Activities of Eugenia RODRÍGUEZ PALOP related to 2023/2116(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities for 2024
Amendments (27)
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas, according to the Commission’s 2023 autumn economic forecast, the EU labour market continued to perform strongly in the first half of 2023, despite the slowdown in economic growth and differences reported across Member States and regions, as well as across sectors; whereas employment growth in the EU is projected at 1.0 % this year, with a projected easing to 0.4 % in both 2024 and 2025; whereas the unemployment rate in the EU is expected to remain broadly stable at 6.0 % in 2023 and 2024 and to edge down to 5.9 % in 2025; whereas gender inequalities in the labour market remain widespread and are reflected in both gender employment and pay gaps; whereas despite some recent improvements, persons with disabilities still face significant barriers in the labour market; whereas young people continue to face challenges integrating into labour markets in many Member States; whereas youth unemployment remains almost three times higher than for the overall working-age population in the EU; whereas the risk of poverty or social exclusion remains greater for women, young adults, people with a low level of educational attainment and for the unemployed;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the Annual Sustainable Growth Survey for 2024 highlights that despite marked wage increases in the EU in 2022 and the beginning of 2023, these remained below the high inflation rates and resulted in reduced purchasing power, affecting lower incomes the most; whereas real wages in the EU decreased by 3.7 % in 2022, increasing the risk of in-work poverty; whereas real wages are expected to increase as of next year as a result of continued nominal wage growth and declining inflation; whereas in this context, strong social dialogue and effective collective bargaining, in accordance with national practices, is crucial to achieving an overall wage growth that supports purchasing power, notably of low and middle-wage earners;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas climate change, global warming and biodiversity loss are accelerating exponentially and the consequences of climate breakdown and extreme weather events are being felt more intensely and more frequently than before by EU citizens and workers; whereas 2030 decarbonisation targets have been increased in order to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050; whereas increased mitigation and adaptation efforts would require the profound transformation of European and national economies and labour markets;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the digital and green transitions could have a significant impact on the environment and the people affected, but also on the economy, including the labour market; whereas according to the OECD, overall, 26.7% of the workforce in member countries were in jobs at high risk of automation in 2019; whereas social dialogue and collective bargaining are crucial in such context to ensure a participatory approach to managing change due to technological developments, addressing potential concerns, while fostering workers’ adaptation (including via skills provision); whereas significant further efforts are needed to improve the digital skills of the population, particularly for the low-qualified, older people and non- EU nationals; whereas digitalisation, robotisation, automation and artificial intelligence must benefit workers and society by improving working conditions and quality of life, ensuring a good work- life balance, creating better employment opportunities, and contributing to socioeconomic convergence; whereas workers and their trade unions will play a critical role in anticipating and tackling risks emerging from those challenges;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas with regard to the general escape clause under the Stability and Growth Pact, which expires at the end of 2023, fiscal policy needs to support monetary policy in reducing inflation and needs to safeguard fiscal sustainability, while providing sufficient space for additional investments, including investment in social infrastructure and services and support for long-term growth; whereas economic coordination policies should aim to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights' (EPSR) objectives and SDGs in order to make progress toward more inclusiveness and resilience; whereas the necessary space for key social investments to implement the principles of the EPSR and the achievement of the targets for the reduction of poverty should always be ensured in the planned fiscal adjustments of the Member States;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the joint employment report for 2024 provides a first assessment of Member States’ state of play on the three headline targets for 2030 and shows: good progress towards the employment target with an employment level of 74.6 %, but with significant differences according to employment stability, quality of working conditions, gender and age; progress by the majority of Member States towards their national poverty reduction targets, but changes in the opposite direction by others; a need for significant progress to reach the EU headline target of 60 % of adults in learning every year in the EU by 2030, from a low level of 37.4 % in 2016;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
F a. whereas there were still over 3.300 fatal accidents and almost 3 million non- fatal accidents in the EU-27 in 2021; whereas over 200.000 workers die each year from work-related illnesses; whereas these data do not include all accidents caused by undeclared work, making it plausible to assume that the true numbers greatly exceed the official statistics; whereas in 2017, according to Eurofound, 20% of jobs in Europe were of “poor quality” and put workers at increased risk regarding their physical or mental health; whereas 14% of workers have been exposed to a high level of psychosocial risks; whereas 23% of European workers believe that their safety or their health is at risk because of their work;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the inclusion of a social convergence framework in thea profoundly revised and more democratic European Semester should foster upward social convergence and should improve the assessment and monitoring of employment and social developments in the Member States and the EU by identifying risks to upward convergence for Member States in the joint employment report based on the Social Scoreboard headline indicators and through the Commission’s publication of social convergence reports for those Member States identified as facing risks to upward social convergence;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas skilled workers that can respond to the demands of the labour market and education, training and lifelong learning are of key importance to ensure sustainable growthdevelopment, increased innovation and competitiveness and the sustainable and just transition of the EU economy;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
H a. whereas working time reduction, with no cut in pay and no reduction of social security contribution, and with compensatory staff recruitment where necessary, is good for the workers, for the companies and for the environment; whereas rethinking the organisation of work through working time reduction can improve productivity and allow to redistribute work and create new employment;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas, as a result of demographic ageing, the number of people over 65 is rising rapidly and, at the same time, a growing number of critical jobs cannot find suitable candidates to fill open positions, leading to a decrease in the number of employees financing the social welfare model in the EU; whereas in 2021, more than 15 million people aged 65 and above (16,8 % of the population) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU, and since 2016[JSC1] there has been little progress to reduce it; whereas the right to a pension that ensures an income enabling dignity in old age is enshrined in the European Pillar of Social Rights, and Member States should ensure that everyone can enjoy good quality pension scheme, long-term income security and minimum pensions that are high enough to prevent poverty;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
J a. whereas there is an urgent need to profoundly revise the European economic governance framework in order to give equal importance to economic, social and environmental policies while preparing the European economies and societies to the twin transitions; whereas the revision of the Economic Governance rules must guarantee that Member Sates have the flexibility to cover their needs of public investment to promote climate transition and conversion, in order to achieve the climate goals defined in Paris Agreement, as well as to achieve the objectives of the European Social Pillar;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that some of the aims ofa sustainable economic growth must be todevelopment must ensure an inclusive socio-ecological and digital transformation of our economies to prevent social, economic, digital and environmental imbalances by fighting poverty, reducing inequalities and creating decent jobs with adequate wages and working conditions, while ensuring alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals and the EPSR, as well as to strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses the need to invest significantly in people and to offer quality, inclusive and subsidised education and training in areas linked to skills and competences that are in demand in labour markets and future-oriented sectors according to local and regional needs, including though the recognition of an individual right to training during working time and free of charge for workers; further stresses the need to address skills mismatches and labour market shortages; underlines the need to ensure that workers are ready for the green and digital transitions, that they can benefit from opportunities for new employment or career progression and that training and education programmes are aligned with the needs of the planet, the economy and society of the future;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Highlights the need to consider the distribution of quality employment in society due to the prevalence of poverty and social exclusion among certain groups in order to better design tailored activation and inclusion policies; stresses the importance of devoting particular attention to the younger generation, which still faces difficulties entering the labour market, and to children who are at a higher risk of falling into poverty and social exclusion; insists, in that respect, on the need to better assess the impact of current policies, with the aim of enhancing Member States’ capacity to foster upward social convergence; underlines the important role of work time reduction to guarantee an equal redistribution of work and a fair digital and green transition, addressing their labour market consequences and skills needs and contributing to reduce emissions while improving work-life balance and workers well-being, also in terms of mental health and the promotion of gender equality; calls on the Member States, in consultation with the social partners, to explore a general reduction of working hours towards a 32-hour work week with no loss of pay; calls on the Commission to monitor and evaluate the impact of those measures, and to contribute to the sharing of best practices among Member States in order to stimulate the implementation of similar initiatives all across the EU; invites the Commission to study the feasibility of European initiatives of this type;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Underlines the need to facilitate the recognition of skills and qualifications of third country nationals and their integration into the labour market while further ensuring fair working conditions for third-country nationals, who are easily victims of abusive and exploitive practices due to their vulnerable situation;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Supports the increase of EU funds dedicated to social objectives and the promotion of future-oriented investments focused on the just green and digital transitions, with a strong social dimension, including gender equality and equal access to essential services, such as education, health and digital infrastructure; stresses that financial instruments at all levels must become less fragmented and more blended and bundled; stresses the need to introduce social conditionality in the rules for allocation of EU funds; calls on the Commission to consider revising the Public Procurement Directive to further strengthen the social clause;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Calls on the Commission to propose long-term solutions to deal with abusive sub-contracting practices introducing a European regulation on decent work in subcontracting chains to guarantee for instance joint and several liability in sub-contacting chains, the proper verification of self-declarations by the economic operators, and by the limitation of sub-contracting chains, strengthening work stability, guaranteeing workers’ equal treatment and supporting trade unions and worker representatives along the entire subcontracting chain;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Considers that EU fiscal rules should allow forRegrets that the reform of the EU fiscal rules, does not give to the Member States a true ownership to decide on their reference trajectories, neither provides enough room of manoeuvre to do the necessary public investment and financing of the just transition to a zero-carbon economy, as well as for the proper implementation of the principles of the EPSR and of social investments; stresses that, althoughs to achieve the EU goals on green and digital transition, as well as the Pillar of Social Rights; deplores the absence of preferential treatment for future-oriented public spending, such as green investment, from debt and deficit limits; calls on the Commission to go beyond the Fiscal Compact and to repeal the Stability Growth Pact (SGP) to promote greater flexibility and to enable necessary social and environmental investments as a matter of urgency; regrets the lack of willingness to change the arbitrary fiscal limits of 3% of deficit and 60% of debt to GDP thresholds; recalls that therse is a need to reduce public debt within a reasonable time frame,limits lack sound economic justification and have led to undifferentiated reduction of public spending in the past; considers that EU fiscal rules should allow for the necessary public investment and financing of the just transition to a zero-carbon economy, as well as for the proper implementation of the principles of the EPSR and of social investments; stresses that smaller or more indebted Member States need more flexible individual adjustment paths that allow them enough fiscal space to undertake the investments and reforms needed for socially fair green and digital transitions in a way that leaves no one behind;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Recognize the role of social protection in addressing the social risks and challenges posed by both climate change and digitalization; calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop and enhance sustainable, comprehensive and shock responsive social protection systems to support a just transition towards a sustainable future for all, and to integrate them in climate and digital policies and plans by formulating accompanying policies through social protection, including unemployment benefits, skills training and upgrading, workforce redeployment and other appropriate measures to support workers in sectors negatively impacted by the transition to sustainable development;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Calls on the Commission to come forward with a proposal to revamp SURE in order to support short-time work schemes, workers’ income and workers who would be temporarily laid off in the context of the green and digital transitions; calls on the Member States to consider making use of employment guarantee schemes to enhance resilience to climate change and automation while creating new productive and sustainable assets and invites the Commission to consider the making a proposal for a European initiative of this type;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Reminds the Member States of their commitment to undertake reforms and make investments that have a social impact and contribute to the EU’s economic, social and territorial cohesion and sustainable and inclusive growthdevelopment, as well as contribute to the implementation of the EPSR through their national recovery and resilience plans; calls, in this sense, for a mainstreaming of the EPSR in all EU funds through the introduction of social conditionality in their allocation rules, as part of the Financial Regulation1 covering the EU general budget; _________________ 1 Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, amending Regulations (EU) No 1296/2013, (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1309/2013, (EU) No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) No 283/2014, and Decision No 541/2014/EU and repealing Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 (OJ L 193, 30.7.2018, p. 1).
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to address the adequacy of pensions through the European Semester, strengthening EU action to promote robust welfare social systems; calls in that regard on Member States to improved access to pensions for people working on non-standard contracts and to include compensation for unpaid care work in their pension systems, for example through the provision of pension rights for care-related career breaks in pension schemes; calls on Member States to guarantee adequate pension indexation to keep pace with inflation as well as the availability of services to the older population, in particular healthcare and long-term care, and to assess the adequacy of minimum pensions, ensuring a decent standard of living for older people by increasing basic or minimum pensions and survivor pensions; underlines in this regard the need to set objective mechanisms and criteria for the setting and revalorisation of minimum pensions to ensure that they are high enough for a decent life;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Takes note of the Commission’s proposals for new regulations within the revision of the economic governance framework of April 2023 to strengthen debt sustainability and enhance sustainable and inclusive growthdevelopment through investment and reforms, includingfiscal adjustment paths that allow for social investment; calls on the Commission to assess which expenditures and investments are necessary to achieve the long-term socioeconomic objectives required to comply with milestones in the national recovery and resilience plans; calls on the Commission to propose a new system for excessive deficit calculations based on this assessment in order to increase fairness during the green and digital transitions, social resilience and the implementation of the EPSR, while ensuring the sustainability of public finances in the Member States;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission to develop an transformed economic governance architecture in the EU based on transparency, accountability, solidarity, integration, social justice, fair distribution of wealth, convergence, gender equality, high-quality public services, including a quality public education system for all, quality employment and sustainable development;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls for a transformed and more democratic European Semester process, with Parliament closely involved in setting macroeconomic and social policy priorities, in particular; considers that a revised European Semester process should follow the ordinary legislative procedure and so be agreed on between the Council and Parliament;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Reconfirms the role of social partners in strengthening social dialogue and considers that the revision of the European Semester process should promote further dialogue with the relevant stakeholders, in particular relevant social partntrade unions, employers’ and civil society organisations, on the main policy issues where appropriate, in accordance with the provisions of the TFEU and national legal and political arrangements; recalls the crucial role played by European, national and sectoral social partners in the anticipation of change; highlights the need to closely involve trade unions and workers’ representatives at all decision- making levels, in order to ensure efficient and fair transitions; stresses the critical role of collective bargaining to ensure the highest occupational health and safety standards, relevant skills developments and strategic anticipation of change; stresses that European and international human rights guarantee all workers the right to organize, form and join a trade union, engage in collective bargaining, take collective action to defend their rights and enjoy protection under collective agreements, regardless of their employment status; calls on the Member States to remove any national legislation that hampers collective bargaining, including by ensuring trade unions’ access to workplaces for the purpose of organising, information sharing and consultation, strengthening worker’s representation;