Activities of Jean LAMBERT related to 2016/2307(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the European Semester for economic policy coordination: Employment and Social Aspects in the Annual Growth Survey 2017 PDF (385 KB) DOC (94 KB)
Amendments (48)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
- having regard to ILO Convention 102 on minimum standards for social security, and ILO Recommendation 202 on Social Protection Floors,
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (new)
Citation 4 b (new)
- having regard to the Revised European Social Charter,
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 c (new)
Citation 4 c (new)
- having regard to Sustainable Development Goal 1 – End Poverty in all its forms everywhere, and in particular Target 3 - Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 d (new)
Citation 4 d (new)
- having regard to the Commission Recommendation of 20 February 2013 entitled 'Investing in children: breaking the cycle of disadvantage' (COM(2013) 778),
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas unemployment in the EU has been falling, 8 million new jobs have been created since 2013, and unemployment stood at 8.6 % in September 2016, reaching its lowest level since 2009; whereas the rate of in-work poverty remains high;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas, based on country reports1a, the gender gap is still significant, remaining one of the main barriers for achieving gender equality and an unacceptable form of gender discrimination, and urgent efforts are needed to narrow the gap in the employment rate between men and women; 1a COM(2016) 95 final/2.
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the EU2020 aims at reducing poverty by lifting at least 20 million people out of the risk of poverty or social exclusion by 2020; whereas there were in 2015 119 million people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, around 3.5 million less than in 2014; whereas it is a challenge to achieve the EU2020 target and therefore more efforts are needed;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the youth unemployment rate at EU level stands at 18.6 % and 4.2 million young people are unemployed, including 2.9 million in the euro area; whereas the level of youth unemployment remains markedly higher than at its low point in 2008; whereas low wages, sometimes below the poverty level, unpaid internships, lack of quality training and lack of rights at work unfortunately remain characteristics of youth employment;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas people with disabilities continue to be significantly excluded from the labour market, with very little improvement over the past decade, in part due to a lack of investment in appropriate support measures; stresses that this often leads to poverty and social exclusion and therefore negatively impacts on the EU2020 target;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas there are a number of positive economic developments in the EU, signalling the resilience and recovery of the European economy while the social developments are not similarly progressing, with a remaining high rate of poverty, in-work poverty, long-term unemployment and rising inequality;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) has not developed any sufficient potential for investment in social infrastructure and whereas this is a lost opportunity that must be urgently addressed; whereas EFSI has mainly led to investment in other sectors where there are already approved 69 projects in 18 countries and signed 56 operations, and this is expected to lead to more than 22 EUR billion in investment and to involve around 71 000 SMEs;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
G a. whereas the gender pay gap is currently at 16% and the gender pension gap at 38%, exposing women to a higher risk of poverty or social exclusion as they age;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
G b. whereas Healthy Life Expectancy of women has been receding from 62.6 in 2010 to 61.5 in 2013, with a slight increase in 2014 and has been stagnating for men at 61.4;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the fact that in the Annual Growth Survey 2017 emphasis is placed on the importance of ensuring social fairnessjustice as a means of stimulating more inclusive growth, as well as on creating jobs, and enhancing skills and on the need to strengthen competitiveness, innovation and productivity; regrets the absence of serious efforts to combat poverty and rising inequality, increase investment in social infrastructure and support those hit hardest by austerity measures, as these are proven measures to support both inclusive growth and economic recovery;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Highlights that the European Semester cycle still lacks a child-centred approach including commitment to children's rights, mainstreaming of combatting child poverty and well-being objectives across all relevant policy areas of policy making, including budgetary decision making; stresses that a strategic approach with clear objectives and targets is necessary to break the cycle of disadvantage;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Calls for the inclusion of additional social and environmental indicators which should be on at least an equal footing with the rest of the MIP indicators; is of the opinion that such indicators must also be able to trigger corrective action and not merely to 'monitor' the overall socioeconomic situation; insists that excessive unemployment, inequality and poverty are also threatening imbalances for the Eurozone; recalls its repeated requests to adopt indicators regarding resource efficiency, indicators on unit capital costs and other indicators relevant for monitoring progress towards updated EU2020 objectives, including non-cost competitiveness-related indicators in fields such as R&D, education and training;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. Calls on the European Commission to define and quantify its concept of social fairness, taking into account both employment and social policies, to be achieved through the 2016 Annual Growth Survey and European Semester;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1 d. Reminds the invite of the European Council2a to use the gender equality annual reports in the context of the European Semester to enhance gender mainstreaming; reiterates the goal of coordinating economic and fiscal policies in the Member States can only be achieved if policies on equality are also coordinated; 2a Council conclusions on Gender equality 337/16
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1 e. Regrets the absence of gender mainstreaming in the Europe 2020 strategy, and calls on the Commission and the Council to introduce into the strategy a gender equality pillar and an overarching gender equality objective;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 f (new)
Paragraph 1 f (new)
1 f. Reiterates its call for including a gender mainstreaming approach and policies targeted at equality between women and men throughout the European Semester process; calls on the Commission to continue to provide CSRs with regard to improved childcare services and long term care and with regard to flexible work arrangements that can have a positive impact on the labour market participation of women;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines that the implementation of the Youth Guarantee should be strengthened at national, regional and local level, and stresses its importance for school-to-work transitions; highlights that Member States should ensure that the Youth Guarantee is fully open to all groups, including persons with disabilities; stresses that this is not the case in all Member States and calls on Member States to remedy this as soon as possible as this is counter to the UN CRPD;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Reiterates its call on the Commission and Member States to use gender disaggregated data in European Semester monitoring process, and to define additional gender-specific indicators for example to monitor the gender employment gaps;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Calls on the Member States to incorporate the gender dimension and the principle of equality between women and men in their National Reform Programmes and stability and convergence programmes through the setting of qualitative targets and measures that address persisting gender gaps;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2 c. Notes that social protection, including pensions and services such as healthcare, child care and long-term care, are essential for balanced and inclusive growth and can support to increase the employment rate and to reducing the gender gap; but reminds that the fiscal consolidation policies and structural reforms such as pensions systems and labour market reforms have disproportionately affected women and have increased gender inequalities in the EU;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the small increase in the employment rate; is highly concerned that high unemployment continues especially in countries still suffering from the crisis; agrees with the Commission that high levels of inequality reduce the output of the economy and the potential for sustainable growth; deplores that this statement is not followed by adequate action to tackle the problem; recognises the increasing phenomena of in-work poverty as a consequence of deteriorating wage and working conditions which must be addressed as part of any actions towards employment and social protection; encourages the Member States to make further efforts in order to reach the Europe 2020 employment rate target of 75 %;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Recognises, however, that employment support and measures to improve active labour market participation need to be part of a broader rights-centred approach to tackling social exclusion and poverty, which takes into consideration children, families and their specific needs;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Welcomes the reminder to EU Member States that welfare systems need to be anchored in strong social standards, and that promoting work-life balance and addressing discrimination contribute not just to social fairness but also to growth. Underlines that parents' reintegration into the labour market should be supported by creating the conditions for a quality and inclusive employment and working environment, enabling parents to balance their work and parenting role;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Underlines thatPoints out that the European economy has not recovered enough to provide employment for all job seekers and unemployed; recognises that alongside job creation, by e.g. public investment, the integration of long-term unemployed individuals into work through individually tailored measures is a key factor for fighting their poverty and social exclusion and contributing to the sustainability of national social security systems; highlights, in this context, the importance of skills and competences acquired in non-formal and informal learning environmentswhere decent work is available; stresses that integrating those furthest from the labour market has a double effect of benefitting the individual as well as stabilizing social security systems and supporting the economy;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Highlights, in this context, the importance of skills and competences acquired in non-formal and informal learning environments; regrets the continuing low rates of public investment as such investment can be an important trigger for job creation; stresses that the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) has not developed any sufficient potential for investment in social infrastructure and this is a lost opportunity that must be urgently addressed;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. NotDeplores that the percentage of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion remains high; points out that high levels of inequality and poverty affect social cohesion and reduce the output of the economy and the potential for sustainable growth; regrets that policies to address this efficiently are either absent or lack the necessary ambition to have sufficient economic leverage; requests Member States to accelerate their actions towards the achievement of the Europe 2020 target to reduce the number of persons at risk of poverty by 20 million;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that education is a fundamental right that should be guaranteed to all children, and disparities in the availability and quality of education should be addressed to strengthen comprehensive schooling and reduce early school leaving; stresses that in the absence of enough jobs, up-skilling and skills matching are labour supply tools only for finding existing jobs; stresses that matching skills and qualifications with demand and job opportunities is a precondition forcan be supportive to creating a competitn inclusive EU labour market; calls on Member States to better align education and training with labour market needs across the EU; takes the view thatbelieves that guidance and counselling which address individual needs and focus on the evaluation and expansion of individual skills must be a core element of education and skills policies from an early stage on in every person's education;; takes the view that better skills matching and improved mutual recognition of qualifications will be beneficial for overcoming the gap between skills shortages and mismatches on the European labour market and jobseekers, especially young people;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines that insufficient investment in education, and especially in digital skills, mais already undermineing Europe’'s competitive position and the employavailability of itsskilled workforce, including recently arrived refugees and migrants; calls on the Member States to prioritise comprehensive training in digital skills for people of all ages and to take into account the shift towards the digital economyjust transition in the context of upskilling and retraining;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Welcomes the new policy and investment framework provided by the Paris agreement, which will contribute to the creation of new employment opportunities in the low carbon and low emission sectors; emphasises that a transition towards sustainable societies and economies, including sustainable patterns of consumption and production, can generate the potential both to create new quality jobs and to transform existing employment into green jobs in virtually all sectors and across the entire value chain; stresses the need for a greater emphasis on bridging the skills gap in the green economy and calls on the Commission to help foster skills development through the updating of qualifications and corresponding education and training curricula at the EU level;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Welcomes the explicit mention of childcare, housing, healthcare and education in relation to improving access to quality services; however points out that the focus is still on removing obstacles to labour market mobility rather than on affordability;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Member States to provide labour inspectorates or other relevant public bodies with more and better adequate resources to enforce efficiently labour rights for all, thereby ensuring a fair level playing field for businesses complying with high standards and to address the issue of undeclared work and abusive work practices, as well as to reinforce labour inspection mechanisms and design measures to enable workers to move from the grey to the formal economy in order to have access to employment and social protection systems;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that social and solidarity enterprises, micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are important for sustainable and inclusive development and job creation; stresses that their stakeholders argue for targeting their needs in policies and legislation instead of blanco exemptions; calls on the Commission and the Member States to give greater consideration to the interests of MSMEs in the policy-making process;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Encourages the Commission and member States to focus on the status of self-entrepreneurs to ensure adequate social protection for sickness, accident, unemployment and pension of the self- employed;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Member States to make more active use of the European Structural and Investment Funds into address employment and social priorities and support of the implementation of those country- specific recommendations addressing in an inclusive manner social and employment matters; acknowledges that the European Structural and Investment Funds must also continue to be used independently of the Semester process in order to ensure that they cover the full diversity of investment needs throughout all European regions; highlights that further efforts should be made to simplify procedures and to remove barriers for civil society to access funds;
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Highlights that European funds and programmes such as Erasmus for Entrepreneurs, the European Employment Services (EURES), the programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME), the programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) havinclude the potential to facilitate access to financing and boost investment and, therefore, entrepreneurship; recalls the importance of the partnership principle, the bottom-up approach and adequate resource allocation; calls on the Commission to ensure the close monitoring of the use of EU funds to make sure that they are effective ;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Highlights the importance ofat the EFSI inhas so far as it permitsnot been particularly successful in improveding social and economic convergence ofbetween Member States and their regions within the Union; calls on the Commission nor in targeting social infrastructure; calls urgently on the Commission to support social enterprises in being able to access the EFSI; calls on the Commission and the European Investment Bank to take additional and pro-active steps to ensure that all Member States are fully using the possibility of accessing this fundnd sectors are being appropriately targeted in view of accessing EFSI, in particular those contributing directly to tackling poverty, social exclusion and climate change; calls on the Commission to monitor and control investments under the EFSI and to measure their economic and social impact;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Points out to the Member States, in view of the ageing of Europe’'s citizens, the need to ensure the sustainability, safety, adequacy and effectiveness of social security systems over the coming decades; encourages the Member States, therefore, to develop strategies to ensure that more people can continue to be active participants in societyinvest in public health promotion and disease prevention while ensuring and improving the sustainability, safety, adequacy and effectiveness of social protection systems and the provision of quality long term social services over the coming decades; encourages the Member States, therefore, to develop strategies to ensure adequate funding, staffing and development of such systems and services and to extend the coverage of social security systems for the benefit of society and the individual; urges especially the Commission, Member States and social partners to encourage higher employment rates for all age groups and, especially working to reduce gender segregation;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Underlines the need for the Commission to monitor evolutions in homelessness and housing exclusion, in addition to house price evolutions in the Member States; calls for urgent action to address rising levels of homelessness and housing exclusion in many Member States; is concerned about the potential social consequences of the high volume of non-performing loans on banks' balance sheets, especially the Commission's statement that sale to non-bank specialized institutions should be encouraged, which could lead to waves of evictions; encourages Member States, the Commission and the EIB to use the European Fund for Social Investment in social infrastructure including to implement the right to adequate, affordable housing for all;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Notes that reforms in the health and long-term care sectors have focussed on cost-efficiency, but have also often provoked a reduction of services or an increase of out-of-pocket payments by patients; is concerned about the recent stagnation or reduction of the healthy life years indicator; calls for reforms in health and long-term care systems to focus on the development of health prevention and promotion, the maintenance of quality universally accessible health care services and the reduction of inequalities in access to health care services;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Member States to increase the coverage and effectiveness of active labour market policies, in close cooperation with social partners and other stakeholders; welcomes the AGS 2017 call for more effort into measures aiming to support the labour market inclusion of disadvantaged groups in view of its long- term positive economic and social impact;
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Member States to set minimum social standardsambitious social standards especially by introducing adequate minimum income schemes across the whole life span, where these do not exist, and by closing the gaps in adequate minimum income schemes created by insufficient coverage or non- take-up; encourages the Commission to draft a proposal for a Framework Directive on Adequate Minimum Income Schemes, which could provide a benchmark for nationally defined minimum incomes and a common methodology for assessing their adequacy e.g. by using reference budgets; welcomes the recognition of the need for increased resources to support migrants including refugees in many Member States and the recognition that the impact is manageable from a macroeconomic point of view; calls on the European Commission to recognise the need to accommodate such spending when assessing budgets and national reform programmes; calls on the European Commission to support Member States who wish to develop policies that represent investment in human capital by invoking flexibility in budget analysis and discussion;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Calls on Member States to place a greater emphasis on breaking the cycle of poverty and promoting equality; calls on the European Commission to make stronger recommendations to Member States regarding social inclusion and protection, looking also beyond the labour force, and in particular on investing in children;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the involvement in the European Semester process of the social partners, the national parliaments and other relevant stakeholders from civil society; reiterates that social dialoguand civil dialogue is key to achieve sustained change that benefits the whole society and therefore must be pursued in all phases of the Semester;
Amendment 328 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Suggests involving the European Institute for Gender Equality more closely in the European Semester;