Activities of Jürgen KLUTE related to 2013/2277(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the enquiry on the role and operations of the Troika (ECB, Commission and IMF) with regard to the euro area programme countries PDF (350 KB) DOC (175 KB)
Amendments (68)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
- having regard to the 29th annual report 2011 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO),
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 b (new)
Citation 13 b (new)
- having regard to the Opinion ECO/334 "Where is the Euro headed?", published by the European Economic and Social Committee, 22 May 2013,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas, prior to resorting to the IMF and to Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), a solution for financial assistance under the European framework was not scrutinized;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union provides for, inter alia, the right of collective bargaining and action (Article 28), protection in the event of unjustified dismissal (Article 30), fair and just working conditions (Article 31), recognition of and respect for the entitlement to social security benefits and social services and, in order to 'combat social exclusion and poverty', the right to 'a decent existence for all those who lack sufficient resources' (Article 34), the right of access to preventive health care and the right to benefit from medical treatment (Article 35) and respect for access to services of general economic interest (Article 36) ;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas Article 151 TFEU provides that action taken by the EU and its Member States must be consistent with the fundamental social rights laid down in the 1961 European Social Charter and the 1989 Community Charter of the Fundamental Rights of Workers in order to improve, inter alia, the social dialogue;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas Article 152 TFEU states that: "The Union recognises and promotes the role of the social partners at its level, taking into account the diversity of national systems. It shall facilitate dialogue between the social partners, respecting their autonomy."
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas Article 153.5 TFEU states that the European Union has no competence on pay and whereas Article 153.4 TFEU states that the EU shall not affect the right of Member States to define the fundamental principles of their social security systems;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
Ae. whereas Article 168.7 TFEU states that „the management of health services and medical care and the allocation of the resources assigned to them" falls under competence of the Member States;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A f (new)
Recital A f (new)
Af. whereas the European Convention on Human Rights, the ILO conventions, the European Social Charter as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights legally bind all EU Member States to give adequate weight to measures promoting social stability;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the European Court of Justice referring to Article 13 (3) of the ESM Treaty has recently confirmed (Pringle Case) that the European Commission by its involvement in the ESM Treaty has to "promote the general interest of the Union" and to "ensure that the memoranda of understanding concluded by the ESM are consistent with European Union law";
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas both the EFSF and the ESM benefit from the services of prominent Union institutions, such as the Commission and the ECB, whereas control of these institutions is not in accordance with the procedure laid down in the TFEU;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the economic situation and recent developments in some Member States have compromisMemoranda of Understanding (MoU) have reinforced the neoliberal policies, aggravated the economic and social situation in Member States , had a massive negative impact on wages, pensions, lead to a decline of domestic demand and public investments and have downgraded the quality of employment, social protection and health and safety standards;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas the economies of Member States under Memoranda of Understanding are characterized by continuous recession, increase of government debt and decline of the GDP. Indicatively in Greece, the public debt in 2009 was 129% of the GDP while now is at 178% of the GDP, during the period 2008-2013 the Greek GDP decreased by 25%, which is the biggest percentage reduction in peacetime and the Greek economy has been in recession for the sixth consecutive year;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas the programmes were in the short run primarily meant to avoid a disorderly default and stop speculation on sovereign debt; whereas the medium term aim was to ensure that the money that was lent would be reimbursed, thus avoiding a large financial loss that would rest on the shoulders of the taxpayers of the countries which are providing the assistance and guaranteeing the funds; whereas this also requires the programme to deliver sustainable growth and effective debt reduction in the medium and long term; whereas the programmes were not suited to comprehensively correcting macroeconomic imbalances which had accumulated sometimes over decades; but have instead reduced these imbalances mainly by reducing imports through depressing domestic demand and cutting living standards
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
La. whereas the preservation of the monetary union will require ambitious steps towards the achievement of a social and fiscal union, also because without social stability there is no financial stability;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that, prior to the beginning of the EU-IMF assistance programme initiated in the spring of 2010, , there was a dual fear associated with fear for the ‘'insolvency’' and ’the 'non- sustainability’' of the public finances of Greece was a result of the constantly declining competitiveness of the Greek economy and decades of imprudent fiscal policy, with the government deficit reaching 15.7% of GDP in 2009, and the debt-to-GDP ratio continuused by the government as a lever of pressure. Stresses that, the Greek public finances deteriorated as a result of the "indirect aids" policy, implemented by the previous Greek governments, resulting provocative low business taxation, through low rates and many exemptions. Emphasizes that throughout the decade 1996-2006, government spending oin an upward trend since 2003 when it stood at 97.4%, reaching 1297% in 2009 and 156.9% in 2012Greece lagged behind the European average, as well as the public revenues, resulting in a non- sustainable fiscal situation.;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Underlines that both the vitality of the European economy and the stability of the financial system in Europe are shared aims of all monetary union members and that hence the burden of preserving financial and economic stability cannot be left to the a small number of ‘debtor’ Member States
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes that, in the case of Greece the economic data deviate significantly from the objectives of the programmes of Memoranda and the considerations of the troika. Indicatively, in Greece the forecast for unemployment in 2011 was 15% and finally reached 20.7%, for 2012 was 15.2% and stood at 26%, the deficit forecast in 2011 was -7.5% and stood at - 9.5%, while for 2012 was -7.3% and stood at -10% and the recession was estimated at 5.5% for 2011 and was 7% and for 2012 was estimated at 2.8% and stood at 6.5%.
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. notes that, especially in the case of Greece the memoranda of understanding were programs that were based on wrong conception of the problem and wrong and insufficient data and therefore were predesigned to fail. Non achievable goals and unsatisfactory results are the best vehicle for imposing new austerity measures, which more and more sharpen the recession and the unemployment, leading to a vicious cycle of recession, unemployment and underdevelopment
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Notes the responsibilities of the EU institutions (ECB, European Commission) and of the Eurogroup for the undemocratic functioning of the Troika, the lack of democratic legitimacy of the economic policies and the hard austerity measures implemented to the Member States under fiscal adjustment programmes
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Acknowledges, however, that the immense challenge the Troika faced leading to the crisis was unique as a result of the poor state of regulation of financial services, large macroeconomic imbalances, and the fact that a number of instruments such as external devaluation were not available due to the constraints of monetary union; underlines that the safeguards of the Monetary Union address public debts as a potential danger for the functioning of the Monetary Union, whereas during the crisis private debt were at the core of asset price bubbles, economic booms and busts and external imbalances; notes, moreover, that time was running out, legal obstacles had to be cleared, fear of a melt-down of the euro area was palpable, political agreements had to be reached, the world economy was in a downturn, and a number of countries which were intended to contribute financial support had seen their own public and private debt increase in alarming ways;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Regrets the lack of transparency in the MoU negotiations; notes the necessity to evaluate whether formal documents were clearly communicated in due time to the national parliaments and the European Parliament; further notes the possible negative impact of such practices on citizens’' rights and the political sundermining of the public confidence in democratic instituation withs and their functioning in the countries concerned;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Underlines that even under exceptional circumstances European institutions as well as the Member States of the EU have to fully comply with the rights agreed on in the EU treaties.
Amendment 365 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Deplores the fact that, for Greece, Ireland and Portugal at least, adjustment programmes included a number of detailed prescriptions on health system reform and expenditure cuts, despite the Treaties prohibit such intervention;
Amendment 366 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Takes note of the Council of Europe's condemnation of spending cuts executed to the Greek public pension system, which it has considered to be a violation of Article 12 of the 1961 European Social Charter and of Article 4 of the Protocol thereto, stating that 'the fact that the contested provisions of domestic law seek to fulfil the requirements of other legal obligations does not remove them from the ambit of the Charter';
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Deplores that the ILO Convention No 102 stipulating that pension systems must allow for a decent life has not been respected in the design and implementation of the adjustment programmes;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)
Paragraph 16 d (new)
16d. Takes note of the request by the ILO Expert Committee to re-establish the freedom of collective bargaining in Greece;
Amendment 369 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 e (new)
Paragraph 16 e (new)
16e. Takes note that of the Council of Europe's social rights committee annual report 2013 which identifies 180 violations of European Social Charter provisions on access to health and social protection across 38 European countries;
Amendment 370 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 f (new)
Paragraph 16 f (new)
16f. Takes note of more than 5000 cases filed by Cypriot citizens against measures required by the Troika of international lenders whereas the vast majority of the applications concern the illegal bail-in in the case of the Bank of Cyprus as well as the use of the sale of business tool in the case of Laiki Bank;
Amendment 382 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Deplores that since 2008 and during the implementation of Memoranda of Understanding , the income distribution inequality has grown above average in the four countries and that cuts in social benefits and rising unemployment are raising poverty levels, resulting to social regression and humanitarian crisis;
Amendment 387 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Condemns the deregulatory measures for the labour market that are being promoted through the Memoranda of Understanding which lead to reductions in wages, constant undermining of collective bargaining agreements, facilitation of dismissals and reinforcement of flexible forms of employment.
Amendment 413 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Condemns the major cuts in spending on health care system promoted by the memoranda of understanding within the fiscal austerity context.
Amendment 414 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Condemns the great inequality in the distribution of tax burden and the unfair and aggressive fiscal policy implemented in Greece in the context of the Memoranda of Understanding. Low and middle income groups, employees and retirees are affected even more by a series of new special taxes but simultaneously the big capital and multinational firms tax evade and speculate. Taxation of individuals was increased in 2013 to 7.9 billion from 6.4 billion in 2008 despite the decline in their incomes and the increase of unemployment, while the corporate tax was reduced in 2013 to 1.6 billion from 4.7 billion in 2008.
Amendment 415 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18c. notes that, even the Bank of Greece in its December 2013 Intermediary Report on Monetary Policy, calls for a reversal of the trend to excessively tax the vast majority of the citizens who have already been disproportionally taxed and calls the Government of Greece to act accordingly and put an end to the tax protection of the economic oligarchy.
Amendment 442 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Notes the complete failure of the budgetary goals the Troika programme for Portugal where public debt has risen from 94 % of GDP in 2010 to 127.8 % in 2013. Further notes the severe middle and long term damage done to the Portuguese economy with considerable emigration of skilled workers and qualified young people and a sharp and accelerating drop of investment activity over the whole period of the adjustment programme;
Amendment 456 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Stresses that the interest rate spread between especially Greek and German sovereign bonds only lowered after the ECB announced its OMT programme suggesting the failure of the adjustment programmes for the purpose of crisis management;
Amendment 457 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Considers that, from a political point of view, the European project cannot survive with a permanent division into creditor and debtor Members. Notes that, from an economic point of view, the Eurogroup's decision against a fiscal union and in favour of pushing a number of Member States into internal devaluation is leading the euro area as a whole into permanent recession, growing unemployment and deflation and continues to put the global economy at risk;
Amendment 458 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)
Paragraph 20 c (new)
20c. Reminds of the fact that what has been conceived as a fiscal crisis has been in reality a balance of payment crisis combined with a banking crisis. Deplores further growing economic imbalances between Member States with a high level of exporting industry and Member States with a lower level of exports while the level of inflation in some Member States was significantly lower than 2%, in other countries significantly higher and that this mismatch further strengthened the build-up of economic imbalances between these Member States. Notes therefore that from a factual point of view the imposition of forced austerity was not justified in the majority of crisis countries, in particular in the cases of Ireland, Spain and Cyprus. Notes that between 2000 and 2007, the only deficit of the State budget in Ireland was in 2002 with only 0.4 per cent of GDP;
Amendment 500 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Deplores however the sometimes over- optimistic assumptions made by the Troika, especially as far as growth is concerned, but also the insufficient recognition of political resistance to change in some Member Statethe negative economic and social impacts; deplores the fact that this also affected the Troika’'s analysis of the interplay between fiscal consolidation and growth; notes that as a result fiscal targets could not be fulfilled;
Amendment 503 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Notes the lack of evidence and inaccurate analysis on which the Troika policy were based. Further notes and deplores the non-involvement of national stakeholders and the disrespect of democratic procedures in the design and implementation of adjustment measures. Calls for an immediate and substantial revision of the Memoranda of Understanding that should prioritize investment and employment and include quantitative targets for poverty reduction. Calls for such revised programmes to be effectively bound by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU and to be designed and monitored in cooperation with the Member States' social partners;
Amendment 504 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. notes that in Greece although the wages, the pensions and the allowances have been decreased dramatically, despite the rising of the unemployment at historically high levels, the reducing of social spending, the dismantling of the state and the social welfare, it didn´t lead neither at a substandard level to the estimated recovery nor to the desirable development.
Amendment 517 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. notes that in the case of Greece the public debt to GDP ratio since 2009, has increased by approximately fifty percent (50%) and according to the Report of the OECD in 2020 the public debt will stand at 157% of GDP versus 124% which is foreseen by the Memorandum of Understanding
Amendment 541 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Condemns the complete lack of measures to promote growth and employment in the Troika programmes, with Ireland to a certain degree being an exception where the Troika allowed half of the proceeds from privatisation to be spent on job schemes;
Amendment 560 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Is extremely concerned over the cumulative impact of massive and frontloaded cuts in fundamental areas of the fight against poverty, such as pensions, basic services, health care and pharmaceutical products on the most vulnerable groups and child poverty. Deplores the fact that, as a result, the level of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion has increased in all four programme countries. Notes that the already worrying statistics hide a much harsher reality, which is that when GDP per capita falls, the poverty threshold also falls;
Amendment 573 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Considers that the privatization of telecommunications, electricity and port authorities in Cyprus a strategic mistake that will lead to private monopolies or oligopolies to dominate the relatively small and isolated Cypriot market at the detriment of consumers, enterprises and the functioning of the economy as a whole;
Amendment 599 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Notes with huge concern the general impression of citizens in programme countries that all relevant policy decisions are imposed by an external rule which acts against the general interest of programme countries in order to spare the banking sector of ‚creditor' Member States. Further notes that as a result of Troika measures only one in three citizens in Southern Europe currently claims to be satisfied with the system of democracy;
Amendment 627 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Deplores the fact that some of the conditionalities set by the Troika violate fundamental rights as enshrined both in the EU treaties as in constitutions of the affected Member States. Takes note of the alarming sentences and opinions delivered so far by courts and international organizations;
Amendment 644 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Underlines that all EU institutions are fully bound by Union law and that within the Troika they are obliged to act in accordance with fundamental rights, which, under Article 51 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, apply at all times;
Amendment 645 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 b (new)
Paragraph 32 b (new)
32b. Strongly condemns the fact that the European Commission, instead of acting as the guardian of the Treaty, has apparently actively assisted in breaches against major principles of the European Social Acquis;
Amendment 651 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33a. Notes that in all programme countries, the adoption of the Memoranda of Understanding in Parliament did not comply with democratic standards since Members were not in a position to fulfil their democratic duties, i.e. to consider the consequences of their votes or even read and discuss the MoU. Asks the Commission to make sure that such a situation will never be repeated and to this end to establish guidelines that shall inter alia ensure the appropriate democratic control of the implementation of measures at national level;
Amendment 663 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Notes that the mandate of the European Central bank is primarily limited to monetary policy and that it has no legal competence nor expertise to design, implement or monitor policy reforms in the field of labour market, economic affairs or good governance. Considers the current role of the ECB as full member of the Troika as unfit and calls for the ECB's membership in the Troika to be suspended until its mandate with regard to democratic control and objectives as defined in the Treaties including Art 130 TFEU will be revised;
Amendment 686 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Deplores the political failure of EU institutions, in particular of the EU Council and the Eurogroup, to take clear responsibility for the policy measures and results that programme countries were forced to apply under the blunt financial pressure exerted by the Troika and lending Member States. Reminds that Member States deprived from access to financial markets were left without choice but to agree to the detailed terms presented by the Troika.
Amendment 718 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)
Paragraph 37 a (new)
37a. Notes that among the current members of the Troika, the International Monetary Fund has so far been the only institution up to its task in terms of technical expertise and able for at least a partial review of the design of the adjustment programmes, in particular with regard to the overly ambitious, frontloaded austerity measures, its underlying false scientific assumptions and devasting results; further notes several calls by IMF representatives to ‚creditor' Member States to allow for a balance between growth and austerity policies in the euro area;
Amendment 783 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)
Paragraph 39 a (new)
39a. Calls for a reform of the ESM in order to allow it to apply the community method and to be fully accountable to the European Parliament. Considers that the ESM's current voting system must be revised to allow for decisions via qualified majority. Insists that the board of the ESM steps into a structural dialogues with European social partners and to this purpose proposes the creation of a Social Partner Dialogue Board; Considers that the ESM must ensure that in the future, all measures taken in the context of financial assistance programmes will be screened with regard to their respect of the Social Acquis and fundamental rights;
Amendment 785 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39 a (new)
Paragraph 39 a (new)
39a. Stresses the need for a thorough examination of the consistency with the relevant practices of other Eurozone member-states as to the statistical classification and accounting rules adopted with respect to the fiscal data of the year preceding the adoption of the initial agreement between, on the one hand the Government of Greece and, on the other EU and IMF, as well as of the first year of the implementation of the agreement, that is of the years 2009 and 2010.
Amendment 812 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Notes that this initiative report is only a first step to draw some conclusions about the function and role of the troika and asks for the establishment in the beginning of the new legislature of a normal inquiry committee as referred by the Article 226 TFEU and Article 185 of the Rules in order to examine better and more thorough the role, the function and the results of troika.
Amendment 821 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Demands that the Troika take stock of the current debate on fiscal multipliers and consider the revision ofrevise the MoUs on the basis of the latest empirical results in order to rebalance the policy of austerity with a policy of investment and sustainable ecologically sensitive growth;
Amendment 837 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42 a (new)
Paragraph 42 a (new)
42a. Calls on the Commission and the Council to give the same attention to social imbalances, and to correcting them, as it does to macroeconomic imbalances, and to that end, give adequate weight to EPSCO and its priorities in the framework of the Eurogroup;
Amendment 855 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 43 a (new)
Paragraph 43 a (new)
43a. Underlines the relevance of the ECB or a European public bank applicable of money creation to act as a lender of last resort; demands nevertheless that conditions like those which have been set for the ECB's OMT programme would have to be reformulated in order to prevent Member States from misusing this refinancing facility and to stop financial markets from speculating against any EU Member State whilst not intervening in social, economic or political decisions which have to be taken by elected bodies in the respective Member State and on EU level;
Amendment 868 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Paragraph 44 a (new)
44a. Asks the Commission and the Council not to apply such institutional and financial solutions in future, and to put in place mechanisms enabling all Member States to achieve social goals and policies set out in the Treaties, in particular those relating to the individual and collective rights of those at greatest risk of social exclusion; calls for concrete and binding mechanisms to rebalance the economic pillar of the Union and the Monetary Union in particular, with the European Social Acquis;
Amendment 869 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 b (new)
Paragraph 44 b (new)
44b. Demands a significantly higher level of transparency of Troika negotiations; the agendas of meetings should be published in advance to give social partners and stakeholders the possibility to get involved, minutes or proceedings of the meetings should be published as soon as technically possible after the respective negotiations; in case parts of the negotiations should remain confidential to prevent market participants from taking advantage of the discussed measures or to prevent market disruptions representatives of the European Parliament and the Parliaments of Member States involved should be informed; these representatives are to be appointed by the respective Parliament;
Amendment 871 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 c (new)
Paragraph 44 c (new)
44c. As a first urgent step towards a sovereign monetary union, intends to negotiate a concrete and binding roadmap on the reform of own resources, defining the most urgent steps of the process even during the current MFF; calls on the Commission to present concrete legislative proposals on the own resources package, including a revised proposal on a VAT-based own resource, at the latest by the time of the MFF revision; expresses its conviction that revenues from the Financial Transaction Tax should wholly or partly be allocated to the EU budget as a genuine own resource. Stresses the importance of reaching a political agreement on an in-depth reform of the own resources system; is convinced that the EU budget should be financed by genuine own resources as provided for in the Treaty; states, therefore, its commitment that such reform should reduce the share of GNI-based contributions to the EU budget to a maximum of 40% and phase out all existing rebates and correction mechanisms;
Amendment 907 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 a (new)
Paragraph 45 a (new)
45a. Notes the persistent refusal of the IMF to accept democratic accountability by the European Parliament and therefore believes that the euro area relationship with the IMF should be redefined, with a view to quickly phasing out the direct involvement of the IMF in the resolution of euro area sovereign debt problems;
Amendment 908 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 b (new)
Paragraph 45 b (new)
45b. Instructs the President of the European Parliament to make active use of the Parliament's privileged access to the European Court of Justice in order to challenge certain clauses in MoUs and to ensure that the Commission, the European Central Bank and the Council will fully respect the key provisions of the European Treaties; considers that such a legal challenge would lead to the MoUs to be repelled entirely;
Amendment 909 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 c (new)
Paragraph 45 c (new)
45c. Instructs the European Commission as „guardian of the Treaty" to present by 1st March 2015, a detailed study of the social and economic consequences of the adjustment programmes in the four countries in order to provide a precise understanding of both the short-term and long-term damage to the social protection systems, with particular regard to the fight against poverty, the maintaining of good social dialogue and the balance between flexibility and security in labour relations. Asks the Commission to use its consultative bodies as well as the Employment Committee and the Social Protection Committee when drafting this study and to fully cooperate with the European Parliament's inquiry committee. Asks for the current programmes to be interrupted with immediate effect and only be resumed after the Commission's study will be published and an independent social screening of a newly negotiated program will be concluded successfully;
Amendment 910 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 d (new)
Paragraph 45 d (new)
45d. Asks the Commission to ask the ILO and the Council of Europe to draft reports on possible corrective measures and incentives to ensure full compliance with the European Social Charter and the Protocol thereto and with the ILO Core Conventions, since the obligations deriving from them have been affected by the budgetary adjustment measures and the structural reforms requested by the Troika;
Amendment 911 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 e (new)
Paragraph 45 e (new)
45e. Calls on the Commission to elaborate a fully-fledged Economic and Social Recovery Plan that must enable current programme countries to make up years of social and economic setback. Underlines that in order to allow for a recovery of social protection and for a successful fight against poverty and social exclusion, such a recovery plan must be endowed with annual financial resources corresponding to two per cent of the Union's Gross Domestic Product. Further supports the currently discussed proposal of installing a European Fiscal Capacity which aims to tackle economic imbalances by addressing macroeconomic surpluses as well as deficits under the condition that this Fiscal Capacity is subject to supervision by the European Parliament, is bound to the Treaties of the European Union and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and has to ensure a high level of social security, employment, decent working conditions, non- discrimination and social cohesion all over the EU
Amendment 912 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 45 f (new)
Paragraph 45 f (new)
45f. Calls for a Treaty change in order to create a single financial assistance instrument within the Community framework for all EU Member States and that allows for the development of a substantial fiscal and social union. Considers this project must include the perspective of creating a sovereign monetary union allowing for a monetary and fiscal policy from a macroeconomic perspective. Hence, a European treasury should have the right to introduce a European tax of its own, to monitor and prevent economic imbalances among Member States and to secure a single market for government bonds in Euro. The European Central Bank, on the other hand should be enabled to act as a lender of last resort and the obligation to balance economic growth with monetary goals