89 Amendments of Karima DELLI related to 2011/2052(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
– having regard to the revised European Social Charter, in particular Articles 30 (on the right to protection against poverty and social exclusion), 31 (on the right to housing) and 16 (on the right of the family to social, legal and economic protection) thereof,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)
Citation 18 a (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 6 July 2010 on promoting youth access to the labour market, strengthening trainee, internship and apprenticeship statusx, __________________ Texts adopted, P7_TA(2010)0262.
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 25
Citation 25
– having regard to its declaration of 16 December 2010 on an EU homelessness strategy,s of 22 April 2008 on ending street homelessnessx and of 16 December 2010 on an EU homelessness strategy, __________________ x Texts adopted, P6_TA(2008)0163
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 25 a (new)
Citation 25 a (new)
– having regard to the European Consensus Conference on Homelessness of 9 and 10 December 2010 final recommendations,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the most vulnerable groups have been those most severely affected by the crisis and the associated austerity measures, 116 million people in the European Union are at risk of poverty and 42 million (i.e. 8%) live ‘in conditions of severe material deprivation and can not afford a number of necessities considered essential in order to live a decent life in Europe’1; whereas poverty is the unacceptable reflection of an uneven distribution of wealth, income and resources in a prosperous European economy; whereas the most vulnerable groups have been those most severely affected by the crisis and the associated austerity measures, notably as a result of cuts in public service and social assistance budgets; whereas applying tougher conditions and penalties in social activation policies in response to the crisis aggravates the difficulties faced by the most vulnerable people at a time when few decent jobs are on offer, __________________ 1 The European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion (COM(2010)758 final).
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas severe poverty represents a violation of human rights and a serious erosion of human dignity,
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the Europe 2020 strategy aims to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty by at least 20 million, on the basis of three indicators (the at-risk-of-poverty rate after social transfers, the severe material deprivation index and the percentage of people living in jobless households); whereas this aim may be an acknowledgement of the importance of combating poverty and social exclusion but, given the figures of 116 million at risk of poverty and 42 million living in conditions of severe material deprivation, it reflects the abandonment from the outset of millions of people in Europe, with the associated risk of generating threshold effects and excluding the most vulnerable people from the scope of policies geared to measurable results; whereas if the most intractable situations are not addressed from the outset, the policies implemented will have no impact on them,
Amendment A #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Ccalls on the Commission to involve civil society at national and European level and to make discussions with people living in poverty a formal part of the annual convention on povertyboost the involvement in the development of a European strategy at all levels of governance (European, national, regional and local) of organised civil society and of all stakeholders, such as NGOs, social economy organisations, service providers, experts in social innovation and the social partners, as well as people living in poverty themselves, in partnership with the associations in which they freely express their opinions and which have acquired experience and knowledge, particularly through the development of national platforms against poverty and social exclusion in each Member State; calls on the Commission to enhance cooperation between local, regional and national authorities and European Institutions, particularly the European Parliament; believes that the synergies should concern all stakeholders, including SMEs and entrepreneurs; calls for discussions with people living in poverty and social exclusion to be institutionalised, and to be extended at national level, and for their participation and contribution to be made a formal and central part of the annual convention on poverty and social exclusion, and calls for appropriate and regular follow-up of the recommendations so developed;
Amendment AA #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the Commission’s new strategy for implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights aims, in particular, to improve the most disadvantaged people’s access to fundamental rights; whereas the Charter must be respected in its entirety and whereas severe poverty represents a violation of human rights and a serious erosion of human dignity and encourages stigmatisation and injustice; whereas the key objective of income support schemes is to bring people out of poverty and enable them to live in dignity,
Amendment B #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls for poverty awareness seminars to be organised in the European institutions and Member State governments by organisations which have specific experience of combating poverty and for experiments in joint training on social and exclusion issues to be made, bringing together European officials and people with hands-on experience of combating poverty;
Amendment C #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls for regular, critical monitoring ofthe establishment of a regular, critical evaluation mechanism, involving the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee, based on precise indicators at national and European level, by which the multiple dimensions of poverty can be evaluated and the Member States’ progress, by gender and age, towards achieving the poverty reduction target, and towards breaking this target down into sub-targets, can be measured, in view of the fact that the lack of a precise definition of poverty leaves too much leeway for the Member States, to break this target down into sub-targets; hus risking aberrant interpretations; calls on the Commission to improve national and European indicators relating to the comparability of national statistics on the poverty of vulnerable people and to promote, with Eurostat, the production of more precise statistics within a comprehensive scoreboard on poverty and social exclusion by means of which it will be possible to track the number of people below the 50% and 40% levels of median income and on this basis to conduct an annual evaluation of the situations of poverty in the EU, the statistical approach of which should be supplemented by a qualitative and participatory approach; calls on the Commission to ensure the policies implemented are beneficial to all and not just to those close to the poverty threshold;
Amendment CC #
Motion for a resolution
Considérant C
Considérant C
C. whereas the Europe 2020 strategy aims todopts, as one of its five major objectives, a soft target, i.e. one without sanctions, aiming at reduceing the number of people at risk of poverty by 20 million, on the basis of three indicators agreed by Member States (the at-risk-of-poverty rate after social transfers, the severe material deprivation index and the percentage of people living in jobless households), and whereas this aim may be an acknowledgement of the importance of combating poverty and social exclusion but, given the figures of 116 million at risk of poverty and 42 million living in conditions of severe material deprivation, it reflects the abandonment from the outset of millions of people in Europe, with the associated risk of generating threshold effects and excluding the most vulnerable people from the scope of policies geared to measurable results; whereas if the most intractable situations are not addressed from the outset, the policies implemented will have no impact on them; whereas the European Platform against poverty constitutes one of the seven flagship initiatives of the EU 2020 strategy,
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas poverty is a multi-faceted problem requiring an integrated response which is tailored to different stages of life and to people'’s multi-dimensional needs, and which is based on guaranteeing access to rights, resources and services, as reflected in the Common Objectives of the open method of coordination on social protection and social inclusion (2006),
Amendment D #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for it to be made clear that the Commission will be legally accountable in on the Commission to fully take account of the correct horizontal social clause as specified in Article 9 TFEU, under which the EU is to take into account requirements linked to the promotion of a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion, and a high level of education, training and protection of human health, and calls for the Commission to specify how the Platform will affect assessments of the implementation of that clause; calls for the social impact assessments of European policies to go into greater depthe, event that the horizontal social clause is not applied, and calls for the Commission to specify how the Platform will affect assessments of the implementation of that clause where those policies are not initiated by the Commission but by the European Council, as in the case of the Euro Plus pact; considers that such an in- depth analysis of the application of this clause will make it possible to avoid a levelling-down of social standards in Europe and to promote the development of a common social basis in Europe; calls for this social impact assessment to be made with the associations active in combating poverty and to take account of the situation of the poorest people in Europe as a reference; considers that these assessments should involve the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Commission’s departments responsible for social affairs under the responsibility of a director- general reporting to the General Secretariat of the European Commission;
Amendment E #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to identify more precisely the budget lines relevant to the Platform and the level of appropriations allocated to them, particularly as regards the ESF and its contribution to this flagship initiative through the funding of political priorities such as preventing school drop-out and addressing poverty among children, women, older people and migrant workers; calls on the Commission to set out its proposals on combating poverty and social exclusion in the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework in order to ensure adequate funding of the initiatives launched to combat poverty and social exclusion; calls on the Commission to identify the financial support needed for agreed thematic priorities and to urge Member States to support financially the participation of civil society at national level in National Reform Programmes, the Flagship Platform and National Strategies for social protection and social inclusion; recommends pressing ahead with, and providing increased budgetary funding for, the European programmes which can help combat the various aspects of social exclusion, poverty and social and economic inequality, including health inequality (the research Framework Programme, the Progress programme, etc.);
Amendment EE #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas poverty is a multi-faceted problem requiring an integrated response which is tailored to different stages of life and to people’s multi-dimensional needs, and which is based on guaranteeing access to rights, resources and services, as reflected in the Common Objectives of the open method of coordination on social protection and social inclusion (2006), in order to cover basic needs and prevent social exclusion,
Amendment FF #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas employmentgrowth and employment, even in a decent job, alone isare not sufficient to lift people out of poverty, and whereas the problem of the working poor has gained increasing recognition in recent years, and whereas the segmentation of the labour market has increased, working and living conditions have very much worsened, particularly during the financial crisis, and work has become much less secure – a trend which must be combated; whereas the problem of the working poor has gained increasing recognition in recent years but is not yet being addressed to an extent commensurate with the challenges it represents for our societies; whereas the number of the working poor has grown considerably in recent years, with 8% of the working population suffering in-work poverty and where 22% of those at risk of poverty are in work1; whereas the fact of people having access to decent, egalitarian working conditions constitutes an advance in terms of reducing poverty and social exclusion among families and people living alone, __________________ 1 EUROSTAT (2009), SPC Report: SPC Assessment of the social dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy (10 Feb. 2011)
Amendment G #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the open method of social coordination to be strengthened and applied correctly in the field of poverty, inter alia through the common development, implementation and evaluation of national strategies for social inclusion and protection, on the basis of commonly defined objectives, via national platforms against poverty, by exchanges of good practice on policies regarding effective access to fundamental rights and implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the revised Social Charter (not yet ratified by all Member States), in particular Articles 30 and 31 thereof; stresses that, in this context, the work of the Council’s Social Protection Committee should continue to be taken into account; calls for the Platform to promote and follow up the participation of local authorities, social economy enterprises and other local stakeholders in drawing up and implementing national strategic reports;
Amendment GG/PP #
Motion for a resolution
Considérant F a (new)
Considérant F a (new)
Fa. whereas homelessness represents one of the most extreme forms of poverty and deprivation, and a problem which remains unresolved in all EU Member States; whereas most of the Member States now have large numbers of homeless people, owing to diverse factors, and this calls for specific measures for those people's social integration; whereas, according to Eurobarometer, almost one in four Europeans regard the excessive cost of decent housing as one of the main causes of poverty, and almost nine in ten consider that poverty makes it harder to access decent housing; whereas public authorities may lose contact with citizens when they lose their housing, and this not only makes it much harder to help them, but also reveals an advanced stage in the process whereby the individual becomes excluded from society,
Amendment H #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to specify th, in consultation with the European Central Bank, to propose common principles used to define the ‘basket of basic goods and services’ accessible to all; required to enable everyone to live in dignity, and points out that these immediate needs are inseparable from respect for human dignity and effective access to all fundamental rights – whether civil, political, economic, social or cultural – without exception; calls for the target of price stability to be clarified so as to allow specific national situations to be taken into account that do not necessarily have a significant impact on the euro- system indicators;
Amendment HH #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the poverty threshold of 60% of median national income is a compelling, helpful and necessary indicator, but where of relative poverty, but should be complemented by other indicators such as the concept and calculation of a ‘basket of basic goods and services’ is just as muchat national level (which does not constitute a direct response to the specific situation of people suffering from poverty) and those agreed at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) in June 2010 (at-risk-of poverty, material deprivation and jobless households) as a matter of public policy needs,
Amendment I #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls forWelcomes the Commission’s announcement of a Communication on implementing the Commission’s 2008 recommendation concerning the active inclusion strategy and calls for it to include, in particular, a timetable for implementing thits three Ccommission’s 2008 recommendation concerning the active inclusion strategyponent strands, specifying a multi-annual work programme for delivery at national and EU level; expresses its concern at the postponement of the Communication on Active Inclusion to 2012, and asks the Commission to advance the publication of the Communication to 2011; calls for an explicit commitment by the Council, Commission and Parliament to mobilise all policies to reduce poverty, ensuring that economic, employment and social inclusion policies contribute to the eradication of poverty rather than to its increase;
Amendment II #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas social protection, including minimum income systems, is a basic element of modern democracies that substantially guarantees the human right to social, economical, political and cultural participation in society and plays a key role in stabilising the economy by limiting the impact of crises and in redistributing resources at every stage of life, while also affording protection against social risks and preventing povertyand alleviating poverty and social exclusion, throughout the life cycle,
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas growth and employment alone isare not sufficient to lift people out of poverty, and whereas the problem of the working poor has gained increasing recognition in recent years, with 8% of the working population suffering in-work poverty and where 22% of those at risk of poverty are in work1 __________________ 1 EUROSTAT (2009), SPC Report: SPC Assessment of the social dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy (10 Feb 2011)
Amendment J #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls for the Platform to be geared towards asserting the rights which enable everyone to live in dignity, particularly in the field of employment, housing, health care, social security and adequate living standards, justice, education, training and culture, and the protection of families and children; calls for the Fundamental Rights Agency to produce a study on effective access by the poorest people to the whole range of fundamental rights and the other rights enshrined in the international agreements to which the Member States are signatories, and on the discrimination they face, with the participation of NGOs in which socially excluded people can freely express themselves, and bearing in mind that securing the right to housing is a necessary prerequisite for the full exercise of other fundamental rights, including political and social rights;
Amendment JJ #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas poverty and social exclusion remain a key social determinant of health1 and life conditions, including life expectancy depe, and oin the social environment and on child povertyparticular the impact of child poverty on child health and well- being, and whereas there is still a significant gap between rich and poor when it comes to health, which is continuing to widen in some respects,affordable access to health services, as well as in income and wealth, which is continuing to widen in some respects, __________________ 1 CSDH (2008). Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health. Final Report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Geneva, World Health Organization
Amendment KK #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas, because our society is ageing, the number of dependent people will increase considerably in the near future; whereas elderly people, in particular women, are at greater risk of poverty than the general population, in several countries, as a result of their loss of income on retirement and other factors such as physical dependence, solitude and social exclusion; whereas the breakdown of intergenerational social bonds is a major problem facing our societies,
Amendment L #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Supports the creation of decent jobs through vocationalConsiders that a full and effective way out of poverty can only be found if the appropriate strengthening of social protection instruments is accompanied by significant reinforcement of education and training paths at every level; supports the development of more inclusive education systems to tackle the problem of students dropping out and enable young people from disadvantaged social groups to reach a higher level of education, with a view to countering the intergenerational transmission of poverty; supports access to validation of acquired experience and life-long training, and the provision of personalised job-seeking assistance, in particular for disadvantaged groups; s a means of reducing poverty by securing access to employment, in particular for disadvantaged groups, to help them to access decent jobs; regards it as essential, therefore, for life-long learning programmes to be implemented properly and developed, and for Member States to cooperate in the fields of education and vocational training and personalised job-seeking assistance, and stresses that more measures of this kind must be taken to assist the most vulnerable sectors of the population; recommends the development of an EU strategy to tackle in-work poverty and create quality jobs, agreeing principles for quality work;
Amendment LL #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas women are in general more vulnerable to poverty than men owing to various factors such as gender discrimination at work, which results in the persistent gender pay gap, the resulting pension disparities, and labour market discriminationbut also career breaks in order to care for dependants and labour market discrimination; whereas only 63% of women work in Europe, compared to 76% of men, and having regard to the lack of support networks and concrete measures to help parents achieve a work/life balance, including affordable care services,
Amendment M #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Points out that the increasing number of short-term employment contracts in most Member States is having the effect of exacerbating the segmentation of the labour market and reducing the protection afforded to the most vulnerable; stresses, therefore, that in addition to vocational training and continuous training, the creation of new jobs must proceed on the basis of complying with the basic principles of the ILO, putting into practice the concept of decent work (including decent working conditions, the right to work, health and safety at work, social protection, arrangements for worker representation and dialogue with employees) and applying equal pay for men and women and equal treatment for European Union workers and third-country nationals; urges Member States to step up their efforts to substantially and effectively combat the phenomenon of undeclared employment, which, in addition to the enormous adverse economic consequences it has for the viability of social security systems, is incompatible with the principles of decent work and denies access to social security systems, thereby creating a severe risk of poverty; calls on the Commission to tackle the phenomenon of the working poor as well as to create secure jobs and ensure the correct application of flexible contract arrangements so as they cannot be abused;
Amendment MM #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas unemployment among young people, which is already higher than for other age groups, has exploded in the EU since the crisis and now runs at over 20% reaching a critical level in all Member States, which puts young people at risk of falling into poverty from a very early age; whereas this alarming situation calls for urgent political, economic and social responses and will, in combination with demographic changes, aggravate skills shortages; having regard to the vital role that vocational training can play in helping young people and low skilled workers to join the labour market; whereas, however, getting a job does not always mean escaping poverty, and whereas young people are especially susceptible to falling into the category of working poor,
Amendment NN #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas migrants are being hit hard by the economic crisis, nd ethnic minorities, including undocumented migrants, are especially vulnerable workers being hit hard by the economic crisis and consequently by increased poverty and social exclusion because of the precarious, temporary or atypical work they are likely to be doing thanks to their place of origin or lack of qualification; whereas migrant workers should enjoy the same working and pay conditions and the same right to training and social protection as nationals of the countries in which they are working,
Amendment OO #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
Recital P
P. whereas a significant proportion of European Roma are marginalised and living in deplorable socio-economic conditions, and are often subject to serious discrimination and segregation in all fields of life, as are other marginalized communities,
Amendment P #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Acknowledges the need to assess the impact of EU funds in terms of achieving the poverty reduction target, even where this is not their primary objective, where possible, the effectiveness, impact, coordination and value for money of EU funds, especially of the European Social Fund (ESF) in terms of achieving the poverty reduction target, even where this is not their primary objective, reducing the economic discrepancies, prosperity imbalances and differences in living standard levels across EU Member States and regions, and therefore promoting economic and social cohesion; maintains that priority must be given to projects that combine employment targets and strategies with integrated active inclusion approaches, such as projects designed to strengthen intergenerational solidarity at regional and local level or which specifically contribute to realising gender equality and the active inclusion of vulnerable groups; stresses the importance of effective action for solidarity, including reinforcement, anticipation of transfer and reduction of cofinancing in respect of budgetary funding for creating decent jobs, supporting productive sectors and fighting poverty and social exclusion, rather than creating new forms of dependence; stresses the importance of supporting the combat of poverty and social exclusion, and access to quality employment and non discrimination, ensuring adequate income and promoting access to quality services;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas, according to Eurobarometer, almost one in four Europeans regard the excessive cost of decent housing as one of the main causes of poverty, and almost nine in ten consider that poverty makes it harder to access decent housing,
Amendment R #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to initiate a horizontal anti-discrimination directive with a view to further eradicating discrimination; Urges the Member States to agree and adopt as soon as possible the proposal for a Council directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation (COM(2008)0426); calls on the Commission to continue to support the overcoming of technical difficulties within the Council in order to ensure a swift agreement is reached, and to close gaps in the existing anti-discrimination legislation which is currently not covering all relevant aspects, with a view to further eradicating discrimination, including social discrimination; Note: A citation referring to the Kosa report will be added by oral amendment.
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas homelessness represents one of the most extreme forms of poverty and deprivation, and a problem which remains unresolved in all EU member states,
Amendment T #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. AdvocatesRecommends the Member States to adopt a proactive decent housing policy in order to ensure universal access to decent, affordable housingquality housing at affordable prices or on preferential terms of purchase, and to prevent the loss thereof, with guaranteed access to services essential to health and safety, the lack of such housing being a serious affront to dignity, along with a proactive energy policy that steps up the use of renewable energies and boosts energy efficiency in order to combat energy poverty; calls for more attention to be paid to housing for migrants, who are often exploited and forced to live in sub- standard housing; recalls Protocol 26 annexed to the Treaty of Lisbon on social housing and calls for the provisions contained therein to be respected, in particular on the Member States’ freedom to organise social housing, including the question of financing; encourages the Member States to implement special housing programmes and opportunities for homeless people, in view of guaranteeing the most basic standards of living for the most vulnerable in society;
Amendment U #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for Roma people, and the organisations that represent and work with them, to be actively involved in the elaboration and implementation of the national Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020, so as to contribute to achieving the EU poverty target; calls on the European Union and the Member States to establish the European strategy to promote Roma inclusion as soon as possible, and calls on the Member States to propose, by the end of this year, measures to promote the inclusion of Roma in accordance with the European framework for coordinating national Roma inclusion strategies presented by the Commission in April 2011; stresses that, as with the fight against poverty and social exclusion, the inclusion and integration of the Roma will require greater effort to achieve, by 2020, their full inclusion and an end to the numerous forms of discrimination to which they are subject; 16a. calls for other marginalised communities such as immigrants to be involved in all EU or Member State policies relating to their social inclusion;
Amendment W #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Wishes the Commission to initiate a framework directive on minimum incomelaunch, in full compliance with the principle of subsidiarity, a consultation on the possibility of a legislative initiative on a sensible minimum income that will allow economic development, designed to prevent poverty and serve as a basis for people to live in dignity, play their full part in society and make headway with finding employment or identifying training opportunities and playing an automatic stabilising role for the economy, with due regard for differing practices, collective labour agreements and legislation in the various Member States, the definition of a minimum income being the prerogative of the Member State; wishes the Commission to help Member States share best practice on minimum income levels and encourages Member States to develop minimum income schemes based on an average of 60% of the median income in each Member State;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the poverty threshold of 60% of median national income is a helpful and necessary indicator, but whereas the concept of relative poverty, but should be complemented by the concept and calculation of a ‘basket of basic goods and services’ is just as muchat national level as a matter of public policy needs,
Amendment Z #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the most vulnerable groups have been those most severely affected by the crisis and the associated austerity measures, 116 million people in the European Union are at risk of poverty and 42 million (i.e. 8%) live ‘in conditions of severe material deprivation and can not afford a number of necessities considered essential in order to live a decent life in Europe’1; whereas poverty is the unacceptable reflection of an uneven distribution of wealth, income and resources in a prosperous European economy; whereas the most vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and disabled people, have been those most severely affected by the financial, economic and social crisis and the austerity measures currently being taken in the EU in the context of the ‘Euro Plus Pact’ and the ‘governance package’, which could worsen the situation for these groups and put at risk of unemployment, economic insecurity or poverty millions of people who were still managing to live on, and meet their basic needs from, their wages or retirement pension, notably as a result of cuts in public service and social assistance budgets; whereas applying tougher conditions and penalties in social activation policies in response to the crisis aggravates the difficulties faced by the most vulnerable people at a time when few decent jobs are on offer; whereas the gap between rich and poor is getting ever wider as the crisis continues; __________________ 1 European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion (COM(2010)758 final).
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas social protection, including minimum income systems, plays a key role in stabilising the economy by limiting the impact of crises and in redistributing resources at every stage of life, while also affording protection against social risks and preventing povertyand alleviating poverty and social exclusion, throughout the life cycle,
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas health and life expectancy depend on the social environment and on child poverty, and whereas there is still a significant gap between rich and poor when it comes to health, which is continuing to widen in some respects,poverty and social exclusion remain a key social determinant of health1 and in particular the impact of child poverty on child health and well-being, and whereas there is still a significant gap between rich and poor when it comes to affordable access to health services, as well as in income and wealth, which is continuing to widen in some respects, __________________ 1 CSDH (2008). Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health. Final Report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Geneva, World Health Organization.
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas elderly people, in particular women, are at greater risk of poverty than the general population, in several countries, as a result of their loss of income on retirement and other factors such as physical dependence; whereas the breakdown of intergenerational social bonds is a major problem facing our societies,
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas women are more vulnerable to poverty owing to various factors such as the persistent gender pay gap, the resulting pension disparities, and labour market discrimination, and lack of concrete measures to support work/life balance including affordable care services,
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas unemployment among young people, which is already higher than for other age groups, has exploded in the EU since the crisis, whereas getting a job does not mean escaping poverty, and whereas young people are especially susceptible to fall into the category of working poor,
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas migrants are being hit hard by the economic crisis, including undocumented, are especially vulnerable workers being hit hard by the economic crisis and consequently by increased poverty and social exclusion,
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
Recital P
P. whereas a significant proportion of European Roma are marginalised and living in deplorable socio-economic conditions, as well as other marginalized communities,
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)
Recital P a (new)
Pa. whereas the increasing poverty in the EU is currently aggravated by the economic and financial crisis and soaring food prices in the context of almost inexistent food surpluses in the EU, and 43 million people are currently at risk of food poverty, whereas the Scheme for food distribution to the most deprived persons in the Union, set up in 1987, provides currently food-aid for 13 million people suffering from poverty in 19 Member States and involves some 240 food banks and charities in the distribution chains, whereas the recent judgment of the European Court of Justice T-576/08, which deems purchasing food on the market for the Scheme illegal, puts EU food-aid for the most deprived in peril, given the increased dependency of the Scheme on market purchases, and whereas the annulment by the ECJ of Article 2 of Regulation 983/2008 seems to have an immediate negative impact on the Scheme in 2012 and the years to come, leading to an abrupt end of food-aid for the most deprived citizens in 19 Member States,
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission to involve civil society atnd all stakeholders at local, national and European level, and to make discussions with people living in povertys well as people living in poverty themselves, in partnership with the associations in which they freely express their opinions, particularly through the development of national platforms against poverty and social exclusion in each Member State; calls for discussions with people living in poverty and social exclusion to be institutionalised, and to be extended at national level, and for their participation and contribution to be made a formal part of the annual convention on poverty and social exclusion;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls for experiments in joint training on social and exclusion issues to be made, bringing together European officials and people with hands-on experience of combating poverty;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls for regular, critical monitoring of the Member States’ progress towards achieving the poverty reduction target, and for the Member States to break this target down into sub-targets, in close cooperation with local authorities; calls for a set of indicators to be chosen by means of which it will be possible to track the number of people below the 50% and 40% levels of median income and to ensure the policies implemented are beneficial to all and not just to those close to the poverty threshold, and also calls on the European Union to devise a comprehensive scoreboard on poverty and social exclusion to be published each year, the statistical approach of which should be supplemented by a qualitative and participatory approach;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for it to be made clear that the Commission will be legally accountable in the event that the horizontal social clause is not applied, and calls for the Commission to specify how the Platform will affect assessments of the implementation of that claus, under which the EU is to take into account requirements linked to the promotion of a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion, and a high level of education, training and protection of human health, is not applied, and calls for the Commission to specify how the Platform will affect assessments of the implementation of that clause, linked to the social impact assessment involving the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to identify the budget lines relevant to the Platform and financial support for agreed thematic priorities and to urge Member States to support participation of civil society at national level in National Reform Programmes, the Flagship Platform and National Strategies for social protection and social inclusion;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the open method of social coordination to be strengthened and applied correctly in the field of poverty, inter alia through the common development, implementation and evaluation of national strategies for social inclusion and protection, on the basis of commonly defined objectives, via national platforms against poverty and by exchanges of good practice on policies regarding effective access to fundamental rights; calls for the open method of social coordination to permit the implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the revised Social Charter, in particular Articles 30 and 31 thereof; calls for the open method of coordination to encourage the Member States to ratify the revised European Social Charter;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission to specify thpropose common principles used to define the ‘basket of basic goods and services’ accessible to allrequired to enable everyone to live in dignity, and points out that these immediate needs are inseparable from respect for human dignity and effective access to all fundamental rights – whether civil, political, economic, social or cultural – without exception;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls for the European Parliament Employment Committee to be granted an explicit role in the Platform, particularly in monitoring the effectiveness of the Platform, EU and member states' policies in reducing poverty and social exclusion, in the context of the Europe 2020 strategy;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for a timetablen explicit commitment by the Council, Commission and Parliament to mobilize all policies to reduce poverty, ensuring that economic, employment and social inclusion policies contribute to the eradication of poverty rather than to its increase; Calls for a roadmap for implementing the Commission'’s 2008 recommendation concerning the active inclusion strategypecifying a multi-annual work programme for delivery at national and EU level;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls for the Platform to be geared towards asserting the rights which enable everyone to live in dignity, particularly in the field of employment, housing, health care, social security and adequate living standards, justice, education, training and culture, and the protection of families and children; calls for the Fundamental Rights Agency to produce a study on effective access by the poorest people to the whole range of fundamental rights and on the discrimination they face, with the participation of NGOs in which socially excluded people can freely express themselves, and bearing in mind that securing the right to housing is a necessary prerequisite for the full exercise other fundamental rights, including political and social rights;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls upon the European Commission to develop urgently an EU strategy on homelessness along the lines of the 2010 Joint Report of the Commission and the Council on Social Protection and Social Inclusion, the final recommendations of the European Consensus Conference on Homelessness (2010) and the European Parliament resolution on EU Homelessness Strategyx ; Calls on the European Commission to develop a detailed roadmap for the implementation of this strategy for the period 2011-2020; __________________ x to be adopted in July
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Calls upon the Social Protection Committee to monitor every year the progress member states make on homelessness on the basis of the national thematic light year reports on homelessness (2009) and along the lines of the 2010 Joint Report of the Commission and the Council on Social Protection and Social Inclusion,
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Expresses its concern at the postponement of the Communication on Active Inclusion to 2012, and asks the Commission to advance the publication of the Communication to 2011, including an assessment of implementation of active inclusion;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Supports the creation of decent jobs through vocational training and the provision ofCalls for the replacement of punitive activation policies, which increase conditionality without creating access to quality jobs, by integrated active inclusion approaches; Recommends the development of an EU strategy to tackle in-work poverty and create quality jobs, agreeing principles for quality work, including pay and working conditions and supporting vocational training and personalised job-seeking assistance, in particular for disadvantaged groups;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Points out that the increasing number of short-term employment contracts in most Member States is having the effect of exacerbating the segmentation of the labour market and reducing the protection afforded to the most vulnerable; stresses, therefore, that in addition to vocational training and continuous training, the creation of new jobs must proceed on the basis of complying with the basic principles of the ILO, putting into practice the concept of decent work (including decent working conditions, the right to work, health and safety at work, social protection, arrangements for worker representation and dialogue with employees) and applying equal pay for men and women and equal treatment for European Union workers and third-country nationals;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Emphasises that the main concern of young people is to be autonomous, having access to health care and to a decent accommodation for a reasonable price, while being able to train themselves, work and fulfil themselves; therefore calls on member states to remove age-related discriminations regarding access to Minimum Income schemes such as excluding young people from Minimum Income schemes due to a lack of social security contributions;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Emphasises that the transition from school, vocational training or higher education to employment must be better prepared and must follow on directly from education or training, therefore underlines the major importance to effectively implement the ‘European Youth Guarantee’ initiative and make it an instrument of active integration on the labour market; believes that social partners, local and regional authorities, and youth organisations should be involved in the development of a sustainable strategy to reduce youth unemployment, in which there must be formal recognition of qualifications obtained;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for equal rights and, equal social protection for all workersand a minimum wage for all in each Member State;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Recommends that appropriate taxation of very high salaries be introduced in order to help fund social protection systems and the minimum wage and reduce income disparity;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Acknowledges the need to assess the impact of EU funds in terms of achieving the poverty reduction target, even where this is not their primary objective; maintains that priority must be given to projects that combine employment targets and strategies with integrated active inclusion approaches, ensuring adequate income and promoting access to quality services;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the Commission to address the urgent problem of food delivery for the Scheme in years 2012 and 2013 on which currently 13 million people are dependent; Calls on the Commission, in the light of the ECJ Ruling, to withdraw its proposal COM(2010)0486 currently under consideration by the Council and replace it by a new one, so that a solution is found with all Member States for the coming years; Underlines that a lasting solution from the Commission should aim at the eradication of food poverty in the European Union;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Member States to submit national reform programmes consistent with the aim of the Platform, and calls on the Commission to refrain from restricting the Member States’ capacity for investment and social spending in the context of economic governance, bearing in mind that poverty reduction requires smart, sustainable and inclusive growth as indicated in the Europe 2020 strategy; calls for clarification of the status of national action plans for social inclusion and, in particular, the question of their integration into national reform programmes under the EU 2020 strategy; proposes that the Commission draw up guidelines for the Member States at European level to ensure that local authorities and other stakeholders participate effectively in the drafting of national reform programmes; notes that ‘territorial pacts’ potentially offer the most comprehensive and consistent means of involving local authorities in this process, as proposed in the Fifth Cohesion Report;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls for all NGOs and small associations to be given support in their struggle for fundamental rights in order to strengthen the necessary human investment, allow people living in poverty to participate and to better inform them about access to rights and justice;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Welcomes the proposal on global grants which could help a number of smaller NGOs and associations in their work to combat poverty;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to initiate a horizontal anti-discrimination directive with a view to further eradicating discriminationNotes that the Member States should, as a priority, agree and adopt as soon as possible the proposal for a Council directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation (COM(2008)0426); calls on the Commission to continue to support the overcoming of technical difficulties within the Council in order to ensure a swift agreement is reached;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Urges the Commission to consult as to how best to combat negative discrimination based on social origin;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the Commission’s desire to clarify the legal framework applicable to social economy enterprises so thatfoundations, mutual societies, associations and social economy enterprises so that these organisations can develop with legal certainty and there are no obstacles hindering their important contribution to poverty reduction; reiterates its call for a framework directive on the quality and accessibility of social services of general interest, in particular in the areas of health, education, public transport, energy, water and communication;
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Advocates a proactive decent housing policy in order to ensure universal access to decentquality, affordable housing, the lack of which is a serious affront to dignity, along with a proactive energy policy that steps up the use of renewable energies and boosts energy efficiency in order to combat energy poverty;
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Recommends that the Member States expand the supply of quality social housing and emergency housing in order to guarantee access for all, and in particular for the most disadvantaged, to decent, affordable housing; considers that it costs society and the community more to rehouse people who have been evicted from their accommodation than it does to keep them there; recommends, therefore, the implementation of policies to prevent evictions, in particular by the public authorities taking responsibility for payment of rents and rent arrears of persons threatened with eviction; recommends the implementation of rules to cap rents, at national, regional and local level, in order to effectively tackle the high cost of accommodation throughout Europe;
Amendment 334 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Reminds the link between living in deprived neighbourhoods, increasing poverty and social exclusion and increasing health problems; sees therefore the European interventions in deprived neighbourhoods as a cost- efficient way to combat exclusion and reduce health expenditure and calls the European Commission to strengthen those interventions in the next Cohesion Policy and other EU programmes;
Amendment 335 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Calls on the Platform to promote the exchange of best practice in order to prevent the public institutions losing contact with people who are homeless;
Amendment 337 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Calls for an increase in the ERDF budget for financing measures to improve energy efficiency in social housing in order to tackle energy poverty;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for Roma and other marginalized communities to be involved in all EU or Member State policies relating to their social inclusion;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Highlights the importance of social, health, care and education services in bridging skills gaps, in promoting the social integration of people and combating poverty and social exclusion; recalls their potential to create new employment and calls for a strong and sustainable investment in and development of these key services and infrastructures; looks forward to the Commission’s action plan to address the gap in the supply of health workers;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls for the relationship between parents and children to be given particular attention in programmes to combat poverty in order to prevent children being placed in care as a consequence of severe poverty;
Amendment 361 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Supports the June EPSCO Council Conclusions supporting an integrated strategy to prevent child poverty and promote child well-being, focused on adequate family income, access to services, including early learning and childcare, and children’s participation; Calls for a detailed roadmap for implementation of the proposed Communication in 2012;
Amendment 375 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Wishes the Commission to initiate a framework directive on minimum income, designed to prevent poverty and serve as a basis for people to live in dignity and make headway with finding employment or identifying training opportunities and playing an automatic stabilising role for the economy, with due regard for differing practices, collective labour agreements and legislation in the various Member States;
Amendment 379 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)