Activities of Gabriele ZIMMER related to 2011/2052(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
European platform against poverty and social exclusion (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the European Platform against poverty and social exclusion PDF (357 KB) DOC (207 KB)
Amendments (23)
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the Lisbon European Council of 23 and 24 March 2000 agreed to end child poverty by 2010, and the Nice European Council of 7 to 9 December 2000 agreed to make substantial progress in combating poverty by 2010, and whereas these undertakings failed because the policy focus during that period was purely on competitiveness,
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. regrets that by 2020 in the EU only 20 million people will have been freed from poverty which, depending on how it is calculated, is a quarter or one sixth of those affected by poverty, and is concerned that through the deliberate choice of one of the three resulting indicators, lack of comparability, and through statistical accounting tricks, it is impossible to know what each Member State’s real contribution to the objective of combating poverty has been,
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas poverty is detrimental to growth, increases public budget deficits and undermines the EU's competitiveness,a violation of human rights;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. supports the Commission’s recognition that poverty ‘is unacceptable in 21st Century Europe’ and therefore criticises the fact that the Commission’s policy recommendations in the context of the European Semester and the Member States’ conclusions in the Euro Plus Pact include a one-sided austerity policy, raising the retirement age, interference in wage bargaining policies and reducing workers’ rights by making labour markets more flexible, and thus run counter to the aims of the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion,
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. sharply criticises the fact that the Commission’s recommendations to countries - particularly to the Member States hardest hit by the crisis – de facto recommend reducing social expenditure and pensions, further liberalisation of services and privatisation of public services, constituting a serious threat to the welfare state and public service provision, which is not compatible with the Platform's objectives,
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
Dc. regrets that in the context of the European Semester, the Commission has called wage indexation systems and collective labour agreements into question, possibly leading to fewer rights and more insecurity for workers, which is not compatible with the Platform’s objectives,
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D d (new)
Recital D d (new)
Dd. regrets that a comparison of unit labour costs is likely to reduce wages in the euro zone and elsewhere through increased pressure of competition, which could lead to increased poverty and social exclusion and is not compatible with the Platform’s objectives,
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D e (new)
Recital D e (new)
De. in this connection, criticises the decoupling of economic, employment and social policies which both the austerity policy and the Platform proposals have exacerbated, so that the Member States’ coordinated social policies at EU level are further restricted to minimum social insurance and often reduced to limited welfare provision and returning unemployable people to the job market,
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D f (new)
Recital D f (new)
Amendment FF #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas employmentgrowth and employment, even in a decent job, alone isare not sufficient to lift people out of poverty, and whereas the problem of the working poor has gained increasing recognition in recent years, and whereas the segmentation of the labour market has increased, working and living conditions have very much worsened, particularly during the financial crisis, and work has become much less secure – a trend which must be combated; whereas the problem of the working poor has gained increasing recognition in recent years but is not yet being addressed to an extent commensurate with the challenges it represents for our societies; whereas the number of the working poor has grown considerably in recent years, with 8% of the working population suffering in-work poverty and where 22% of those at risk of poverty are in work1; whereas the fact of people having access to decent, egalitarian working conditions constitutes an advance in terms of reducing poverty and social exclusion among families and people living alone, __________________ 1 EUROSTAT (2009), SPC Report: SPC Assessment of the social dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy (10 Feb. 2011)
Amendment II #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas social protection, including minimum income systems, is a basic element of modern democracies that substantially guarantees the human right to social, economical, political and cultural participation in society and plays a key role in stabilising the economy by limiting the impact of crises and in redistributing resources at every stage of life, while also affording protection against social risks and preventing povertyand alleviating poverty and social exclusion, throughout the life cycle,
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas employment alone is not sufficient to lift people out of poverty, and whereas the segmentation of the labour market, indecent working conditions and the problem of the working poor hasve gained increasing recognition in recent years, which has to be followed by political measures tackling these problems;
Amendment P #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Acknowledges the need to assess the impact of EU funds in terms of achieving the poverty reduction target, even where this is not their primary objective, where possible, the effectiveness, impact, coordination and value for money of EU funds, especially of the European Social Fund (ESF) in terms of achieving the poverty reduction target, even where this is not their primary objective, reducing the economic discrepancies, prosperity imbalances and differences in living standard levels across EU Member States and regions, and therefore promoting economic and social cohesion; maintains that priority must be given to projects that combine employment targets and strategies with integrated active inclusion approaches, such as projects designed to strengthen intergenerational solidarity at regional and local level or which specifically contribute to realising gender equality and the active inclusion of vulnerable groups; stresses the importance of effective action for solidarity, including reinforcement, anticipation of transfer and reduction of cofinancing in respect of budgetary funding for creating decent jobs, supporting productive sectors and fighting poverty and social exclusion, rather than creating new forms of dependence; stresses the importance of supporting the combat of poverty and social exclusion, and access to quality employment and non discrimination, ensuring adequate income and promoting access to quality services;
Amendment W #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Wishes the Commission to initiate a framework directive on minimum incomelaunch, in full compliance with the principle of subsidiarity, a consultation on the possibility of a legislative initiative on a sensible minimum income that will allow economic development, designed to prevent poverty and serve as a basis for people to live in dignity, play their full part in society and make headway with finding employment or identifying training opportunities and playing an automatic stabilising role for the economy, with due regard for differing practices, collective labour agreements and legislation in the various Member States, the definition of a minimum income being the prerogative of the Member State; wishes the Commission to help Member States share best practice on minimum income levels and encourages Member States to develop minimum income schemes based on an average of 60% of the median income in each Member State;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas social protection, including minimum income systems, is a basic element of modern democracies that substantially guarantees the human right to social, economical, political and cultural participation in society and plays a key role in stabilising the economy by limiting the impact of crises and in redistributing resources at every stage of life, while also affording protection against social risks and preventing poverty, and social exclusion;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls for enhancing social and sustainable development, promoting 'good work' as well as active inclusion to guarantee access to decent work, available and affordable quality social services and infrastructures as well as a poverty-proof minimum income. This ambition must be reflected in the next Annual Growth Survey which should provide a long-term perspective and social impact assessment taking into account externalised social costs stemming from rigid budgetary discipline, harsh austerity policies, more flexible labour markets and wage cuts;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Supports the European Trade Union Confederation’s ‘Athens Manifesto’ of May 2011, which calls among other things for an end to the austerity policy practised by the Commission and Council and for the European social model to be strengthened;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Refers to the report by the Director- General of the International Labour Conference at its 100th session held in 2011, entitled ‘A new era of social justice’(i) which among other things calls for a move away from the current neoliberal growth model to a policy of income-led growth and public investment; underlines in this connection the recognition by the International Labour Organisation that so-called flexible labour markets are a strong indicator of inefficient growth, as they are accompanied by greater job insecurity, resulting in greater inequalities of income;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls for the social inclusion objectives of the EU to be reflected in the next Multiannual Financial Framework by dedicating a specific budget heading to them, integrating them into the other budget headings, and allocating adequate funding to ensure these objectives are reached;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Acknowledges the need to assess the impact of EU funds in terms of achieving the poverty reduction and social inclusion target, even where this is not their primary objective; maintains that priority must be given to projects that combine employment targets and strategies wistresses the importance of supporting the combat of poverty and social exclusion, the access to quality employment and non discrimination; maintains that priority must be given to projects which specifically contribute to realise gender equality and the active inclusion of vulnerable groups;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States further to develop the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion into a ‘European Social Stability Pact’ to eradicate poverty and social exclusion and to anchor the pact firmly in the EU's economic and financial policy framework; (a) the pact should contain a social progress clause as an additional protocol to the EU Treaties, to ensure that basic social rights always take precedence over basic economic freedoms; (b) the pact should enshrine mandatory minimum social standards with regard to minimum income (at least 60% of equivalent national median income), universal access to good-quality housing and energy supply, availability of basic goods (according to the material deprivation indicator) free access to education, day care and training (from crèche to university and vocational training), access to free health and personal care and social and psychiatric services, language courses and support services for immigrants, universal access to high-quality services (social services and services of general (economic) interest), always involving those living in poverty and the social partners and NGOs; (c) the pact should contain a target agreed with the Council and a timetable for implementation by all Member States, for the national minimum wage to be at least 60% of the country’s national average wage; (d) the pact should contain recommendations to the Council and Parliament on reducing the length of the working life and average weekly working hours; (e) the pact should contain proposals on how funding for the proposed measures can be implemented and how the social wealth acquired by the community can be shared out more fairly, for example through the introduction of a financial transaction tax, harmonising the corporation tax base, minimum taxation rates for enterprises, taxation of wealth and capital income, introduction of eurobonds, and measures to protect investment for the future; (f) the pact should contain proposals on how public investment and income-led growth can shape economic development to make it economically and ecologically sustainable and socially inclusive;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Highlights the importance of social, health, care and education services in bridging skills gaps, in promoting the social integration of people and combating poverty and social exclusion; recalls their potential to create new employment and calls for a strong and sustainable investment in and development of these key services and infrastructures; looks forward to the Commission’s action plan to address the gap in the supply of health workers
Amendment 374 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Wishes the Commission to initiate a framework directive on minimum income, designed to prevent poverty and serve as a basis for people to live in dignity, to fully participate in society and make headway with finding employment or identifying training opportunities, with due regard for differing practices, collective labour agreements and legislation in the various Member States;