19 Amendments of Brando BENIFEI related to 2018/0212(COD)
Amendment 44 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) The promotion of economic, social and territorial cohesion, solidarity among Member States, social justice and protection and the establishment of an economic and monetary union (EMU) are key objectives under the Treaties. The Union shall work for the sustainable development of Europe, aiming at full employment and social progress.
Amendment 52 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) Member States should conduct their economic and social policies and should coordinate them in such a way as to attain the objective of strengthening economic, social, and territorial cohesion, social justice and protection.
Amendment 55 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) The unprecedented financial crisis and economic downturn that hit the world and the euro area has shown that in the euro area available instruments such as the single monetary policy, automatic fiscal stabilisers and discretionary fiscal policy measures at national level are insufficient to absorb large asymmetric shocks, often worsening social imbalances and inequalities. Deep and sustained recessions have considerable negative effects – both as the long-term unemployed workers lose their skills, as well as the economy losing productive capacity due to prolonged under- investment caused by insufficient aggregate demand.
Amendment 64 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) Additional instruments are therefore necessary to avoid in the future that large asymmetric shocks result into deeper and broader situations of stress and weaken cohesioneconomic, territorial and social cohesion and increase inequalities and poverty. These instruments should address the crucial macroeconomic problem of insufficient aggregate demand during recessions leading to a prolonged stagnation, especially after asymmetric shocks. This also means stimulating domestic demand through wage increases, supporting unemployment schemes and public investment, as the right trigger for productivity increases.
Amendment 67 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8 a (new)
Recital 8 a (new)
(8 a) However, financial instruments such as loans or guarantees cannot adequately replace investments in social and sustainability projects. In the context of a highly volatile political climate, more flexibility to allow for productive public spending coupled with a more ambitious reform of the eurozone are both urgently required.
Amendment 70 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) At Union level, the European Semester of economic and social policy coordination is the framework to identify national reform priorities and monitor their implementation, including the implementation of the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Member States develop their own national multiannual investment strategies in support of those reform priorities. Those strategies should be presented alongside the yearly National Reform Programmes as a way to outline and coordinate priority investment projects to be supported by national and/or Union funding. They should also serve to use Union funding in a coherent manner and to maximise the added value of the financial support to be received notably from the programmes supported by the Union under the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion fund, the European Social Fund, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development,, the EISF and Invest EU, where relevant.
Amendment 74 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) The activation of EISF support should therefore be determined by a double activation trigger based on both the level of national unemployment rate compared to its past average and the change in unemployment compared to a certain threshold. However, having unemployment as the sole criterion to activate support may lead to some deficiencies with regard to the timeliness of the stabilisation function. Other complementary indicators which normally precede unemployment in terms of predicting an impending large shock could be considered in a way that an initial level of support can be triggered before the "large" shock is fully transmitted to the unemployment.
Amendment 78 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14 a (new)
Recital 14 a (new)
(14 a) It is important to have an instrument in place that can be activated before there is a negative impact on the labour market. It is necessary to complement the unemployment criterion with a set of early warning indictors that can help to assess the risks of an economic shock well in advance to ensure the timelines and effectiveness of the proposed stabilisation function. In this way, the proposed stabilisation function would be much more timely and effective. Supplementary indicators that complement the unemployment rate are needed to provide for a more complete picture of the impacts in the labour market. Underemployed part-time workers, persons seeking work but not immediately available and persons available to work but not seeking are indicators that supplement the unemployment rate, thus providing an enhanced and richer picture than the traditional labour status framework and a more accurate information about the real impact of unemployment in the macroeconomic stability of the Member State.
Amendment 79 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14 b (new)
Recital 14 b (new)
(14 b) In 2017, there were 8.973 million underemployed part-time workers in the EU-28. In addition to this, 8.127 million persons were available to work, but did not look for a job, and another 2.289 million persons were looking for jobs, without being able to start working within a short time period. These two last groups are normally jointly referred to as the potential additional labour force. In total this means that in 2017 in the EU-28, 19.389 million persons had some resemblance to being unemployed, without fulfilling all the ILO criteria for being so. This is almost the same amount of persons who were unemployed according to the ILO criteria (18.776 million).
Amendment 80 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14 c (new)
Recital 14 c (new)
(14 c) The 15 year average unemployment rate which has to be exceeded for a Member State to qualify for support may work against countries that have been successful in reducing structural unemployment. A shorter time frame would be more suitable.
Amendment 85 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) (21) Member States should invest the support received under EISF in eligible public investment and also maintain the level of public investment in general compared to the average level of public investment over the five last years in order to ensure that the objective pursued by this Regulation is achieved. In that respect, there is the expectation that Member States should give priority, amongst others, to maintaining eligible investment in programmes supported by the Union under the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.. While the Commission manages the public investment financed loans provided through the EISF, the Member State concerned should be allowed sufficient leeway in determining the type of investment required and a balance should be struck between the Commission's oversight on one side and, on the other hand, the concerned Member State's discretion on public spending
Amendment 101 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
b a) The potential impact of significant changes in the underemployment and the potential additional labour force rates shall be considered in the calculation of the unemployment, when those rates are above the EU average rates.
Amendment 107 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point b
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point b
(b) maintain, at least, the same level of its public investment compared to the average level of its public investment in the five previous years.
Amendment 110 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
The Commission may nevertheless conclude whenbefore adopting the decision in accordance with Article 6(2) that such level of public investment is unsustainable, in which case it shall determinepropose to the European Parliament without delay the level of public investment to be maintained. The European Parliament may invite the Member State concerned to an exchange of views before the competent committee of the European Parliament.
Amendment 115 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2 – point b
Article 22 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2 – point b
(b) the contribution by EISF to the conduct of the economic and social policies of Member States in such a way as to strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion in the Union;
Amendment 116 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 22 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2 – point c
Article 22 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2 – point c
(c) the contribution of this Regulation to the achievement of the Union's strategy for growth and jobs;aims as set in article 3 TEU and the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Amendment 118 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 2 – paragraph 1 – point c
Annex II – point 2 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) employment, unemployment rate, underemployment rate, potential additional labour force rate, participation rates, indicators of part time employment, hours worked, ;
Amendment 120 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 2 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
Annex II – point 2 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
(c a) Inequalities, poverty and material depravation
Amendment 121 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – point 2 – paragraph 1 – point e
Annex II – point 2 – paragraph 1 – point e
(e) gross fixed capital formation financed by programmes supported by the Union under the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development;