Activities of Sirpa PIETIKÄINEN related to 2021/2253(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
Common European action on care (debate)
Common European action on care (debate)
Reports (1)
REPORT towards a common European action on care
Amendments (200)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
— having regard to the UN Decade on Healthy Ageing 2021-2030 and the WHO Framework for countries to achieve an integrated continuum of long-term care,
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10
Citation 10
— having regard to the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions and recommendations, and in particular C189 Domestic Workers Convention of 2011 and C190 on violence and harassment,
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 21 a (new)
Citation 21 a (new)
— having regard to the European Parliament's resolution of 7 July 2021 on an old continent growing older – possibilities and challenges related to ageing policy post-2020;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 23 a (new)
Citation 23 a (new)
— having regard to the 2021 Long- term care report prepared by the Social Protection Committee (SPC) and the European Commission (DG EMPL) on “Trends, challenges and opportunities in an ageing society”,
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24 a (new)
Citation 24 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 29 November 2018 on the situation of women with disabilities,
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 30 a (new)
Citation 30 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 10 July 2020 on the EU’s public health strategy post-COVID-191a, _________________ 1a Texts adopted, P9_TA(2020)0205.
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 35 a (new)
Citation 35 a (new)
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 35 b (new)
Citation 35 b (new)
— having regard to the report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) entitled ‘The Employment Generation Impact of Meeting SDG Targets in Early Childhood Care, Education, Health and Long-Term Care in 45 Countries’, published on 19 December 2019,
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 a (new)
Citation 38 a (new)
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 b (new)
Citation 38 b (new)
— having regard to Directive (EU) 2022/431of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2022 amending Directive 2004/37/EC on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens or mutagens at work,
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas social rights are part of human rights and constitutional rights; whereas the EPSR Action Plan sets out concrete initiatives for the implementation of principles that are essential for building a stronger social Europe for just transitions and recovery, such as gender equality, equal opportunities, work-life balance, childcare and support to children, inclusion of persons with disabilities and long-term care;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas all Member States and the EU are bound by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including the obligation enshrined in Article 19 of the UNCRPD to adopt effective and appropriate measures guaranteeing equal right of all persons with disabilities to live independently, to participate and be included in the community; whereas equal and effective access to affordable quality care and support services is an essential prerequisite for independent living of persons with disabilities, their participation in the community life and social inclusion;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas care encompasses services to address the physical, psychological and social needs of dependents, as well as support to guarantee the equal exercise of rights, dignity, autonomy, inclusion and well-being for all members of society; whereas care, support to the vulnerable individuals and groups and their empowerment, do not only present an individual right but a direct tangible contribution to social and economic well- being in the Member States and in the Union;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas care encompasses services to addresspersons in need of care and support are persons who are challenged in their activities of daily living by a disability or chronic health condition; whereas care encompasses services to support the autonomy and independence of persons in need for care, and by supporting their physical, psychological and social needs of dependents, as well as support to guaranteeing the equal exercise of their rights, dignity, autonomy, inclusion and well-being for all members of society;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas care encompasses services to address the physical, psychological and social needs of dependents, as well as support to guarantee the equal exercise of rights, dignity, autonomy, inclusion and well-being for all members of society, provided by either formal or informal carers;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas care encompasses services to address the physical, mental, psychological and social needs of dependentspersons in need of care and support, as well as support to guarantee the equal exercise of rights, dignity, autonomy, inclusion and well-being for all members of society;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas care work means a variety of services carried out by individuals, families, communities, paid service providers, public organisations and state institutions in different types of settings, ranging from institutions to private households; whereas high numbers of care recipients that are dependent on paid or unpaid informal care are directly linked to inaccessibility and unaffordability of quality professional services throughout the life course;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas there is a need to differentiate between the support for disabled persons and care;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas thedespite the fact that throughout the life course, each individual at least once assumes the roles of a carer and of a care receiver, there is stigma surrounding dependence and the need for care and support intersects with other grounds of discrimination;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the stigma and stereotypes surrounding dependence and the need for care and support intersects with other grounds of discrimination and we need to address its impact on persons in need of care and support;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas silent age discrimination and unmet, unseen and unrecognized care needs are still a persisting problem in care in Europe;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas there is a lack of quality, accessible and affordable care in nearly all Member States; whereas the monitoring of care is hampered by the lack of disaggregated data and the lack of quality indicators and implementation roadmaps;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas one of the most fundamental rights regarding care and support is the right to choose the type of service and where it is offered; whereas the right to choose one’s type of care is often undermined by the insufficient availability of in-home support;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the existing challenges in terms of access to formal care services; , contributing to a halt in the life expectancy and healthy life years, resulting in the unmet healthcare needs, increased feeling of loneliness and isolation, deteriorated mental health and general well-being of people of all generations across the EU, particularly in the Member States with lower pre- pandemic levels of investment in care1a; whereas the long-term effects of COVID- 19 pandemic for health and well-being of individuals as well as its social and economic consequences are yet to be fully assessed and mainstreamed in the relevant policy areas; _________________ 1a European Parliament study (2021) Ageing policies - access to services in different Member States.
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the existing challenges in terms of access to formal care services and the staff shortages in the care sector, as well as the burden and lack of support to informal carers, and whereas across the EU, more than half of COVID-19 related fatalities have been recorded in long-term care settings;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas high incidence and mortality rates due to COVID-19 in long- term care facilities highlighted systemic weaknesses related to too slow transition from institutional care to home- and community-based care services, staff shortages arising from difficulties in attracting and retaining the workers, poor employment and working conditions, lack of career development opportunities for workers in the care sector, difficulties for the cross-border carers, as well as the lack of support to informal carers;
Amendment 198 #
Eb. whereas in addition to the unmet medical needs, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatically negative impact on the access to education, decent housing and services that are essential for the well-being and development of children, generating an additional burden in care and education duties for all parents, above all women and single parents1a; whereas the empirical evidence confirms that the reduction of care services and increase in unpaid care work carried out by women during the COVID-19 pandemic has re-established and reinforced gender inequalities; _________________ 1a Eurofound brief (2021) Education, healthcare and housing: How access changed for children and families in 2020.
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the provision of quality care depends on the existence of a sufficiently large and well-trained workforce, the creation of attractive and decent working conditions and integrated services, and adequate funding;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the care sector needs significant investment, resources and reform, especially in elderly care;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the structures of care need to be changed from centralised institutions to community-based care; whereas that shift has been too slow; whereas patient- centred, community-based and home care can better support the autonomy of persons in need for care and support; whereas residential care often does not meet the standards of supporting independence of persons using these services and are often associated with the end of life, rather than regarded as places to live and strive in dignity, and places of participation in social and cultural life;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the structures of care need to be changed from centralised institutions to community-based care; whereas that shift has been too slow and Member States must invest towards this direction; whereas the bad conditions in some institutional settings lead persons in need of care to informal care;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the structures of care need to be changed from centralised institutions to community-based careand live-in home care to support the independence and autonomy of individuals at all stages throughout their lives; whereas that shift has been too slow;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas it is important to conduct further research on abuse in all care settings, to inform about the factors leading to these practices, promote awareness, training, detection, and fight against abuse for all professions involved in care, and create public platforms for reporting such practices;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas the proportion of undeclared work in the care sector remains too high, leading to fewer protections for workers in the sector, and a loss of income for member states;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas the undervaluation and invisibility of care work are closely linked with the fact that women dominate in the care sector; care remains undervalued, receives little recognition, insufficient and often no financial compensation for the carers; whereas the undervaluation and invisibility of care work are closely linked with the fact that women dominate in the care sector, representing 76 % of 49 million documented care workers in the EU1a, and the same time remain the main caregivers in the households; _________________ 1a European Parliament study (2021) Gender equality: Economic value of care from the perspective of the applicable EU funds.
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas quality care work is a skilled occupation, and demand for skilled care workers will only increase in the coming years;
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H c (new)
Recital H c (new)
Hc. whereas the European Commission estimates that 8 million new jobs can be created in the EU in the care sector by 20301a; _________________ 1a European Commission, 2021, Green Paper on Ageing;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H d (new)
Recital H d (new)
Hd. whereas the proportion of undeclared work in the care sector remains too high, leading to fewer protections for workers in the sector, and a loss of income for Member States;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H e (new)
Recital H e (new)
He. whereas quality care work is a skilled occupation, requiring training and experience; whereas employment and ongoing training in the workplace through professionalisation of the sector can contribute to an increased quality of provision of care services;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas 6.3 million professionals work in long-term care, among whom women (81 %) are overrepresented and there are increasing numbers of workers aged 50+, platform workers, as well as migrant and mobile workers; , including live-in carers (around 8% of the workers are non-natives); whereas additional 44 million people in the EU provide informal long-term care to family members, neighbours or friends1a; whereas women dominate also among the informal carers and provide, on average, more demanding and intensive forms of daily care1b; _________________ 1a Eurofound report (2020) Long-term care workforce: Employment and working conditions. 1b Eurocarers (2021) The gender dimension of informal care.
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas 6.3 million professionals work in long-term care, among whom women (81 %) are overrepresented and there are increasing numbers of platform workers, as well as migrant and mobile workers; whereas 8 million new jobs are expected to be created over the next decade in both the social care and healthcare sectors;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas the care sector in the EU still relies heavily on migrant workers both within and outside the Union, and there are still obstacles hampering the free movement of care workers within the EU;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas 7.7 million women in the EU remain out of the labour market due to their care responsibilities;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas in all the Member States, pay in the care sector is well below the average pay and is connected with lower collective bargaining coverage in the care sector; lower than the pay that workers get for the same job in other sectors, especially in healthcare, which is connected with lower collective bargaining coverage in the care sector; whereas the difference in relation to the average pay is smallest in the Member States with collective agreements for parts of the sector1a; _________________ 1a Eurofound report (2020) Long-term care workforce: Employment and working conditions.
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas women’s rights are fundamental human rights, and whereas the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and the ECtHR underline that human rights are part of the rule of law;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas 80 % of all long-term care in Europe is provided by informal carers, overwhelmingly women, mostly unpaid and/or without adequate support, and often with a negative impact on their physical and mental health, well-being and social inclusion, with women providing approximately two-thirds of care, which makes care an extremely gendered issue;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas informal care has a significant impact on the earning power of households, and particularly women, leading to increased risk of poverty and social exclusion;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas the high numbers of care recipients who are dependentin need onf informal care are directly linked to the inaccessibility and unaffordability of quality professional services;
Amendment 343 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
La. whereas almost 30% of people over 65 are living with two or more non- communicable diseases (NCDs); whereas NCDs have a substantial and growing burden on patients, carers, societies and health systems;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
La. whereas the gender pay gap in the EU stands at 14.1% and has only changed minimally over the last decade and the gender pension gap is even wider;
Amendment 345 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L b (new)
Recital L b (new)
Lb. whereas gender employment, pay and pension gaps lead to an increased risk of poverty as well as reduced taxes paid to Member States, with a €370 billion annual loss of GDP for Europe;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L c (new)
Recital L c (new)
Lc. whereas strong sectoral segregation, unequal share of paid and unpaid work, the glass ceiling and pay discrimination still persist in the EU labour market and equal pay for equal work has not been fulfilled and these serious structural issues have been neglected by all the EU Member States;
Amendment 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas women in the EU carry out 13 hours more of unpaid care and housework per week than men; whereas 7.7 million women in the EU remain out of the labour market owing to their care responsibilities; and 29 % of women employed part-time refer to care duties as the main reason for taking up part-time work; whereas childcare responsibilities are a cause of change in employment for 60 % of women compared to 17 % of employed men and lead to reduction of working hours for 18 % of employed women and as little as 3 % of men1a; _________________ 1a EIGE report (2021) Gender inequalities in care and consequences for the labour market.
Amendment 355 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)
Recital M a (new)
Ma. whereas these discrepancies are confirmed at the global level with women dedicating on average 3.2 times more (201 working days per year) time than men (63 working days) to unpaid care work and are most pronounced in the case of girls and women living in middle-income countries, with lower educational achievements, living in rural areas and with children under school age1a; _________________ 1a ILO (2018) Care work and care jobs for the future of decent work.
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)
Recital M a (new)
Ma. whereas family and other people providing unpaid care and support, spend a significant amount of hours on care, which can have an impact on women's professional development as a result of stop working due to the burden of caregiving or becoming a full-time caregiver;
Amendment 357 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)
Recital M a (new)
Ma. whereas underpaid or non-paid women take care of other women, whereas women live longer than men and represent the majority of the people receiving care, both in formal care institutions and in private homes;
Amendment 359 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M b (new)
Recital M b (new)
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M b (new)
Recital M b (new)
Mb. whereas it is important to conduct research into the economic value of care, taking into account the cost of women’s reduced employment or withdrawal from the labour market and the consequent effects on the gender pay gap;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M c (new)
Recital M c (new)
Mc. whereas due to the disproportional burden of care and housework, women also experience more career interruptions, tend to work shorter hours and are more likely to be in part-time, precarious or temporary employment; whereas sectoral segregation, unequal distribution of unpaid care and housework represent the key causes of the persisting employment, wage and pension gap, as well as greater risk of poverty and social exclusion of women;
Amendment 363 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M c (new)
Recital M c (new)
Mc. whereas social economy enterprises can have a significant potential and contribution in facilitating the re-integration of caregivers in the labour market;
Amendment 364 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M d (new)
Recital M d (new)
Md. whereas the feminisation of care sector contributes to the gender pay gap and gender pension gap because of the proportion of women working in formal and informal care;
Amendment 365 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M e (new)
Recital M e (new)
Me. whereas an equal distribution of unpaid care and household work has a clear positive impact on the proportion of women in paid employment and reduction of the gender pay gap; whereas access to affordable and quality formal long-term care services for the dependent family members and distribution of unpaid care and household work present crucial factors in determining whether women enter into and stay in employment and the quality of the jobs they perform1a; _________________ 1a EIGE report (2021) Gender inequalities in care and consequences for the labour market.
Amendment 366 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M f (new)
Recital M f (new)
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M g (new)
Recital M g (new)
Mg. whereas despite being emotionally gratifying for a large majority of carers, care often generates negative effects on carers’ physical and mental health and difficulties in reconciling care with paid work, which is particularly significant in the case of female carers1a; _________________ 1a European Commission & Social Protection Committee (2021) 2021 Long- term care report.
Amendment 369 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas several Member States and regions in the EU are still failing to meet the goal of providing childcare for 90 % of children between the age of three and mandatory school age and for 33 % of children aged three and under; whereas enrolment rates of children with disabilities, children from the Roma and other minority communities, migrant children, children living in poverty and children from other disadvantaged groups, who would benefit the most from early childcare, remain much below the average1a; _________________ 1a European Social Partners joint statement on childcare provisions in the EU. https://www.etuc.org/en/document/europe an-social-partners-joint-statement- childcare-provisions-eu
Amendment 393 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)
Recital P a (new)
Pa. whereas some Member States and regions struggle with a severe outflow of trained workforce (i. e. ‘care drain’) to other Member States with better employment, working and living conditions, which exacerbates their existing challenges;
Amendment 396 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)
Recital P a (new)
Pa. whereas the European Union can complement and support Member State action in improving care services, for those who are cared for and those who provide care;
Amendment 407 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P b (new)
Recital P b (new)
Pb. whereas quality standards for care, especially for social care services, remain absent or inadequate;
Amendment 409 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P c (new)
Recital P c (new)
Amendment 415 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P d (new)
Recital P d (new)
Pd. whereas the increased investment in the care economy in line with Sustainable Development Goals would result in 300 million additional jobs by 20351a; _________________ 1a ILO (2022) Care at work: Investing in care leave and services for a more gender equal world of work.
Amendment 416 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P e (new)
Recital P e (new)
Pe. whereas neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of memory disabling diseases, remain underdiagnosed in most European countries; whereas there is a clear indication that the current number of 9 million confirmed cases of people with dementia is going to double by 2050; whereas women continue to be disproportionately affected by dementia1a; _________________ 1a Alzheimer Europe, Dementia in Europe Yearbook 2019 (2020) Estimating the prevalence of dementia in Europe.
Amendment 417 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P f (new)
Recital P f (new)
Pf. whereas in February 2021, the European Ombudsman opened an own- initiative inquiry into the role of the Commission in the process of deinstitutionalisation in the EU, focusing on the fulfilment of Commission’s obligation to ensure that the Member States use the EU funds in a manner that promotes transitioning away from residential care institutions and towards independent living and participation in community life;
Amendment 418 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P g (new)
Recital P g (new)
Pg. whereas the mechanism provided for by the 2001 directive on temporary protection has been activated for the first time as a response to the mass influx of refugees, above all women with children and other dependant persons, who are fleeing the war in Ukraine, guaranteeing the displaced persons equal access to the labour market and housing, medical assistance, and access to education for children; whereas activation of the aforementioned mechanism will have significant direct impact on the care sector, increasing the number of persons in the EU in need of comprehensive and personalised care services but also the numbers of both informal and formal carers;
Amendment 431 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that it is vital to ensure quality care across the life course; underlines the importance of the accessibility, availability and affordability of care, and that all users and their carers should have a genuine choice when it comes to care services; is concerned about citizens’ reports that whether and what type of care and support services they will use is currently principally dependent on structural limitations, especially financial constraints;
Amendment 433 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that it is vital to ensure quality care across the life course; underlines the importance of the accessibility, availability and affordability of care, and that all users and their carers should have a genuine choice when it comes to care services, including those living in remote, rural, sparsely populated areas and islands, should have a genuine choice when it comes to care services, as well as the right to live in dignity and independence and to participate in social and cultural life;
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Notes that according to the principle 18 in the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) ‘Everyone has the right to affordable long-term care services of good quality, in particular home-care and community-based services’; notes that expanding the care workforce and increasing the provision of care services will be a prerequisite for fulfilling this principle;
Amendment 444 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Notes that care services are of varying types -- from early childhood care and education, to care services for elderly and care for persons with disabilities --, and notes that care and its differing policy approaches need to be developed and recreated according to individuals’ needs;
Amendment 445 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses the importance of an integrated approach to common European action on care that pays equal attention to people’s physical, psychological and social needs, paving the way for better links between health and social systems as well as between formal and informal care; underlines the necessity of developing an inclusive European care strategy that focuses on vulnerable groups of individuals and contributes to social fairness; is convinced that alongside horizontal, sectoral integration, there is a need for a better coordination of local, regional and national care policies;
Amendment 455 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses the importance of an integrated approach to common European action on care that pays equal attention to people’s physical, mental, psychological and social needs;
Amendment 470 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the need to increase funding for both formal and informal care across the EU to guarantee equal access for dependantspersons in need of care to affordable quality care services, as well as an active professional life for carers, and therefore; calls on the Member States to make the best use of the European structural and investment funds, including the ESF+, as well as the Recovery and Resilience Facility, for investing in care, as well as to ensure coordination among the different programmes and initiatives towards an effective implementation of the Strategy;
Amendment 475 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the need to increase fsecure the sound ing for bothvestment level in the care infrastructure across the EU, both public and private, formal and informal care across the EU, to guarantee equal access for dependants to affordable quality care services, as well as an active professional life for carers, and therefore calls on the Member States to make the best use of the European structural and investment funds, including the ESF+, as well as the Recovery and Resilience Facility, for investing in care;
Amendment 477 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the need to increase funding for both formal and informal care across the EU to guarantee equal access for dependantspersons in need of care to affordable quality care services, as well as an active and fulfilling professional life for carers, and therefore calls on the Member States to make the best use of the European structural and investment funds, including the ESF+, as well as the Recovery and Resilience Facility, for investing in care;
Amendment 482 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recognises that models and patterns of organising care are diverse in the Member States and believes that every person has the right to choose quality care services best suitable for their and their family’s individual situation, emphasizes that this right needs to be guaranteed;
Amendment 485 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Calls on the Commission to strengthen the provision of funding for all types of care services through the European Social Fund+ and other financial instruments which aim to fund social infrastructure;
Amendment 486 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Recalls the obligations and commitments of the EU and the Member States for transition from congregated institutional settings to community- and homebased care; calls on the Member States to use the available European and national funds to accelerate transition to community-based care and to support the individual autonomy and independent living with full adherence to the provisions and objectives of the UNCRPD, general comments and recommendations of the committee monitoring its implementation; urges the Commission to take effective measures to prevent the use of EU funds that prolongs institutional care;
Amendment 491 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises that a substantial proportion of care models, services and facilities are outdated and that care recipients should be placed at the centre of care plan, below the modern quality criteria and does not meet the physical, social and psychological needs and wishes of the people in need of care, and that people in need of care should be placed at the centre of care plans and all stages of the design, implementation and evaluation of care policies and services;
Amendment 495 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises that a substantial proportion of care models, services and facilities are outdated and that care recipients should be placed at the centre of care plans, through among others exploring innovative solutions, new models and tools for care delivery, promoting social inclusion and multi- generation understanding;
Amendment 500 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Stresses the need to utilise digital solutions to their full capability to support those requiring care to live independent and autonomous lives, including providing tailored health and person- centred care through suitable tools, while ensuring that there is quality human contact for persons in need of care and support;
Amendment 501 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Amendment 504 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Believes that the development of care should take into account all categories of users and their differences and diverse preferences for the types of care services needed; underlines the importance of user-based approach in developing services and the empowerment of different types of service users so that their different needs and preferences are the default in tailoring personal service packages, including social budgeting;
Amendment 505 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Believes that those planning, programming and providing care services have the responsibility to be aware of the users’ needs and that care services for elderly and persons with disabilities must be planned and developed with the participation of the users;
Amendment 506 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Member States to exchange information and best practices with a view to developing a common European quality framework for care, encompassing all care settings, encouraging upward social convergence and guaranteeing equal rights for all citizens, as well as to examine and exchange best practice on how best to support societal groups with particular care needs, including single parents, and parents with children with serious illnesses such as cancer;
Amendment 516 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to set ambitious targets for care services in consultation with the Member States; and to develop harmonized EU and national definitions and indicators to assess accessibility, quality and efficiency of care services for children, persons with disabilities and elderly on the EU level, that are based on the rights of the persons in need for care, the maintenance of their independence and autonomy as well as social inclusion, and focussing on the expected outcomes of long-term care, such as the improvement of well-being of persons in need for long-term care and support, the evolution of healthy life years and other indicators putting entire care experience of a person in need for care in the centre of attention; underlines the need for scoreboard to monitor the implementation of care in public, private, formal and informal context;
Amendment 527 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls on the Commission to establish a framework for excellence in long-term care to be promoted in Member States and to be a base for public procurement in care;
Amendment 530 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Calls on the Commission to include care services in its monitoring and review of data in the European Semester and in the annual report on gender equality;
Amendment 531 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Calls on the Commission to develop a European Care Guarantee that ensures that all Europeans in need of care services are guaranteed to have high quality, accessible and affordable care by Member States and that adequate services and social benefits are provided in all cases;
Amendment 535 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission to present an ambitious European care strategy that builds on everyone’s right to affordable, accessible and high-quality care, as well as on other principles set out in the EPSR and EU strategic documents, and the individual rights and needs of both care recipients and carers, and that encompasses the entire life course, targeting and responding to the needs of people at critical periods throughout their lifetime, laying the ground for continuity of care services throughout the lifespan and fostering solidarity between generations; calls for a European care strategy that is based on reliable and comparable data, and includes concrete and progressive goals with a timetable and indicators to evaluate progress;
Amendment 537 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission to present an ambitious European care strategy that builds on everyone’s right to affordable, accessible and high-quality care, as well as on other principles set out in the EPSR and EU strategic documents, and the individual rights and needs of both care recipients and carers, and that encompasses the entire life course, is based on reliable and comparable data, and includes concrete and progressiv, comprehensive comparable and publicly accessible data on the situation of carers and those who are cared for, and includes concrete goals with a timetable and indicators to monitor and evaluate progress, as well as awareness-raising activities including a European Year of Care;
Amendment 543 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission to present an ambitious, robust and future-proof European care strategy that builds on everyone’s right to affordable, accessible and high-quality care, as well as on other principles set out in the EPSR and EU strategic documents, and the individual rights and needs of both care recipients and carers, and that encompasses the entire life course, is based on reliable and comparable data, and includes concrete and progressive goals with a timetable and indicators to evaluate progress;
Amendment 546 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Amendment 553 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses that the Strategy should clearly identify its target groups;
Amendment 554 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to, alongside responding to the immediate care needs, adopt the policies and measures to tackle their causes, poverty, social exclusion and other structural barriers that stand in the way of equal access to quality care, before everything the challenges related to employment, education and training, as well as decent and affordable housing;
Amendment 564 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the Commission’s plans for the revision of the Barcelona objectives as part of the European care strategy package; calls for upward convergence to be encouraged and for further investment in high-quality care for every child in the EU, amongst else by significantly raising the level of ambition for accessibility of childcare for children under 3 years of age and setting specific refined indicators for access to childcare for children aged below 1 year; calls on the Commission to integrate in the objectives a new target for provision of childcare after school hours;
Amendment 568 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the Member States that are lagging behind the 2002 Barcelona objectives to adopt all the necessary measures to reach the target of providing childcare to at least 90% of children between 3 years old and the mandatory school age and at least 33% of children under 3 years of age as soon as possible;
Amendment 569 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Underlines the importance of accessibility, availability and affordability of quality childcare that meets the demands during the parents’ working hours and is at the same time able to meet the specific needs of children and their parents, related to e. g. disability, illness and work in the specific sector, as one of the major factors of women’s full participation in the labour market;
Amendment 581 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recalls that social protection and support to families is essential and calls on the competent national authorities to ensure adequate and accessible social protection systems and integrated child protection systems, including effective prevention, early intervention and family support, in order to ensure safety and security for children without or at risk of losing parental care, as well as measures to support the transition from institutional to quality family and community-based care; calls on the Member States to scale up investment in child protection systems and social welfare services as an important part of implementing the Child Guarantee;
Amendment 604 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Amendment 605 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Member States to reform and integrate their social services and protection systems in such a way as to provide effective and equal access to care services throughout the life course, taking a personalised approach, in order to enhance the continuity of care, preventive healthcare, rehabilitation and, whenever possible, independent living and greater autonomy of users in choosing the services and the type of contractual or employment relation that suits the needs of both users and the care providers best, in order to enhance the continuity of care, preventive healthcare, rehabilitation, better prevention, diagnosis and treatment of occupational diseases and, whenever possible, independent living; draws attention to the necessity of decoupling care entitlements from other social transfers and eliminating other structural barriers, which lead to non-take-up or postponement of care and other support services;
Amendment 609 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Member States to reform and integrate their social services and protection systems in such a way as to provide effective and equal access to care services throughout the life course, taking a personalised approach that prioritises the availability of in-home support, in order to enhance the continuity of care, preventive healthcare, and rehabilitation and, whenever possible, independent living, in full respect of the right to self-determination and autonomy of those who require care or support;
Amendment 612 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Member States to reform and integrate their social services and protection systems in such a way as to provide effective and equal access to care services throughout the life course, taking a personalised and patient-centered approach, in order to enhance access to care, the continuity of care, preventive healthcare, rehabilitation and, whenever possible, independent living and inclusion in the community;
Amendment 619 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls on the Member States to identify and eliminate the administrative barriers that stand in the way of a timely and effective response to individual care needs and to actively support the care recipients and their families in the process of seeking and accessing adequate care and support solutions;
Amendment 621 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls on the Member States to incentivise declared work by supporting personal household services, and other alternative employment models for home care services such as households as direct employers or intermediaries;
Amendment 625 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Amendment 632 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that accessibility derives from a combination of cost and flexibility; believes that in this respect different forms of care service provision should be available, such as in in-home and community-based settings; recognises the importance of personal and household service providers, including live-in carers, in this regard; consequently calls on Member States to invest in the professionalisation of the sector;
Amendment 633 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that accessibility derives from a combination of cost and flexibility; believes that in this respect different forms of care service provision should be available, such as in in-home and community-based settings, both public and private, care at home and in home-like settings, and that furthermore a family member should either be able to voluntarily provide care or be subsidised to procure the care services;
Amendment 638 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Highlights the need to support the development of online services, the training to increase digital competencies of the cared and their carers, and improving of internet access and connections to improve the quality of care and to benefit from technology in offering quality care in all stages of life; notes that health technology can be the biggest unequalizer or connector depending on its genuine accessibility;
Amendment 639 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Notes that digital technologies are a promising development in supporting care provision, especially for people with low and moderate care needs, but only if they are developed from a user-based starting point and are modular and tailored;
Amendment 642 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Highlights the need to support the development of online services, the training to increase digital competencies of the cared and their carers, and improving of internet access and connections to improve the quality of care and to benefit from technology in offering quality care in all stages of life;
Amendment 643 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Calls on the Member States to explore the possibility of integrating in their social protection systems solutions that allow a more personalised approach;
Amendment 644 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13c. Notes that the populations benefitting from long-term care go beyond the elderly and include people living with rare diseases for whom care is provided throughout all lifecycles, with a majority of rare diseases having their onset during childhood;
Amendment 645 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13c. Believes that those planning, programming and providing the care services have the responsibility to be aware of the users’ needs and that long- term care services must be developed with the participation of the intended users;
Amendment 646 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)
Paragraph 13 d (new)
13d. Notes that platform work and the so-called ‘uber-isation of care’ is on the rise in the care sector, including in long- term care, which gives rise to additional challenges due to the vulnerability of care recipients, the potential lack of monitoring of care, and health and safety concerns when performing work in the care recipient’s home;
Amendment 658 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the Commission to lay the foundation in the European care strategy for recognition, regulation and professionalization of personal and household services, as a way of effective tackling of high share of undeclared work in the care sector and guaranteeing social protection, safe and decent working conditions for workers;
Amendment 660 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Emphasises that care services, particularly live-in care services, are often provided on a cross-border basis; Stresses that the free movement of persons and workers is one of the key pillars of the EU, but that challenges to cross-border care remain; calls for the protection of the social security rights of all mobile care workers and care receiversfurther notes that without barrier- free cross-border provision of care services, it will not be possible to meet the growing demand for carers; calls for the protection of the social security rights of all mobile care workers and care receivers; calls on the European Commission to ensure that existing barriers to free movement in the sector should be lifted;
Amendment 671 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Repeats its call for a common definition of disability, as well as mutual recognition of disability status in the Member States; with the aim of removing the fundamental obstacle for intra-EU mobility of persons with disabilities and enabling access of persons with disabilities to health, care and other services that facilitate independent living, as well as equal education and employment opportunities;
Amendment 677 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Repeats its cCalls for a common definition of disability, as well as mutual recognition of disability status in the Member Statesgradual convergence on the definition of terms such as ''community-based care'', ''community- based support'', ''residential care'', ''institutional care'', and ''deinstitutionalisation'' and calls for a common definition of care;
Amendment 683 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for the prioritisation of mental health within public health policy at EU level; calls on the Commission to put forward a European mental health strategy, identifying the challenges pertaining to mental health of all generations in all the relevant settings, including early age, education, the world of work, as well as later in life, with special emphasis on most vulnerable groups and strategies for prevention, detection and prompt access to adequate treatment of mental health disorders;
Amendment 692 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for the prioritisation of mental health within public healthcare and support policy at EU level;
Amendment 697 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Amendment 701 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Points out that the risk of having their long-term needs unmet is particularly high for older women, who represent a majority of population in the need of long-term care while experiencing the greatest difficulties in covering the long-term care expenses due to persisting gender pay and pension gaps, more career breaks and interruptions due to care obligations, as well as higher propensity to take on precarious or part-time work;
Amendment 708 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission to establish a comprehensive set of indicators for long-term care, and corresponding targets and tools for monitoring the accessibility, affordability and quality of care, especially taking into account vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people with disabilities, similar to the Barcelona objectives for childcare;
Amendment 711 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission to establish a comprehensive set of indicators for long-term care, including for those with disabilities and older persons, and corresponding targets and tools for monitoring the accessibility, affordability and quality of care, similar to the Barcelona objectives for childcare;
Amendment 719 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Calls on the Commission to form a platform and to call up a summit of experts, social partners, interest groups, patient organisations, carers organisations and care recipients and their representatives to discuss and develop community-based care fit for 2030;
Amendment 721 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Calls for a framework directive on long-term, formal and informal, care that would lay down fundamental principles and provide evidence-based criteria for accessible and integrated quality long- term care and support services across the EU;
Amendment 729 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Stresses that older age, disability, severe illness or other circumstances leading to long-term care needs do not present an obstacle for active participation of individuals in the society and community life; reminds that social exclusion of dependent persons is above all a product of widely spread negative perceptions, socially constructed self- images and the persisting structural discrimination;
Amendment 732 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Calls on the Commission to start an initiative on environmentally sustainable care and pay attention and support green care projects and greening of care overall;
Amendment 735 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18c. Notes that care infrastructures have also significant negative environmental impacts that need to be solved and mitigated, for example pharmaceuticals and exceptionally big amounts of disposable waste;
Amendment 737 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Amendment 748 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Notes that between 40 and 50 million people in the EU provide informal care on a regular basis with 75% of them being women, including disabled women; notes that this work tends to be long term and can hinder formal labour market participation, resulting in a loss of income and aggravating the gender pension gap;
Amendment 749 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Notes that between 40 and 50throughout the EU, 44 million people in the EUare provideing informal care on a regular basislong-term care at least once a week; notes that this work tends to be long term and can hinder formal labour market participation, resulting in a loss of income and aggravating the gender pay and pension gap;
Amendment 752 #
19a. Notes that informal care is an extremely gendered issue as women are overrepresented in providing informal care activities, making up around 60% of informal carers, and providing informal care for more hours than men;
Amendment 755 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Notes that women’s overrepresentation in informal care acts as a brake on gender equality and may limit the possibility to work formally especially for younger informal carers;
Amendment 756 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Calls on the Member States and relevant authorities to recognise the pivotal role of informal carers and to integrate them into regular health and care teams;
Amendment 758 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Notes that of elderly people aged more than 65, 8% or more than 7 million people receive informal care in the EU; for people aged 75 and above, the number relying on informal care amounts to 11%;
Amendment 759 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Notes that risk of poverty, worse mental and physical health, and social exclusion are associated with intensive informal care-giving;
Amendment 760 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 c (new)
Paragraph 19 c (new)
19 c. Notes that at least 8% of all children in Europe are involved in the provision of informal long-term care, with a negative impact on their physical and mental health, educational experience, employability and social inclusion;
Amendment 763 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 d (new)
Paragraph 19 d (new)
19d. Stresses that informal carers must have their needs assessed and addressed in their own right, without being conditional on the services or supports of the cared-for person;
Amendment 769 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Highlights the need forto develop a common European minimum definition for informal care, a commitment by Member States, and Council Recommendations on informal care including national recommendations, including respect for the right to self- determination of persons receiving care;
Amendment 774 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls for common European guidelines and status for informal carers as informal care is currently not adequately recognized and acknowledged in terms of different forms of informal care;
Amendment 778 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges the Commission to propose a common coherent package of actions at EU level on informal care, to identify and recognise the different types of informal care provided in Europe, and calls on the Member States to consider different financial support options based on their different needs and realities, with a view to guaranteeing carers financial support and other additional support services, including time off for carers, and a work- life balance and rehabilitation services for carers and care recipients;, as well as to consider and exchange best practices on how to reflect periods spent on care responsibilities in pension schemes; Member States should also examine how best to formalise employment and therefore revenue collection in this area, including tax deduction systems and the use of service vouchers.
Amendment 784 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges the Commission to propose a common coherent package of actions at EU level on informal care, to identify and recognise the different types of informal care provided in Europe, and to guaranteeto consider the formalisation of informal care, and to guarantee a certain minimum standard of rights, carers financial support and other additional support services, including time off for carers, and a work-life balance and, rehabilitation services for carers and care recipients and access to specific psychological support for carers;
Amendment 788 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges the Commission to propose a common coherent package of actions at EU level oesent to the Council for approval a European Carers programme and individually a European iInformal cCarers programme, to identify and recognise the different types of informal care provided in Europe, and to guarantee carers financial support and other additional support services, including time off for carers, and a work-life balance and rehabilitation services for carers and care recipients;
Amendment 791 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Amendment 793 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Underlines that this package of actions needs to recognise and acknowledge the different forms of informal care and carers, ensure the personal and societal recognition of carers and acknowledging that carers would also have rights and obligations as a part of their role as a carer; as well as respect of the right to self-determination of the persons receiving care, set a certain criteria for carers to receive social support and other additional support services including time-off for the carer;
Amendment 797 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Urges the Commission and the Member States to support civil society organisations supporting and representing informal carers, in order for these organisations to bring their perspective and contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of policies concerning informal care;
Amendment 800 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Reiterates the mental and physical health stress, associated with caregiving, and stresses the importance of ensuring carers' access to information and advice about care and care-life balance;
Amendment 802 #
21b. Stresses the importance of addressing the over-reliance on informal care through formalisation and recognition of carers' skills through a certification process, allowing for the advancement of mutual recognition of skills, as well as implement targeted upskilling and reskilling activities, using among others, the European Skills Agenda, the Pact for Skills, ESF+, the Youth Employment Initiative, the Just Transition Fund, and EU4Health;
Amendment 804 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
Paragraph 21 c (new)
21 c. Urges the Commission to come up with guidelines to the Member States for the support of informal carers;
Amendment 812 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Urges the Member States to place adequate staffing levels and investment in care staff at the centre of their care policies, and to support the creation of quality jobs in the sector with clear, sustainable and attractive career paths that allow permanent professional and personal development; underlines the need for initiatives and projects that would make work in the care sector more appealing to young people and encourage more men to take up care professions;
Amendment 820 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Urges the Member States to place adequate staffing levels and investment in care staff, in compliance with community- based living principles, at the centre of their care policies, and to support the creation of quality jobs in the sector;
Amendment 824 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Urges the Member States to place adequate staffing levels and investment in the care personnel at the centre of their care policies, in order to reduce the physical and psychological pressures on workers, to avert the requests for short- notice work, rapid and severe workforce outflows and to increase resilience of the care systems for future crises; stresses the benefits of maintaining healthy work-life balance and recalls the severe toll of the pandemic on physical and mental health and well-being of the care professionals;
Amendment 828 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Calls on the Member States to increase investments in care services and their quality, and in special measures that allow carers to maintain an active professional life;
Amendment 830 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Highlights the central role of education and training as well as of programmes for reskilling and upskilling of workers for provision of quality care services and professionalization of care; underlines the central role of paid educational and in-work training in the process of transition from residential to community- and home-based care;
Amendment 833 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22b. Encourages the Member States to reflect periods spent on care responsibilities in pension schemes, with a view to reducing and eventually closing the gender pension gap;
Amendment 834 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 c (new)
Paragraph 22 c (new)
22 c. Emphasises that care work is an essentially interpersonal service that requires a range of complex skills, some of which are not recognised and remunerated;
Amendment 836 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Member States to ensure decent working conditions for all workers in the care sector, both formal and informal, and to adopt high standards of occupational health and safety, in line with and beyond the ambition of the recently adopted EU strategic framework on health and safety at work 2021-2027; stresses the importance of fully respecting the Working Time Directive in particular for those who are providing live-in care, as well as reasonable accommodation provided for the carer and vigilance for additional broader job descriptions that go beyond the role of a carer;
Amendment 837 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Member States to ensure decent working conditions for all workers in the care sector, both formal and informal, also as a means of tackling care drain in certain Member States which have seen an outflow of long-term care workers to other Member States with better employment, working and living conditions, which exacerbates their existing challenges, and to adopt high standards of occupational health and safety, in line with and beyond the ambition of the recently adopted EU strategic framework on health and safety at work 2021-2027;
Amendment 850 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. 23a new. recalls, in this context, the fourth revision of Directive 2004/37/EC and the inclusion of work involving exposure to hazardous medicinal products meeting the criteria for classification as carcinogenic, mutagenic and/or toxic for reproduction category 1A or 1B as defined in Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, in order to ensure the best possible general and individual protection measures for workers handling these products;
Amendment 885 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote and support age-friendly working environments;
Amendment 912 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls on the Member States to swiftly and fully transpose and implement the Work-Life Balance Directive and encourages them to go beyond the minimum standards laid down in the directive, promoting additional flexibility of work arrangements for groups of workers, such as parents with young children, single parents, parents with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities; stresses that only an equal share of care responsibilities between men and women by means of non-transferable and adequately paid leave periods would enable women to increasingly engage in full-time employment and achieve a work- life balance;
Amendment 917 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls on the Member States to swiftly and fully transpose and implement the Work-Life Balance Directive; stresses that only an equal share of care responsibilities between men and women by means of non-transferable and adequately paid leave periods would enable women to increasingly engage in full-time employment and achieve a work-life balance; also stresses the importance of flexible working arrangements;
Amendment 926 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls on the Member States to develop a set of comprehensive measures and incentives to encourage and facilitate the labour market reintegration of workers after care leave or longer career breaks and to guarantee workers’ return to the same or equivalent position;
Amendment 929 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls on the Member States to facilitate the labour market reintegration of workers, especially women and informal carers, after care leave or longer career breaks;
Amendment 939 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Calls on the Member States to develop mechanisms and tools for better monitoring of domestic care work;
Amendment 943 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)
Paragraph 27 b (new)
27b. Stresses that the European directive on platform work and national legislation regulating platform economy should duly accommodate the specific nature of care work, providing minimum standards for the quality of services and decent working conditions for workers;
Amendment 947 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 c (new)
Paragraph 27 c (new)
27 c. Stresses that the forthcoming European care strategy should, amongst else, comprehensively address the impact of digitalisation on working conditions of workers and the effects of teleworking on mental health, as well as on the amount and unequal division of unpaid care and housework;
Amendment 963 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Stresses the utmost importance of mainstreaming care and measures for the empowerment of women, dependent personspersons in need of care and vulnerable individuals in all relevant national and EU policies;
Amendment 969 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Underlines the necessity of systematic implementation of gender and equality mainstreaming in all the stages of budgeting process, both within Commission’s central budgets as well as policies and programmes supported by the EU;
Amendment 970 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Notes that there is a need to recognize and value care also economically in European economies, budgeting and statistics;
Amendment 971 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 b (new)
Paragraph 28 b (new)
28b. Stresses the impact of green environments, daily access to different forms of nature and outdoors in good quality living conditions of people needing care, notes that studies show that access to nature has substantial benefits for both physical and mental health of all people, especially those needing care, and highlights the need to facilitate access to nature and outdoors for people dependent on care as well as to support nature-based solutions in the care sector;
Amendment 974 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 b (new)
Paragraph 28 b (new)
28b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to put care at the centre of recovery after the pandemic;
Amendment 980 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation of the principles of the EPSR and the SDGs in the context of the European Semester;
Amendment 981 #
29a. Calls on the Members States to adopt effective policies and programmes for tackling ableism, ageism, gender- based and other forms of discrimination that intersect with prejudice and stereotypes associated with care, paternalism and ideologies of dependency;
Amendment 995 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Calls on the Member States to increase investments and invest EU funds in care services and their quality, including the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the EU4Health Programme and the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), in care infrastructure and facilitate accessible and affordable services for all;
Amendment 996 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to foster the positive public image and attractiveness of work in the care sector for both men and women by planning educational and public information campaigns and supporting pilot projects advancing this goal;
Amendment 997 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 b (new)
Paragraph 30 b (new)
30b. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to investigate the causes of large proportion of COVID-19 infections and deaths that have occurred in residential services for older people, persons with disabilities and other social service facilities, in order to draw the necessary lessons and prevent reoccurrence of such tragedies in the future crises;
Amendment 998 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 b (new)
Paragraph 30 b (new)
30b. Calls on the Commission to strengthen the provision of funding for all types of care services through the European Social Fund+ and other financial instruments, which aim to fund social infrastructure;
Amendment 999 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 c (new)
Paragraph 30 c (new)
30 c. Calls on the European Commission to secure funding for research projects on the social impact of rare diseases, from a patient-perspective, and to EU-wide networks and innovative projects that allow Member States to co- create and transfer good practices and innovative care models;
Amendment 1002 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 d (new)
Paragraph 30 d (new)
30d. Calls for a European framework to strategically upskill and reskill workers and to formally recognise carers’ skills through a certification process;
Amendment 1003 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 e (new)
Paragraph 30 e (new)
Amendment 1004 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 f (new)
Paragraph 30 f (new)
30f. Calls on the Commission to set up a European Expert Group on Care, bringing together public authorities, European NGOs representing people who draw on care, service providers, as well as other stakeholders, such as researchers, to create innovative care solutions, to ensure future-proof care systems and to phase out institutionalized care and replace it with community-based or home-based care and/or use of personalized budgets and personalised design of care;
Amendment 1005 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Calls on the Member States to formulate and revise their care policies in permanent dialogue with social partners, experts, civil society and representative organisations of care recipients and carers; and to encourage civil dialogue between civil society NGOs and public authorities at national and EU level to support in creating effective social care policy solutions which fit the needs of the people on the ground;
Amendment 1010 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Calls on the Member States to formulate and if necessary, consider reviseing their care policies in permanent dialogue with social partners, experts, civil society and representative organisations of care recipients and carers;
Amendment 1013 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Stresses the importance of meaningfully including carers and caregivers' representative organisations in the development, implementation and monitoring of the Strategy;
Amendment 1020 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Calls for an external scientific and ethical evaluation on the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the care sector, on the actions of the European Union as a whole as well as on the actions of the Member States, and for an evaluation on the level of preparedness that the EU now has for pandemics;