but points out that they are still at alarming levels and not necessarily based on net job creation; stresses that job insecurity and underemployment have also risen and that 43 % of young people work in precarious conditions with involuntary part-time contracts or as bogus self-employed workers; notes the Commission decision to release EUR 1 billion as advance funding for the Youth Guarantee scheme, but stresses the absolute need to recommend that this resource be used effectively, in order to meet the genuine needs of young people; calls, moreover, for these funds to be carefully and continuously monitored;
Amendment 126 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Amendment 152 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Considers it regrettable that, although the Commission has acknowledged that ‘poverty and marginalisation have increased’5, there is no reference in the CSR to the fight against poverty, and that no comprehensive strategy to fight it has been prepared; __________________ 5to that end, points out that one of the goals of the EU 2020 strategy is to promote social inclusion by reducing poverty, aiming to lift at least 20 million people out of the risk of poverty and exclusion; considers it necessary, therefore, to step up efforts to achieve that goal; __________________ 5 COM(2015)0250 final. COM(2015)0250 final.
Amendment 178 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Stresses that while SMEs constitute the backbone of job creation in the Union, they continue to face major difficulties in gaining access to financing, and are worryingly over-indebted due also to the excessive fiscal pressure; stresses the importance of investments aiming to develop SMEs, microenterprises, innovative start-ups and business promoting green employment;
Amendment 180 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Regrets that the Commission has not included in the CSR the importance and the job potential of the green economy, which, according to the Commission estimates, could create five million jobs by 2020 in the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors, provided that ambitious climate and energy policies are put in place;