20 Amendments of Donata GOTTARDI related to 2008/2250(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Considers that the social economy is important, in view of what it symbolises and the results it achieves, as a means of enhancing industrial and economic democracy;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses the importance of the social economy in relation to services of general interest, and highlights the added value created by setting up public-private integrated networks, but also the risk of their being exploited as a pretext for outsourcing with a view to reducing the costs borne by public authorities, including by having recourse to services provided by the voluntary sector;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls on the competent authorities and operators in the sector to assess and enhance the role of women in the social economy, both in quantitative terms, given the high rate of employment of women in all fields of the sector, including associations and voluntary work, and in terms of the quality and organisational aspects of work and service provision; is concerned about the persisting problem of vertical integration, even in the social economy, which limits the participation of women in decision-making;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Calls on government, national and local authorities and on operators in the sector to encourage and support the potential synergies which could be generated in the service sector by stakeholders in, and users of, the social economy by broadening the scope of participation, consultation and co- responsibility;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Urges the Member States to make provision for training projects involving higher education, university and vocational training courses designed to create awareness of the social economy and of business initiatives based on its values;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Considers that the removal of the proposals for a European Mutual Society Statute and a European Association Statute from the Commission's agenda has been a serious setback for the development of those forms of SE within the European Union and therefore urges the Commission to review its agenda;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Asks the Commission to establish a European think tank on co-operative banks and other financial services related SE organisations in order to conduct a study investigating how these specific SE entities have performed at EU level to date - in particular during the ongoing global credit and financial crises - and how they will avoid future risks in this respect;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Considers the social economy to be important, both symbolically and in terms of performance, for the purpose of strengthening industrial and economic democracy;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Considers that the Commission's withdrawal of its proposals for a European Mutual Society Statute and a European Association Statutes a serious setback for the development of these forms of social economy within the EU; therefore urges the Commission to review its work programme accordingly;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Points out that the social economy has a key role to play in attaining the Lisbon goals of sustainable growth and full employment, since it counteracts the numerous imbalances on the labour market, in particular by supporting female employment, and establishes and provides community care services (such as social, health, and welfare services), in addition to creating and maintaining the economic fabric of society, thus helping to promote local development and social cohesion;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Believes that the EU should seek to establish a frame of reference for the social economy action programme, thereby enhancing its competitiveness and capacity for innovation at local level, bearing in mind – given that economies are first and foremost cyclical systems – that the social economy can provide stability by redistributing and reinvesting profits locally, where appropriate, fostering an entrepreneurial culture, gearing economic activities to local needs, supporting activities entailing a degree of risk (craft industries, for example), and generating social capital;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)
Paragraph 11 c (new)
11c. Points to the importance of the social economy as regards services of general interest; points to the added value provided by public-private integrated networks, as well as to the risk of exploitation, for instance in the form of outsourcing to help public authorities cut their costs, not least by making use of contributions in the form of voluntary work;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 d (new)
Paragraph 11 d (new)
11d. Calls on the Commission to incorporate the social economy into its other policies and strategies in the sphere of social, economic, and enterprise development, especially in connection with the ‘Small Business Act’, bearing in mind that social economy entities carrying on socio-economic activities might prove particularly useful for SMEs and services of general interest; urges the Commission, in addition, to look again at the possibility of reactivating a social economy unit;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 e (new)
Paragraph 11 e (new)
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 f (new)
Paragraph 11 f (new)
11f. Calls on national and local government authorities, and operators on the ground, to promote and support the forms of synergy in the services field that could be achieved between social economy actors and users by broadening the scope of participation, consultation, and empowerment;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 g (new)
Paragraph 11 g (new)
11g. Calls on the Member States to organise training projects, at higher education and university level and in vocational education, with a view to imparting knowledge of the social economy and of the forms of enterprise based on its values;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 h (new)
Paragraph 11 h (new)
11h. Believes that the EU and the Member States should recognise the social economy and its component entities (cooperatives, mutual societies, associations, and foundations) in their legislation and policies and provide for measures, for example easy access to credit, incentives, and tax relief, aimed at supporting social economy organisations operating in market and non-market sectors, having been set up for socially useful purposes;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 i (new)
Paragraph 11 i (new)
11i. Calls on the Commission to establish an EU think-tank on co-operative banks and other financial services that might be of interest to social economy organisations which would study how these specific social economy entities have performed so far in the EU - especially during the current global credit and financial crises - and how they will avert future risks of this kind;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 j (new)
Paragraph 11 j (new)
11j. Calls on the Commission to allow for social economy entities when revising State aid policy, bearing in mind that small businesses and organisations active at local level find it very difficult to obtain credit, especially in the current economic and financial crisis; also calls on the Commission to refrain from obstructing national company and tax laws such as those aimed at banking and retailing and distribution cooperatives, which operate according to the principles of mutualism, company democracy, assets handed down from one generation to the next, indivisible reserves, the work ethic, and business ethics;