Activities of Enrico GASBARRA related to 2016/2101(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
European Semester for economic policy coordination: implementation of 2016 priorities (A8-0309/2016 - Alfred Sant) IT
Amendments (19)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Acknowledges that youth unemployment is a perpetual challenge for Europe; notes that the employment situation varies significantly across the EU; points therefore to the need for labour market reforms that would adapt education to market demands and tackle inequalities in education; expresses, in this context, its further support for the Youth Employment Initiative, reflecting the fact that education is a right for every citizen and the most fundamental requirement for for integration, social inclusion and the fight against poverty and exclusion; stresses, moreover, the urgent need for reform in the direction of twin-track education and training projects adapting the skills of young people to current and future labour market requirements, while making a determined effort to combat discrimination and inequalities; expresses, in this context, its further support for the Youth Employment Initiative as part of the Youth Guarantee scheme and calls for continued EU commitment to the Erasmus project;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Reiterates the importance of a well- functioning and integrated Single Market to the recovery of the European economy after the financial crisis; supports the inclusion of Country-Specific Recommendations (CSRs) which go beyond narrow fiscal and macroeconomic targets and allow for a more balanced policy mix, such as, for example, quality indicators for public spending and social investments, with the potential to help sustain a socially balanced recovery; welcomes this repositioning, as well as the streamlined structure of CSRs;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the large number of CSRs that support a well-functioning and integrated Single Market, including financing and investment opportunities which support businesses and help create jobs, e-government, public procurement and mutual recognition of qualifications; stresses that enforcement is key if the impact from these policy areas is to be felt; considers it crucial, in this regard, that the Commission pay as much attention as possible, in connection with CSRs, to introducing long-term reforms which have a significant impact, especially in relation to social investments, quality employment and training;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to monitor the progress made by the Member States, and reiterates the importance of the formal inclusion of the Single Market pillar in the European Semester so as to enable continuous monitoring of Single Market indicators, allowing for systematic follow- up and assessment of Member States’ progress on CSRs; draws attention, in this regard, to the social value of the European Single Market, the original goal of which was to create tools for growth, cohesion and investment;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates that investments in education and culture reinforce employability and contribute to sustainable growth and job creation in the EU; considers that promoting investment in lifelong education would also encourage retraining and thereby countering the risks of long-term unemployment, particularly in adulthood; underlines the need for structural reforms of the education and training systems in the Member States and the need to foster better interaction between the EU and the Member States and to facilitate the exchange of best practices among the Member States;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Supports an inclusive and transparent process for the European Semester; stresses the importance of listening to the voices of social and democratic representatives, the majority of whom, over the past few years, have been calling for a review of the European Semester procedure, to the benefit, in particular, of investments, the quality of social spending and extraordinary measures for employment and training;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Member States to do all they can to foster a healthy business environment through innovation, R&D and digitalisation, in order to create jobs, particularly through micro-businesses and SME, SMEs and the promotion of public-private partnerships (PPPs); reiterates, in this regard, its support for extraordinary measures which allow quality investments to be kept separate from general macro- economic standards, as long as they are geared to well-defined criteria relating to decent employment, sustainable growth and social policies;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Condemns the barriers which still exist that hinder a well-functioning and integrated Single Market, in particular the partial transposition and implementation of the Services Directive by many Member States, and calls on the Commission to enforce more effectively what Member States have signed up to in European law; highlights, among those existing barriers, the obstacles which prevent persons with disabilities from fully enjoying the benefits of the internal market; hopes that the Disability Act launched by the Commission may be promptly implemented and will focus effectively on specific measures to promote inclusion and access;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights that Erasmus+ contributes to mobility and cultural exchange across the EU; calls for better promotion and use of the European tools for transparency, mobility and recognition at European level of skills and qualifications with a view to facilitating mobility as regards learning and workingacquired in order to ensure greater guarantees and more certainty of professional and social integration for young people willing to take advantage of mobility to increase their opportunities for training and employment;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that further action is required to better implement mutual recognition of professional qualifications, and welcomes the exercise of mapping regulated qualifications, which will create an interactive public database that can aid Member States’ National Action Plans; points out that the system relating to the recognition of professional qualifications is underpinned by the principles of reciprocal trust between legal systems and mutual checking of the quality of qualifications; calls, therefore, for greater efforts on the part of Member States and the Commission to speed up the process to approximate national systems for monitoring and issuing qualifications;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Regrets that CSRs continue to point to deficiencies in public procurement such as the lack of competition and transparency, with 21 Member States failing to fully transpose the legislative package; calls on the Commission to act swiftly to ensure that Member States meet their legal obligations by taking the necessary infringement procedures; reiterates, in this regard, the importance of systematically monitoring transparency in the general government sector as a crucial criterion for increasing trust in Europe and as a way of promoting a virtuous circle of growth and investment;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Supports the Member States in their endeavours to modernise public services, in particular through e-government, and calls for better cross-border cooperation and interoperability of public administrations to the benefit of all citizens; considers it to be of great importance, in order to facilitate structural reforms and long-term growth, to concentrate a substantial part of the Juncker Plan investments on digital distribution programmes for small companies and general government; calls, therefore, for a greater focus on this goal in the next strategic expenditure guidelines of the Plan;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that several CSRs focus on skills and labour markets; stresses that the right skills are key to ensuring productivity and output growth; calls on the Commission and the Member States to pursue and adopt digital and lifelong learning programmes as a matter of urgency; considers it vital, therefore, in order to achieve this goal, to grant Member States broad leeway for investing in vocational training and education, starting with greater national co- financing margins to support the main EU projects in these areas.
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for a strong commitment to promoting the Juncker Plan (EFSI) in Member States with a low level of participation; considers it to be of great importance, in order to facilitate structural reforms and long-term growth, to concentrate a substantial part of the Juncker Plan investments on digital distribution programmes for small companies and general government; calls, therefore, for a greater focus on this goal in the next strategic expenditure guidelines of the Plan;
Amendment 90 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recognises the significant progress made by the Member States in implementing structural reforms, while nevertheless taking the view that further progress is necessary:, especially in relation to a greater quality of public spending and social investment;
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Considers it vital to grant Member States broad leeway for investing in vocational training and education, starting with greater national co-financing margins to support the main EU projects in these areas;
Amendment 99 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Reiterates the importance of systematically monitoring transparency in the general government sector as a crucial criterion for increasing trust in Europe and as a way of promoting a virtuous circle of growth and investment;
Amendment 141 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Highlights the obstacles and barriers, both physical and digital, which persons with disabilities still encounter today; hopes that the Disability Act launched by the Commission may be promptly implemented and will focus effectively on specific measures to promote inclusion and access;
Amendment 144 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Stresses the importance of listening to the voices of social and democratic representatives, the majority of whom, over the past few years, have been calling for a review of the European Semester procedure, to the benefit, in particular, of investments, the quality of social spending and extraordinary measures for employment and training;