Activities of Marije CORNELISSEN related to 2010/0115(NLE)
Plenary speeches (1)
Guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT Report on the proposal for a Council decision on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States: Part II of the Europe 2020 Integrated Guidelines PDF (493 KB) DOC (603 KB)
Amendments (40)
Amendment 8 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 8 a (new)
Recital 8 a (new)
(8a) Where Member States consider making cuts in public spending, especially in the fields of care and education, they should first consider the effects of such cuts on female employment.
Amendment 13 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 13 a (new)
Recital 13 a (new)
(13a) In reporting on employment rates, Member States should provide clear and comparable data, broken down by gender, which correctly reflect the proportion of work which allows the worker to be economically independent, part-time employment and part-time unemployment in labour force statistics.
Amendment 14 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex - Guideline 7 - Title
Annex - Guideline 7 - Title
Increasing labour market participation and, reducing structural unemployment and promoting gender equality
Amendment 15 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex -Guideline 7 - paragraph 1
Annex -Guideline 7 - paragraph 1
Member States should promote productivity and employability through an adequate supply of knowledge and skills to match current and future demand in the labour market. Quality initial education and attractive vocational training must be complemented with effective incentives for lifelong learning, second-chance opportunities, ensuring every adult the chance to move one step up in their qualification, and by targeted migration and integration policies. Member States should develop systems for recognising acquired competencies, remove barriers to occupational and geographical mobility of workers, promote the acquisition of transversal competences and creativity, and focus their efforts particularly on supporting those with low skills and increasing the employability of older workers, while at the same time enhance the training, skills and experience of highly skilled workers, including researchers, while ensuring equal access and promoting the equal participation of women and men.
Amendment 18 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex - Guideline 7 - paragraph 3
Annex - Guideline 7 - paragraph 3
In order to increase competitiveness and raise participation levels, particularly for the low-skilled, and in line with economic policy guideline 2, Member States should review tax and benefit systems and the capacity of public services to provide the necessary support, including removing disincentives to female labour -market participation. Member States should increase labour force participation through policies to promote active ageing, gender equality and equal pay and labour market integration of young people, disabled, legal migrants and other vulnerable groups. Work-life balance policies with the provision of affordable care and innovation in work organisation should be geared to raising employment rates, particularly among youth, older workers and women, in particulshould be geared to raising employment rates, particularly among youth, older workers and women. Active measures should be taken to increase the participation of women in scientific and technical fields, to retain them and to increase their chances of promotion. In order to improve the possibilities for combining work and private life for men and women, Member States should grant employees the right to part-time work and flexibility with regard to retain highly- skilled women in scientific and technical fieldsworking hours and the work place, access to affordable, flexible and high- quality childcare and care for other dependants and adequate maternity, paternity, filial and adoption leave. Member States should also remove barriers to labour market entry for newcomers, support self-employment and job creation in areas including green employment and care and promote social innovation.
Amendment 20 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex - Guideline 7 - paragraph 3 a (new)
Annex - Guideline 7 - paragraph 3 a (new)
Specific measures should be taken to address the barriers faced by women, especially older women, young women, migrant women, minority women, lesbian women, transgenders and women with disabilities, in entering the labour market, including those which actively combat the forms of discrimination and social exclusion that they face.
Amendment 23 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex - Guideline 7 - paragraph 4
Annex - Guideline 7 - paragraph 4
The EU headline target, on the basis of which Member States will set their national targets, is of aiming to bring by 2020 to 75% the employment rate for women and men aged 20-64 including through the greater participation of youth, older workers and low skilled workers and the better integration of legal migrants. Member States should aim to ensure that at least 50% of female employment provides economic independence. The gender pay- gap should be reduced to 0-5% by 2020.
Amendment 25 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex - Guideline 7 b (new)
Annex - Guideline 7 b (new)
Amendment 26 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex - Guideline 8 - paragraph 1
Annex - Guideline 8 - paragraph 1
Member States should promote productivity and employability through an adequate supply of knowledge and skills to match current and future demand in the labour market. Quality initial education and attractive vocational training must be complemented with effective incentives for lifelong learning, second-chance opportunities, ensuring every adult the chance to move one step up in their qualification, and by targeted migration and integration policies. Member States should develop systems for recognising acquired competencies, remove barriers to occupational and geographical mobility of workers, promote the acquisition of transversal competences and creativity, and focus their efforts particularly on supporting those with low skills and increasing the employability of older workers, while at the same time enhance the training, skills and experience of highly skilled workers, including researchers while ensuring equal access and promoting the equal participation of women and men.
Amendment 28 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex - Guideline 8 - paragraph 2
Annex - Guideline 8 - paragraph 2
In cooperation with social partners and business, Member States should improve access to training, strengthen education and career guidance combined with systematic information on new job openings and opportunities, promotion of entrepreneurship and enhanced anticipation of skill needs with specific attention to the equal participation of women and men. Investment in human resource development, up-skilling and participation in lifelong learning schemes should be promoted through joint financial contributions from governments, individuals and employers. To support young people and in particular those not in employment, education or training, Member States in cooperation with the social partners, should enact schemes to help recent graduates find initial employment or further education and training opportunities, including apprenticeships, and intervene rapidly when young people become unemployed. Regular monitoring of the performance of up-skilling and anticipation policies should help identify areas for improvement and increase the responsiveness of education and training systems to labour market needs. EU funds should be fully mobilised by Member States to support these objectives
Amendment 31 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex - Guideline 9 - paragraph 1
Annex - Guideline 9 - paragraph 1
In order to ensure access to quality education and training for all and to improve educational outcomes, Member States should invest efficiently in education and training systems notably to raise the skill level of the EU's workforce, allowing it to meet the rapidly changing needs of modern labour markets. Action should cover all sectors (from early childhood education and schools through to higher education, vocational education and training, as well as adult training) taking also into account learning in informal and non-formal contexts and contribute to decreasing gender segregation by occupation, sector and rank in the labour market. Reforms should aim to ensure the acquisition of the key competencies that every individual needs for success in a knowledge-based economy, notably in terms of employability, further learning, or ICT skills. Steps should be taken to ensure learning mobility of young people and teachers becomes the norm. Member States should improve the openness and relevance of education and training systems, particularly by implementing national qualification frameworks enabling flexible learning pathways and by developing partnerships between the worlds of education/training and work. The teaching profession should be made more attractive. Higher education should become more open to non-traditional learners and participation in tertiary or equivalent education should be increased. With a view to reducing the number of young people not in employment, education, or training, Member States should take all necessary steps to prevent early school leaving.
Amendment 32 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) The Treaty on European Union stipulates in Article 3.3 that the Union shall combat social exclusion and discrimination, and shall promote social justice and protection and provides for the Union's initiatives to ensure coordination of Member States' social policies. Article 9 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides that in defining and implementing its policies and activities, the Union shall take into account requirements linked to the promotion of a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection and, the fight against social exclusion and a high level of education and training.
Amendment 34 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex - Guideline 10 - paragraph 1
Annex - Guideline 10 - paragraph 1
Member States’ efforts to reduce poverty should be aimed at promoting full participation in society and economy and extending employment opportunities, making full use of the European Social Fund. Efforts should also concentrate on ensuring equal opportunities, including through access to affordable, sustainable and high quality services and public services (including online services, in line with guideline 4) and in particular health care. Member States should put in place effective anti-discrimination measures. Equally, to fight social exclusion, empower people and promote labour market participation, social protection systems, lifelong learning and active inclusion policies should be enhanced to create opportunities at different stages of people’s lives and shield them from the risk of exclusion. Social security and pension systems must be modernised to ensure that they can be fully deployed to ensure adequate income support and access to healthcare for each individual — thus providing social cohesion — whilst at the same time remaining financially sustainable. Benefit systems should focus on ensuring income security during transitions and reducing poverty, in particular among groups most at risk from social exclusion, such as one- parent families, minorities, people with disabilities, children and young people, elderly women and men, legal migrants and the homeless. Member States should also actively promote the social economy and social innovation in support of the most vulnerable.
Amendment 66 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 8 a (new)
Recital 8 a (new)
(8 a) Europe 2020 should be a strategy to put people and planet first, to achieve a sustainable economy, to create more and better jobs and to tackle the challenges for the labour market arising from an ageing society, the current economic crisis and the requirements of a future sustainable economy.
Amendment 69 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 8 b (new)
Recital 8 b (new)
(8 b) National budgets and the EU budget, including the European Funds, should be coordinated and geared towards preparing society for a sustainable economy. Moreover, in their public finance policy, particularly in the case of budget cuts, Member States should consider the requirements of a transition to a sustainable economy in an ageing society, specifically the need for quality services and the need to invest in education, and should prevent any disproportionate effect on women’s employment.
Amendment 76 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) Within the Europe 2020 strategy, Member States should implement reforms aimed at "smart growth", i.e. growth driven by knowledge and innovation. Reforms should aim at strengthening decent work, improving the quality of education, ensuring access for all, and strengthening research and business performance in order to promote innovation and knowledge transfer throughout the EU. They should encourage entrepreneurship and help to turn creative ideas into innovative products, services and processes that can create growth, quality jobs, territorial, economic and social cohesion, and address more efficiently European and global societal challenges. Making the most of information and communication technologies is essential in this context.
Amendment 87 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) Member States should also, through their reform programmes, aim at "sustainable growth" and decent work. Sustainable growth means building a resource-efficient, sustainable and competitive economy, a fair distribution of the cost and benefits and exploiting Europe's leadership in the race to develop new processes and technologies, including green technologies. Member States should implement the necessary reforms to reduce greenhouse gases emissions and use resources efficiently. They should also improve the business environment, stimulate creation of green jobs and modernise their industrial base.
Amendment 100 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) Member States" reform programmes should also aim at "inclusive growth". Inclusive growth means building a cohesive society in which people are empowered to anticipate and manage change, thus to actively participate in society and economy. Member States" reforms should therefore ensure access and opportunities for all throughout the lifecycle, thus reducing poverty and social exclusion, through removing barriers to labour market participation especially for women, older workers, young people, disabled and legalpeople with disabilities and migrants. They should also make sure that the benefits of economic growth reach all citizens and all regions. Ensuring effective functioning of the labour markets through investing in successful transitions, appropriate skills development, rising job quality and fighting segmentation, structural unemployment and inactivity while ensuring adequate, sustainable social protection and active inclusion to reduce poverty should therefore be at the heart of Member States" reform programmes.
Amendment 102 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 11 a (new)
Recital 11 a (new)
(11 a) In the context of the 'inclusive growth' objective, Member States should, at the initiative of the Commission, set an appropriate legislative framework for the new forms of work. Moreover, Member States should prepare to adapt working conditions and working time better to the needs of the employees.
Amendment 117 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 13 a (new)
Recital 13 a (new)
(13 a) In reporting on employment rates, Member States should provide clear gender segregated and comparable data which correctly reflects the percentage of the work providing economic independence, part time employment and part time unemployment in labour force statistics.
Amendment 134 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 2 a (new)
Article 2 a (new)
Article 2a When designing and implementing their national reform programmes taking account of the guidelines in the Annex, Member States shall ensure effective governance of employment and social policies. Stakeholders, including those at regional and local level, parliamentary bodies and social partners as well as civil society organisations, in particular providers of social services, where appropriate shall be closely involved throughout the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of those programmes as well as in the definition of targets and indicators. The EU headline targets, as set out in the Annex, shall be followed up with appropriate sub-targets and indicators, including outcome and result indicators, as well as national targets, indicators and scoreboards. Member States shall take those targets and indicators into account, along with the guidelines and any country-specific recommendations addressed to them by the Council. Member States shall closely monitor the employment and social impact of reforms implemented under respective national reform programmes. When reporting on the application of the guidelines in the Annex, Member States shall follow the structure to be agreed at EU level and shall include the same elements in order to ensure clarity, transparency and comparability among the Member States. National action plans must explicitly outline national tailored targets contributing to the EU headline targets according to national possibilities. Member States must invest in active monitoring and detailed statistics. To truly deliver results and strengthen the impact of the Employment Guidelines and the National Reform Plans, Member States shall face consequences in cases of non- compliance.
Amendment 140 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 7 – title
Annex – Guideline 7 – title
Guideline 7: Increasing labour market participintegration and reducing structural unemployment
Amendment 142 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph -1 (new)
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph -1 (new)
To overcome persistent unemployment in the European Union and to tackle poverty it is essential to improve labour market integration and to foster job creation across Europe. Member States and the European Union should focus their job creation efforts on: - supporting transition for enterprises and workers from sectors with declining numbers of jobs to workplaces in sectors where new and sustainable jobs are being created; - creating support infrastructure for new areas of the economy that have potential for creating sustainable jobs; - investment in training, innovation and research especially for SMEs as major labour market drivers; - strengthening the jobs potential of services of general interest, linking the goal of job creation with the positive active inclusion aspects; - aligning public investment towards sustainable quality work; To improve labour market integration Member States and the EU should focus on improving access for those outside the labour market while improving working conditions, in particular those of low- quality jobs and adapting workplaces to the needs of a diverse and ageing workforce.
Amendment 146 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph -1 a (new)
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph -1 a (new)
Member States should increase labour force participation through policies to promote active ageing, gender equality and equal pay and labour market integration of young people, the disabled, migrants and other vulnerable groups. Member States must effectively implement anti-discrimination legislation in order to have a more integrative labour market and to make a more diverse workforce a reality. In order to increase access to quality work for women, work-life balance policies with the provision of affordable care, the right to part-time work, flexible working hours and workplaces should be established. Also, Member States should promote an equal division of unpaid care between men and women and increase part-time work among men, in particular to retain highly- skilled women in scientific and technical fields. Member States should also remove barriers to labour market entry for newcomers, support self-employment and job creation in areas including green employment and care and promote social innovation.
Amendment 152 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 1
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 1
While the Commission has to revise the Flexicurity strategy in order to put transition security at the top of the agenda, Member States should integrate the revised flexicurity principles endorsed by the European Council into their labour market policies and apply them, making full use of European Social Fund support with a view to increasing labour market participation and combating segmentation and inactivity, gender inequality, whilst reducing structural unemploymentby providing adequate security for workers with all forms of contracts. Measures to enhance flexibility and security should be both balanced and mutually reinforcing. It must be underlined that flexibility without social security and access to life long learning is not a sustainable way of increasing employment. Member States should therefore introduce a combination of flexible and reliable employment contracts, active and inclusive labour market policies, effective lifelong learning for all employees, policies to promote labour mobility, and adequate social security systems accessible to all employees to secure professional transitions accompanied by clear rights and responsibilities for the unemployed to actively seek work, in order to assist progress into stable and legally secure employment. Upskilling needs to be recognised as an integral part of everyone's working life and as a right of each employee.
Amendment 179 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 2
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 2
Member States should step uprengthen social dialogue and tackle labour market segmentation with measures addressing temporary and precarious employment, underemployment and undeclared work. Professional mobility should be rewarded. The quality of jobs and employment conditions should be addressed by fighting low-wages, and by ensuring improved and adequate social security and labour rights also for those on fixed contracts and the self-employed. Employment services should be strengthened and open to all, including young people and those threatened by unemployment with personalised services targeting those furthest away from the labour market. Decent work as a guiding principle must govern both job creation and labour market integration.
Amendment 185 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 3
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 3
Amendment 211 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 (new)
- The female employment rate should increase to 75 % which includes at least 50% work that provides economic independence.
Amendment 212 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 2 (new)
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 2 (new)
- The employment rate for people in the age group 55 to 64 should be increased to 60%.
Amendment 213 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 3 (new)
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 3 (new)
- Young people's unemployment rate should not be higher than the general unemployment rate and should be reduced to 10% by 2015.
Amendment 214 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 4 (new)
Annex – Guideline 7 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 4 (new)
- A Youth Guarantee should be established in all Member States guaranteeing a job, an education or additional training to all young people below 25 years of age after a maximum period of four months' unemployment.
Amendment 216 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 8 – title
Annex – Guideline 8 – title
Guideline 8: Developing a skilled workforce responding to labour market needs, promoting, strengthening decent work and job quality and lifelong learning
Amendment 235 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 8 – paragraph 2
Annex – Guideline 8 – paragraph 2
Models of sharing the responsibility for ongoing skill development between the state, employers and employees need to be developed. In cooperation with social partners and business, Member States should improve access to training, strengthen education and career guidance combined with systematic information on new job openings and opportunities, promotion of entrepreneurship and enhanced anticipation of skill needs. Creating the conditions for women and girls to enter into sectors where women are heavily under-represented and to combat stereotypes that still dominate these professions is key in ensuring both gender equality and labour market supply. Investment in human resource development, up-skilling and participation in lifelong learning schemes should be promoted through joint financial contributions from governments, individuals and employers. National budgets and the EU budget including the European Social Fund and the European Globalisation Fund should be coordinated and geared to prepare the workforce for a sustainable economy. To support young people and in particular those not in employment, education or training, Member States in cooperation with the social partners, should enact schemes to help recent graduates find initial employment or further education and training opportunities, including apprenticeships, and intervene rapidly when young people become unemployed. Regular monitoring of the performance of up-skilling and anticipation policies should help identify areas for improvement and increase the responsiveness of education and training systems to labour market needs. EU funds should be fully mobilised by Member States to support these objectives.
Amendment 246 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 8 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Annex – Guideline 8 – paragraph 2 a (new)
In order to fight precarious and low- quality work, unhealthy competition and tax avoidance within the EU, Member States should create a cross-european approach to ensure the quality of work, improve working conditions of the most vulnerable and fight social dumping. Member States must also, in close cooperation with the social partners, step up on enforcement, monitoring, control and sanctions, sustainable job creation and a strategy for sustainable, green jobs.
Amendment 251 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 8 a (new)
Annex – Guideline 8 a (new)
Guideline 8a: Sustainable job creation and a strategy for sustainable, green jobs In order to achieve a smarter, more sustainable and more inclusive economy the EU needs a green jobs strategy that delivers on skills, workplace adaptation and transformation of society. Such a strategy should include smart investment to create new green jobs; incentives to transform existing jobs into green jobs; investment in training and lifelong learning to support workers in developing and enable workers to move into new jobs where necessary; a framework agreement on transition security, including the right to training and sufficient social security in times of job transition; an agreement between social partners on the right to lifelong learning and training in the workplace; and support for the adaption of skills and workplace organisation across the board; Member States and the EU should focus their job creation efforts on supporting transition for enterprises and workers of outgoing areas of industry to workplaces in sectors where new and sustainable jobs are being created; creating support infrastructure for new areas of the economy that have the potential of creating sustainable jobs; investment in training, innovation and research especially for SMEs as major labour market drivers; strengthening the job potential of Services of General interest, linking the job creation goal with the positive active inclusion aspects; aligning public investment towards sustainable quality work
Amendment 255 #
Annex – Guideline 9 – title
Guideline 9: Improving the performance of education and training systems at all levels and increasing participation in tertiary education
Amendment 264 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 9 – paragraph 1
Annex – Guideline 9 – paragraph 1
In order to ensure access to quality education and training for all and to improve educational outcomes, Member States should avoid budget cuts and invest efficiently in education and training systems notably to raise the skill level of the EU's workforce, allowing it to meet the rapidly changing needs of modern labour markets. Action should cover all sectors (from early childhood education and schools through to higher education, vocational education and training, as well as adult training) taking also into account learning in informal and non-formal contexts. Reforms should aim to ensure the acquisition of the key competencies that every individual needs for success in a knowledge-based economy, notably in terms of employability, further learning, or ICT skills. Steps should be taken to ensure learning mobility of young people and teachers becomes the norm. Member States should improve the openness and relevance of education and training systems, particularly by implementing national qualification frameworks enabling flexible learning pathways and by developing partnerships between the worlds of education/training and work. The teaching profession should be made more attractive. Higher education should become more open to non-traditional learners and participation in tertiary or equivalent education should be increased. With a view to reducing the number of young people not in employment, education, or training, Member States should take all necessary steps to prevent early school leaving.
Amendment 286 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 10 – paragraph 1
Annex – Guideline 10 – paragraph 1
Member States" efforts to reduce poverty should be aimed at promoting decent working and living conditions, full participation in society and economy and extending employment opportunities, making full use of the European Social Fund. Efforts should also concentrate on ensuring equal opportunities, including through access to affordable, sustainable and high quality services and public services (including online services, in line with guideline 4) and in particular health carein the social, employment, health and housing fields. Member States should put in place effective anti-discrimination measures. Equally, to fight social exclusion, empower people and promote labour market participation, social protection systems, lifelong learning and active inclusion policies should be enhanced to create opportunities at different stages of people's lives and shield them from the risk of exclusion. Social security and pension systems must be modernised to ensure that they can be fully deployed to ensure adequate income support and access to healthcare thus providing social cohesion whilst at the same time remaining financially sustainable. Benefit systems should focus on ensuring income security during transitions and reducing poverty, in particular among groups most at risk from social exclusion, such as one- parent families, minorities, migrants, people with disabilities, children and young people, elderly women and men, legal migrants and the homeless. Member States should also actively promote the social economy and social innovation in support of the most vulnerable. Member States should guarantee high minimum standards for job quality so as to eradicate poverty among employed people.
Amendment 293 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 10 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Annex – Guideline 10 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Member States shall define targets for the reduction of the number of working poor and of the number of workers earning poverty wages.
Amendment 294 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex – Guideline 10 – paragraph 2 b (new)
Annex – Guideline 10 – paragraph 2 b (new)
Guideline 10 should be seen as a first step towards a future Guideline on Social inclusion and towards broadening the Treaty base for the next Broad Economic, Employment and Social Guidelines.