Activities of Konstantinos POUPAKIS related to 2010/2239(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Adequate, sustainable and safe European pension systems (debate)
Amendments (22)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas people are entering the labour force at a later age due to unemployment rates that particularly affect poorly qualified young people, or due to longer and higher education, and on average people leave the labour market earlier than the legal pension age, and longevity is increasing,
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers that long-term investment in pension systems requires a positive approach as part of economic governance and more particularly in the Stability and Growth Pact; calls on the competent bodies in the Member States to promote social inclusion and combat undeclared work in order to improve the balance of pension systems;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Regrets that the Green Paper does not devote any attention to the gender issue, particularly bearing in mind that, because of disparities in careers, women have smaller pensions on average; wants specific attention to therefore be paid to the situation of women and in particular to considering maternity leave as time actually worked providing entitlement to retirement benefits;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Given that a large proportion of female workers are employed in atypical and very atypical forms of work, whilst there continues to be a 17% wage gap between men and women, because of which female workers receive lower pensions on average, calls on the Member States, with the assistance of the Commission, to intensify their efforts to effectively combat discrimination in relation to work and, consequently, pension benefits;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Considers that effectively tackling unemployment and creating new, sustainable, high-quality jobs are important factors in ensuring that pension funds are adequate;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Considers that Member States are themselves responsible for making adequate pension provision for their citizens as part of their social and economic policies and that those Member States should be encouraged to put in place a minimum old-age pension for all, putting the emphasis on those who are most vulnerable, especially disabled people;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 α. Calls on the Commission to set up a pensions observatory to study and assess the economic and social impact of the structural changes introduced in the Member States, as well as the effectiveness of each pension system in the light of the objective of ensuring that pension benefits are adequate and pension funds are financially sustainable;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Considers that, in view of demographic trends and the need to ensure that pensions can be paid for, it is necessary for more people to participate in the labour market and to do so for longer; observes that life expectancy is growing and calls on Member States to consider linking the statutory retirement age to life expectancy, together with quality of life and health, in an effort to achieve a balance between the length of working life and the length of retirement;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 α. Considers it would be useful, given that more and more young people are entering the labour market later because of the longer duration of higher education, for there to be a formula linking practice, study and work experience programmes with the social security systems;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Considers that, for older employees performing physically and/or mentally demanding work during or towards the end of their career, a labour market geared to flexibility and security must offer creative solutions such as greater flexibility in the statutory retirement age, part-time pensions or adapted working conditions, with the emphasis on ability to work, promoting transitional measures and versatility to enable people to transfer from one job to another, with the effective support of lifelong learning programmes, to strike a lasting balance between the requirements of employment and the capacities of workers; considers there to be a need for an active policy to prevent discrimination on grounds of age;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 α. Calls on the Member States to combat effectively the practice of making workers approaching retirement redundant by providing more support for job-seeking services and training to enhance their employability, and to examine the possibility of subsidising, jointly with employers, part of their insurance contributions under certain terms and conditions, such as age, possibility of reintegration into the labour market, etc.;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18 b. Calls on the Member States, in the context of the reforms and the extension of working life, and with the assistance of the Commission, to intensify their efforts to promote health at work through more effective implementation of the directives on health and safety at work, and by creating a culture which promotes health among the workforce, with the emphasis on small and medium-sized businesses;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18 c. Stresses that, in the case of intellectually and physically demanding jobs, lifelong learning is a useful tool for giving older workers the opportunity to carry on working by performing other tasks;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Considers that there is a need to reinforce mutual recognition between the Member States of training courses which could improve the match between supply and demand on the job market at European level, thus helping to meet the EU 2020 strategy target of a 75% employment rate;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 α. Considers that, in the light of the marked differences between the Member States' individual pension systems, greater use should be made of the open coordination method for the exchange of best practice and experience in relation to pension systems, particularly in the context of the structural changes which are in progress to ensure that pension systems are sustainable and pension benefits are adequate;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 α. Calls on the Member States, with the assistance of the Commission, to adopt effective policies to help the disabled gain access to employment and training and to activate that section of the population, which will both increase the revenue of the funds and secure a decent standard of living for the disabled;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls on the Member States to put measures in place to protect workers' health and safety at work as soon as they enter the job market;
Amendment 317 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21 b. Calls on the Member States, with the assistance of the Commission, to support efforts to promote the economic integration of immigrants by combating undeclared work and improving the employability of the immigrant section of the population;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
Paragraph 21 c (new)
21 c. Calls on the Member States, in cooperation with the EU, to take initiatives to facilitate access to the labour market for students who wish to work while pursuing their studies;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Considers therefore that there is a need to improve information and advice to members of pension schemes by setting up, where needed, one-stop-shops to give an efficient and precise response to the requests of those who have worked in several Member States;
Amendment 458 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35 α. Stresses that correct information and transparency in relation to pension systems is extremely important; proposes that one-stop-shops should be set up to provide information on the operation of the pension systems, and obligations and benefits in order to create a workforce that knows its rights and obligations, whilst at the same time facilitating workers' mobility;