Activities of Lieve WIERINCK related to 2016/2306(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the European Semester for economic policy coordination: Annual Growth Survey 2017 PDF (471 KB) DOC (80 KB)
Amendments (36)
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 a (new)
Citation 23 a (new)
- having regard to the Annual Report on European SME's 2015/2016,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 b (new)
Citation 23 b (new)
- having regard to the report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council dated 26th August 2016 on the implementation of Directive 2011/7/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 on combating late payment in commercial transactions,
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas growth has to an important degree relied upon unconventional and, in the long term, unsustainable monetary policies; whereas interest rates will rise again; whereas this supports the call for a three-pronged policy approach of growth- friendly investment, a full and consistent implementation of the Stability and Growth pact across Member States, and a particular focus on structural reforms;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the long-term sustainability of public finances of EU Member States is a matter of concern for intergenerational fairness;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas the size of government debt can be affected both by contingent and implicit liabilities;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the EU requires important investment efforts; notably in growth enhancing areas such as research, ICT, innovation or education;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the EU’'s insufficient level of global competitiveness and productivity calls for structural reforms in the Member States in order to bring about sustained growthits lack of sustainable growth is linked to low productivity growth which can only be tackled through structural reforms in the Member States and the completion of the single market, also aiming at making the EU's economy more dynamic through the creation and scale-up of innovative companies;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas economies with more punitive bankruptcy regimes forego the potential growth in value added and employment which calls for the full implementation of the Small Business Act second chance principle by all Member States;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas the late payments directive was designed to help companies that are facing high costs or even bankruptcies due to late payments by private and public companies; whereas the external ex-post evaluation revealed that public entities in more than half of all Member States are not yet respecting the 30-day payment limit imposed by law; whereas the report has identified that Member States under adjustment programmes have difficulties applying the directive where prompt payment of current invoices has to be balanced against accumulated debt repayment;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission’s Annual Growth Survey 2017 reaffirming the strategy of a virtuous triangle of investment, structural reforms and responsible public finances; agrees that faster progress on the adoption of reforms, in line with the country-specific recommendations, is needed to deliver on growth and jobs; deplores the very low implementation rate of country specific recommendations, which declined from 11 % in 2012 to only 4% in 2015; stresses that Member States will need to step up their efforts to reform if they want to return to growth and create jobs;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Believes that the EU needs to be prepared for an environment of phasing out of unconventional monetary policy measures and rising interest rates;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Agrees with the Commission that access to finance is crucial for businesses to innovate and grow;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that tha credible financial system and its institutions are crucial for attracting investment and growth in the European economy; stresses that the current financial system is characterised by increased safety and stability;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that a fully functioning Capital Markets Union can, in a longer perspective, provide alternative financing to SMEs, complementing that of the banking sector; calls for a faster and more ambitious implementation of CMU to create a more efficient allocation of capital throughout the EU, improving the depth of EU capital markets, increasing diversification for investors, stimulating long term investment and making full use of the EU's innovative financial instruments designed to support access to capital markets for SMEs;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes in particular the findings in the Annual Growth Survey 2017 that high growth companies have issues with access to finance; calls for the Commission to identify and implement projects that support and attract market-based investment for such high growth innovative companies, such as the pan European VC Funds-of-Funds;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Emphasises that reliable investment requires a stable regulatory environment that allows for a return on investment; considers that predictable rules, a level playing field and reduced compliance costs are crucial factors for attracting investment;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes with concern that the EU share of global foreign direct investments flows have fallen significantly since the crisis; calls on the Commission and Member States to step up efforts to improve the business environment for investments inter alia by fully implementing and enforcing EU Single Market legislation;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Believes that EFSI and structural funds should also support recommendations for the EU as a whole; calls for the Commission to increase its efforts to finance projects or help to attract market based finance for projects with a cross-border dimension, especially in the fields of knowledge, innovation, education and ICT;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Stresses that structural reforms need to be complemented by longer-term investment in education, research, innovation and sustainable energy; believes that public-private partnerships can also be considered as tools to promote investment and to deliver smart and sustainable growth which complement public investment programmes;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Agrees that structural reforms in product, services and labour markets, also with the aim to improve the efficiency of research and innovation systems, remain a priority in the Member States;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Believes that the Member States and the Commission are not delivering enough on their commitment to complete the Single Market which limits the transfer of capital and labour resources from traditional to new activities, such as in the services sector which contributed more than 70% of the EU-28's total gross value added in 2015, and limits the expansion of intra-EU trade; reiterates the importance of the completion of the Single Market, not only for the purpose of economic gains such as growth and jobs in the EU but also as a way to increase citizens confidence in the European project;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Underlines the importance of launching or continuing the process of coherent and sustainable structural reforms for stability in the medium and long term; stresses that the EU cannot compete on general or labour costs alone, but needs to invest more in research, innovation and development, education and skills, and resource efficiency, at both national and European level;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12 b. believes that reducing the tax burden for low and middle incomes will increase demand and boost growth agrees with the Commission that the Member States need to continue to pursue growth- friendly fiscal consolidation; calls on Member States to simplify tax systems, reduce taxes and social security contributions, especially for low and medium incomes, and shift taxes away from labour to consumption and environmentally damaging activities in order to stimulate growth, private investment and job creation, to make consolidation efforts more efficient, and to enhance investments in education, R&D, and active labour market policies;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Is concerned about the effects of demographic developments on public finances, conditioned by, inter alia, low birth rates, ageing societies and the influx of refugees; points in particular to the impact of ageing populations on pension and healthcare systems in the EU; notes that, owing to different demographic structures, the effects of these developments will vary across Member States, but warns that the already foreseeable funding costs will have a significant impact on public deficits; highlights the fact that current consolidation paths will not be sufficient to ensure compliance with EU fiscal rules if pension and health systems are not reformed or current reforms are reversed or not implemented;
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Notes that EU Member States currently spend between 5 and 11% of GDP on healthcare which is expected to increase considerably in the next decades due to demographic changes; urges the Commission to focus efforts on more efficient spending on healthcare through cooperation and sharing of best practices at EU level; calls for greater accountability through measurement and reporting of spending on healthcare, and addressing the sustainability of healthcare systems in Country Specific Recommendations.
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13 b. Calls on the Commission to broaden its debt sustainability analysis of Member States by including contingent, implicit and other off-budget obligations, and make them public; notes the increased burden on companies as a barrier to growth due to late payments notably by public companies and calls for the Commission to assess of the application of the Late Payments Directive 2011/7/EU by Member States as part of the CSR's.
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the fact that, on average, youth unemployment is declining; notes, however, that there remain stark differences across the Member States that call for continued reforms to facilitate the entry of young people into the labour market to ensure intergenerational fairness; ;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Underlines the fact that all Member States are obliged to comply with the Stability and Growth Pact; points, in this regard, also to the importance of the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance (TSCG), and urges the Commission to submit a report on the implementation of the TSCG in the Member States; believes that the TSCG should be incorporated into Community law as soon as possible;
Amendment 381 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Emphasises the Commission’s role as guardian of the treaties; recalls the importance of credible fiscal rules for regaining trust of financial markets, which is fundamental to attract investment;
Amendment 394 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Is concerned about the hesitancy in using the instruments available under the Excessive Deficit Procedure;, which may be interpreted as a lack of commitment to the EU's fiscal rules and hence undermine trust of financial markets; recalls that the mere announcement of the potential use of such instruments such as macro-economic sanctions may have motivated Member States in the past to take budgetary actions, notably Spain and Portugal; notes that only a fiscal policy that respects and follows the rules of the Stability and Growth Pact will lead to credibility and trust between Member States as a pre-condition for the completion of EMU.
Amendment 420 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the reduction in average public deficits and debt, but agrees that aggregate pictures hide significant disparities across the Member States; stresses the need for prudent fiscal policies in anticipation of rising interest rates;
Amendment 430 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Takes note of the Commission’'s communication on a fiscal stance; questions the usefulness of an aggregate target, given the lack of significant spill- over effects of domestic demand between Member States; recalls that the Member States must comply with the Stability and Growth Pact, regardless of aggregate recommendations; notes that a debate on a fiscal stance would first require further transfers of sovereignty to the EU level, such as some form of effective control of Member States' budgets and their composition;
Amendment 454 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Takes the view that improving the structure of public budgets is a key lever to ensure compliance with EU fiscal rules and to allow for the financing of indispensable expenditure, the building of buffers for unforeseen needs , growth-enhancing investment and, lastly, the financing of non-essential spending;
Amendment 465 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Welcomes the ongoing review of public spending, and encourages the Member States critically to assess the quality and composition of their budgets; points out that such a review cannot replace urgent fiscal consolidation needs;
Amendment 469 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. Stresses the importance of the long term sustainability of public finances; suggests that the Commission develops an indicator to assess to which extent Member States public finances and annual budgets affect future generations taking into account future liabilities and implicit budgetary obligations;
Amendment 485 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Believes that better implementation of country-specific recommendations requires clearly articulated priorities at European level and genuine public debate at national level, leading to greater ownership; believes that national parliaments should invite the responsible Commissioner for a hearing in their national parliament on the CSRs; stresses that CSRs should be legally binding as they are formally adopted by elected governments;