Activities of Marian HARKIN related to 2014/2237(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Reducing inequalities with a special focus on child poverty (A8-0310/2015 - Inês Cristina Zuber)
Amendments (12)
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. Whereas one fifth of the EU´s total population is under 18. Despite commitments over one in four children now lives at risk of poverty or social exclusion across the EU;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. Whereas organisations point out that the main cause of increasing child poverty is the so-called austerity measures (a significant reduction of social support to children and families, rising unemployment, the spread of precarious employment and an increase in the tax burden), UNICEF states that budget cuts, particularly in the Mediterranean countries, havethe crisis and the regression to levels of lower prosperity have helped increased inequalities and helped worsenexacerbate the living conditions of children10 so that these policies violate the rights of children and constitute a violation of international obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; __________________ 10 UNICEF Office of Research (2014), ‘Children of the Recession: The impact of the economic crisis on child well-being in rich countries’, Innocenti Report Card 12, UNICEF Office of Research, Florence.
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. Whereas local and regional authorities are at the forefront of work to tackle child poverty and exploitation and therefore have a crucial responsibility in preventing marginalisation and social exclusion;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
F a. Whereas children from vulnerable population groups such as street children, migrant, or ethnic minority families for example Roma are more at risk of marginalisation, poverty and social exclusion;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
J a. Whereas child poverty is a multi- dimensional phenomenon that requires a multi-dimensional response. Employment is one important factor, but does not always guarantee a route out of poverty for the family of the children concerned.
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
K a. Whereas, according to the 2012 Eurostat Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), energy poverty is a problem that affects all Member States. Children are hit hardest as it undermines their well-being, diet and health;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Reiterates the importance of preventive public policies investing in sensible child welfare policies supporting the upbringing of empowered individuals, capable of integrating in society and into the labour market, rather than focusing on the consequences of their social exclusion and poverty;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges Member States to implement and rigorously monitor plans for alleviating child poverty to ensure follow up of policy guidance, putting the focus on the intrinsic rights of children, and setting targets for reducing poverty and child social exclusion;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Calls on Member States to recognise that child poverty and social exclusion are key barriers to overcome if they are to achieve their Europe 2020 targets in relation to employment rate, investment in research, development, energy and sustainable development;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Calls on the Commission to bear in mind the proposals contained in the Opinion published by the European Economic and Social Committee, ‘For coordinated European measures to prevent and combat energy poverty’, and to encourage the urgent adoption of a European energy security and solidarity commitment and, within this framework, the setting-up of a European poverty observatory and a European fund with the specific aim of eradicating energy poverty;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Reiterates the need to avoid ghettoization of children experiencing poverty and social exclusion and to promote a social mix in housing and suggests that the introduction of minimum standards for housing children, taking into account the primacy of children's rights, should be considered;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Recommends that the Commission and Member States develop statistical methods that integrate multidimensional indicators in measuring poverty, disaggregated for particular disadvantaged groups, in measuring poverty to inform evidence-based policy development and to take into account the limitations of relative poverty measurements and the work of the UNDP, UNICEF and the OECD, going beyond the AROPE indicator;