Activities of Marian HARKIN related to 2014/2222(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on European Semester for economic policy coordination: Employment and Social Aspects in the Annual Growth Survey 2015 PDF (189 KB) DOC (135 KB)
Amendments (23)
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the EU needs to make a decisive change in an economic policy that has allowed the Union to drift away from the EU 2020 targets, and that has increased the risks of secular stagnation; whereas the EU is worryingly losing weight in the world economy, while mostsome other countries are showing solid signs of recovery; whereas in October 2014 the IMF estimated that the probability of a recession in the euro area had increased and would reach 35-40% at year’s end;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas various factors including failure to create a positive environment to boost investment and growth, high unemployment levels, excessive focuslowering onf wage depressions in some countries to regain competitiveness, and a decline in spending on social protection in almost all Member States, have led to significant reductions in household gross disposable incomes, leaving millions of European families at risk of exclusion, and have increased inequalities alarmingly; whereas one in four Europeans are at risk of poverty; whereas underemployment and precariousness has peaked and, for 50 % of all job seekers, securing employment is not enough to lift them out of poverty;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas investment in qualitybetter and sustainable jobs, human capital, research and innovation, resource efficient energy union, the digital single market and promoting entrepreneurship must be the top priority for both the Commission and the Member States, as investment in these areas are essential not only to ensuring a recovery but also to expanding the EU’s economic potential to grow and to create prosperity;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission to introduce a much-needed,for an ambitious expansionary economic policy to boost smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and to create quality jobs; stresses that low inflation is already increasing real interest rates as well as real public and private debt, which, together with high unemployment, depresses growth and increases poverty;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses the fact that the EFSI must be focused on creating new investments in areas where investor appetite is subdued rather than on substituting investments that would have been produced elsewhere (crowding out), or on focusing on highly profitable investments that would have occurred in any case (deadweight); calls on the Commission to also include and promote social investments that not only generate financial returns but promote positive social spillovers, such as investments in human capital or, investments with high impact in job creation or poverty reductionsocial inclusion and poverty reduction or investments in the social economy; reiterates its call for the implementation of the Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP);
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to prioritisensure investments in economically weaker regions suffering from high unemployment, and in SMEs in such regions, given their very limited access to financing, to ensure that these efforts have a meaningful impact where they are most needed;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the extension of the pace of fiscal consolidation, and the introduction of new headline targets – focusing more on structural than on cyclical deficits – that will have a positive effect on employment and growth; notes, however, that the size of fiscal multipliers in the current context is nevertheless still very high and that this will inevitably have a negative impact on economic growth and job creation; calls on the Commission to explore the possibility of introducing escape clauses, or of delayuse the maximum flexibility withing these targets, in order to avoid weakening demand further and destroying jobs Stability and Growth Pact;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the development of a European framework to assure that investments under the Juncker Plan, which are excluded from national deficit targets, have a significant impact in terms of stimulating economic growth and creating quality jobs; calls on the European Commission to monitor and control the investments under the Junker Plan. A report should audit and measure the economic and social impact of the investments in real terms;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Takes note of the ECB´s expanded asset purchase programme which goes, once again, to the banking system, therefore calls on the ECB to optimise all its potential to improve the real economy and provide with credit in order to boost growth and tackle unemployment in Europe;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that decisive investment plans for growth and job creation can only be fully realised if they are coupled with national reforms that enhance quality labour participation, boost productivity and develop human capital in all age groups; believes that structural labour market reforms should introduce internal flexibility measures aimed at maintaining employment in times of economic disruption, ensure job quality and security in employment transitions, and provide unemployment benefit schemes that are based on realistic activation requirements and linked to reintegration policies;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to design tailor-made policies to support qualitybetter and sustainable job creation for the long-term unemployed, senior unemployed people, women and other priority groups hit especially hard by the crisis, such as immigrants or people with disabilities focussing not only on unemployed people themselves but also on measures in favour of work-life balance, life-long learning and training; tailor-made policies should focus on combatting the low level of education that affects some of these groups, many of whom are at risk of social exclusion;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Regrets that the European Semester has not been sufficiently aligned with the Europe 2020 strategy; calls for more determined efforts to guide and coordinate EU policies to boost smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and create qualitybetter and sustainable jobs;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Recalls that decent wages are important not only for social cohesion, but also for maintaining a strong economy and a productive labour force; calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for a European framework for minimum wages with a view to reducing wage inequalities and limiting nominal imbalances in competitivenesinvestigate the impact of Member States introducing minimum wages particularly in the context of reducing wage inequalities;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Is concerned that labour market reforms in many Member States have mainly promoted precarious jobs; observes that 50 % of jobs created in 2014 were temporary jobs; notes that, according to the Commission, in-work poverty persists, and that for 50 % of all job seekers, securing employment is not enough to lift them out of poverty, nor does it raise productivity; calls on the Commission and the Member States to make job quality a priorityMember States to ensure better and sustainable jobs and to address labour market segmentation;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the Commission to propose a European framework introducing minimum standards for the implementation of Youth Guarantees covering young people aged 25-30; calls on the Member States to use the available budget efficiently and to implement the Youth Guarantees without delay; calls for the available budget to be increased during the promisedan adequate budget in the mid-term review of the MFF in accordance with ILO recommendations;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Calls on Member States to make labour markets more inclusive for those who have family duties such as raising children and caring for family members who need care; therefore calls for measures favouring the reconciliation of work and family life as part of the labour market reforms promoted by the European Semester;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Reiterates the call on Member States to invest in opportunities for life-long learning, vocational training and on the job training; calls for national life-long learning systems to be assessed as part of the European Semester's strategies of labour market reform;
Amendment 384 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Welcomes the fact that the Joint Employment Report annexed to the AGS includes a scoreboard for employment and social policies; considers it regrettable, however, that these indicators are not sufficient and that they have not been made binding, which would allow them to be used more forcefully; asks the Commission to remedy this situation;
Amendment 390 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Regrets that the Annual Growth Survey and the Joint Employment Report do not contain any measure or policy framework to meet the Europe 2020 Strategy objective on poverty reduction; calls on the European Commission and Member States to better reflect this objective in the European Semester;
Amendment 411 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Calls on the Commission and Member States to tackle immediately the alarming increase in child poverty throughout the EU e.g. through the introduction of a child guarantee against poverty;
Amendment 433 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Reminds the Commission that in order to ensure both the sustainability and the adequacy of pensions, pension reforms need to be accompanied by policies that: limit access to early retirement schemes and other early exit pathways; provide for the compensation of times spent caring for children or dependent family members; develop employment opportunities for older workers; guarantee access to life-long learning; introduce tax benefit policies offering incentives to stay in work longer; and support active healthy ageing; stresses that pension reforms require national political and social cohesion, and should be negotiated with the social partners in order to be successful;
Amendment 441 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Takes note of the Commission’s recommendation to reform healthcare systems so that they meet their objectives of providing universal access to high- quality care – including affordable access to medicines, especially those that are life- saving – and to secure respect for the rights of health staff; observes that, as a consequence of the crisis, some Member States have failed to ensure full coverage of public health; calls for this situation to be corrected without delay; calls for further reform efforts to ensure that the quality and financial accessibility of health infrastructure is not put at risk;
Amendment 470 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Calls on the Commission and the Council to enter into an interinstitutional agreement with Parliament in order to give Parliament a full role in the drafting and approval ofbetter involve the Parliament in the AGS and the Economic Policy and Employment Guidelines;