55 Amendments of Brando BENIFEI related to 2015/2327(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Points out that Erasmus+ is the EU’s flagship mobility, education and, training, youth and sport programme, which has been allocated a 40 % budget increase as compared to the 2007-2013 period, given the positive results and high demand;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recognises that investment from the EU budget under Erasmus+ contributes significantly to skills improvement, employability and a lower risk of long- term unemployment for young Europeans as well as active citizenship and social inclusion of young people;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Acknowledges the importance of the Erasmus+ Programme as one of the main flagship initiatives of the Union and encourages the Commission to propose a level of annual funding for the next generation of programmes of at least the same level as the last year of implementation of the current framework;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Welcomes the structure of the programme with separate budget chapters per sector and encourages the Commission to keep separate budget chapters in the proposal for the next generation of programmes;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Recognises the economic and social value of volunteering and encourages the Commission to support better volunteer based organisations across the programme actions;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses that the youth chapter of the programme is the one suffering the most from the increasing interest in the Erasmus+ from European citizens. Notes that at the moment 36% of all Erasmus+ submissions are in the field of youth with a 60% increase in submissions between 2014 and 2016;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Suggests more flexibility to NAs in the financial management of grant requests based on beneficiaries needs within and among the Key Actions;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights the fact that vocational education and training (VET) and VET mobility play a vital economic and social role in Europe, in a rapidly changing labour market, as a mechanism leading to equal opportunities for all citizens, including those from socially disadvantaged groups, unemployed young people, migrants and women, who are all under-represented in VET; calls on the Commission and the Member States to position VET as a choice which leads to a promising career, make it accessible to all, ensure gender balance and non- discrimination, and guarantee that it is adequately funded;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to position VET as a choice which leads to a promising career, make it accessible to all, ensure gender balance and non-discrimination, and increase its funding;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to increase training opportunities abroad of VET learners as it will provide them with professional and life skills needed for a transition from education and training to work;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses the important role of non- formal education, youth work, participation in sports and volunteer activities in the Erasmus+ programme as a way to stimulate the development of civic, social and intercultural competences, to foster social inclusion and active citizenship of young people and to contribute to the development of their human and social capital;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to work with the Members States on a stronger cooperation between education establishmentinstitutions and key stakeholders (businesses, VET facilities, research organisations, social partners, local/regional authorities, and the youth sector) in order to enhance the responsiveness of the education and VET systems to labour market needs, and to guarantee that this cooperation is reflected in Erasmus+; believes that active involvement of beneficiaries in the desigand all stakeholders, including the trade unions and other relevant social partners in the design, organisation and implementation of the programme increasensures its success and added value;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Acknowledges the importance of the EU Structured Dialogue on youth, a participatory process that gives young people and youth organisations the possibility to be engaged in and influence EU youth policy making and welcomes the support the programme is providing to the process through the support to National Working Groups and the KA3 Structured Dialogue projects;
Amendment 83 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that, despite clear improvements in recognition and validation systems in education and VET, problems still persist; calls for specific targets such as the implementation of a fully operational credit transfer system and recognithighlights the importance to ensure that competences developed through mobility experiences in any setting – formal learning environment, company traineeships or volunteering and youth activity – are properly documented, validated and recognized in the home system; calls on the Commission, and for validation of competences acquired through non- formal and informal learningMember States for a systematic use and further development of existing European instruments such as the Europass documents, the Youthpass and ECVET.
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers the long-standing brand names (Comenius, Erasmus, Erasmus Mundus, Leonardo da Vinci, Grundtvig and Youth in Action) as important tools in promoting the variety of the programme; calls on all stakeholders to continue to use themonsiders as well the name of "Erasmus+" is becoming the most known specially for new comers; calls to add the name of "Erasmus" to the individual programmes (so the they will be "Erasmus Comenius", "Erasmus", "Erasmus Mundus", "Erasmus Leonardo da Vinci", "Erasmus Grundtvig" and "Erasmus Youth In Action"), in order to maintain and strengthen the identity of the sectorial programmes, to under Erasmus+ programme at the same time ensureing better recognition and to overcome any confusion among beneficiaries; calls on all stakeholders to use them, especially in publications and brochures.
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Encourages the Commission to continue its efforts towards an open, consultative and transparent way of working and to further improve its cooperation with partners at all levels of implementation; stresses, to this end, the need to involve stakeholders and beneficiaries in the Programme Committee meetings; highlights that, in line with Regulation (EU) No 1288/2013, this could be facilitated by the establishment of standing sub-committees involving representatives of stakeholders and beneficiaries, sectorial National Agencies, Members of the European Parliament and representatives from the Member States;
Amendment 101 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes, in the context of new societal challenges for Europe, the need to strengthen a European approach to face common European challenges by supporting large scale innovation projects promoting the acquisition of a broad, transversal and transferable sets of skills and competences through studies, training, volunteering and work experience abroad;
Amendment 110 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Highlights that non-formal learning promotes basic skills and soft skills such as social and civic competences that are highly relevant for the labour market as well as well-being at work and a good work-life balance, as well as help integrate disadvantaged groups in the labour market and society;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Encourages the European Commission to give more flexibility to NAs to move funds within KAs in order to overcome the potential funding gaps based on beneficiaries needs, for instance between KA1 Youth Exchanges and Youth Workers mobility;
Amendment 116 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Calls for the full and timely implementation of the Council Recommendation of 20 December 2012 on the validation of non-formal and informal learning;
Amendment 119 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Calls on the Commission to regularly review the levels of financial support, such as travel lump sums, in order to ensure they are consistent with reality and to avoid discrimination, abandon or failure of people with fewer financial means and/or special requirements;
Amendment 121 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 e (new)
Paragraph 4 e (new)
4e. Insists that the Commission ensures that the programme rules are applied in a harmonised way across National Agencies, respecting common quality standards and procedural practices, and thus ensuring the internal and external coherence of Erasmus+ and positioning it as a true European programme; calls on the Commission to develop European implementation guidelines of the Erasmus+ programme for the National Agencies; strongly encourages better coordination between the agencies to match the projects working on similar issues;
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 f (new)
Paragraph 4 f (new)
4f. Strongly encourages more transparency in the evaluation of applications and the extensive quality feedback to all applicants; encourages NAs and EACEA, in order to improve the implementation of the programme, to provide training opportunities for evaluators, organise regular meetings with beneficiaries and visits to projects;
Amendment 126 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 g (new)
Paragraph 4 g (new)
4g. Calls on the Commission and the National Agencies to better promote the relevance of projects that target several education and training sectors, as further emphasis needs to be given to the lifelong learning dimension of the programme;
Amendment 128 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 h (new)
Paragraph 4 h (new)
4h. Encourages the development of joint VET qualifications that can ensure international recognition of qualifications, as well as address international work standards and requirements;
Amendment 129 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 i (new)
Paragraph 4 i (new)
4i. Calls on the Commission to reinforce the contribution of Erasmus+ to citizenship, as well as social inclusion of people with physical, mental or health- related conditions, and to reflect the results in the implementation and mid- term review reports;
Amendment 130 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 j (new)
Paragraph 4 j (new)
4j. Strongly supports an efficient promotion and encouragement of VET mobility among women and considers that measures should be put in place in order to ensure that all mobility programmes within Erasmus+ are strictly gender balanced and offer true equal opportunities for all; considers that ambitious targets should be set in this regard and the progress should be strictly monitored;
Amendment 131 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 k (new)
Paragraph 4 k (new)
4k. Highlights the importance of clear learning outcomes and specific job descriptions for the Erasmus+ work experiences abroad for vocational education and training students, trainees, and apprentices; stresses that the preparation of the candidates before their international experiences is an integral part of the activity and needs to include career guidance sessions, language trainings and cross-cultural communication;
Amendment 132 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 l (new)
Paragraph 4 l (new)
4l. Is concerned that internships and traineeships are often a source of cheap labour; therefore, calls for quality paid traineeships and internships that would not substitute standard employment contracts;
Amendment 133 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 m (new)
Paragraph 4 m (new)
4m. Strongly encourages the peer to peer learning following up from studies, training, and work experience abroad in order to increase the impact of Erasmus+ on local communities; highlights that good case practices sharing is vital to the improvement of the quality of the projects under Erasmus+;
Amendment 134 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 n (new)
Paragraph 4 n (new)
4n. Calls on the Commission to draw up and make available updated statistics on Erasmus+ and the impact it has had on employability, as well as type and rate of employment, and impact on salaries;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls on the Commission to strengthen the school education dimension of the programme, allowing for more mobility of pupils, simplification of funding and administrative procedures for schools and for non-formal education providers to support schools in organising pupil mobility, exploiting the benefits of cross-sectoral cooperation;
Amendment 135 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 o (new)
Paragraph 4 o (new)
4o. Calls on the Commission to analyse why some countries are applying for more VET mobility, and build a plan on how to increase the involvement of the other countries;
Amendment 136 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 p (new)
Paragraph 4 p (new)
4p. Highlights that a redefinition of jobs and skills is taking place, especially due to the undergoing transition towards a more digitised economy; calls on the European Commission and the Member States to ensure that the Erasmus+ programme reflects this reality;
Amendment 137 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 q (new)
Paragraph 4 q (new)
4q. Calls on the Commission to optimise the performance and user- friendliness of the IT tools, such as the Mobility Tool, or other IT support platforms like EPALE (Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe), in order to ensure that the programme beneficiaries make the most of their experiences, as well as promote cross- border collaboration & best practices sharing;
Amendment 138 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 r (new)
Paragraph 4 r (new)
4r. Calls on the Commission to improve the programme guide and make it more user-friendly and understandable, as well as to develop specific information brochures on each of the Key Actions; calls on the European Commission to streamline the application process in terms of administrative burdens;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Encourages the Commission to strengthen youth work and non-formal education development practices within the programme by supporting youth organisations and other youth work providers, as well as by continuing the support to the EU-Council of Europe youth partnership;
Amendment 139 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 s (new)
Paragraph 4 s (new)
4s. Supports the development of adult learning institutions through on-going professional development and mobility opportunities for teachers, school leaders, trainers and other education staff; encourages the development of skills and competences, particularly in the effective use of ICT in adult learning, for improved learning outcomes; underlines the importance of exchanging best practices;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the introduction of two types of strategic partnerships as a first and important positive step towards increasing the chances for small-sizvoluntary-based organisations to participate in the programme; calls on the Commission to make further improvements in order to include more small-sizvoluntary-based organisations in programme activities, for example by reintroducing the national youth initiatives open to informal groups and by making the transnational youth initiatives more easily accessible;
Amendment 140 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 t (new)
Paragraph 4 t (new)
4t. Welcomes the development of pilot projects such the "European framework for mobility of apprentices: developing European citizenship and skills through youth integration in the labour market" aimed at implementing cost-efficient cross-border apprentice mobility schemes between VET institutions, companies and/or other relevant organisations, as well as formally recognizing and validating learning outcomes and supporting the mutual recognition of diplomas, and "Youth mobility in vocational training - Better youth mobility" aimed at improving the mobility of young people in vocational training; calls on the Commission for an effective implementation of the two pilot projects and their long-term integration in the Erasmus+ programme;
Amendment 141 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 u (new)
Paragraph 4 u (new)
4u. Calls on the Member States under the Erasmus+ programme to promote the development of transversal entrepreneurial competences and skills, as well as other 21st century skills, by ensuring quality traineeships and studies abroad;
Amendment 142 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 v (new)
Paragraph 4 v (new)
4v. Welcomes the Erasmus+ platform for dissemination of project results and calls for a stronger approach for good case practices sharing and international exchanges of views for NAs, partners, and programme beneficiaries;
Amendment 143 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 w (new)
Paragraph 4 w (new)
4w. Calls on the Commission to guarantee an effective feedback system for the program beneficiaries on any irregularities that they might identify with respect to the implementation of the Erasmus+ programme;
Amendment 144 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 x (new)
Paragraph 4 x (new)
4x. Calls on the Commission to provide support to programme applicants to find international partners;
Amendment 145 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 y (new)
Paragraph 4 y (new)
4y. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that there is no preference of large institutions over small, young ones, in terms of programme applicants;
Amendment 146 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 z (new)
Paragraph 4 z (new)
4z. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to guarantee an increased and more long-term structural support to European of civil society organisations in the field of education, training, youth and sport in the form of operating grants, as they are the organisations providing learning opportunities and participation spaces to European citizens and residents to develop and implement European policies;
Amendment 147 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a a (new)
Paragraph 4 a a (new)
4aa. Encourages the National Agencies to make the available budgets per Key Action and per sector, easily accessible after each application round in order to allow applicants to strategically plan their future actions, as well as publish the results of projects selection and budget lines, so that adequate external monitoring of the programme can take place;
Amendment 148 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 ab (new)
Paragraph 4 ab (new)
4ab. Calls on the Commission to consider an appropriate solution to the situation of the European level NGOs based in Brussels applying for funds in Belgian National Agencies;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Encourages the European Commission to come up with innovative solutions to maximise as much as possible the impact of the programme by proposing new eligible actions, which could be done, for example, by introducing large scale youth exchanges based on the structure of the large scale EVS in the framework of KA1;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Welcomes, furthermore, the simplification introduced by the use of lump-sum and flat-rate funding;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Notes the need to increase the operational support to European networks under KA3 "Support for policy reform" in order to maximise the promotion and dissemination of the opportunities offered by Erasmus+;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls for taking concrete steps for volunteering to be eligible as a source of own contributions to the project budget, bearing in mind that Erasmus+ enables the recognition of volunteer time as co- financing in the form of contributions in kind and that the new European Commission proposal for financial guidelines includes this as a possibility;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Welcomes the European Commission´s proposition to set up a European Solidarity Corps; encourages the Commission to involve volunteer organizations in developing this new initiative in order to ensure its added and complementary value in strengthening volunteering in the European Union; encourages the Commission to make a budgetary effort to accommodate this new initiative without underfunding other current and priority programmes and calls to explore possibilities to integrate it under the EVS in order to strength volunteering in the EU without duplicating initiatives and programmes;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Asks the Commission to harmonise the indicated pre-financing rates as much as possible throughout the programme in order to give all beneficiaries the same advantages and to facilitate project implementation, especially for small-sizvoluntary- based organisations;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls not only for the current budget level to be secured for the next programme generation under the new MFF, but considers a further budget increase, that ensures a level of annual funding for the next generation of programmes of at least the same level as the last year of implementation of the current framework, to be an important step for the continued success of the programme;