26 Amendments of Roberts ZĪLE related to 2017/2114(INI)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the GDP growth rate for the euro area was 1.8 % in 2016 and is set to remain steady at 1.7 % in 2017 and at 1.9 % in the EU overall, surpassing pre- crisis levels while still being insufficient; and much lower than the projected growth for the whole world; whereas private consumption has been the main driver of growth over the past years; whereas this casts doubt over the sustainability of recovery as well as the future growth potential;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the euro area and EU28 unemployment rates were 9.3 % and 7.8 % respectively in April 2017, their lowest rates since March 2009 and December 2008, but still above the pre-crisis levels; whereas significant differences in unemployment rates remain across the EU ranging between 3.2 % and 23.2 %; whereas there is still a high share of involuntary part-time work;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas employment in the euro area – nearly a decade after the global financial crisis – is still below the pre- crisis levels, although some further growth is projected;whereas the EU needs an inclusive labour market which helps fight inequality;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the EU’'s excessively low productivity and global competitiveness calls for structural reforms, continued fiscal efforts and investment in Member States in order to bring about sustained and inclusive growth and employment, and achieve upward convergence with other global economies and within the EU;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the good performance of the European economy, supported by moderate GDP growth and decreasing, yet still high, unemployment rates; notes that the modest recovery remains uneven, fragile and that the development of GDP per capita is close to stagnation;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that Europe harbours untapped economic potential as growth and employment are advancing unevenly; underlines that this is the result of the heterogeneous performance of the Member States’ economies; emphasises that the implementation of structural reforms in the Member States could facilitate at least 1 % higher growth;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers that for this to materialise the structural conditions for growth need to be improved; takes the view that the potential growth of all Member States should increase in the long term to at least 3 %; for this to happen, establishing clear benchmarks on how to improve the potential growth of Member States could provide the necessary guidance for policy actions; points out that such a regular benchmarking exercise would have to take due account of individual structural strengths and weaknesses of Member States;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Emphasises that this would complemente ongoing efforts on improving the quality and management of national budgets by addressing the triggers for growth in line with Union fiscal rules;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers that the uneven growth and employment situation in the euro area requires better coordination of structural reforms, in particular through improved and consistent implementation of the country-specific recommendations (CSR);
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Is of the opinion that legacies from the crisis such as a high level of indebtedness in all sectors of the economy still often act as a drag on growth and pose potential risks; is concerned in this regard that the persistently high level of non- performing loans in some Member States could have significant spill-over effects from one Member State to another, presenting a risk to financial stability in Europe;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Takes the view that quality reforms to improve the business climate are needed to help boost productivity and employment in the euro area; underlines in this context the importance of supply-side reforms;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Shares the Commission’'s view on the need for changes in labour market legislation that provide flexibility and security for both employees and employers, thereby helping to increasinge employment and ensuring sustainable growth; notes, however, that skills shortage, loss of jobs due to automation, ageing societies as well as a number of other challenges not related to labour market legislation as such put a strain on further employment growth and reduction of unemployment levels across the Member States;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the importance of wage developments in line with productivity; takes note of the fact that wage growth is forecast to be relatively moderate;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. StressNotes that the lack of competitiveness and investment in the EU is partly linked to a general tax burden that is 10 to 15 % higher than in competing markets, often creating hindering tax wedges on companies, investments and labour; stresses, however, that low tax rates alone do not necessarily encourage uplift in investment and thus should be viewed in a broader context of structural reforms; notes that tax evasion is still a problem in a number of countries and fight against it, combined with improved tax administration, would increase fiscal space;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Agrees that the economic upswing needs to be supported by investment and notes that there is still an investment gap in the euro area; notes that there are a number of Member States with fiscal scope and favourable financing conditions where investment is still subdued; is of the view that such countries should use the available means to increase the investment levels; recognises, however, that in some Member States investments already exceed the pre- crisis level;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Considers that reforms removing investment bottlenecks would allow for immediate support for economic activity and at the same time help set the conditions for long-term growth;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. TStresses the importance of the structural funds, especially for the EU's Eastern countries; takes the view that a timely agreement in the ongoing negotiations on the revised European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) could help to improve the effectiveness of this instrument and to address some of the shortcomings experienced in its implementation so far; notes that a significant share of EFSI projects in Eastern and Central Europe are co- financed using public, not private money; warns against the trend whereby EU initiated public-private partnership programmes like EFSI are replacing the existing EU funding programmes;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 – point a (new)
Paragraph 15 – point a (new)
(a) Notes that countries experiencing imbalances due to high current account surplus should make use of fiscal policy in order to achieve a sustained upward trend in investment and thus limit the negative spill-over effects to the rest of the euro area;
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the fact that deficits in the euro area are projected to decline; is concerned, however, that this process is slowing down and agrees that government debt remains too high in some and at the end of 2016 stood at 1.7 % and 1.5 % of GDP in euro area and EU-28 respectively; further welcomes that a number of Member States have achieved budget balance or surplus; is concerned, however, that this process is slowing down and agrees that government debt – although falling in nearly all Member States – remains too high in most Member States; agrees with the Commission that increase of demand in the surplus countries can ease deleveraging needs in the highly indebted Member States;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Emphasises, however, that the aggregate view ignores the heterogeneous situation across Member States and the need to differentiate the fiscal efforts requiredwith surplus and deficit countries, and the fiscal scope available by each Member State;
Amendment 359 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Recognises that Member States have made progress in the area of fiscal policy and active labour market policies, while leastnot enough progress was made in areas such as competition in services and the business environment, labour market policies, fiscal policy and governance, as well as correction of current account surpluses; expects a greater commitment on the part of Member States to take the necessary policy actions based on the CSRs;
Amendment 373 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Takes note of the Commission’'s recommendation to close the Excessive Deficit Procedures for several Member States; welcomes past and ongoing fiscal and reform efforts, yet insists that these efforts will need to continue to ensure the durability of the correction of the excessive deficit; warns against the increasing trend whereby countries are granted extra time and leeway to bring down the budget deficit within the permissible thresholds;
Amendment 383 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Highlights that the macroeconomic imbalance procedure (MIP) is aimed at preventing imbalances within Member States with a view to avoiding negative spill-over effects to other Member States;
Amendment 385 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. Reminds that the Excessive Imbalance Procedure (EIP) is an enhanced surveillance mechanism to ensure compliance with the MIP;is of the view that EIP should be consistently applied to countries that significantly and constantly experience imbalances and fail to take adequate actions to correct them, regardless of the type of imbalances;
Amendment 399 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Considers it of great importance therefore that all Member States take the necessary policy action to address imbalances, in particular high levels of current account surpluses and indebtedness, and commit to structural reforms ensuring the economic sustainability of each individual Member State, thereby ensuring the overall competitiveness and resilience of the European economy;
Amendment 403 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. Urges the Commission to consistently and vigorously enforce the existing macroeconomic governance rules to all Member States, regardless of the type of imbalances;notes that increased tolerance for breaches of rules risks undermining the effectiveness of the existing economic governance framework;