18 Amendments of Anna ZALEWSKA related to 2022/0165(NLE)
Amendment 45 #
Recital 1
(1) Member States and the Union are to work towards developing a coordinated strategy for employment and particularly for promoting a skilled, trained and adaptable workforce, as well as through strengthening the links between the education system and the labour market needs, and thus promoting flexible labour markets that are future-oriented and responsive to economic change, with a view to achieving the objectives of full employment and social progress, balanced growth, a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment laid down in Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). Member States are to regard promoting employment as a matter of common concern and are to coordinate their action in that respect within the Council, taking into account national practices related to the responsibilities of management and labour.
Amendment 53 #
Recital 2
(2) The Union is to combat social exclusion and discrimination, and promote social justice and protection, equality between women and men, solidarity between generations and the protection of the rights of the child as laid down in Article 3 TEU. In defining and implementing its policies and activities, the Union is to take into account requirements linked to the promotion of a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against poverty and social exclusion, a high level of education and training throughout people’s lives, and protection of human health as laid down in Article 9 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
Amendment 54 #
Recital 3
(3) In accordance with the TFEU, the Union has developed and implemented policy coordination instruments for economic and employment policies. As part of those instruments, the Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States (the ‘Guidelines’) set out in the Annex to this Decision, together with the Broad Guidelines for the Economic Policies of the Member States and of the Union set out in Council Recommendation (EU) 2015/11845 , form the Integrated Guidelines. They are to guide policy implementation in the Member States and in the Union, reflecting the interdependence between the Member States. The resulting set of coordinated European and national policies and reforms are to constitute an appropriate overall sustainable economic and employment policy mix, which should achieve positive spill over effects as well as an effective response to the impact of COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the labour markets and economies of the Member States. __________________ 5 Council Recommendation (EU) 2015/1184 of 14 July 2015 on broad guidelines for the economic policies of the Member States and of the European Union (OJ L 192, 18.7.2015, p. 27).
Amendment 77 #
Recital 6
(6) Climate change and environment- related challenges, the need to accelerate energy independence and ensure Europe’s open strategic autonomy, globalisation, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, an increase in teleworking, the platform economy and demographic change are transforming European economies and societies. The Union and its Member States are to work together to effectively and proactively address those structural developments and adapt existing systems as needed, recognising the close interdependence of the Member States’ economies and labour markets, and related policies. This requires coordinated, ambitious and effective policy action at both Union and national levels, in accordance with the TFEU and the Union’s provisions on economic governance, while implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights. Such policy action should encompass a boost in sustainable investment, a renewed commitment to appropriately sequenced reforms that enhance economic growth, the creation of quality jobs, productivity, adequate working conditions, social and territorial cohesion, upward convergence, resilience and the exercise of fiscal responsibility and address inflation increase, with support from existing EU funding programmes, and in particular the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Cohesion Policy Funds (including the European Social Fund Plus and the European Regional Development Fund) as well as the Just Transition Fund. It should combine supply- and demand-side measures, while taking into account their environmental, employment and social impacts. Effective long-term measures are also needed to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 and war crises and provide financial assistance to businesses, non- profit and charitable organisations, as well as households in order to prevent the increase of poverty.
Amendment 79 #
Recital 6
(6) Climate change and environment- related challenges, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and influx of war refugees, the need to accelerate energy independence and ensure Europe’s open strategic autonomy, globalisation, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, an increase in teleworking, the platform economy and demographic change are transforming European economies and societies. The Union and its Member States are to work together to effectively and proactively address those structural developments and adapt existing systems as needed, recognising the close interdependence of the Member States’ economies and labour markets, and related policies. This requires coordinated, ambitious and effective policy action at both Union and national levels, in accordance with the TFEU and the Union’s provisions on economic governance, while implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights. Such policy action should encompass a boost in sustainable investment, a renewed commitment to appropriately sequenced reforms that enhance economic growth, the creation of quality jobs, productivity, adequate working conditions, social and territorial cohesion, upward convergence, resilience and the exercise of fiscal responsibility, with support from existing EU funding programmes, and in particular the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Cohesion Policy Funds (including the European Social Fund Plus and the European Regional Development Fund) as well as the Just Transition Fund. It should combine supply- and demand-side measures, while taking into account their environmental, employment and social impacts.
Amendment 89 #
Recital 9
(9) Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Council, in its conclusions of 24 February 2022, condemned Russia’s actions, which seek to undermine European and global security and stability, and expressed solidarity to the Ukrainian people, underlining the violation of international law and the principles of the UN Charter. In the current context, temporary protection, as granted by the Council Decision of 4 March 202230 activating the Temporary Protection Directive31 , is necessary in light of the scale of the influx of refugees and displaced persons. This allows Ukrainian refugees to enjoy harmonised rights across the Union that offer an adequate level of protection, including residency rights, access and integration to the labour market, access to education and training, access to housing, as well as to social security systems, medical care, social welfare, or other assistance, and means of subsistence. By participating in Europe’s labour markets, Ukrainian refugees can contribute to strengthening the EU’s economy and help support their country and people at home. In the future, the acquired experience and skills can contribute to rebuilding Ukraine. For unaccompanied children and teenagers, temporary protection confers the right to legal guardianship and access to childhood education and care. Member States should involve social partners in the design, implementation and evaluation of policy measures aimed at addressing the employment and skills challenges stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as recognition of qualifications. Social partners play a key role in mitigating the impact of the war in terms of preserving employment and production. __________________ 30 Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/382 of 4 March 2022 establishing the existence of a mass influx of displaced persons from Ukraine within the meaning of Article 5 of Directive 2001/55/EC, and having the effect of introducing temporary protection. 31 Council Directive 2001/55/EC of 20 July 2001 on minimum standards for giving temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons and on measures promoting a balance of efforts between Member States in receiving such persons and bearing the consequences thereof.
Amendment 93 #
Recital 10
(10) Reforms to the labour market, including national wage-setting mechanisms, should follow national practices of social dialogue, with a view to providing fair wages that enable a decent standard of living and sustainable growth. They should allow for the necessary opportunity for a broad consideration of socioeconomic factors, including improvements in sustainability, competitiveness, innovation, the creation of quality jobs, working conditions, in- work poverty, education and skills, public health and inclusion, inflation and real incomes. In this sense, the Recovery and Resilience Facility and other EU funds are supporting Member States in implementing reforms and investments that are in line with the EU’s priorities, making the European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient and better prepared for the green and digital transitions. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has further aggravated pre-existing socio-economic challenges from the COVID-19 crisis. Member States and the Union should continue to ensure that the social, employment and economic impacts are mitigated and that transitions are socially fair and just, also in light of the fact that increased open strategic autonomy and an accelerated green transition will help reduce the dependence on imports of energy and other strategic products/technologies, notably from Russia. Strengthening resilience and pursuing an inclusive and resilient society in which people are protected and empowered to anticipate and manage change, and in which they can actively participate in society and the economy, are essential. A coherent set of active labour market policies, consisting of temporary hiring and transition incentives, skills policies and improved employment services, is needed to support labour market transitions, also in light of the green and digital transformations, as highlighted in Recommendation (EU) 2021/402 [and the Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality].
Amendment 98 #
Recital 11
(11) Discrimination in all its forms should be tackled, gender equality ensured and employment of young people supported. Access and opportunities for all should be ensured and poverty and social exclusion, including that of children and Roma people, should be reduced, in particular by ensuring an effective functioning of labour markets and adequate and inclusive social protection systems32 , and by removing barriers to inclusive and future-oriented education, training and labour-market participation, including through investments in early childhood education and care, and in digital and green skills. Timely and equal access to affordable care, long-term care and healthcare services, including prevention and healthcare promotion, are particularly relevant, also in light of the COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2020 and in a context of ageing societies. Ensuring occupational health and safety and a good work-life balance for workers throughout their careers, is a prerequisite for a sustainable working life and active and healthy ageing after retirement. The potential of persons with disabilities to contribute to economic growth and social development should be further realised. As new economic and business models take hold in workplaces throughout the Union, employment relationships are also changing. Member States should ensure that employment relationships stemming from new forms of work maintain and strengthen Europe’s social model. __________________ 32 Council Recommendation of 8 November 2019 on access to social protection for workers and the self- employed, 2019/C 387/01
Amendment 101 #
Recital 11
(11) Discrimination in all its forms should be tackled, gender equality ensured and employment of young people supported. Access and opportunities for all should be ensured and poverty and social exclusion, including that of children, older persons and Roma people, should be reduced, in particular by ensuring an effective functioning of labour markets and adequate and inclusive social protection systems32 , and by removing barriers to inclusive and future-oriented education, training and labour-market participation, including through investments in early childhood education and care, and in digital and green skills. Timely and equal access to affordable long-term care and healthcare services, including prevention and healthcare promotion, are particularly relevant, also in light of the COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2020 and in a context of ageing societies. The potential of persons with disabilities to contribute to economic growth and social development should be further realised. As new economic and business models take hold in workplaces throughout the Union, employment relationships are also changing. Member States should ensure that employment relationships stemming from new forms of work maintain and strengthen Europe’s social model. __________________ 32 Council Recommendation of 8 November 2019 on access to social protection for workers and the self- employed, 2019/C 387/01
Amendment 120 #
Annex – Guideline 5 – paragraph 3
Taxation should be shifted away from labour to other sources more supportive of employment and inclusive growth and in line with climate and environmental objectives, taking account of the redistributive effect of the tax system, while protecting revenue for adequate social protection and growth- enhancing expenditure.
Amendment 123 #
Annex – Guideline 5 – paragraph 4
Member States, including those with statutory minimum wages, should promote collective bargaining with a view to wage setting and ensure an effective involvement of social partners in a transparent and predictable manner, allowing for an adequate responsiveness of wages to productivity developments and fostering fair wages that enable a decent standard of living, paying particular attention to lower and middle income groups with a view to strengthening upward socio-economic convergence. Wage-setting mechanisms should take into account socio-economic conditions, including regional and sectoral developments. Respecting national practices and the autonomy of the social partners, Member States and social partners should ensure that all workers have fair wages by benefitting, directly or indirectly, from collective agreements or adequate statutory minimum wages, taking into account their impact on competitiveness, job creation and in-work poverty.
Amendment 128 #
Annex – Guideline 5 – paragraph 4
Member States, including those with statutory minimum wages, should promote collective bargaining with a view to wage setting and ensure an effective involvement of social partners in a transparent and predictable manner, allowing for an adequate responsiveness of wages to productivity developments and fostering fair wages that enable a decent standard of living, paying particular attention to lower and middle income groups with a view to strengthening upward socio-economic convergence. Wage-setting mechanisms should take into account socio-economic conditions such as inflation, including regional and sectoral developments. Respecting national practices and the autonomy of the social partners, Member States and social partners should ensure that all workers have fair wages by benefitting, directly or indirectly, from collective agreements or adequate statutory minimum wages, taking into account their impact on competitiveness, job creation and in-work poverty.
Amendment 136 #
Annex I – Guideline 6 – paragraph 1
In the context of the digital and green transitions, demographic change and the Ukrainian warRussian invasion of Ukraine, Member States should promote sustainability, productivity, employability and human capital, fostering acquisition of skills and competences throughout people’s lives and responding to current and future labour- market needs, in light of the 2030 EU headline target on skills., in particular digital skills. Following the COVID-19 crisis, Member States should also adapt and invest in their education and training systems to provide high quality and inclusive education, including vocational education and training, access to digital learning, and language training (e.g. in the case of refugees including from Ukraine). Member States should work together with the social partners, education and training providers, enterprises and other stakeholders to address structural weaknesses in education and training systems and improve their quality and labour-market relevance, also with a view to enabling the green and digital transitions, addressing existing skills mismatches and preventing the emergence of new shortages, in particular for activities related to REPowerEU, such as renewable energy deployment or buildings’ renovation. Particular attention should be paid to challenges faced by the teaching profession, including by investing in teachers’ and trainers’ digital competences. Education and training systems should equip all learners with key competences, including basic and digital skills as well as transversal competences, to lay the foundations for adaptability and resilience throughout life. Member States should seek to strengthen the provision of individual training entitlements and ensure their transferability during professional transitions, including, where appropriate, through individual learning accounts, as well as a reliable system of training quality assessment. Member States should deliver on the potential of micro-credentials to support lifelong learning and employability. They should enable everyone to anticipate and better adapt to labour-market needs, in particular through continuous upskilling and reskilling and the provision of integrated guidance and counselling, with a view to supporting fair and just transitions for all, strengthening social outcomes, addressing labour-market shortages and skills mismatches, improving the overall resilience of the economy to shocks and making potential adjustments easier.
Amendment 144 #
Annex – Guideline 6 – paragraph 2
Member States should foster equal opportunities for all by addressing inequalities in education and training systems. In particular, children should be provided access to good quality early childhood education and care, in line with the European Child Guarantee. Member States should raise overall qualification levels, reduce the number of early leavers from education and training, support access to education and care of children from rural and remoted areas, increase the attractiveness of vocational education and training (VET), access to and completion of tertiary education, facilitate the transition from education to employment for young people through quality traineeships and apprenticeships, as well as increase adult participation in continuing learning, particularly among learners from disadvantaged backgrounds and the least qualified. Taking into account the new requirements of digital, green and ageing societies, Member States should strengthen work-based learning in their VET systems, including through quality and effective apprenticeships, and increase the number of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates both in VET and in tertiary education, especially women. Furthermore, Member States should enhance the labour-market relevance of tertiary education and, where appropriate, research; improve skills monitoring and forecasting; make skills more visible and qualifications comparable, including those acquired abroad; and increase opportunities for recognising and validating skills and competences acquired outside formal education and training. They should upgrade and increase the supply and uptake of flexible continuous VET. Member States should also support low-skilled adults to maintain or develop their long- term employability by boosting access to and uptake of quality learning opportunities, through the implementation of Upskilling Pathways Recommendation including a skills assessment, an offer of education and training matching labour- market opportunities, and the validation and recognition of the skills acquired.
Amendment 182 #
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 4
The mobility of learners and workers should be adequately supported with the aim of enhancing their skills and employability and exploiting the full potential of the European labour market, while also ensuring fair conditions for all those pursuing a cross-border activity and stepping up administrative cooperation between national administrations with regard to mobile workers, benefitting as well from the assistance of the European Labour Authority. The mobility of workers in critical occupations and of cross-border, seasonal and posted workers should be supported in the cases of temporary border closures triggered by public health considerations.
Amendment 199 #
Annex – Guideline 8 – paragraph 1
Member States should promote inclusive labour markets, open to all with legal status, by putting in place effective measures to fight all forms of discrimination and promote equal opportunities for all, and in particular for groups that are under-represented in the labour market, with due attention to the regional and territorial dimension. They should ensure equal treatment regarding employment, social protection, health and long-term care, education and access to goods and services, regardless of gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.
Amendment 218 #
Annex – Guideline 8 – paragraph 5
Member States should ensure that everyone, including children, has access to essential services. For those in need or in a vulnerable situation, Member States should guarantee access to adequate social housing or housing assistance. They should ensure a clean and fair energy transition and address energy poverty as an increasingly important form of poverty due to rising energy prices, partly linkand fuel prices, mainly caused toby the war in Ukraine, including, where appropriate, via targeted temporary income support measures. Inclusive housing renovation policies should also be implemented. The specific needs of persons with disabilities, including accessibility, should be taken into account in relation to those services. Homelessness should be tackled specifically. Member States should ensure timely access to affordable preventive and curative health care and long-term care of good quality, while safeguarding sustainability in the long term.
Amendment 224 #
Annex – Guideline 8 – paragraph 7
In a context of increasing longevity and demographic change, Member States should secure the adequacy and sustainability of pension systems for workers and the self-employed, providing equal opportunities for women and men to acquire and accrue pension rights, including through supplementary schemes to ensure an adequate income in old age. Pension reforms should be supported by policies that aim to reduce the gender pension gap and measures that extend working lives, such as by raising the effective retirement age, notably by and facilitatinge labour market participation of older persons, and should be framed within active ageing strategies. Member States should establish a constructive dialogue with social partners and other relevant stakeholders, and allow for an appropriate phasing in of the reforms by flexible working arrangements and improved accessibility, and should be framed within active ageing strategies in order to enable them to enjoy healthy and independent retirement. Member States should establish a constructive dialogue with social partners and other relevant stakeholders, and allow for an appropriate phasing in of the reforms. Furthermore, Member States should draw up healthy ageing plans that cover access to health and care services, as well as strategies for health promotion and prevention.