46 Amendments of Verónica LOPE FONTAGNÉ related to 2014/2222(INI)
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas despite of the economic and social context in the EU continues to be bleak, with negative growth rates in the eurozone for the past two years, and with growth now stalled at around 0 %a turnaround has been experienced in the EU economy, where forecasts show a growth in all Member States for 2015 and 2016; whereas forecasts have systemically been revised downwards by the Commission, as has been done for 2015 and 2016; whereas recovery is neithershould be robust norand underpinned and reforms must continue to meet employment and social demands;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas fiscal responsibility has to continue to guarantee not only the success and sustainability of the structural reforms carried out but also those needed to be implemented to foster economic growth and job creation;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas fiscal policies should be differentiated and appropriated, depending on the situation of each Member State;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas Europe has to tackle the rapid ageing of its population as soon as possible;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas in spite of mild improvements, the unemployment rate remains historically high, with 25 million people out of work; whereas long-term unemployment is worryingly high, and 12 million people have been unemployed for more than a year (up 4 % over the previous year); whereas the labour market situation is particularly critical for young people, in some cases, regardless of their level of education;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas high unemployment levels, excessive focus on wage depression to regain competitiveness, and a decline in spendingmeasures carried out have been necessary to avoid bankruptcy onf social protection in almost all Member States, have led to significant reductions in household gross disposable incomes, leaving millions of European families at risk of exclusion, and have increased inequalities alarmingly; whereasme Member States and to guarantee the sustainability and viability of the EU economy and the welfare state, one in four Europeans are at risk of poverty; whereas underemployment and precariousness has peaked and, for 50 % of all job seekers, securing employment is not enough to lift them out of poverty;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas poverty reduction is not just one of the main goals in Europe 2020 but also a social responsibility for Member States;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
E b. whereas employment is the best way out of poverty, efforts must be focused on facilitating its access, in particular to those furthest away from the labour market
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
F a. whereas Art. 174 TFUE provides that "In order to promote its overall harmonious development, the Union shall develop and pursue its actions leading to the strengthening of its economic, social and territorial cohesion. In particular, rural areas, areas affected by industrial transition, and regions which suffer from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps such as the northernmost regions with very low population density and islands, cross- border and mountain regions";
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
F b. whereas regions which suffer from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps usually have higher unemployment rates, less economic growth and a lack of significant investment aimed to improve their potential;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas Parliament has for the past two years warned of the social risks of deflation in a context of low growth, high unemployment and downward pressure on wages; whereas the ECB has forecast low inflation in the long run, and has warned of the consequences of this on internal demand, growth and employment; whereas deflation has become a reality since August 2014 in eight Member States (six in the eurozone); whereas demand and job creation in the EU is heavily constrained by the prevailing weakness of credit provision to SMEs and the need to reduce excessive public and private debt; whereas the drop in inflation rates significantly increases these difficulties, by raising real interest rates and the real debt burden, and could lead to a vicious circle of economic depression, in particular for the falling in energy prices, mainly oil, but it is expected to increase moderately in the coming years;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
G a. whereas an expansionary monetary policy can be used to foster exportations as a way to improve the EU economy in the short term;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
G b. whereas low interest rates can be used to boost investments in the EU;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas austerity has lessened as the pace of fiscal consolidation has increased, and as new headline targets – focusing more on structural than on cyclical deficits – have been introduced; whereas, in spite of this, the size of fiscal multipliers in the current context is still very high, and the need to accomplish the medium-term objective and the debt objective will inevitably have a significant negative impact on economic growth and job creationefforts have to be made in order to reduce debt;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas investment in quality jobs, human capital, research and innovation must be the topone of the priorityies for both the Commission and the Member States, as investment in these areas are essential not only to ensuring a recovery but also to expanding the EU’s economic potential to grow and to create prosperity;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas Digital Single Market is essential for jobs, growth and innovation and that a connected Digital Single Market could generate up to EUR 260 billion per year;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission to introduce a much-needed, expansionary economicmonetary policy to boost smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and to create quality jobs; stresses that low inflation is already increasing real interest rates as well as real public and private debt, which, together with high unemployment, depresses growth and increases poverty;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Calls on the Commission and member States to ensure fiscal responsibility as a way to guarantee economic growth, job creation and the welfare state;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Is concerned that the EU is caught in an investment trap whereby investments have fallen more than EUR 400 billion since they peaked in 2007, and are now close to 20 % below the pre-crisis level; warns that the decline has been even greater in peripheral Member States where fiscal consolidation was more acute;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that the Investment Plan is used in sustainable areas which can create an added value in the EU economy;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Considers that the three main pillars of the Commission´s strategy for 2015 have to be implemented jointly in order to boost investments in a responsible way in those areas with a real impact in growth and job creation, such as the digital economy, green sectors and health care:
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Regrets the factNotes that the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) will be based on recycled EU resources and will not raise public ‘fresh’ money, apart from an extra EUR 5 billion from the EIB; stresses the risks of an insufficient fund based on overly optimistic assumptions about the likelihood of attracting the bulk of the financing needed from private investors; calls on the Commission to consider using the EIB’s annual profits and undisbursed dividends to increase resources without endangering the bank’s AAA rating; calls on the Commission to explore ways of using the EU budget and other, new resources to ensure that it will not fail to deliver;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Call on the Commission to take into account regions which suffer from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps when programming the Investment Plan, in particular the access to broadband;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that the European Investment Plan is a necessary complement to efforts to boost job creation, but is in itself insufficient to fully compensate for the lack of private and national investmentswhich need to be supported by private and public resources to succeed; welcomes the fact that the Annual Growth Survey (AGS) 2015 continues to call for more efforts from countries with fiscal margins of manoeuvre as a means of encouraging European demand and investment;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the extension of the pace of fiscal consolidation, and the introduction of new headline targets – focusing more on structural than on cyclical deficits – that will have a positive effect on employment and growth; notes, however, that the size of fiscal multipliers in the current context is nevertheless still very high and that this will inevitably have a negative impact on economic growth and job creation; calls on the Commission to explore the possibility of introducing escape clauses, or of delaying these targets, in order to avoid weakening demand further and destroying jobs;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Is concerned that financial fragmentation in the Eurozone is, in some cases, jeopardising SMEs growth and sustainability; calls for a restoration of the economy's lending capacity, which allows SMEs to invest and create jobs, as well as for easing the access to entrepreneurship and the access of SMEs to programs such as COSME or Horizon 2020;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Calls on Member States to eliminate unnecessary administrative burdens and bureaucracy for the self-employed, micro- enterprises and SMEs and to facilitate start-ups conditions;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Calls on the Commission to develop structural reforms in energy markets to achieve a resilient Energy Union, less dependent on external sources, and diversifying the sources of supply (for instance, Algerian gas)
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the Commission to design tailor-made policies to support quality job creation for the long-term unemployed, senior unemployed people, women and other priority groups hit especially hard by the crisis, such as immigrants, ROMA community or people with disabilities;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Is concerned that the Commission’sPoints out that the strategy to regain competitiveness has been moreshouldn´t focused on reducing costs thanly on labour costs but also on raising productivity via investments in human capital; stresses that more than 20 Member States have reduced their education expenditures in relative terms (as percentages of their GDPs), thereby jeopardising their growth, job potential and competitivenes and structural reforms;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls on the Member States to pay special attention to high unemployment rates among disadvantaged groups, giving priority to access and integration into the labour market and the mainstreaming of accession and integration policies, as employment is the key to successful integration;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Is concerned that labour market reforms in many Member States have mainly promoted precarious jobs; observes that 50 % of jobs created in 2014 were temporary jobs; notes that, according to the Commission, in-work poverty persists, and that for 50 % of all job seekers, securing employment is not enough to lift them out of poverty, nor does it raise productivity; calls on the Commission and the Member States to make job quality a priority and to address labour market segmentation;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the Commission to propose a European framework introducing minimum standards for the implementation of Youth Guarantees covering young people aged 25-30; calls on the Member States to use the available budget efficiently and to implement the Youth Guarantees without delay; calls for the available budget to be increased during the promised mid-term review of the MFF in accordance with ILO recommendations; notes ILO estimated EUR 21 billion are necessary to resolve the problem of youth unemployment;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure the proper functioning of Public Employment Services to facilitate and stimulate job seeking abroad;
Amendment 328 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26b. Calls on the Commission and Member States to work jointly in improving EURES, in order to develop a real job seeking tool, and facilitate the balance between supply and demand in all Member States;
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Given the number of workers, particularly young people, who are now leaving their countries of origin for other Member States in search of employment opportunities, there is an urgent need to develop appropriate measures to guarantee that no worker is left uncovered by social and labour rights protection; calls, in this regard, on the Commission and the Member States to further improve EU labour mobility while upholding the principle of equal treatment and safeguarding wages and social standards; calls on each Member State to establish social and employment policies for equal rights and equal pay at the same place offor equal work;
Amendment 345 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Stresses the importance of emphasizing practical skills and the dual system of vocational training which makes young people more employable;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)
Paragraph 27 b (new)
27b. Calls on the Member States to improve cooperation between businesses and the education sector at all levels;
Amendment 354 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Reiterates its warning of the socioeconomic challenges facing the Union and the risks to its sustainability and its stable growth potential posed by a reversal in regional convergence; recalls that more than 122 million EU citizens are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, including in- work poverty and child poverty, and that these levels are unacceptable and need to be reduced immediately; calls for a true ‘social pillar’ to be implemented withon the Commission to continue developing the EMU as part of the process of improvingsocial dimension into the economic governance mechanisms;
Amendment 383 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Welcomes the fact that the Joint Employment Report annexed to the AGS includes a scoreboard for employment and social policies; considers it regrettable, however,notes that these indicators are not sufficient and that they have not been made binding, which would allow them to be used more forcefully; asks the Commission to remedy this situationare analytical;
Amendment 424 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Ask the European Commission to develop a strategy that would support Member States to tackle homelessness through integrated policies and appropriate social investment;
Amendment 426 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 b (new)
Paragraph 35 b (new)
35b. Calls on The Commission to evaluate if it is possible to increment the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived during the mid-term review of the multiannual financial framework;
Amendment 427 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 c (new)
Paragraph 35 c (new)
35c. Calls for affordable and quality public services in the field of child and dependent people care which will permit, especially for women, the return to employment and to facilitate the conciliation of work and private life;
Amendment 430 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Reminds the Commission that in order to ensure both the sustainability and the adequacy of pensions, pension reforms need to be accompanied by policies that: limit access to early retirement schemes and other early exit pathways; develop employment opportunities for older workers; guarantee access to life-long learning; introduce tax benefit policies offering incentives to stay in work longer; and support active healthy ageing; stresses that pension reforms require national political and social cohesion, and should be negotiated with the social partners and in accordance with life expectancy in order to be successful;
Amendment 445 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Stresses that the tax wedge has been much higher for low-wage and second- income earners, and that this remains an issue; calls on the Commission to take note of the IMF’s October 2013 tax report, which points out that there is scope for better and more progressive forms of taxation;
Amendment 469 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Calls on the Commission and the Council to enter into an interinstitutional agreement with Parliament in order to give Parliament a fullmore significant role in the drafting and approval of the AGS and the Economic Policy and Employment Guidelines;