Activities of Ulla TØRNÆS

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas, the single market makes a significant contribution to European economies and, according to Parliament’s own research, the anticipated gain from completing the single market stands at a trillion euros;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas fragmentation of the single market is one of the major impediments to higher structural economic growth;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Renate WEBER, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas the completion of the single market in the product and services and the removal of barriers is a top priority which requires fast-track approach from Member States and the EU institutions;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that the deepening of the single market and the digital single market will bring new opportunities and challenges, such as skills, new forms of employment and financial structures, which will have to be addressed; notes with concern that 47 % of the EU-population is insufficiently digitally skilled and that the demand for digitally skilled employees are growing by 4 % per year, underlines in this regard the importance of Member States investing in digital education;

2016/02/24
Committee: EMPL

2015/2354(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Renate WEBER, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)

Eb. whereas barriers in the single market lead to less choice and more expensive products and services for consumers;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Notes the potential of the collaborative economy for job creation and a more inclusive labour market across Member States; ~~believes that a country-by-country taxation principle needs to be established~~notes the need to adapt and modernise legislation to reach the potential of the shared economy;

2016/02/24
Committee: EMPL

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Supports the overall objectives of the Commission’s Single Market Strategy for goods and services, and welcomes its ~~vision for how~~actions in key areas in order to unleash the full potential of the single market;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the fact that the strategy is co~~mplementary to~~ordinated with efforts made in other areas, especially in the Digital Single Market Strategy; believes that, by building on the initiatives already being taken, the strategy has good potential to help ensure economic prosperity and make Europe more attractive for investments;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Highlights that it is crucial for all Single Market Strategy initiatives to be based on better regulation principles and on most efficient tools such as harmonisation and mutual recognition;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Renate WEBER, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Underlines that proposals should be evidence-based and reduce regulatory and administrative burden on businesses, in particular, SMEs;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Welcomes the Commission’s support for dual education systems; stresses the importance of ensuring that the SMS does not in any way undermine dual education systems; believes that dual education systems within the EU could be strengthened by a European benchmark on dual education which could highlight the correlation between dual education and youth employment;

2016/02/24
Committee: EMPL

2015/2354(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Renate WEBER, Marian HARKIN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Regrets that the services market remains fragmented; calls on the Commission to deliver ~~the necessary reforms that will remove barriers in the service sect~~on implementation of the Services Directive; underlines that assessments show that when administrative barriers are lower, more b~~y adopting a targeted sector-specific approach for services~~usinesses are created and thereby is the potential for job-creation strengthened;

2016/02/24
Committee: EMPL

2015/2354(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Renate WEBER, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the strategy’s focus on aspects aimed at helping businesses, in particular SMEs, micro-enterprises and start-ups, to scale up their activities, grow and stay in the single market, thus facilitating their innovation and job creation; ~~consider~~underlines that all initiatives for SMEs and start-ups require immediate actions and should be treated as a priority;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Calls on the Commission to work with the Member States to simplify and speed up procedures for the recognition of professional qualifications, including by facilitating and encouraging the introduction of Common Training Frameworks and a Services Passport to facilitate cross-border recognition of qualifications;

2016/02/24
Committee: EMPL

2015/2354(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Renate WEBER

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support job creation in the collaborative economy by ~~developing appropriate safeguards~~adapting and modernising legislation, while at the same time providing a platform that will allow entrepreneurs to grow, innovate and create jobs.

2016/02/24
Committee: EMPL

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Believes that it is necessary to consider adoption of adopt a common definition of ‘innovative’ start- ups and SMEs, or objective criteria, that can be used as a point of reference for the adoption of related measures; calls on the Commission to propose such a definition;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. WHighlights the need for reduced compliance costs caused by VAT requirements; welcomes the Commission’s determination to address the difficulties faced by SMEs as a result of the complexity of differing national VAT regulations; extends its full support to the Commission in respect of the VAT reform; ~~calls on the Commission to assess the feasibility of further coordination and, in particular, to assess the possibility of a single tax in the e-commerce sector;~~

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls on the Commission to implement the Capital Markets Union and more particularly the framework for simple transparent standardised securitisation (STS), and swift adoption of the Prospectus Directive as fast as possible, as those measures will help SMEs to access finances;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Welcomes the legislative initiative on business insolvency, including early restructuring and second chances, which will ensure that Member States provide a regulatory environment that is able to accommodate failure without discouraging entrepreneurs from trying new ideas; calls on the Commission to ensure that this initiative will align insolvency proceedings across the EU and reduce the length and costs of proceedings;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Welcomes the Commission’s Digital Single Market Strategy, and in particular the announced Single Digital Gateway; calls on the Commission to e~~xplore all ways of making the best use of the Single Digital Gateway to help European start- ups to scale up across Europe~~nsure that the Single Digital Gateway is the single entry point for businesses to all single market related information, assistance, problem solving and to national and EU-wide procedures, needed to operate cross- border in the EU;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. EWelcomes new sharing economy business models and recognises their enormous potential for innovation; emphasises that the collaborative (or sharing) economy is growing fast and changing the way that many services and assets are provided and consumed; underlines, furthermore, the strong link between these new business models and the performance of the single market;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Welcomes the Commission’s announced initiative on the European agenda for the collaborative economy, and its intention to look at that economy in order to assess what needs to be done to accompany its growth and its major contribution to the economic system; calls on the Commission to ensure the best possible conditions for the collaborative economy to develop and thrive;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Draws attention to the important role of standards for innovation and progress in the single market; calls on the Commission to support and reinforce European standards and make the framework for standardization more efficient and fit for purpose, including by exploiting the opportunities offered by the ongoing negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP);

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. PCalls on the Commission to deepen its work on enforcements; points out that many measures have already been adopted but are not yet applied; points out, furthermore, that according to data provided by the Commission in mid-2015, around 1 090 infringement proceedings were pending in the area of the single market; calls on the Commission, therefore, to ensure that enforcement is prioritised at all levels; believes that with regard to national measures or implementation early intervention may be more effective and better results achieved than through infringements procedures; stresses, nevertheless, that if the early intervention proceeding do not give results, the Commission must use all available measures, including infringement procedures, to ensure full implementation of legislation on the single market;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Calls on the Commission to further support the Member States in developing a strong culture of compliance and enforcement, including by developing implementation plans for new major legislation and organising compliance dialogues with Member States; calls on Member States to fully commit to implement and enforce EU legislation and apply mutual recognition principle; stresses that correct enforcement and better regulation are essential and should cover all business sectors and apply to existing and future legislation;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Recalls the importance of strengthening and streamlining existing single market tools for SMEs in order to simplify their cross-border expansion; urges the Commission and Member States to place greater emphasis on streamlining and improving Product Contact Points and Single Points of Contacts;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Emphasises that it is necessary to reinforce the Solvit network and to improve awareness of the network and its role in solving interpretation problems relating to the single market; calls on Member States to appropriately equip and adequately position their national SOLVIT centres in order for them to fulfil their role;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Takes note of the Commission proposal, as part of strengthening the single market for goods, to improve mutual recognition through action to increase awareness as well as ensuring better application and enforcement of the mutual recognition principle and through the revision of the Mutual Recognition Regulation;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. ~~Reiterates its call for the rapid adoption~~Highlights the need for a new of the Product Safety and Market Surveillance ~~Package by the Council; underlines the importance of the indication of country of origin, which is crucial to protect consumers and to strengthen the fight against counterfeiting~~legislation at the European level;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Stresses that regulatory differences between Member States regarding differing labelling requirements create unnecessary obstacles to the activities of suppliers of goods; calls on the Commission to ~~consider introducing a mandatory scheme for the provision of key information for furniture, established at EU level~~review all labelling requirements, present a plan to reduce the number of EU and national labelling requirements, create a framework to assess which ones are essential to consume the product; highlights that all other information could be provided by digital means and not necessarily on the product; stresses that new requirements create additional costs for businesses, lead to confusion among consumers and diverging national requirements fragment the single market; considers that such an initiative would be beneficial for consumers, industries and trade operators, ensuring transparency, adequate recognition of European products and harmonised rules for operators in the single market;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. SEmphasises the need to ensure consistent proportionality assessment of regulatory requirements and restrictions applicable to services; supports the Commission proposal to introduce a services passport to help service providers demonstrate that they satisfy the requirements applicable to them in the Member State where they wish to provide their service on a temporary basis; considers that this initiative should be aimed at reducing administrative burden for service providers and simplifying the procedures applicable to cross-border service provision;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2354(INI)

Antanas GUOGA, Kaja KALLAS, Ulla TØRNÆS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27a. Underlines the need for a fully electronic public procurement system; highlights the need for fast and comprehensive implementation of the Public Procurement Directive in its whole; highlights the wider use of the e- procurement to open the markets for SMEs;

2016/02/26
Committee: IMCO

2015/2346(INI)

Antanas GUOGA, Daniel DALTON, Kaja KALLAS, Ulla TØRNÆS, Dita CHARANZOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Realises that despite the removal of tariff barriers since 1 July 1968, the free movement of goods and services has continued to be hampered by non-tariff barriers (NTBs) such as national technical rules and requirements governing products and service providers; highlights that strengthening of the single market requires urgent actions at Union and Member States levels to address such NTBs;

2016/01/28
Committee: IMCO

2015/2346(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Reiterates that the Digital Single Market Strategy and Single Market Strategy for Europe compose initiatives that should be implemented swiftly and ambitiously in order to reduce single market NTBs; highlights that it is crucial for these initiatives to be based on better regulation principles and on the most efficient tools, such as harmonisation and mutual recognition;

2016/01/28
Committee: IMCO

2015/2346(INI)

Antanas GUOGA, Daniel DALTON, Kaja KALLAS, Ulla TØRNÆS, Dita CHARANZOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Underlines that for many companies, in particular SMEs, seeking to trade in another Member State, such an expansion will still from their perspective constitute ‘international trade’; highlights that SMEs, start-ups and innovative businesses, in particular sharing economy businesses, should be fully enabled to grow through cross-border trade;

2016/01/28
Committee: IMCO

2015/2346(INI)

Antanas GUOGA, Daniel DALTON, Kaja KALLAS, Ulla TØRNÆS, Dita CHARANZOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Believes that the objective of the Union should be the eventual~~Calls for abolition of NTBs where they cannot be justified;

2016/01/28
Committee: IMCO

2015/2346(INI)

Antanas GUOGA, Daniel DALTON, Kaja KALLAS, Ulla TØRNÆS, Dita CHARANZOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. ~~Believe~~Highlights that inconsistent enforcement of existing correctly transposed rules causes the same harm as slow transposition; considers that compliance and enforcement are made more challenging when commonly used definitions are given different meanings in different pieces of legislation; calls for better regulation principles to be respected in the legislation drafting process;

2016/01/28
Committee: IMCO

2015/2346(INI)

Antanas GUOGA, Kaja KALLAS, Ulla TØRNÆS, Dita CHARANZOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Draws attention to the low levels of cross-border public procurement, with less than 20only 3,5 % of all public procurement in the Union publicised on pan-European platforms being awarded to companies from other Member States; underlines the need for fully electronic public procurement system; highlights the need for fast and comprehensive implementation of the Public Procurement Directive in its whole; calls for wider use of e-procurement to open the markets for SMEs;

2016/01/28
Committee: IMCO

2015/2346(INI)

Antanas GUOGA, Daniel DALTON, Kaja KALLAS, Ulla TØRNÆS, Dita CHARANZOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Believes that many national administrative practices also give rise to NTBs, including requirements for formalising of documents by national bodies or offices; ~~considers that~~urges Members States should concentrate on e-governance as a way to reduce barriers, building on examples such as those in Estonia and Denmark, where a transition to digital services has simplified administration for businesses and citizeto use e-governance solutions and modernise their public administrations, building on examples such as those in Estonia and Denmark, by providing more and better accessible, digital services for citizens and businesses, and to facilitate cross border cooperation and interoperability of public administrations;

2016/01/28
Committee: IMCO

2015/2346(INI)

Antanas GUOGA, Daniel DALTON, Kaja KALLAS, Ulla TØRNÆS, Dita CHARANZOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Highlights that many businesses are not aware of mutual recognition and believe that they have to comply with national requirements in the Member State of destination when trading in the single market; calls for Member States to ensure that mutual recognition principle is applied by their competent authorities;

2016/01/28
Committee: IMCO

2015/2346(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Antanas GUOGA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Draws attention to the problems for service providers, especially in business services, the transport sector and construction, stemming from multiple and diverse authorisations, registration or prior notification requirements;

2016/01/28
Committee: IMCO

2015/2346(INI)

Antanas GUOGA, Daniel DALTON, Ulla TØRNÆS, Dita CHARANZOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Calls on the Commission to deepen its work on enforcement and the principles which underpin the single market; believes that early intervention with regard to national measures or implementation procedures which constitute NTBs may be effective and results more readily achieved than through infringement proceedings; underlines, nevertheless, that for serious or persistent failures or misapplication of Union law, particularly in areas of single market and economic interest, the Commission m~~ay prioritise infringement action~~ust use all available measures, including infringement procedures, to ensure full implementation of legislation on the Single Market and to ensure structural reforms in Member States;

2016/01/28
Committee: IMCO

2015/2330(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas unemployment has been diminishing since 2013 thanks to supportive macroeconomic policies and the impact of structural reforms; whereas it nevertheless remains too high, currently affecting 9.9 % of active citizens, i.e. 23 million Europeans, about half of them being long-term unemployed; highlighting the need for further structural reforms which at the same time promote flexibility in the labour markets and security for the employed; Whereas employment has increased in the EU28 by 0.8 % and in the Eurozone by 0.4 % in 2014;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

A a. Whereas economic recovery has now entered its third year with a growth forecast for the EU28 of 2 % in 2016 and of 1,8 % in the Eurozone;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)

A b. Whereas fiscal consolidation in the EU28 is improving with the general budget deficit decreasing from 4,5 % in 2011 to 2,5 % in 2015;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Jana TOOM, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Marian HARKIN

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas about 20 % of active citizens in the EU have only basic ~~skills~~digital skills and 40 % of the EU population can be considered insufficiently digitally skilled, while 39 % of companies have difficulty finding staff with the required digital skills, whereas low educational level is one of the key causes of young people becoming NEETs;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

C a. Whereas there are approximately 2 million unfilled vacancies in the EU, of which almost 900.000 are in the digital sector, which hampers economic growth and job-creation; whereas in 2012 one in three Europeans were either over- or under-qualified for their job; whereas this mis-match negatively affects growth;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Martina DLABAJOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas one of the five Europe 2020 targets aims at reducing by at least 20 million the number of people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion; whereas almost 123 million people in the EU are in this situation; whereas in 2013 26.5 million children in the EU28 were at risk of falling into poverty or social exclusion; whereas the number of Europeans in risk of poverty increased in the period 2009- 2012, the situation has improved as the number stabilized in 2013 and 2014;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the demographic old age dependency ratio in the EU12 is projected to increase from 27.8 % to 50.1 % until 2060, and the total economic dependency ratio13 is expected to stabilise at over 120 % up to the middle of the next decade and then to rise above 140 % by 2060 highlighting the pressing need of labour market and pension reforms which aims at maintaining people in the labour market; whereas these factors may appear as sufficient justification for the fact that the great majority of European citizens agree that it is important to restructure their pensions systems; __________________ 12 People aged 65 or above relative to those between aged 15 and 64. 13 Total inactive population relative to employed people aged between 20 and 64.

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Jana TOOM, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Martina DLABAJOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the fact that the Commission’'s Annual Growth Survey (AGS) ~~underlines the need to pay more~~gives attention to social fairness in the context of the new macroeconomic adjustment programmes, adding three ~~social~~headline indicators (activity rate, youth unemployment and long-term unemployment) in the 2016 Alert Mechanism Report; ~~stresses that the need to invest in social development is not just a means of guaranteeing that economic growth and convergence can be achieved, but must also be a specific target in itself~~encourages investments in social development in accordance with national customs and traditions as a means of achieving economic growth and employment and social convergence;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Notes that ~~good and quality jobs~~quality employment constitutes an essential pillar for social fairness~~, promoting human dignity~~; believes that in this sense employment and growth must be placed at the centre of EU policies, especially for youth, as a way to construct a more sustainable social European Union;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Marian HARKIN, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Jean-Marie CAVADA, Martina DLABAJOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Calls on the Commission to foster, at Member State level, forms of cooperation involving governments, enterprises, educational institutions and social partners in accordance with national customs and traditions, with a view to adapting Member States’' education and training systems to combat skills mis-matches and meeting the needs of the labour market;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Jana TOOM, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Jean-Marie CAVADA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Notes with concern, that data on government spending in education confirm an increasing risk of investment gaps in human capital, including digital skills; Notes further that educational efforts primarily are focused on the younger part of the workforce, however, many countries need a broader focus on educating the workforce including adult education and vocational training opportunities; Underlines that insufficient investments in education, especially in digital skills, poses a threat to Europe's competitive position and to the employability of Europe's work force; encourages therefore Member States to prioritize broad education in digital skills;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Welcomes the Commission’s initiative for an individualised approach for the long- term unemployed; considers that such an approach will require an increased effort in terms of human resources, calling for participants with the educational level needed to be able to orientate the unemployed on how to overcome possible gaps in education or training; stresses that ~~professional requalification processes require adequate financial resources that need to be channelled to the~~for active employment policies to be efficient they must include requirements for the competent national authorities as well as for each of the long-term unemployed;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Notes that the EU continues to suffer from structural problems that need to be addressed urgently, pointing up the need to continue prioritising investment, structural reforms creating a more flexible and secure labour market and responsible fiscal consolidation, thus reinforcing a favourable environment for business with a view to creating more quality ~~jobs~~employment while balancing the social and economic dimensions; stresses that those priorities will only be achieved if investment in human capital is prioritised as a common strategy;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Jana TOOM, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Martina DLABAJOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Considering that flexicurity contributes to avoiding labour fragmentation, increasing employment and promoting the creation of more quality ~~jobs; calls on~~employment; encourages the Member States to modernise their employment protection legislation in order to ~~guarante~~promote more stability in transitions between jobs, as well as employees’ access to social security and welfare rights; calls on the Commission to step up monitoring of the abusive practice of successive fixed-term contracts, in both private and public sectors;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Calls on the Member States to gradually shift taxes from labour to other sources with due regard to overall competitiveness, and to implement tax rules that foster incentives to entrepreneurship and employment creation, especially for highly qualified young people, in order to boost research and innovation projects within European enterprises;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Member States to modernise their current social protection systems, in order to guarantee their sustainability in the face of expected ageing; ~~considers that pension schemes should be linked not only to life expectancy but also to other social and labour factors, while not jeopardising the sustainability of public finances~~highlights the benefits of linking pension schemes to life expectancy for increasing the sustainability of public finances in the face of the expected increase in ageing;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Jana TOOM, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. ~~Calls on~~Encourages the Member States to examine the persistence of low fertility rates in the EU; calls on the Commission to promote family-friendly policies that enhance parents’ capacity to ensure their children’s wellbeing; encourages the Member States to consider applying more favourable fiscal differentiation in line with the number of children in a family;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to focus on SMEs as a fundamental key for sustainable development and job-creation; urges the Member States to implement tax schemes that favour innovative start-ups and the facilitation of job creation by SMEs, and to develop mechanisms that might impel such enterprises to achieve or operationalise in an international dimension;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Martina DLABAJOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Points out that enterprises in the social economy face as many difficulties as traditional enterprises in obtaining public or private financing; underlines the need to ~~give them more support~~ensure that all enterprises have equal access to funding, especially as regards access to the different forms of financing, such as European funds;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Welcomes the Commission’s ~~call on~~encouragement to some Member States to increase their social investments in order to increase European economic and social cohesion, especially in healthcare, childcare, housing support and rehabilitation services; calls on enterprises and other eligible beneficiaries to make better use of the investment mechanisms provided by European funds and projects having direct application;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Agrees on the need to develop a process of upward economic and social convergence in order to foster social and economic cohesion between Member States and their regions, ~~but points out that this must be viewed as a goal of a common project in which social dialogue plays a key role~~and that the social dialogue must play a key role in the achievement of this; points out that social policies are Member States' competence and that this must be respected as a matter of subsidiarity;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Jana TOOM, Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Jean-Marie CAVADA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. ~~Calls on~~Encourages the Member States to implement and monitor more efficient forms of social protection systems ~~and income support~~, in order to ensure that these systems offer a ~~minimum standard of living for the unemployed and those at risk of social exclusion~~way out of unemployment and social exclusion and into the labur market, while guaranteeing that such mechanisms do not perpetuate social dependency and constitute an incentive to education or entering the job market, stresses that a job is the best and only sustainable way out of poverty and social exclusion;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. ~~Calls on~~Encourages the Member States to implement the necessary measures for the inclusion of refugees~~; stresse~~ and migrants legally residing in the EU; considers that such an approach will require the allocation of funds that, in so fragile a situation, cannot be provided solely by Member States; calls on the Commission to provide the funding required to develop such a strategy as part of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF);

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Jana TOOM, Enrique CALVET CHAMBON, Martina DLABAJOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Points out to the Member States, in view of the ageing of Europe’s citizens, the social risk implied in not being able to guarantee the sustainability of social security systems over the coming decades, encourages therefore the Member States to develop strategies which ensure that more people are maintained as an active part of the labour force for a longer time;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2330(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS, Jana TOOM, Jean-Marie CAVADA, Martina DLABAJOVÁ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to work together on removing the obstacles to ~~fair~~ labour mobility, ensuring that EU mobile workers are ~~not~~ treated ~~abusively~~equally with non-mobile workers;

2016/01/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Marian HARKIN, Ulla TØRNÆS, Renate WEBER

Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)

- having regard to the fundamental freedom to provide services laid down in Article 56 TFEU,

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Marian HARKIN, Ulla TØRNÆS, Renate WEBER

Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 b (new)

- having regard to the fundamental freedom of movement of workers laid down in Article 45 TFEU,

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Marian HARKIN, Ulla TØRNÆS, Renate WEBER

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)

- having regard to the on-going implementation of Directive 2014/67/EU,

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS

Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)

- having regard to Council Directive 1999/63/EC of 21 June 1999 concerning the Agreement on the organisation of working time of seafarers concluded by the European Community Shipowners' Association (ECSA) and the Federation of Transport Workers' Unions in the European Union (FST), as amended by Council Directive 2009/13/EC of 16 February 2009 implementing the Agreement concluded by the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) and the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) on the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006,

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Marian HARKIN, Ulla TØRNÆS, Renate WEBER

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)

- having regard to the adoption of the European Platform to enhance cooperation in the prevention and deterrence of undeclared work,

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. having regard to the ~~increased trend towards~~existence of undeclared work~~, bogus~~ and false self- employment, ~~outsourcing and subcontracting,~~ leading to ~~an in~~decrease ~~in precarious jobs and deteriorating~~d levels of worker protection,;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the Court of Justice of the European Union in its judgment in case C- 34/05 Laval of 18 December 200710 highlighted the ~~legitimacy of the struggle against social dumping~~right to undertake collective action against possible social dumping and emphasized that such action must be proportionate in order not to restrict the fundamental freedoms of the EU, such as the freedom to provide services, __________________ 10 http://curia.europa.eu/juris/showPdf.jsf?te xt=&docid=71925&pageIndex=0&doclang =EN&mode=lst&dir=&occ=first&part=1& cid=498309

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

C a. whereas there is no clear, universally accepted definition of social dumping, whereas as a rule, the activities relating to social dumping are considered not to be in compliance with the minimum requirements of labour standards;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Marian HARKIN, Ulla TØRNÆS, Renate WEBER

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. having regard to the importance of the principle of 'equal pay ~~and social protection for the same work at the same place~~for equal work' for all European workers,;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for a directive based on ILO Convention No. 81 on labour inspection~~Welcomes the ratification by the Member States of the ILO Convention No. 81 on labour inspections and the progress made by adopting the new European Platform to enhance cooperation in the prevention and deterrence of undeclared work; in this regard, recognizes the Commission's work in financing the mutual learning programmes for labour inspectors in the Member States and the progress made via SLIC system;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Marian HARKIN, Ulla TØRNÆS, Renate WEBER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Welcomes the Commission´s intention to evaluate EU OSH legislation as part of the Smart Regulation programme;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the Member States to increase the ~~staffing levels and resources~~efficiency of their labour inspectorates and their liaison offices~~, in particular for interpretation and translation~~;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Marian HARKIN, Ulla TØRNÆS, Renate WEBER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Calls for the creation of a European body of cross-border labour inspect~~Welcomes the goals laid down by the European Platforsm to ~~carry out on-the-spot checks in suspected cases of social dumping, including by identifying 'letterbox companies', which body woul~~enhance cooperation in the prevention and deterrence of undeclared work in coord~~ination with the platform against undeclared work in order to limit the financial burden involved~~er to mitigate the consequences of undeclared work, to learn from the best practices as well as to share and exchange information of how to tackle it;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for a directive based on ILO Convention No. 189 concerning decent work for domestic workers~~Notes the Council of Ministers Decision authorising the EU Member States to ratify ILO Domestic Workers Convention No. 189 and calls on the Member States follow the decision;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Ulla TØRNÆS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Takes the view that the competent authorities should be able to suspend the provision of services in cases of serious breaches of legislation on postings~~; considers that the amount of the fines should exceed employees' contributions~~, in particular if minimum rates of pay for workers are not respected;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Marian HARKIN, Ulla TØRNÆS, Renate WEBER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Requests that information on postings should ~~not be retroactive~~be up-to-date and correct and should be entered in a European electronic register; stresses that the competent authorities of the host Member State should be able to revise form A1 in the event of serious doubts about whether a posting is genuine; ;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. ~~Recalls its appeal for the creation~~Welcomes looking into the efficiency of 'a forgery-proof European social security card (...) on which could be stored all the data needed to verify the bearer’'s employment relationship~~'11 ; wishes all~~ as well as storing the information associated with the worker's postings ~~to feature on this card~~; __________________ 11 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDo c.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P7-TA- 2014-0012+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. CRecalls ~~for a public list to be drawn up of enterprises responsible for serious breaches of EU legislation~~that attention should be drawn to serious breaches of EU and national legislation relating to posting of workers;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Subheading II

II. Addressing ~~regulatory gaps in order to implement the principle of 'equal pay and equal social protection for the same work'~~the implementation of the posting of workers in the EU

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. CRecalls on the ~~Commission to combat~~objectives of Directive 2014/67/EU in fighting the phenomenon of letterbox companies by, calls on applying more generally the principle that each company should ~~have a single corporate headquarters; recalls the rejection by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs of the proposal for a directive on single-person limited liability companies~~be able to exercise the fundamental freedom to establish itself and provide services across the EU;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Notes that Directive 96/71/EC ~~refers only to~~have as a basis Articles 57 and 66 TFEU relating to the freedom to provide services and freedom of movement; ~~believes that its legal basis must be complemented by Articles 151 and 153 TFEU;~~

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Considers that the notion of 'minimum wage' contained in Directive 96/71/EC ~~should be revised to ensure equal pay for posted workers and local workers in similar positions~~is fundamental; stresses the ~~need~~importance to respect the collective agreements of the host country and to ensure, through the revision of Regulations (EC) No 883/2004 and (EC) No 987/2009, the payment of gross earnings corresponding to the remuneration paid by the employer before the deduction of taxes and social security contributions payable by employees and withheld by the employer; recalls that specific postings bonuses should be paid on top of remuneration;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

~~13. Wishes periods of postings to be limited in Directive 96/71/EC and temporary employment agencies to be excluded from the scope of the directive;~~deleted

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Believes that the forthcoming Labour Mobility Package should not re-open the Posting of Workers Directive without thorough prior consultation with businesses and social partners;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Calls for increased ~~controls~~enforcement on the implementation of working time and rest times in transport ; ~~calls for the introduction~~encourages the continued monitoring of automatic digital records and the development of 'smart tachographs' for all means of transport, including inland waterway transport; recalls the desire expressed in its resolution of 3 July 2012 on road transport that 'by 2020 all vehicles which are not exempted from the application of this Regulation in accordance with paragraphs 2 and 3 shall be fitted with a smart tachograph'12 ´; __________________ 12 www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do? type=TA&reference=P7-TA-2012- 0271&language=EN&ring=A7-2012- 0195#BKMD-7

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Asks the ~~Commission~~Member States to clarify the provisions ~~so that a distinction can be draw~~regarding the distinction between employees and self- employed ~~workers to combat 'bogus self employment'; emphasises that airline pilots and train drivers cannot be considered to be independent of the companies for which they work~~in the transport sector, also in view of combatting 'bogus self employment';

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Believes that the rules on cabotage are not sufficiently precise, which facilitates the practice of some road operators of engaging in permanent cabotage; ~~wishes cabotage operations to be subject to mandatory prior notification;~~

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Stresses the need for a new regulation on groundhandling at airports to ensure ~~mandatory social and wage protection for workers in the event of new calls for tenders or the partial loss of work; supports the introduction of rules to ensure~~social protection for workers; calls for the effective implementation of laws with regard to airlines with 'operational bases' on the territory of a Member State; calls for ~~the~~a clarification of the definition of '´home base'´ to better protect the social rights of cabin crews, in particular their rest periods;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls on Member States to review their laws to ~~eliminate precarious contracts called 'zero hour contracts' or 'pay to fly contracts'; believes that precarious working conditions are an additional safety risk~~provide sufficient flexisecurity at the labour market;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Ulla TØRNÆS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Calls on the Commission shortly to submit a proposal for a directive on requirements with regard to the crews of vessels providing regular cargo, passenger and ferry services operating between Member States so that the conditions applicable on board a vessel are those of the State applying the most favourable standards for workers;deleted

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Martina DLABAJOVÁ, Marian HARKIN, Ulla TØRNÆS, Renate WEBER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Calls on the Commission, drawing on the US Jones Act, to take the necessary measures to ensure that vessels carrying goods between two European ports are built in Europe, fly a European flag and are owned by a European company; calls for the law that is applicable to be associated with the country in which the vessel owner is based;deleted

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Calls on the Commission ~~rapidly to draw up proposals to~~to continue combatting unfair competition ~~in the~~; agrees that appropriate regulatory environment is needed for digital and shar~~ing~~ed economy;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Takes the view that ~~a social protocol is necessary to ensure the primacy of fundamental rights over economic freedoms~~the fundamental freedoms of the EU, such as the right of establishment and the freedom of movement of services have to be safeguarded;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Recalls the ~~Commission's commitment to proposing a basis of minimum social rights; emphasises that the establishment of criteria for comparing the various national social system~~commitments of all the Member States under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights can~~not provide such a basis, but can only serve as a preliminary analytical framework~~d the European Social Charter;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. ~~Desire~~Recalls that wage floors be established, possibly in the form of a minimum wage; emphasises that this instrument should be set up on the basis of legislation or convention, in accordance with national practices, with due respect for the role of the social partners; believes that these wage floors should represent at least 60% of the average national wage; calls on the Commission to consult the social partners with a view to introducing, where appropriate, a minimum wage in some border areas associated with highly mobile workersMember States have the competence to establish minimum rates of pay via law and / or collective agreements; reminds that Article 153 TFEU excludes "pay" as EU competence;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

~~26. Supports the development of unemployment benefit arrangements as a mechanism for absorbing asymmetric social shocks within the euro area;~~deleted

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Calls on the Commission to propose a legal instrument to address the cross- border dimensions of outsourcing, extending the joint and several liability of the payer to include all economic sectors and the entire subcontracting chain;deleted

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. CRecalls on the Commission to propose an appropriate legislative vehicle providing that companies have a duty of care for which they may be held liable, in respect of both their subsidiaries that their subcontractors operating in third countries in order to prevent the risk of violations of human rights, corruption, severe physical injury or environmental damage and the violation of ILO Conventionthat the provisions of the Enforcement Directive on subcontracting liability are designed to ensure the security in the supply chain for workers;

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2255(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

~~29. Considers that Directive 96/71/EC and the rules coordinating social security systems must be revised before any trade agreement including provisions relating to 'Mode 4' can be concluded;~~deleted

2016/02/25
Committee: EMPL

2015/2223(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Calls on the ~~Commission and the~~ Member States to adopt integrated frameworks to combat energy poverty by linking energy and poverty/social inclusion policies more closely;

2015/11/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2223(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Calls on~~Encourage the Member States to sign up to a European winter heating disconnection moratorium so as to ensure that during a defined winter period no household can be cut off from energy or that those who are must be reconnected to energy needed for heating that meetsadopt policies that allow them to meet the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards for adequate housing temperature;

2015/11/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2223(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Invites the Commission to present, in the context of the announced social pillar, an EU framework directive on adequate minimum income in 2016;~~ Encourages the Member States to analyse the potential costs and benefits of introducing an adequate minimum income in line with national customs and traditions;

2015/11/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2223(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – introductory part

5. Finds regrettable that the EU2020 target to reduce poverty in Europe by lifting 20 million people out of poverty appears even further out of reach than when it was set; reiterates that one of the target groups is people that face severe material deprivation; calls on the ~~Commission and the~~ Member States to renew their commitment to the poverty reduction target by:

2015/11/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2223(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. ~~Welcom~~Notes the Commission’s intention to present a new social pillar; recalls that to deliver on Article 9 TFEU, such a pillar should be aimed at setting a European framework for a minimum income above the poverty level, continuing with a rights- based approach to social policy and improving implementation of existing social, labour and anti-discrimination legislation, underlines in this regard the principle of subsidiarity;

2015/11/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2223(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. ~~Welcom~~Notes the Commission’s intention to aim for a social triple A score for the Union; finds regrettable that this is currently out of reach owing to increasing inequality, high poverty and social exclusion and less and less availability of quality and affordable social, health and care services; recalls that a social triple A must be based on Article 9 TFEU aimed at a ‘high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion and a high level of education, training and protection of human health’; recalls that achieving a social triple A as a benchmark requires assessing both policies that hinder and work towards achieving the benchmark; ~~finds regrettable that so far the latter has not been addressed at Union level;~~

2015/11/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2223(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop, adopt and implement an EU framework to reduce poverty and social exclusion in line with the Europe 2020 Strategy, consisting of concrete measures and actions, including energy poverty;deleted

2015/11/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2223(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Stresses that a ~~decent income is a fundamental element for being able to live your life in digni~~job is the best way out of poverty; recalls that 16.7 % of the population in the EU 28 in 2013 were at- risk-of-poverty a~~fter social transfers; invites the Commission to present in 2016 in the context of the announced social pillar an EU framework directive on adequate minimum incom~~nd that work in poverty remains a challenge;

2015/11/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2223(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Recommends that a~~n EU framework directive on minimum income sh~~ minimum income at Member State level could specify which criteria Member States’ minimum income schemes would need to meet so as to lift people out of poverty; considers that such a framework would need to be rights-based, address the level of income, the non-discriminatory, efficient and easy access and the take-up, targeting especially those groups, who currently are excluded from or at risk of exclusion from minimum income schemes;

2015/11/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2223(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. ~~Stresses that~~Considers that Member States minimum income schemes ~~should~~can prevent and lift households out of sepover~~e material deprivation~~ty and allow ~~for~~ an income above the poverty threshold; recalls that a minimum income is a key instrument for delivering on Article 9 TFEU guaranteeing adequate social protection as well as on the fundamental right to decent living conditions, participating in society and protection of human health;

2015/11/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2223(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the ~~Commission and the~~ Member States to address in a more balanced way both income and expenditure of poor households; points to shortcomings in addressing increasing household cost and considers the Commission’s work on a reference budget a step in the right direction; stresses that lowering household expenditure for poor households will impact positively on the concerned households as well as on the - mainly local - economy and on social cohesion;

2015/11/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2223(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Recalls that poor households spend the largest share of their income on housing, utilities and food; stresses that one dimension of household expenditure of poor households – the cost of energy and the related issue of energy poverty lacks an in-depth assessment at Union levelfood, housing and utilities; calls on the Commission to improve internal cooperation so as to better link the energy policy and the poverty policy;

2015/11/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2223(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Stresses that there is so far no definition of ~~energy~~ poverty at Union level and therefore it is very difficult to properly assess the seriousness, the causes and the consequences of energy poverty of poor households in the Union; calls on the Commission to develop with stakeholders a common definition of energy poverty which should aim at assessing at least the following elements: material scope, difficulty for a household to gain access to essential energy, affordability and share of total household cost, impact on basic household needs such as heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and transport;

2015/11/18
Committee: EMPL

2015/2223(INI)