2014/2236(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Elena GENTILE, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, as a consequence of the economic and financial crisis, levels of poverty and social exclusion have increased, as hasve youth unemployment and long-term unemployment;

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Calls on the Commission and Member States to include social economy enterprises and social services in action plans for employment and social integration with a view to unlock and exploit at the fullest the job-creation potential in the sector;

Amendment 101 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Emilian PAVEL, Elena GENTILE, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Calls on the Commission and Member States to include social economy enterprises in action plans for employment and social integration in order to help unlock the job creation potential in the sector;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on Member States to include measures to promote social entrepreneurship and social innovation in their national Youth Guarantee ~~schemes~~Implementation Plans and in the national Operational Programmes of the Youth Employment Initiative;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on Member States to include measures to promote social entrepreneurship and social innovation in their national Youth Guarantee schemes; points out that the pre-financing budget for the European Youth Initiative has been increased by 30 % in 2015 in order to speed up the implementation by the Member States of projects to help young people find a job;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on Member States to include measures to promote social entrepreneurship and social innovation in their national Youth Guarantee schemes; stresses furthermore how the Youth Guarantee must be structured;

Amendment 105 #

Maria ARENA, Jens NILSSON, Sofia RIBEIRO, Elena GENTILE, Georgi PIRINSKI, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Public procurement

Amendment 106 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Elena GENTILE, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Points out that social economy enterprises face difficulties in accessing public procurement; calls for action to facilitate their participation in public procurement by providing appropriate advice and simplifying the procedures; calls for bids to be rewarded that offer most economic and social value rather than the lowest price in public procurement, with social or environmental criteria being included in public procurement contracts;deleted

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Points out that social economy enterprises face difficulties in accessing public procurement; calls for a~~ction to facilitate their participation in public procurement by providing appropriate advice and simplifying the~~ swift and effective transposition and implementation of Directives 2014/24/EU, 2014/25/EU and 2014/23/EU on Public procedure~~s; calls for bids to be rewarded that offer most economic and social value rather~~ ments and Concessions with a view to reach a higher participation of social economy enterprises withain t~~he lowest~~endering prioce ~~in public procurement, with social or environmental criteria being included in public procurement contract~~dures for public contract and to ensure quality services accessible to and affordable for all citizens;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Points out that social economy enterprises face difficulties in accessing public procurement, such difficulties can include barriers which are related to their size and their financial capability; calls for action to facilitate their participation in public procurement by providing appropriate advice ~~and~~, simplifying the procedures and drawing up tenders in such a way as to make them accessible for smaller operators; calls for bids to be rewarded that offer most economic and social value rather than the lowest price in public procurement, with social or environmental criteria being included in public procurement contracts;

Amendment 109 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Emilian PAVEL, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Points out that social economy enterprises face difficulties in accessing public procurement; calls for action to facilitate their participation in public procurement by providing appropriate advice and simplifying the procedures and by implementing in full the new provisions adopted in 2014 concerning the earmarking of contracts for enterprises from the social and solidarity-based economy; calls for bids to be rewarded that offer most economic and social value rather than the lowest price in public procurement, with social or environmental criteria being included in public procurement contracts;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, as a consequence of the economic and financial crisis, levels of poverty and social exclusion have increased sharply, as has long-term unemployment and youth unemployment;

Amendment 110 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Elena GENTILE, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Urges the Member States to adequately implement the new Public procurement and Concessions directives in order to allow contracting authorities and entities to make full use of the specific provisions on reserved contracts and of the simplified procurement regimes for social services, both at national and local level, in order to foster the role of social economy, social enterprises and social services and promote social inclusion and innovation;

Amendment 111 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Emilian PAVEL, Elena GENTILE, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Welcomes the reform of the Public Procurement Directive, which includes social clauses and criteria in order to promote social inclusion and social innovation, inter alia; urges the Member States to include social clauses and criteria in public procurements and Concessions directives aiming at driving public expenditure and investment towards sustainable growth and employment, social integration and territorial cohesion; calls therefore on the Member States for a proper implementation of the procurement principles in compliance with environmental, social and labour law obligations and on all contracting authorities at national and local level for a wide use of the MEAT (Most Economically Advantageous Tender) based on the life-cycle approach and encompassing qualitative, environmental and social aspects as the main awarding criterion within all tendering and selection procedures;

Amendment 112 #

Maria ARENA, Jens NILSSON, Sofia RIBEIRO, Elena GENTILE, Georgi PIRINSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Welcomes the reform of the Public Procurement Directive, which includes social clauses and criteria in order to promote social inclusion and social innovation~~, inter alia~~ and contracts earmarked to foster the employment of disadvantaged persons and persons with a disability; urges the Member States ~~to include social clauses and criteria~~, when transposing the directive, to take advantage of the scope it offers to include social criteria, social clauses and reserved contracts in public procurement procedures;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Warmly welcomes the reform of the Public Procurement Directive, which includes social clauses and criteria in order to promote social inclusion and social innovation, inter alia; urges the Member States to include social clauses and criteria in public procurement procedures;

Amendment 114 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Welcomes the reform of the Public Procurement Directive, which includes social clauses and criteria in order to promote social inclusion and social innovation, inter alia; urges the Member States to include social clauses and criteria in public procurement procedures; which would not only strengthen the position of vulnerable people on the labour market and potentially enable budgetary means to be disbursed more effectively, but would also prove beneficial to local authorities, which – besides attaining the objective of the procurement procedures – would also mobilise the unemployed and provide employment for persons with a disability, and so on;

Amendment 115 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Elena GENTILE, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Regrets that the Commission Digital Single Market strategy for Europe fails to mention social economy enterprises and their potential contribution to the achievement of the Union's goals; deplores the fact that the Digital Single Market strategy takes in no account the need to ensure a full, equal and unrestricted access for all to new digital technologies, markets and telecommunications, in particular with regard to people with disabilities;

Amendment 117 #

Emilian PAVEL, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Highlights that technology-based social economy enterprises can play a crucial role in tackling societal challenges in an easy and cost-effective way and should therefore play a key role within the Commission's Digital Single Market strategy;

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Notes that there should be no scope for influencing Member States’ tender evaluation committees, at whatever level, as they must remain totally independent;

Amendment 119 #

Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS, Inês Cristina ZUBER, Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO, Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS, Patrick LE HYARIC, Lynn BOYLAN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Regrets that social economy enterprises are obstructed and encounter even more difficulties in securing financing than traditional enterprises, whether through public or private channels;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, as a consequence of the economic and financial crisis, the policies imposed on Member States under reconstruction programmes, and the deepening of the economic governance framework, levels of poverty and social exclusion have increased, as has long-term unemployment;

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Regrets that social economy enterprises encounter even more difficulties in securing financing than traditional enterprises, whether through public or private channels;, and therefore calls for public authorities and financial service providers to develop a wide range of appropriate financial instruments which will effectively support social enterprises at all stages of their business development, particularly during their foundation, and to create a package of tailor-made legislative framework conditions entitled ‘Social Enterprises’ in order to bring together potential investors and specialised funds.

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Points out that access to financing is hindered by the fact that financial intermediary managers have little knowledge of the actual situation for these enterprises; stresses the need to improve training for these managers with regard to social economy enterprises in order to facilitate their access to financing; and therefore calls for the introduction of a European trustmark for 'social entrepreneurship’ enabling investors to identify funds with a portfolio comprising social enterprises, primarily the European Fund for Social Entrepreneurship.

Amendment 122 #

Nicola CAPUTO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Stresses the need to provide greater stimulus for the creation of, and support for, social enterprise networks in order to promote synergies in the organisation, exchange and dissemination of technologies and the development of services among producers in different regions;

Amendment 123 #

Nicola CAPUTO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13b. Stresses the need to promote a more structured dialogue between SMEs, social undertakings and financial institutions, by means of dedicated on-line platforms;

Amendment 124 #

Maria ARENA, Jens NILSSON, Sofia RIBEIRO, Elena GENTILE, Georgi PIRINSKI, Brando BENIFEI, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Welcomes the adoption of the regulation on European social entrepreneurship funds, but criticises the relatively small budget made available, given the role played by the social economy in the European economy as a whole and in fostering social cohesion;

Amendment 125 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Emilian PAVEL, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Welcomes the adoption of the regulation on European social entrepreneurship funds and calls for the European Social Fund to assign a specific budget heading to social investment;

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15 Highlights the role to be played by the social entrepreneurship axis of the EaSI programme and the remaining structural funds and European programmes in improving their financing; highlights the insufficient budgetary allocation of the EaSI programme in the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF); considers it necessary to ensure and facilitate the access to EaSI programme's funding to the community- based social enterprises and services; with a view to this, calls on the Member States to establish national contact points or one-stop-shops to assist social economy actors in accessing the EU's funding schemes;

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Highlights the role to be played by the social entrepreneurship axis of the EaSI and the ~~remaining~~ structural funds and European programmes in improving their financing;

Amendment 128 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Highlights the role to be played by the social entrepreneurship axis of the EaSI and the remaining structural funds and European programmes in improving their financing; highlights the need for greater awareness-raising with regard to funding opportunities;

Amendment 129 #

Sven SCHULZE, David CASA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Welcomes the fact that part of the funding for EaSI is earmarked to finance social enterprises;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas social support and health service providers, many of which are social enterprises, represents one of the key job growth areas in the EU, having created 1.3 million jobs between 2009 and 2013; demonstrating the sector's dual ability to both create new jobs even in times of crisis whilst also strengthening social and territorial cohesion in Europe; in particular by helping to bring service users into employment.

Amendment 130 #

Sven SCHULZE, David CASA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15b. Calls on the Commission to review the ceiling for loans to social enterprises laid down under the EaSI and determine whether this reflects market conditions;

Amendment 131 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Highlights the need to provide practical support for social economy enterprises with sufficient financial resources at local, regional, national and EU level; considers it necessary to improve access to financing for the social economy through various forms of financing, such as European funds, risk capital funds, micro- credit and crowdfunding;

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Highlights the need to support social economy enterprises with sufficient financial resources at local, regional, national and EU level, creating a virtuous circle among the various enterprises; considers it necessary to improve access to financing for the social economy through various forms of financing, such as European funds, risk capital funds, micro- credit and crowdfunding;

Amendment 133 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Highlights the need to support social economy enterprises with sufficient financial resources at local, regional, national and EU level; and calls for the Member States and the EU to acknowledge the fact that the requisite funding must be made available; therefore considers it necessary to improve access to financing for the social economy through various forms of financing, such as European funds, risk capital funds, micro- credit and crowdfunding;

Amendment 134 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Highlights the need to support social economy enterprises with sufficient financial resources at local, regional, national and EU level; considers it necessary to improve access to financing for the social economy through various forms of financing, such as European funds, risk capital funds, micro-credit and crowdfunding; draws attention to the key role played by the public authorities in guaranteeing that the provision of funding of all kinds fosters the public interest, as exemplified by the activities of this sector, and is not guided solely by the profit motive; calls on the Member States to support the establishment of investment funds which place the emphasis on social value, not profitability;

Amendment 135 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Calls on Member States to reinforce public services (for example health and education) through local authorities, using them as a driving force to improve the quality of services so as to provide job opportunities and raise the level of the services provided with the aim of reducing poverty and social exclusion;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. ~~Calls on the Commission to be as flexible as possible with regard to~~Points out that State Aid Rules should not constitute an impediment for public funding to social economy enterprises and social services; in this sense, calls on the Commission to be flexible in the application of state aid rules for social economy enterprises, and social services and to help local and regional authorities understand and apply correctly state aid targeted at social economy enterprises and social services;

Amendment 137 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Calls, at the same time, for the immediate introduction of procedures for monitoring the use of these funds;

Amendment 138 #

Maria ARENA, Jens NILSSON, Sofia RIBEIRO, Elena GENTILE, Georgi PIRINSKI, Brando BENIFEI, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. C~~alls for investment in the social economy to be taken into account when assessing European Strategic Investment Fund projec~~riticises the fact that the regulation establishing the European Fund for Strategic Investments refers to the social economy only in its recitals and, in its Article 5(2), uses the narrower concept of the ‘social sector’ to define the scope of these investments;

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Calls for ~~investment in~~projects relating to the social economy to be taken into account when assessing European Strategic Investment Fund projects;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas the social and solidarity- based economy places people before profit and prioritises meeting collective needs over pursuing targets, and whereas it should therefore be recognised, not as an economic sector concerned with production, but rather as a driver of transition towards a more sustainable model with greater regard for human, social and environmental balance;

Amendment 140 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Elena GENTILE, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Calls on the European Commission to continue to promote the social investment approach as presented in the Social Investment Package; Calls for investment in the social economy to be taken into account when assessing European Strategic Investment Fund projects;

Amendment 141 #

Dieter-Lebrecht KOCH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Calls for social investment to be further promoted under the Social Investment Package and for investment in the social economy to be taken into account when assessing European Strategic Investment Fund projects;

Amendment 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Calls for investment in the social economy and social services to be taken into account when assessing European Strategic Investment Fund projects;

Amendment 143 #

Maria ARENA, Jens NILSSON, Sofia RIBEIRO, Georgi PIRINSKI, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Criticises the fact that training and placement enterprises, set up on the basis of partnerships between social economy enterprises, are generally prevented from accessing funds intended for SMEs; calls on the Commission to propose a new exception to the legal definition of ‘SME’, similar to those which already apply to public investment corporations, venture capital firms and non-profit-making universities and research centres, so that a training and placement enterprise can be classified as an autonomous enterprise even if another enterprise holds, alone or jointly with other enterprises, more than 25 % of its capital or of the voting rights on its administrative board;

Amendment 145 #

Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS, Inês Cristina ZUBER, Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO, Lynn BOYLAN, Patrick LE HYARIC, Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Regrets that training and placement enterprises established by social economy enterprises are often excluded from funds for SMEs; calls on the Commission to propose a new exception to the definition of associated enterprise along the lines of that which already exists for universities or non-profit research centres, institutional investors and certain autonomous local authorities;

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

~~19. Calls on Member States to include the entrepreneurial spirit and the principles of the social economy in education and training curricula;~~deleted

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls on Member States to include the ~~entrepreneurial spirit and the~~ principles of the social economy in education and training curricula; calls on Member States, further, to encourage the establishment in universities of incubators for social and solidarity-based enterprises and to open them up to all students;

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls on Member States to include the entrepreneurial spirit and social entrepreneurship, in addition to the principles of the social economy, in education and training curricula;

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls on Member States to include ~~the~~ entrepreneurial spirit, entrepreneurial education and the principles of the social economy in education and training curricula;

Amendment 15 #

Maria ARENA, Jens NILSSON, Sofia RIBEIRO, Georgi PIRINSKI, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas the conference ‘Unlocking the potential of the social economy for EU growth’, held in Rome on 17 and 18 November 2014, recognised that the social economy plays a key role in European countries and contributes to achieving a number of key EU goals, such as the creation and retention of employment, social cohesion, social innovation, rural and regional development and environmental protection;

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls on Member States to include the entrepreneurial spirit and the principles of the social economy in education and training curricula; social economy enterprises are to be defined by their commitment to upholding the following values: – the primacy of the individual and social goals over the interests of capital; – democratic governance by members; – the conjunction of the interests of its members and users with the general interest; – the safeguarding and application of the principles of solidarity and responsibility; – the reinvestment of surplus funds in long-term development objectives, or in the provision of services of interest to members or services of general interest; – voluntary, open membership; – autonomous management independent of the public authorities.

Amendment 151 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls on Member States to include the entrepreneurial spirit and the principles of the social economy in education and training curricula; and calls for the introduction of training on the social economy in schools;

Amendment 152 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Points out that the social economy could help considerably to reduce the number of young unemployed people in the EU; calls on the Member States to promote greater participation of social economy enterprises in education and training programmes in the Member States, in particular through dual training systems;

Amendment 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Calls on Member States to equip employment centres to provide effective information to those who intend to work in the social enterprise sector;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Points out that some social enterprises are competitive and are at the forefront of their sector, while others require specialised knowledge in order to launch, develop and manage their enterprises; calls on the Member States to develop training programmes targeted at and specifically tailored to entrepreneurs in the social sector, and in particular to groups with lower employment rates such as women, young or disadvantaged workers, with a view to developing basic business management skills and knowledge;

Amendment 155 #

Elena GENTILE, Brando BENIFEI, Jens NILSSON

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Points out that some social economy enterprises are competitive and are at the forefront of their sector, while others require specialised knowledge in order to launch, develop and manage their enterprises; calls on the Member States to develop training programmes targeted at and specifically tailored to entrepreneurs in the social sector with a view to developing basic business management skills and knowledge;

Amendment 156 #

Maria ARENA, Jens NILSSON, Sofia RIBEIRO, Elena GENTILE, Georgi PIRINSKI, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Calls on Member States to promote lifelong learning among older workers and the long-term unemployed via social economy enterprises as well to help them move into the ~~social economy~~labour market;

Amendment 158 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Calls on Member States to promote lifelong learning a~~mong~~nd assistance for older workers and the long-term unemployed to help them move into the social economy;

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Calls on Member States to promote lifelong learning among older workers and the long-term unemployed to help them move into the labour market via the social economy;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas increasing the employment rate in the 20-64 age range from 69% to at least 75% and reducing by 25% the number of people in Europe living below national poverty thresholds, taking more than 20 million people out of poverty, are targets of the EU 2020 Strategy which have not so far been attained;

Amendment 160 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Calls on Member States also to promote lifelong learning among older workers and the long-term unemployed, including people with disabilities, who continue to struggle with physical and information and communication barriers, to help them move into the social economy;

Amendment 161 #

Dieter-Lebrecht KOCH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Points out that a proper understanding of human rights is essential to achieve the social aims of social enterprises; therefore calls on the Member States to draw up training programmes to acquaint specialists in the social sphere with the proper implementation of human rights principles in Europe;

Amendment 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to fully exploit the potential of programmes such as Erasmus +, thereby encouraging exchanges of students and teachers as well as other innovative entrepreneurs;

Amendment 163 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Notes that the disastrous situation of older workers and the long-term unemployed is clearly and directly linked to the failure of the policies implemented by the European Union over the last 30 years;

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)

21b. Points out that sectors with a wide margin for growth and job creation, such as the white sector or the green sector are those in which the social economy is very much present; accordingly, urges Member States to promote education and training in these sectors;

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Regrets the low level of recognition of the social economy at European level; takes the view that improving the collection of gender disaggregated data and the exchange of information and best practice at European level, and greater media coverage of the social economy and its achievements, would help to boost society's involvement in the social economy, gaining more understanding and recognition for the sector and raising its profile;

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. RDeeply regrets the low level of recognition of the social economy at European level; takes the view that improving the collection of data and the exchange of information and best practice at European level, and greater media coverage of the social economy and its achievements, would help to boost society’s involvement in the social economy, gaining more understanding and recognition for the sector and raising its profile;

Amendment 167 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Is in favour of creating a multilingual digital platform for exchanging information aimed at social enterprises, business incubators, business clusters and investors in social enterprise, and of facilitating information-sharing and access to support from EU programmes; believes that the development of such a platform should be preceded by consultations with interested groups;

Amendment 168 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Calls on the Commission to create communication platforms which facilitate the circulation of information on social economies, exchanges of best practices, sharing of opportunities and knowledge and exchanges of the various experiences;

Amendment 169 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Calls for an additional impact assessment to be carried out, as a matter of urgency, to determine the scale of the benefits generated by the social and solidarity-based economy;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)

Bb. whereas the Strasbourg Declaration of January 2014 states that social enterprises must play a greater role in the future of Europe;

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls on the Commission and Member States to promote the creation of business incubators for social economy enterprises; and to implement and effectively promote the internet platform for data exchange between social investors and social entrepreneurs (the Social Innovation Europe Platform), details of which have been agreed upon.

Amendment 171 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls on the Commission and Member States to promote the creation of business incubators for social economy enterprises, to promote relations between schools, universities and social enterprises and to increase public social spending;

Amendment 172 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Calls on Member States to ~~take account of~~enhance best practice exchange with regard to ~~adapting national tax systems to favour~~national support fostering social enterprises and services and social investment;

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Calls on Member States to take account of best practice with regard to adapting national tax systems to favour social economy enterprises and social investment;

Amendment 174 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Calls on Member States to take account of best practice with regard to adapting national tax systems to favour social enterprises and social investment; and to introduce incentives such as tailor-made tax reductions for individuals based on specific characteristics determined on the basis of legislation for a particular group (disability);

Amendment 175 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Calls on Member States to take account of best practice with regard to adapting national tax systems to favour social enterprises and social investment and to reduce the tax burden on social enterprises and on workers;

Amendment 176 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Protection of rights

Amendment 177 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point 1 (new)

(1) Calls on the Commission to monitor closely the practical measures taken by the Member States to guarantee people who have opted for social and solidarity- based entrepreneurship the same rights as other workers in the areas of social and health protection and job security;

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 – point 2 (new)

(2) Calls on the Commission to ensure that no measure taken by the Member States poses an obstacle to the free movement of workers, so that people who have opted for social and solidarity-based entrepreneurship can carry on their activities wherever they wish on the territory of the European Union;

Amendment 179 #

Maria ARENA, Jens NILSSON, Sofia RIBEIRO, Elena GENTILE, Georgi PIRINSKI, Brando BENIFEI, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25a. Calls on the Commission, in keeping with the Rome Strategy adopted by European representatives of the social economy at the conclusion of the conference organised by the Italian Council Presidency on 17 and 18 November 2014: – the setting-up of a specific unit with the task of promoting the social economy, which can draw on resources commensurate with the importance of the social economy in Europe; Deplores, in that connection, the fact that the Commission seems to be moving towards a decision to merge units in the Directorate-General for the Internal Market to form a larger entity entitled ‘Clusters, social business and social entrepreneurship’, which does not cover all social economy enterprises or reflect the true nature of the social economy in Europe, which mainly consists of cooperatives, mutual societies, foundations, associations and new forms of social enterprise; – work closely with representatives of the sector to prepare a new initiative to promote the social economy which acknowledges its importance in Europe and provides even more support for its development, with a view to maximising the contribution the social economy can make to sustainable, fair development and the creation of high-quality jobs in Europe; – grant legal recognition at EU level to all social economy enterprises (mutual societies and public-interest foundations and associations)by putting forward a proposal for a directive which endows them with a specific legal status and enables them to take full advantage of the benefits offered by the internal market; – simplify the status of cooperatives.

Amendment 18 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Emilian PAVEL, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ, Elena GENTILE, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO

Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)

Bc. whereas the EU is the region which has the most elderly population and the lowest population growth in the world; whereas, according to forecasts, by 2050 the average age of EU citizens will be over 50; whereas the ageing population and demographic change pose a challenge to social welfare systems;

Amendment 180 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25a. Calls on the Commission to enhance social dialogue in the social economy in order to facilitate the social innovation, improvement of working conditions and to fully recognise the job-creation potential of the sector;

Amendment 19 #

Elena GENTILE, Brando BENIFEI, Jens NILSSON

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas social economy enterprises are more flexible and innovative, can offer favourable working conditions and arcan be better at adapting to economic and social circumstances;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)

– having regard to its resolution of 2 July 2013 on the contribution of cooperatives to overcoming the crisis (2012/2321 (INI) P7_TA(2013)0301;

Amendment 20 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Elena GENTILE, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas social economy enterprises are more flexible and innovative, given that they are concerned with improving existing societies and economic situations, that they offer favourable working conditions ~~and~~, that they are better at adapting to economic and social circumstances and, above all, that the wellbeing of society matters to them;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas social economy enterprises ~~are more~~offer flexible and innovative~~, offer favourable~~ working conditions and are ~~better at~~capable of adapting to economic and social circumstances;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas social support and health services providers, many of which are social enterprises, represents one of the key job growth areas in the EU, having created 1.3 million jobs between 2009 and 2013;

Amendment 23 #

Maria ARENA, Jens NILSSON, Sofia RIBEIRO, Elena GENTILE, Brando BENIFEI, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas social economy enterprises are characterised by their democratic governance arrangements, the strong involvement of their members or partners in the management of the enterprise and the high level of transparency in their operations, and respond to the growing public demand for ethical, social and environmentally friendly business behaviour;

Amendment 24 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas social economy enterprises comprise a wide range of companies, and most of these enterprises are not recognised by a uniform European-level legal framework, being recognised only at national level in some Member States, with different legal forms;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas social economy enterprises comprise a wide range of companies, and most of these enterprises are not recognised by a European-level legal framework, b~~eing recognised~~ut only at national level in some Member States, with different legal forms;

Amendment 26 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Emilian PAVEL, Elena GENTILE, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas cooperatives are providing high-quality jobs that are not vulnerable to relocation, are open to everyone and are surviving the crisis; whereas, thanks to their cooperative business model, they increased turnover and growth during the crisis, with fewer bankruptcies and redundancies,

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas 'social innovation ~~refers to new ideas, whether they be products, services or social organisation~~s' are innovations that are social both as to their ends and their means and in particular those which relate to the development and implementation of new ideas (concerning products, services and models), ~~designed to~~that simultaneously meet ~~new~~ social ~~and environmental demands and challenges, such as the ageing popul~~needs and create new social relationships or collaborations, ~~balancing work and family life, managing diversity, youth unemployment and climate change~~thereby benefiting society and boosting its capacity to act;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas social innovation refers to new ideas, whether they be products, services or social organisation models, designed to meet new social, geographical and environmental demands and challenges, such as, inter alia, the ageing population, balancing work and family life, managing diversity, youth unemployment, integrating people with disabilities, rural depopulation and climate change;

Amendment 29 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Elena GENTILE, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas social innovation refers to new ideas, whether they be products, services or social organisation models, designed to meet new social and environmental demands and challenges, such as the ageing population, balancing work and family life, managing diversity, youth unemployment and climate change, the need to create an employment model different to that which has been created so far;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)

- having regard to the Commission communication on of 6 may 2015 entitled 'A Digital Single Market Strategy for Europe' (COM(2015) 192);

Amendment 30 #

Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS, Inês Cristina ZUBER, Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO, Lynn BOYLAN, Patrick LE HYARIC, Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas social innovation refers to new ideas, whether they be products, services or social organisation models, designed to meet new social and environmental demands and challenges, such as the ageing population, balancing work and family life, managing diversity, youth unemployment and climate change, but under no circumstances can it replace the role of the welfare state;

Amendment 31 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Emilian PAVEL, Elena GENTILE, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

Fa. whereas social investments are investments in people designed to strengthen their skills and capacities and support them to fully participate in employment and social life; whereas social investments generally refer to policies in the areas of education, childcare, healthcare, training, job-search assistance and rehabilitation;

Amendment 32 #

Maria ARENA, Jens NILSSON, Sofia RIBEIRO, Elena GENTILE, Georgi PIRINSKI

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the lack of recognition that frequently faces social economy enterprises makes it even more difficult for them to access both public and private financing; whereas ~~social economy enterprises are chiefly SMEs and micro- enterpris~~the EU structural funds and programmes should make a positive contribution to financing social economy enterprises, which, while most of them are SMEs, include companies of many different types (cooperatives, mutual organisations, foundations, associations and new forms of social enterprise) and different sizes;

Amendment 33 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the lack of recognition that ~~frequently faces~~ social economy enterprises are frequently faced with makes it ~~even~~ more difficult for them to access both public and private financing; whereas social economy enterprises are ~~chief~~mainly SMEs and micro- enterprises;

Amendment 34 #

Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS, Inês Cristina ZUBER, Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO, Patrick LE HYARIC, Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the lfac~~k of recognition that frequently faces social economy enterprise~~t that social economy enterprises are frequently not recognised as economic stakeholders makes it even more difficult for them to access both public and private financing; whereas social economy enterprises are chiefly SMEs and micro- enterprises;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

~~H. whereas education and training must be priority areas in fostering the entrepreneurial spirit among our young people;~~deleted

Amendment 36 #

Emilian PAVEL, Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas education and training must be priority areas in fostering the entrepreneurial culture and risk-taking spirit among ~~our~~ young people;

Amendment 37 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Emilian PAVEL, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas education and training must be priority areas in fostering the entrepreneurial ~~spirit~~culture among ~~our~~ young people;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

Ha. whereas the gender gap in social entrepreneurship is smaller than in traditional forms of entrepreneurship; whereas women social entrepreneurs contribute significantly to the reduction of social exclusion and the creation of new development opportunities;

Amendment 39 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Elena GENTILE, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

Ha. having regard to the need to provide training and retraining for the long-term unemployed in the social sector in order to afford them new opportunities in an innovative environment such as that of the social economy;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 b (new)

– having regard to the Commission communication of 20 March 2013 entitled 'Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion – including implementing the European Social Fund 2014-2020' (COM(2013) 83);

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the social economy, and in particular training and placement enterprises, offer job opportunities especially for people who are ~~furthest away~~most excluded from the labour market;

Amendment 41 #

Dieter-Lebrecht KOCH

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the social economy, and in particular training and placement enterprises, offer job opportunities for people who are ~~furthest away~~most excluded from the labour market;

Amendment 42 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas ~~the~~ social economy enterprises, and in particular training and placement enterprises, offer job opportunities for people who are furthest away from the labour market;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the social economy, and in particular employment support, training and placement enterprises, offer job opportunities for people ~~who are furthest away~~most often excluded from the labour market;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the social economy, and in particular training and placement enterprises, offer job opportunities for people who are furthest away from the labour market; including for women, young and disadvantaged workers;

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the social economy, and in particular training and placement enterprises, offer job opportunities for people who are furthest away from the labour market, such as people with disabilities, the long-term unemployed and the most vulnerable groups;

Amendment 46 #

Jeroen LENAERS

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the social economy, and in particular training and placement enterprises, offer job opportunities for people who are furthest away from the labour market; whereas Member States may conduct research into the feasibility of a dispensation scheme for social enterprises recruiting unemployed people or benefit claimants;

Amendment 47 #

Jeroen LENAERS

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the social economy, and in particular training and placement enterprises, offer job opportunities for people who are furthest away from the labour market, especially older people, in view of the long-term unemployment which is expected to occur among them;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas the social and solidarity- based economy is self organising and the public authorities’ task is to support its development by fostering an environment conducive to it in terms of policy and legislation; whereas, in order to avoid hampering the development of social and solidarity-based enterprises, the public authorities should thus be concerned not to place them in a technocratic straitjacket;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

I a. whereas the complementary and supplementary effect of the social economy is also important alongside other measures promoting employment and whereas greater attention must be paid to solutions promoting the reintegration into the job market of people lacking the most basic capabilities and competitive wherewithal so that they will later be able to benefit from the advantages offered by the more innovative solutions of the social economy;

Amendment 5 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the social and solidarity-based economy provides employment for more than 14 million people, representing around 6.5% of workers in the EU; whereas there are 2 million social and solidarity-based economy enterprises in the EU, representing 10% of EU undertakings; (This is a cross-cutting amendment to replace the term ‘social economy’ with ‘social and solidarity-based economy’ throughout the text.)

Amendment 50 #

Maria ARENA, Jens NILSSON, Sofia RIBEIRO, Elena GENTILE, Georgi PIRINSKI, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas any improvement in the Member States’ economic and financial situation should be accompanied by intensive support for inclusive and sustainable growth and for the creation of high-quality jobs;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas social dialogue is essential for the functioning of the EU's social market economy and crucial to promote both competitiveness and fairness; whereas social dialogue and the consultation of social partners within the EU's policy- making represents a major social innovation;

Amendment 52 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Elena GENTILE, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas procurement often takes the form of large one-off tenders for services or supplies which may exclude smaller actors;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that social economy enterprise~~s are enterprises whose main purpose is to achieve~~ means an undertaking, regardless of its legal form, which: (a) in accordance with its Articles of Association, Statutes or with any otheir ~~social objective, which may be to create jobs for vulnerable groups,~~legal document by which it is established, has as its primary objective the achievement of measurable, positive social impacts rather than generating profit for its owners, members and shareholders, and which: (i) provides services for their members, or more generally to create a positive social and environmental impact, over and above maximising profits for their members or partners, and which reinvest their profits in order to achieve those objectives; points out that, despite legal disparities and the different activities carried out by social economy enterprises across the EU, they share a series of common recognisable features; goods which generate a social return and/or (ii) employs a method of production of goods or services that embodies its social objective; (b) uses its profits first and foremost to achieve its primary objective and has predefined procedures and rules covering any distribution of profits to shareholders and owners that ensure that such distribution does not undermine the primary objective; and (c) is managed in an entrepreneurial, accountable and transparent way, in particular by involving workers, customers and stakeholders affected by its business activities1 a; __________________ 1a [Justification: this definition makes reference to art 2(1) of the Regulation (EU) No 1296/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on a European Union Programme for Employment and Social Innovation ('EaSI')]

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that social economy enterprises, which do not necessarily have to be non- profit organisations, are enterprises whose main purpose is to achieve their social objective, which may be to create jobs for vulnerable groups, provide services for their members, or more generally to create a positive social and environmental impact, over and above maximising profits for their members or partners, and which reinvest their profits primarily in order to achieve those objectives; points out that, despite legal disparities and the different activities carried out by social economy enterprises across the EU, they share a series of common recognisable features;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that social economy enterprises are enterprises whose ~~main~~ purpose is to achieve their social objective, which may be to create jobs for vulnerable groups, provide services for their members, or more generally to create a positive social and environmental impact, over and above maximising profits for their members or partners, and which reinvest their profits in order to achieve those objectives; points out that, despite legal disparities and the different activities carried out by social economy enterprises across the EU, they share a series of common recognisable features;

Amendment 56 #

Maria ARENA, Jens NILSSON, Sofia RIBEIRO, Elena GENTILE, Georgi PIRINSKI, Brando BENIFEI, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that social economy enterprises are enterprises whose main purpose is to achieve their social ~~objective~~goal, which may be to create jobs for vulnerable groups, provide services for their members, or more generally to create a positive social and environmental impact, over and above maximising profits for their members or partners, and which reinvest their profits in order to achieve those objectives; points out that, despite legal disparities and the different activities carried out by social economy enterprises across the EU, they share a series of common recognisable features;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 (new)

The Commission should recognise the diversity of social enterprises and ensure EU-level actions are taken to support social enterprises of all types;

Amendment 58 #

Thomas MANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Defines social economy enterprises as economic players the primary aim of which is to perform social tasks;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Calls for the EU consistently to implement all the measures set out in the 2012 Initiative for Social Entrepreneurship without delay. It should put forward a second stage of the Initiative as soon as possible which, in partnership with the Member States and local and regional authorities, civil society organisations and key players in the social economy, would broaden and deepen its scope.

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, as a consequence of the economic and financial crisis, levels of poverty and social exclusion have increased markedly, as has long-term unemployment;

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Social economy enterprises are defined in accordance with the application of the following principles: – the primacy of the individual and the social objective over capital; – democratic governance by their members; – combination of interests: of members, users and the general interest; – defence and implementation of the principles of solidarity and responsibility; – reinvestment of profits to ensure the long- term development of the enterprise; – free and open membership; – autonomous and independent governance;

Amendment 61 #

Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS, Inês Cristina ZUBER, Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO, Lynn BOYLAN, Patrick LE HYARIC, Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Notes that jobs in social and solidarity-based enterprises are usually among the lowest paid, a contributory factor in social dumping;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Notes that social economy cannot replace the welfare state and public services

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Notes that the social entrepreneurship model often appeals to young people and gives them an opportunity to provide innovative responses to the current economic, social and environmental challenges; In this context calls for the immediate implementation of the EaSI programme;

Amendment 64 #

Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS, Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO, Lynn BOYLAN, Patrick LE HYARIC, Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Calls on the Commission to act on the announcement of a pan-European legal framework for social enterprises by means of European statutes for cooperative societies, foundations and mutual societies and also to formulate such statutes for associations.

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

Amendment 66 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Elena GENTILE, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Points out that social economy enterprises have a strong local and regional basis, which means that they are more aware of specific needs and able to offer products and community-based services which match those needs, thus improving social and territorial cohesion;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Points out that social economy enterprises have a strong local and regional basis, which means that they are more aware of specific needs and able to offer products and services which match those needs, thus improving social and territorial cohesion; the cooperation of social enterprises across country and sector boundaries must be promoted to enable the exchange of knowledge and practices so that the growth of social enterprises in particular can be supported and the provision of relevant social services developed in countries where these are still insufficient.

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Notes that the range of jobs involved is relatively narrow;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, as a consequence of the economic and financial crisis, levels of poverty and social exclusion have increased, as has long-term unemployment, thereby exposing disabled people across the EU increasingly to the risk of poverty and dramatically increasing the number of European citizens out of work for more than a year;

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to propose plans and measures to improve territorial organisation, especially in areas with permanent natural or demographic handicaps, which will not only help to establish and develop social economy enterprises and the promotion of social innovation and entrepreneurship, but will also help to strengthen social and territorial cohesion in the EU and meet the demographic challenges facing the EU;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Warmly welcomes the increase in the number of conventional enterprises which apply corporate social responsibility strategies as part of their business plans; points out that applying corporate social responsibility strategies is not in itself sufficient as a condition for being considered a social economy enterprise;

Amendment 72 #

Maria ARENA, Georgi PIRINSKI, Jens NILSSON, Elena GENTILE, Sofia RIBEIRO, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the increase in the number of conventional enterprises which apply corporate social responsibility strategies as part of their business plans; points out that applying corporate social responsibility strategies is not in itself sufficient as a condition for being considered a social economy enterprise;(Does not affect the English version)

Amendment 73 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Emilian PAVEL, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Believes it is important to determine the origins of the smaller gender gap in social entrepreneurship so that these factors can be taken into account by policy-makers whilst promoting social and traditional entrepreneurship;

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Believes that social innovation, in particular by aiming at improving the quality of services rather than simply at lowering costs, makes a significant contribution towards laying the foundations for a type of growth which serves a more sustainable, inclusive society generating social cohesion;

Amendment 75 #

Neoklis SYLIKIOTIS, Inês Cristina ZUBER, Paloma LÓPEZ BERMEJO, Lynn BOYLAN, Patrick LE HYARIC, Tania GONZÁLEZ PEÑAS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Believ~~Notes that social innovation ma~~kes a significant~~y, along with public investments and the safeguarding of the welfare state, contribut~~ion~~e towards laying the foundations for a type of growth which serves a more sustainable, inclusive society generating social cohesion;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Believes that social innovation makes a significant contribution towards laying the foundations for a type of growth which serves a more sustainable, inclusive society generating social cohesion; only if social innovation is aimed towards improving the quality of services more efficiently rather than simply at lowering costs to the detriment of the quality of the services.

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Believes that social innovation, provided it is geared to improving the quality of services rather than cutting their cost at the expense of quality, makes a significant contribution towards laying the foundations for a type of growth which serves a more sustainable, inclusive society generating social cohesion;

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Believes that social innovation makes a significant contribution towards laying the foundations for a type of growth which serves a more sustainable, inclusive society generating social cohesion; Notes that social innovation is sometimes used as an excuse to simply cut funding and that social innovation must be aimed at improving the quality of services in an efficient manner;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, as a consequence of the economic and financial crisis, levels of poverty and social exclusion have increased, as has long-term unemployment; whereas the economic and financial crisis should serve as an opportunity to develop the European Union’s economic model so as to make it more sustainable with greater regard for human, social and environmental balance;

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Welcomes the fact that four EU Member States (Spain, France, Portugal and Belgium) have national legislation concerning the social economy, that Poland has launched a strategy to develop the social economy and that Romania is discussing the adoption of legislation to regulate the social economy;

Amendment 81 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Emilian PAVEL, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. The Commission should recognise and support the role of not-for-profit social service providers, politically and financially;

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Points out that~~Highlights the need to promote exchanges among innovative social enterprises, the academic world and social investment stakeholders, in order to strengthen entrepreneurial skills, ~~professionalisation,~~ the conditions enabling social economy enterprises ~~to develop and grow and the creation of social innovation poles, it is vital to promote exchanges with other innovative social enterprises, with the academic world and with social investor~~and social services to develop and grow, as well as to create social innovation poles;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that, in order to strengthen entrepreneurial skills, professionalisation, the conditions enabling social economy enterprises to develop and grow and the creation of social innovation poles, it is vital to promote exchanges with other innovative social enterprises, with schools, with the academic world and with social investors, also taking into account the points of view of the social partners, who are the prime dialogue partners who should be consulted;

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that, in order to strengthen entrepreneurial skills, professionalisation, the conditions enabling social economy enterprises to develop and grow and the creation of social innovation poles, it is vital to promote exchanges with other innovative social enterprises, with the academic world ~~and with social investors~~, with social investors and with those who benefit from the social enterprises in question;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that, in order to strengthen entrepreneurial skills, professionalisation, the conditions enabling social economy enterprises to develop and grow and the creation of social innovation poles, it is vital to promote exchanges with other innovative social enterprises, with the academic world and with social investors, taking into account society’s needs;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Stresses the need for cooperation between all Member States in order to create the necessary framework conditions for a system of social innovation in all Member States, as the social economy alone cannot combat the symptoms and causes of the most pressing social problems.

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Recognises that the EU is a long way away from achieving the targets set in the 2020 Strategy, particularly those relating to high-quality employment, innovation and poverty reduction, and that the social economy contributes to a sustainable, smart and inclusive economic model in line with the objectives of the 2020 Strategy; calls on Member States to promote the cooperative enterprise model, which is based on democratic decision making and enables the members of a cooperative to become responsible employers, employees and consumers; points out that cooperatives and other social economy enterprises are part of the European social model and the single market and therefore deserve strong recognition and support, as provided for in the constitutions of some Member States and various key EU documents;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Recognises that the EU is a long way away from achieving the targets set in the 2020 Strategy, particularly those relating to employment, innovation and poverty reduction, and that the social economy must contributes to a more sustainable, smarter and more inclusive economic model in line with the objectives of the 2020 Strategy;

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Recognises that the EU is a long way away from achieving the targets set in the 2020 Strategy, particularly those relating to employment, innovation ~~and~~, poverty reduction and social exclusion, and that the social economy contributes to a sustainable, smart and inclusive economic model in line with the objectives of the 2020 Strategy;

Amendment 9 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas, as a consequence of the economic and financial crisis, levels of poverty and social exclusion have increased, as hasve long-term unemployment and social inequalities;

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Recognises that the EU is a long way away from achieving the targets set in the Europe 2020 Strategy, particularly those relating to high-quality employment, innovation and poverty reduction, and that the social economy contributes to a sustainable, smart and inclusive economic model in line with the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy;

Amendment 91 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Points out that demographic trends are bound up with new models of consumption. Population ageing in developed countries is making growing demands on social services, but will also provide opportunities to create socially responsible businesses;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Noting that the EU has not attained the targets of the EU 2020 Strategy, calls for the review of the Strategy to devote ample attention to the social economy as an instrument for attaining those targets, particularly reducing poverty and social exclusion;

Amendment 93 #

Brando BENIFEI, Richard HOWITT, Jutta STEINRUCK, Sergio GUTIÉRREZ PRIETO, Vilija BLINKEVIČIŪTĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Sees further evidence of the failure, over the past 30 years, of EU employment policy;

Amendment 94 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Emphasises that, given its social and inclusive nature, the social economy offers jobs to the ~~most vulnerable groups, contributing to economic growth,~~groups most often excluded from the open labour market, thereby contributing to solidarity ~~and~~, social cohesion as well as economic growth;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Emphasises that, given its more social and inclusive nature, the social economy offers jobs to the most vulnerable groups with the poorest employment prospects, contributing to economic growth, solidarity and social cohesion;

Amendment 96 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Believes that social economy enterprises can develop processes that allow more efficient, responsible and transparent management of shrinking resources, and can increase implementation of socially responsible measures;

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Supports the idea that social enterprises could form a specific company category with its own legal status and other objectives than simply profit for shareholders;

Amendment 98 #