Activities of Kinga GÖNCZ related to 2012/2004(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on Social Business Initiative – Creating a favourable climate for social enterprises, key stakeholders in the social economy and innovation PDF (205 KB) DOC (140 KB)
Amendments (33)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to the proposal of the Commission of 6 October 2011 for a regulation on the European Social Fund and repealing Regulation (COM(2011)607),
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 b (new)
Citation 9 b (new)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas social enterprises provide invaluable support for our citizens most seriously affected by the employment and social consequences of the financial crisis;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas social business itself is not recognised by a legal framework at either European or nationalin some Member States and not yet at a European level;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the current financial crisis and an ageing population burdendemographic changes challenge social welfare systems, including statutory and voluntary healthcare and pension schemes;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the Single Market Act2 and the Europe 2020 strategy – which both aim to establish smart, sustainable growth and to develop more and better jobsand inclusive growth, to improve the quantity and the quality of jobs and to fight poverty – are strongly inter- linked and social business and its innovation potential aim to contribute to them;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas many social enterprises face difficulties in funding and expanding their activities;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission Communications ‘Social Business Initiative’ and ‘Towards a job-rich recovery’4 with recommendations to national governments on job creation – especially in the fast-growing sector for health and social care (the so-called white sector) and in the green sector – that offer new chances also to social business;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Recalls that the role of social services is all the more crucial in times of economic recessions as they not only represent a source of job generation but are also a strategic tool for strengthening social cohesion and fighting poverty;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises that activities by volunteers constitute an important contribution to welfare organisations and solidarity, and give many people a meaning in life; asks, therefore, for financial support on local, national and European levelin the social business sector by volunteers including young people starting their careers and bringing their enthusiams and new skills, and elderly people having vast experience and developed skills, constitute an important contribution to welfare organisations and solidarity both within Member States and transnationally, and give many people a meaning in life;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the need for young entrepreneurs to engage in social business and explore new forms of social business; calls, therefore, forimportance of measures promoting entrepreneurship and innovative social enterprises, especially with regard to young entrepreneurs in order to ensure better access for young entrepreneurs to Community programmes and funding;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Supports the Commission's intention to commission aarry out a comparative study on the situation of mutual societies in all Member States;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the adoption of a revised package of EU state-aid rules concerning social and local services; calls on Member States to introduce tax incentives for social enterprises in general and in cases where they employ people from vulnerable groups;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to prevent discrimination among social enterprises based on their ownership;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Stresses that the social business sector has specific characteristics that have to be taken into account when designing EU-level measures, i.e. that its employees are predominantly ageing people, women and migrant workers; the sector has low attractiveness because of lower wages, precarious working conditions, the high risk of physical and emotional stress, the threat of early burnout, lack of defined career path, and lack of education and training opportunities;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Believes that the ‘EU Programme for Social Change and Innovation for 2014- 2020’, with its Microfinance and Social Entrepreneurship axis, will play a very important role in the effort to guarantee better access to micro-credits; welcomes the fact that innovative social enterprises are tol be financed in the framework of this Programme; urges that adequate and long-term funding for social enterprises be ensured with regard to the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014- 2020, in particular with regard to the new Structural Funds;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses the importance of ensuring that under the Financial PerspectivesMultiannual Financial Framework for 2014- 2020, the regulations for European funds relevant to social business (such as the European Social Fund (ESF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)) will explicitly address social enterprises as an investment priority and support their development;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Underlines that access to European funding must be simplified,for social enterprises must be simplified, the burden of administrative work must be decreased and that funding opportunities should be better disseminated through transparent information platforms paying special attention to geographic balance and reaching entrepreneurs working in disadvantaged microregions;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls for thorough and comparable data on social enterprises (their number, the field of their activities, their structure), and also a study, initiated by the Commission and carried out in cooperation with social enterprises, of their legal, administrative and financial challenges, and of the various legal frameworks and operating conditions for social enterprises, including certification and labelling systems;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure the appropriate legal, political and financial environment in order that social services, including care services, can fulfill their missions; recognises a primary role for quality in the public procurement processes and for discouraging Member States from adopting austerity cuts in public expenditure in social and care policies and services;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24 b. Calls on the Commission to support the set-up of adequate social dialogue structures, with the participation of employers and employees of the non- profit social sector;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
Paragraph 24 c (new)
24 c. Calls on the Commission to support the creation of vocational training courses and qualifications for careers in social services and give a formal recognition to the skills of social sector workers;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 d (new)
Paragraph 24 d (new)
24 d. Urges the Commission to promote a Charter on professional care givers' rights;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 e (new)
Paragraph 24 e (new)
24 e. Underlines the need to allocate structural funds budget to workforce development in the sector;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 f (new)
Paragraph 24 f (new)
24 f. Calls on the Commission to include the social sector jobs in the so-called White Jobs of the EU 2020 Strategy;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 g (new)
Paragraph 24 g (new)
24 g. Urges the Commission to develop a comprehensive strategy involving Member States aimed at a strategic investment in social sector job creation;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 h (new)
Paragraph 24 h (new)
24 h. Urges the Commission to promote a campaign, using ESF resources, with the dual aim of improving the public image of the sector and of recruiting young people; support national, regional and local authorities in setting up sustainable funding schemes for social services and to develop quality frameworks and to develop training and retraining schemes for the workforce;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27 a. Calls on the Commission to recognize the specificities of the non- profit sector and create a legal framework adapting to their specificities;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support smaller businesses set up by young and/or innovative entrepreneursentrepreneurs and people in a disadvantaged labour market position;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Calls for the principles of social business, social entrepreneurship and social responsibility to be included in school curricula with a lifelong learning approach; also calls for Member States to support and promote the education of social entrepreneurs;