Activities of Marian HARKIN related to 2015/2320(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
How best to harness the job creation potential of SMEs? (A8-0248/2016 - Zdzisław Krasnodębski)
Amendments (24)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Citation 21 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 10 September 2015 on creating a competitive EU labour market for the 21st century: matching skills and qualifications with demand and job opportunities, as a way to recover from the crisis;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Believes that in order to ensure better conditions for job creation for the SME sector Member States must address the following problems, which are unequally present in different Members States and different regions: skills scarcity and brain drain; skills mismatch, insufficient dialogue between labour market stakeholders and estimation of future skills´ needs, regulatory burdens and regulatory uncertainty; the shadow economy; and the de facto privileged position of multinational corporations (MNCs)s well as high taxation on labour;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Recalls that almost 99 % of the European companies are SMEs being therefore the backbone of the EU economy;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that high labour costs have an negative impact on SMEs’' job creation potential and competitiveness; to this end, stresses that the tax burden should be shifted away from labour to other sources of taxation that are less detrimental to employment and growth, while protecting adequate social protection;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Believes that promoting digitalisation in public sector (e- government) and increasing broadband availability in remote areas would reduce establishing and operating costs to SMEs, therefore enabling them to further increase job creating potential;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Highlights the growing significance of self-employment, both as a form of economic activity and as a stepping stone to business creation;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses, however that lowering labour costs by reducing workers’' protection ishould not abe correctnsidered as means of achieving lower unemployment, and that, in addition, reducing workers’' pay and rights could induces higher skills outflows, and exposinge SMEs to shortages of skilled workers;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Underlines the need for targeted incentives for start-ups, SMEs, micro- enterprises in order to facilitate their establishment and operation, as well as the necessity to facilitate the hiring of qualified labour force and training of employees;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Considers that traineeship and apprenticeship schemes within SMEs should be promoted by Member States, including through financial incentives; recalls that SMEs have very specific skills 'needs;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Encourages the Member States, regional governments and educational institutions to create opportunities for young people to acquire entrepreneurship skills; also stresses the importance of mentoring for young entrepreneurs;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the ‘'Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs’' programme, which helps provide aspiring European entrepreneurs with the skills necessary to start and/or successfully run a small business; and believes that such programmes should be further promoted in order to help more young people become established and succeed;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on Member States to adopt favourable legislative frameworks for young graduatespeople who are employed by an SME or are starting up an enterprise; believes that such frameworks should also include promotion of work placements programmes for students so they could get their first practical experience in an SME;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2
Subheading 2
Stable and favourable regulatory environment
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Member States to review the rules affecting SMEs and to introduce measures based on the ‘Think Small First’ principle, in order to remove the bureaucratic obstacles with which SMEs are confronted and achieve a high level of regulatory certainty, transparency and proportionality as a precondition for job stability and full job creation potential;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Takes the view that a stable and favourable regulatory environment is an essential prerequisite for job perennity and job creation in SMEs; considers that this regulatory certainty must encompass, among other elements, contract law and fiscal and social regulation, as well as tax rulings and also legal certainty and procedural effectiveness;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to consider that SMEs face specific obstacles and should therefore be exempted from excessively burdensome administrative procedurethe impact of administrative requirements is felt disproportionately by SMEs and that measures such as exemptions should therefore be systematically considered to minimize such requirements, while always ensuring that they provide their employees with the necessaryir employees receive adequate health and safety standardsprotection;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Member StatHighlights the fact that three out of four SMEs do not trade beyond their national borders and the need to facilitate access to remove thethe EU Single Market by removing remaining administrative barriers; with a view to facilitating market access for micro-enterprises and SMEs from other Member Stateelcomes the strong focus on SMEs in the 2015 Single Market Strategy and urges the Commission and Member States to follow up on the positive initiatives with specific measures that are tangible to small traders;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Member States to adopt favourable legislative frameworks for newly- created SMEs, focusing in particular on incentive measures aimed at tackling the shadow economybelieves that among other initiatives, the Start-up Initiative announced in the Commission's Single Market Strategy will provide a constructive framework for such improvements;
Amendment 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Notes that in some cases EU competition policy could results in privileging that mostly benefits big market operators that are characterised by greater economic efficiencyes of scale than SMEs; stresses in this regard the need for specific measures for SMEs in order to curb their market diseconomies, thus enabling their internationalisation and boosting their job creation potential;
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Notes that in regions where economic development is focused on attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), MNCs arecould be in some cases treated preferentially in both legislative and tax matters; believes that these practices should be examined with a view to ensuring a level playing field for SMEs and restorenhancing their employment creation capacitiesy;
Amendment 329 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Notes that a reduced regulatory burden, better regulation and improvement of law enforcement can contribute to tackling the issues of the shadow economy and tax avoidance, as the attractiveness of such ‘exits’ from'bypassing' of the regulatory systems would be substantially reduced;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28 a. Underlines the importance of a robust SME Chapter in the future TTIP agreement in order to ensure that structures, processes and rules are established that facilitate SMEs' capacity for transatlantic trade and enhances their capacity to create jobs;
Amendment 351 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Notes the opportunities offered by the Digital Single Market to generate growth and jobs, notably in the field of e- commerce; stresses, however, the need for an SME-focused evaluation of the potential risks and benefitbenefits and risks in different Member States;
Amendment 355 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Welcomes the presence of information portals aimed specifically at SMEs, such as the ‘'Access to Finance Portal’' on Your Europe, and calls on the Commission to continue with them and improve their functionality; highlights in particular the importance of delivering effectively the new Single Digital Gateway announced in the Single Market Strategy as an online access point to all Single- Market related information and services;