Activities of Stelios KYMPOUROPOULOS related to 2021/2062(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Employment and social policies of the euro area 2021 (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on employment and social policies of the euro area 2021
Amendments (27)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the COVID-19 crisis has had an uneven impact on social groups, sectors and regions; whereas the most vulnerabledisproportionate impact on different Member States, regions and sectors in our society; whereas the most vulnerable groups, including youth, disabled, elderly and the most deprived people, have been hit hardest;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas unequal societies create a climate of competition, stress and disillusionment that leads to all members of society, not just the deprived, suffering from reduced levels of wellbeingthe COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on many existing imbalances and accelerated dangerous social trends, with many livelihoods being threatened by the economic downturn caused by the pandemic;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas young people have experienced the sharpest decline in employment15 ; whereas we need to invest in human capital through affordable, accessible, inclusive and high-quality vocational education and training (VET), re-skilling, up-skilling and life-long learning programmes and training in order for everyone to have the right skills, and strengthen our competitiveness; whereas we need to promote the updating of inclusive education and training systems in order to keep up with the new labour market trends, as well as the skills needed for the green and digital transitions; whereas workers with precarious employment conditions have been particularly exposed to job losses because of the pandemic; whereas economic growth projections are promising and unemployment rates are expected to decrease in 2022; _________________ 15 https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/nb/publi cations/report/2021/covid-19-implications- for-employment-and-working-life
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas permanent short-time working systems that can be activated in a crisis and that allow for the structural adjustment of economies and human resourcescases of severe external financial, and economic shocks, will be critical;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas, regarding the social dimension of the RRF, the Regulation establishes the general objective of promoting the Union´s economic, social and territorial cohesion by improving resilience, crisis preparedness, adjustment capacity and growth potential of the Member States by mitigating the social and economic impact of the crisis, in particular on women due to the increasing care burden unevenly shared by gender and segregated and precarious labour market participation, by contributing to the implementation of the EPSR and to upward social convergence, restoring and promoting sustainable growth and by fostering high quality employment creation;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights that macroeconomic policy cannot be analysed from a purely macroeconomic perspective focused onies should address the root causes of long-term economic imbalances as well as traditional indicators of growth, debt, deficit and employment rate; insists that the SustainableEuropean Semester mustshould be based on an integrated approach combining economic, social and environmental policies that together address structural change for social progress, sustainable development and well-beingustainable economic growth, job creation, financial stability and social progress;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes EU leaders’ commitment to the implementation of the EPSR and to the three new EU headline targets to be achieved by 2030; warns, however, that the ambition remains insufficientStresses the need for their timely and rigorous implementation;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to draw lessons from this crisis and work towards the implementation of a different sustainable governance architecture in the EU; warns against taking the decision to deactivate the general escape clause based only on an overall assessment of the state of the economy based on quantitative criteria, with the level of economic activity in the EU compared to pre-crisis levels as the key quantitative criterion; is concerned that this criterion will not properly reflect underlying inequalitiessustainable and growth oriented economic policies in the EU; welcomes the decision of the Commission to continue applying the general escape clause in 2022, and decide on the deactivation or continued application based on an overall assessment of the state of the economy, also in light of the uncertainty of the economic outlook;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that excessive and inflexible fiscal discipline led to health and social systems in many Member States beingin many Member States, health and social systems were ill- prepared to face the pandemic; stresses that it is essential to take into account other criteria, especially those that take into consideration the need for sustained publicconsider the need for sustainable economic growth, including public, private, social and environmental investment, public and private sector economic activity, and preventing jeopardisingomote social progress towards the implementation of the EPSR in the Member States; bwelcomes that environmental sustainability, productivity, fairness, and macroeconomic stability remain the guiding principles of the EU's economic agenda; believes that merely reaching pre-crisis economic activity levels might not be sufficient tois a positive step towards consolidateing a sustainable recovery; believes that the Stability and Growth Pact and Euro Plus Pact should be revised before any deactivation of the general escape clause; stresses that temporary exemptions or different treatment regarding country-specific situations will not be enough to overcome risks of economic stagnation, increasing inequalities and social and territorial divergenceunderlines the importance of reforming the fiscal framework and welcomes the fact that the process of the Commission review of the Stability and Growth Pact, first launched in 2020 but later postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be relaunched by the end of 2021;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that the President of the Commission has committed to placing economic and environmental sustainability, and social inclusion and citizens’ well-being at the heart of the EU economic strategy; deplores the fact that this is not reflected in the Commission’s analysis; calls on the Commissilooks forward to the forthcoming proposal for a draft delegated act on a revised Social Scoreboard to mon ito integrate social and environmental imbalances into its analysis in the framework of ther the progress towards the implementation of the Social Pillar principles as part of the policy coordination framework in the context of the European Semester;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Regrets that the Commission is still proposing measures that might put at riskiterates the importance of the adequacy and sustainability of social protection systems in Member States by continuing to promote reforms aiming to shift taxation from labour to the environment, especially in a context of serious macroeconomic imbalances; warns about the risks of replacing stable taxes with others from more volatile sources; stresses that the EU should first consolidate the minimum corporate tax of 15 % to avoid tax dump; Takes note of the G20 communiqué of 9- 10 July 2021 and the commitment of the G20 for an effective global minimum tax as set out in the “Statement on a two- pillar solution to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy” released by the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) on July 1; looks forward to the Commission’s proposal on how to transpose the international agreement into EU law in order to avoid aggressive tax planning and ensure fairness for the middle class and working people in the EU;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Highlights that well-designed labour taxation systems are essential toone pillar to generate revenue for financing state's functions and could serve as an important factor in ensuring high standards of worker protection against risks and illness, and the provision of old age pensions; believes that tax systems should focus on taxing high- income, and especially high-wealth, property, capitaring in mind the national income and gains, and wealth at the same level as labour income in order to make the systems fairer, to reduce inequalities and to significantly increase the revenue; stresses that this revenue could be used to fund key priorities and help address Member States’ fiscal challenges, and contribute to the long-term sustainability of public finances, including bypetences and the principle of subsidiarity, stresses the importance of a fair and sustainable tax system towards generating revenue for the States' functions, and strengthening the coverage, and adequacy of health and social protection systems for all, and ensuring their long-term funding;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Highlights the importance of integrating sustainable well-being inconsidering economic sustainability and fiscal balance in the context of the EU budgetary planning;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Is concerned about over- indebtedness arising from the pandemic and its economic and social consequences, and stresses that people and SMEs have to be protected from being trapped into over- indebtedness; believes, that regarding non-performing loans, it is not credit purchasers and credit servicers who should be supported, but rather it is European SMEs, workers and civil societnotes that the RRF offers the opportunity to support the recovery with additional investment and reforms without affecting the sustainability of public finances in the medium term; believes, that support for European SMEs, micro-enterprises, workers and civil society needs to be a priority in the context of the economic recovery;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1
Subheading 1
EU smart, sustainable well-being governance frameworkand inclusive growth 2022
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Believes that, in the context ofHighlights that the Recovery and Resilience Plans, skyrocketing public debt levels and the upcoming reform of the Stability and Growth Pact and the Semester process, Parliament’s proposal for the adoption of a sustainable well-being and social progress pact making social and sustainable targets mandatory in order to achieve need to fully meet the provisions and targets of the RRF Regulation and its objective to advance economic, social and territorial cohesion in the Member States, and put forward the necessary sustainable and growth enhancing reforms and investments; notes in this context that the European Semester should help to achieve the implementation of the European Green Deal, the EPSR and the UN SDGs that has become more relevant than ever;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Believes that this pact could define the sustainable well-being related policy objectives in an improved fiscal policy framework ensuringa sustainable, smart and inclusive growth needs to ensure sustainable fiscal policy in the medium- term, and that the EU economic and fiscal governance wouldsocial policies work towards the achievement of these objectives; points out that this pact would contain legally binding provisions under a comprehensive surveillance procedure within a new sustainable well-being governance system; considers that the pact’s fiscal components should comprise a set of provisions which clearly take account of qualitative aspects of fiscal policies, reward sustainable well-being- oriented investments and reforms, and thus contain incentives for related action at the national level; points out that the sustainable well-being pact should consider the use of fiscal standards instead of fiscal rules, committing government spa long-lasting recovery making our economies and societies more sustainable, inclusive, resilient and better prepared for the green and digital transition; highlights in this regard that the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan will contribute to strengthending to the pursuit of sustainability and well-being-related policy objectives, and set out an effective methodology to assess and ensure the sustainability of public finances over timehe social dimension across all policies of the Union and will help ensure an inclusive recovery;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Agrees with European leaders, with regard to economic and social governance of the EU, on the need for a regular assessment of progress towards the 2030 headline targets and upward convergence at the highest political level, as well as that the implementation of the Social Pillar principles will be essential to ensure the creation of more and better jobs for all within the framework of an inclusive recovery; welcomes that European leaders are putting education and skills at the centre of their political action noting that the green and digital transitions will require more investment in education, vocational training, lifelong learning, upskilling and reskilling in order to stimulate employment transitions towards sectors with a growing demand for labour;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. AcknowledgWelcomes that thsome Member States are projected to reach their pre-crisis level of quarterly output byin the endcourse of the last quarter of 20221; warnnotes that for the recovery to be sustainable, it is essential that quality jobs are also created for medium- and low- both low and high-skilled workers and especially for women, as underrepresented in the labour market and given that it has been proved that they are essential for the resilience of our societies and economies; highlights in this context the importance of strengthening EU education programs, aligning training and education with the needs of the economy and the society of the future, supporting employees and teachers to train the right skills as well as the importance of investments in digital infrastructure; underlines that a significant part of the funds provided by the Recovery Plan in the framework of the Next Generation EU instrument should be spent on upskilling and lifelong learning;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Calls for a European Care Strategy, with a strong gender dimension, that takes a holistic and life-long approach to care while envisaging specific measures and actions for both carers and those who receive care both in the formal care sector and informally within the home; Also calls on Member States to examine and exchange best practice on how best to support societal groups with particular care needs, including single parents, parents with children with serious illnesses such as cancer and disabled children as well as best practices on how to reflect periods spent on care responsibilities in pension schemes, with a view to closing the gender pension gap;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15 b. Calls for effective active labour market and work-life balance policies to further preserve family life, including through the transposition and implementation of the Work-Life Balance Directive, as well as a proposal for a Council recommendation on the provision of care;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to agree on a quality job creation target with a tracker system on public investments at allrevised social scoreboard, including headline indicators on adult participation in learning, share of early leavels, including a drs from ediucated section on green jobs, digital jobs and the gender perspective, and on a system of quality and green job creation conditionalities for companies accessing public fundsion and training, individuals’ level of digital skills, young NEET rate, gender employment gap and income quintile ratio;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Stresses that if the EU wants to leadtake the lead in a global, sustainable recovery, millions of well-paying jobs must be created, including for medium- and low-skilled workersand inclusive recovery, we need to modernise our economies, making European societies more sustainable, inclusive, resilient and better prepared for the green and digital transitions, move forward with the implementation of the Social Pillar principles, ensure upward and social and economic convergence, and equal opportunities for all, so that everyone has the opportunity to contribute to the common European project; insists that more investment is needed in research, innovation, education, and zero carbon technologies;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Reiterates the importance of ensuring a growth-friendly investment climate, reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens or red-tape and improving SMEs' access to public and private funding;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Warns that only country-specific recommendations (CSRs) that contribute to the social objectives established in the RRF Regulation can bUnderlines that the objectives established in the RRF Regulation of promoting the Union’s economic, social and territorial cohesion are taken into account in national recovery and resilience plans (NRRPs), and that for NRRPs CSRs have to be interpreted in a way that contributes to the achievement of the Regulation’s social objectives; demands a revision of the CSRs in order to ensure coherence between them and the general and specific objectives of the RRF Regulationgeneral and specific objectives, including economic, social and territorial cohesion; recalls that the 2021 year European Semester cycle was temporarily adapted to allow for the launch of the RRF and that Member States are required to effectively address all or a significant subset of challenges identified in the relevant CSRs;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Points out that according to the RRF Regulation, gender equality has to be mainstreamed in the preparation and implementation of NRRPs, and that gender reporting and mainstreaming cannot be mixed with social tracking and social investments; believes that gender equality deserves its own mainstreaming methodology in RRFs, and recalls that the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has developed a suitable methodologyand equal opportunities for all and the mainstreaming of those objectives should be taken into account and promoted throughout the preparation and implementation of NRRPs, highlights that according to the RRF regulation, investment in robust care infrastructure is also essential in order to ensure gender equality and the economic empowerment of women, in order to build resilient societies, combat precarious conditions in female-dominated sectors, boost job creation, prevent poverty and social exclusion, and in order to have a positive effect on GDP, as it allows more women to take part in paid work; recalls that no reoccurring budgetary expenditure can be financed under the RRF;