5 Amendments of Louis GRECH related to 2009/2222(INI)
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Reiterates the fact that SSGI are constantly evolving in response to new economic, social, institutional and technological developments; calls on the Commission and the Member States to continue the process of modernising the infrastructure, the organisation and the financing of services of general interest in light of constant changes in the internal market and the essential needs of European citizens;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the Commission to continue its efforts to identify the specific characteristics of social services of general interest and to find a common accepted definition of services of general interest, while fully respecting the responsibilities of the member States and taking into account the distinctive and individual ways in which these services are tailored across Europe;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Believes that a high quality of social services is essential to achieve the fundamental objectives of the European Union, therefore calls on the Commission to develop a framework which would serve as minimum guidelines for high quality standards, accessibility and affordability of social services for the benefit of all European citizens;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses the need to further analyse the relationship between the application of Community law in the area of internal market, competition, state aid and public procurement and social services of general interest in view of the social aims of the European Union; Believes that reform of procurement and state-aid rules is needed in order to introduce social quality criteria, which do not undermine the legitimate social and economic objectives of the Member States and of the Union;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Welcomes the Commission's initiative to improve transparency and awareness in the field of state aid, public procurement, public-private partnership and concession by developing communication tools in the field of social services; However, a number of issues are still pending and rules need to be adapted accordingly to the needs of local authorities and small providers, therefore the Commission should continue to provide a clear legal foundation and information on the application of EU rules, with the aim that services of general interest are capable of fulfilling their mission and contribute to a better quality of life for European citizens;