20 Amendments of Jean LAMBERT related to 2015/0000(INI)
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that many Member States still have large social inequalities and deficits and that there is a need to develop fiscal responsibility programmes that are fully compatible with quality job creation, economicsustainable growth and welfare state adequacy and sustainability; calls on the Commission, which has already received the national budget proposals for 2016, and within the framework of COM(2015)00121, to provide a flexible process of fiscal responsibility at national level that allows for the adoption of socially responsible and economically efficient policies aimed at decent job creation, social investment in quality services and social protection; __________________ 1 COM(2015)0012, ‘Making the best use of the flexibility within the existing rules of the SGP’.
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Regrets that no overall reference is made to Europe 2020 goals of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, nor systematic recommendations or monitoring process are envisaged to support delivery on the 5 priority targets, particularly the social targets on employment, poverty and education, and environmental targets; calls for the mainstreaming of the social and environmental targets in the new assessment frame to ensure that country- specific recommendations are proposed to all countries that are not making progress on poverty, quality employment, prevention of early-school leaving and lifelong learning, resource efficiency and prevention of climate change;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the fostering of a European investment policy aimed at boosting growth and job creation; considers it regrettable, however, that Parliament’s call3 to promote social investment not only in pursuit of financial profit but also with the aim of promoting a positive social impact has been neglected; social investment and monitoring of priorities to ensure a positive social impact has been neglected; stresses the importance of the principles of bottom-up approach and quality spending, as well as the monitoring of job creation and the objective of decreasing inequalities; __________________ 3 Resolution of 11 March 2015 (Texts adopted, P8_TA(2015)0068), paragraphs 10 and 18.
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Takes note of the recommendations on the need to move forward within new labour reforms, and calls for such reforms, if carried out, to guarantee meaningful social dialogue and to ensure necessary political consensus in order to be sustainable and effective; considers it regrettable that many labour reforms have not ensured the required balance between flexibility and security, resulting in, for example, the exclusion of millions of workers from collective bargaining and thus weakening the base for social partnership in company expansion; calls for labour reforms capable of reducing fragmentation, putting an end to insecurity and increasing the productivity and competitiveness of our economy while ensuring decent jobs and living wages through investment in human capital and the promotion of inclusive labour markets; calls on the Commission to ensure that in their policy guidance labour market reforms are aimed at, amongst others, reducing segmentation, supporting transition between jobs, advancing the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the labour market, reducing in- work poverty, promoting gender equality, strengthening the rights of workers with a-typical contracts and provide more social protection for self-employed workers;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes that some labour reforms have introduced new contractual formulas that, according to the Commission, have increased precariousness in the labour markets; of particular concern are some Member States whose rates of temporary employment are over 90 % for new contracts, which particularly affects young people and women and which, according to the OECD1, is one of the direct causes of increasing inequality; particular concern is raised about the expansion of ‘zero hour contracts’. Believes that all types of contractual arrangements should give workers access to a core set of rights; Reiterates its call on Member States to ensure that people with precarious, temporary or part-time contracts or who are self-employed have adequate social protection (including access to healthcare), pension rights and access to training; __________________ 1 OECD report ‘In it together: Why less inequality benefits all’, 21 May 2015.
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to take note of the IMF2 report on the causes and consequences of inequality, which states that the increase in the income gap is negatively affecting economic growth and, the potential for job creation and investment in automatic stabilisers; calls for effective action on labour taxation, investment in quality jobs, including green and white services, and inclusive labour markets and redistributive policies to facilitate greater and upward economic and social convergence; __________________ 2 IMF report ‘Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality: A Global Perspective’, June 2015.
Amendment 108 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that high rates in long-term unemployment in the EU, especially in some Member States, are resulting in an increasing number of workers losing their benefits before, often without prospects of finding a new job; considers it regrettable that many Member States have limited access to such benefits or have reduced the amount available and/or the eligibility period for them, and have not ensured that adequate income support is in place; considers it important to maintain a balance between adequate minimum income and social protection and adequate incentives for active job searching which provide personalised support without punitive conditionality which undermines social rights; calls for a specific study on the social impact of such incentives at EU level, and calls on the Union to develop a Union framework that requires Member States to guarantee minimum income schemes to avoid pockets of social exclusion and ensure aensure an adequate minimum income to familiesall;
Amendment 113 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Supports that some CSR focus on developing additional support measures for the unemployed; regrets however that most recommendations are solely targeting the employability of the job- seeker and not a more holistic approach focusing on creating a more inclusive labour market, including additional support measures for both job seekers and for employers;
Amendment 118 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the reduction in youth unemployment rates, but points out that they are still at alarming levels and not necessarily based on net job creation; regrets the reduction of related CSR and stresses that job insecurity, low quality contracts and underemployment have also risen and that 43 % of young people work in precarious conditions with involuntary part-time contracts or as bogus self- employed workers;
Amendment 120 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Urges the Commission to demand from each Member State a national job plan for decent/quality job creation; highlights the job potential of the green economy which according to Commission estimates could create 5 million jobs by 2020 in the energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors alone, provided that ambitious climate and energy policies are put in place; calls on the Member States to ensure sufficient levels of investment in these sectors and to anticipate future skills of workers and to guarantee job quality of 'Green jobs'; calls on the Commission to include the exploitation of the job potential of the green economy as a key priority in the Annual Growth Survey for 2016;
Amendment 127 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Considers that this year’s recommendations have focused almost exclusively on the labour market not addressing the challenges of reduced services or the quality of services offered to those in need; Recalls the need to invest in early intervention and prevention and high quality, accessible and inclusive services, including in education from an early age, family and community support, social services and health care; highlights that increased demand for services could also lead to important job creation in the social sector, if effectively tackled, and that the health and social care sectors represent crucial areas for investment in pursuit of sustainable economies. Invites the Commission to report on progress in developing initiatives, as part of the Europe 2020 Strategy, for investment in the health and social care sectors with regards to quality employment;
Amendment 136 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Underlines the fact that, according to an IMF report3, the progressivity of tax systems has been weakened in recent years, resulincluding continuation of flat taxes in several Member States, contributing into increasing inequality; considers that the tax wedge has been much higher for low-wage workers and SMEs with higher effective tax rates; points out the importance of reducing taxes for labour and enterprises in pursuit of more redistributive forms; regrets the focus on increasing regressive VAT and consumer taxation - which proportionately hit the low income hardest - rather than increasing property, capital or wealth taxes and taxes on environmentally harmful activities; points out the importance of reducing taxes for labour and enterprises in pursuit of more redistributive forms, whilst ensuring adequate financing of social protection systems and individual contributions; calls for the need to pursue an ‘inclusive and sustainable tax policy’ underpinned by social, gender and environmental impact assessment of tax proposals; __________________ 3 IMF report ‘Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality: A Global Perspective’, June 2015.
Amendment 137 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission to provide guidance to Member States to address the low participation of women in the labour market by addressing labour market segregation, gender pay gap and the unequal distribution of care responsibilities; stresses that a broader gender equality perspective going beyond employment rates is needed;
Amendment 144 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers it deeply regrettable that the Commission has not included in the CSR the importance of maintaining strong automatic stabilisers in Member States, as a follow up of its Communication on Strengthening the social dimension of the EMU and as called for by Parliament4, given its important role in maintaining social cohesion and stimulating internal demand and economic growth; __________________ 4 Resolution of 11 March 2015 (Texts adopted, P8_TA(2015)0068).
Amendment 151 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Considers it regrettable that, although the Commission has acknowledged that ‘poverty and marginalisation have increased’5 with now 1 in 4 people experiencing poverty, there is no reference in the CSRs to the fight against poverty, and that no comprehensive strategy to fight it has been preparedpoverty target, with a reduction in ‘poverty CSRs’ from 12 to 6; Calls for a comprehensive strategy to fight poverty based on access to quality jobs, services, minimum income and social protection, as required by the ex-ante conditionality in the ESF Regulations to support the poverty target. Stresses the need to recognise the growth in personal indebtedness as a situation increasing personal and general economic vulnerability; __________________ 5 COM(2015)0250 final.
Amendment 154 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Notes with concern the rapid increase of extreme forms of poverty such as homelessness in many member states; calls for CSR to be addressed to all Member States on social inclusion strategies, including the fight against extreme forms of poverty, such as homelessness. Agrees with the Commission that the Member States must tackle homelessness and risk of homelessness through comprehensive strategies based on prevention, housing- led approaches, the reviewing of regulations and practices in relation to eviction and the availability of genuinely affordable housing offering stability, and an end to the criminalisation of homeless people. Calls for improvements as regards the transnational exchange of best practices and mutual learning, and acknowledges the role of the EASI programme in this context;
Amendment 162 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls for pension reforms to be made taking into account Parliament’s6 repeat recommendations to ensure their sustainability and adequacy in view of ensuring equal pay for all workers, women and men, and to address the gender pay gap as a way to tackle poverty of older women as the gender pay gap translates into a gender pension gap; __________________ 6 Resolution of 11 March 2015 (Texts adopted, P8_TA(2015)0068); Resolution of 22 October 2014 (Texts adopted, P8_TA(2014)0038); Resolution of 25 February 2014 (Texts adopted, P7_TA(2014)0129).
Amendment 175 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Is deeply concerned by the limited role that national parliaments, social partners and civil society have played in the drafting of the national reform programme (NRP) and the convergence programme (CP) as well as in CSRs; calls on the Commission to favour, within the revision of the economic governance mechanisms, a reform that grants adequate democratic legitimacy to the European Semester and to ensure that the European Semester Officers are required to fulfil the function to increase the democratic legitimacy of the Semester, with an adequate budget to ensure active participation, including of people with direct experience of poverty and social exclusion.
Amendment 177 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Criticises the fact that not all Member States have involved their national parliament, national social partners and civil society in the drafting of their NRPs; calls on the Member States to include a detailed overview in their NRP explaining who was involved in what manner; calls on the Commission to take stock of the different national practices of parliamentary procedures and stakeholder involvement in the European Semester with a view to improving participation;
Amendment 181 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Calls on the Commission and Council to enter into an interinstitutional agreement with Parliament in order to give Parliament a full role in the drafting and approval of the Annual Growth Survey and the Economic Policy and Employment Guidelines.