2020/2007(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Asger CHRISTENSEN, Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA, Linea SØGAARD-LIDELL, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Elsi KATAINEN

Draft opinion
Citation 2 b (new)

- having regard to Article 45 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

Amendment 100 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Highlights that, as enshrined in the TFEU, the EU does not have the competence to intervene on the setting of pay or minimum wages;

Amendment 101 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Notes with regret the COVID-19 infections that have occurred at plants that make extensive use of posted workers;

Amendment 11 #

Pina PICIERNO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Clara AGUILERA, Ivo HRISTOV, Maria NOICHL

Draft opinion
Citation 2 c (new)

- having regard to the Communication of the European Commission of 16 July 2020 ‘Guidelines on Seasonal Workers in the EU in the Context of the Covid-19 Outbreak’,

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Recital A

A. whereas the principle of the free movement of workers is enshrined in Article 45 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, but EU citizenship alone does not prevent migrant workers from being in a condition of vulnerability and being involved in situations of exploitation, including inits most severe forms;

Amendment 13 #

Asger CHRISTENSEN, Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA, Linea SØGAARD-LIDELL, Elsi KATAINEN, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

A a. whereas labour mobility should not only be free but also fair; whereas the principle of equal treatment is enshrined in Article 45(2) of the TFEU, forbidding any discrimination based on nationality between workers of the Member States as regards employment, remuneration and other conditions of work and employment; whereas this principle applies equally to cross border and seasonal workers, who must be guaranteed equal treatment with workers who are nationals of their host Member State in line with EU legislation, whether it be equal rights, equal working conditions or equal protection;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

A a. whereas Article 153(5) TFEU makes clear that the setting of minimum wages is a national competence and forbids the EU to intervene directly on the level of pay;

Amendment 15 #

Asger CHRISTENSEN, Irène TOLLERET, Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Linea SØGAARD-LIDELL, Elsi KATAINEN, Cristian GHINEA, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas agriculture is a sector with a strong reliance on temporary labour, work which is mostly seasonal in nature with peaks and high employment of migrant workers to meet the needs and demands of sector;

Amendment 16 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas, according to the study entitled ‘The EU farming employment: current challenges and future prospects’, temporary workers account for just 8% of all workers in the agricultural sector;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas agricultural activity is the main backbone of the economic and social fabric in rural areas;

Amendment 18 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas seasonal workers have been considered essential workers and exposed to health risks during the pandemic restrictions;

Amendment 19 #

Asim ADEMOV, Michal WIEZIK, Franc BOGOVIČ, Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ, Daniel BUDA, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

B a. whereas an estimated 800 000 to 1 million seasonal workers are being hired in the EU each year, mainly in the agri- food sector;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Citation 1 a (new)

– having regard to Directive 2014/54/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on measures facilitating the exercise of rights conferred on workers in the context of freedom of movement for workers;

Amendment 20 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas there is a shortfall of workers in the agricultural sector;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)

Bb. whereas, in 2011, the share of foreign labour in the EU agricultural sector was 1.6% for workers from Member States (intra-EU labour) and 2.7% for workers from non-EU countries (extra-EU labour);

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)

Bb. whereas the COVID-19 crisis has shown the pressing need to ensure that we are self-sufficient when it comes to food and therefore to maintain and create high-quality jobs in the food and agriculture industry;

Amendment 23 #

Asim ADEMOV, Michal WIEZIK, Franc BOGOVIČ, Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ, Daniel BUDA, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU

Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)

B b. whereas COVID-19 highlighted the crucial role of seasonal workers for ensuring food security and the smooth functioning of the food supply chain at the peak of the public health crisis;

Amendment 24 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Recital B c (new)

Bc. whereas national restrictions and curbs on the free movement of workers introduced in response to COVID-19 have made it difficult for seasonal workers to travel across internal borders to their destination countries, thereby paralysing part of the agricultural sector;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Recital B c (new)

Bc. whereas the European Union has already introduced a host of instruments to promote labour mobility, including EURES, Your Europe and Solvit, of which the public is largely unaware, meaning that the point of those instruments has to be called into question;

Amendment 26 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Recital B d (new)

Bd. whereas labour mobility is specifically covered by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the EU programme for employment and social innovation (EaSI), and whereas the European Court of Auditors has pointed out that ‘the similarity of the respective objectives of the two EU funds supporting labour mobility (ESF and EaSI) makes complementarity between them challenging’ and that 'the way in which the ESF is used by all Member States for the support of labour mobility is not known by the Commission’;

Amendment 27 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Recital B d (new)

Bd. whereas exports in the agricultural sector contribute to the achievement of the EU’s objectives in the areas of growth and jobs;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

Amendment 29 #

Clara AGUILERA, Ivo HRISTOV, Carmen AVRAM, Juozas OLEKAS, Pina PICIERNO, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Paolo DE CASTRO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the Commission’s legislative proposal of March 2018 for establishing a European Labour Authority to ensure that EU rules on labour mobility are enforced in a fair, simple and effective way and prevents limitations to such mobility within the European internal market, which some Member States apply with bureaucratic hurdles or additional measures, hampering access to work;

Amendment 3 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Citation 1 b (new)

– having regard to the report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee of 4 December 2018 on the implementation of Directive 2014/54/EU on measures facilitating the exercise of rights conferred on workers in the context of freedom of movement for workers;

Amendment 30 #

Asger CHRISTENSEN, Irène TOLLERET, Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Linea SØGAARD-LIDELL, Jérémy DECERLE, Cristian GHINEA, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the Commission’s legislative proposal of March 2018 for establishing a European Labour Authority to ensure that EU rules on labour mobility are enforced in a fair, simple and effective way; however regrets that the European Labour Authority is currently not planning to be fully operational before 2024;

Amendment 31 #

Asger CHRISTENSEN, Irène TOLLERET, Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Linea SØGAARD-LIDELL, Elsi KATAINEN, Cristian GHINEA, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Urges the ELA to promote actions to regulate, license and monitor recruitment agencies (including those based in third countries) and encourage agricultural business associations to adopt monitoring mechanisms and set common decent work standards;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1 a. Highlights the important and essential role of migrant and seasonal workers in responding to periodic and seasonal peaks in labour demand in the agricultural sector which local supply cannot meet;

Amendment 33 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Regrets the fact that this opinion aims to highlight the fact that European workers are finding it difficult to move around, when attention has already been drawn to the matter in previous texts;

Amendment 34 #

Herbert DORFMANN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Stresses that the free movement of workers, and especially seasonal workers, is vital for Europe's agriculture industry;

Amendment 35 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Takes this opportunity to reiterate the following observations set out in the minority opinion tabled on 20 November 2018 when the vote was taken on the proposal for a regulation establishing a European Labour Authority: ‘This new text is intended to make up for the inadequacy or inability in a number of areas, which the Commission acknowledges in its explanatory statement, by bringing them together to make them more efficient; however, the centralisation of failed tools can no more achieve the objectives that the Agency has set itself than was possible when those tools were independent; consequently, the current text would quickly prove to be inadequate; furthermore, in the form proposed, the Agency would not have the resources to tackle the major challenges it purports to address’;

Amendment 36 #

Asger CHRISTENSEN, Irène TOLLERET, Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Linea SØGAARD-LIDELL, Cristian GHINEA, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1 b. Notes that several Member States, such as Denmark, Italy and Spain, have in recent years experienced a significant increase in the share of migrant workers in agriculture;

Amendment 37 #

Asger CHRISTENSEN, Irène TOLLERET, Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Linea SØGAARD-LIDELL, Elsi KATAINEN, Jérémy DECERLE, Cristian GHINEA, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1 c. Stresses the disproportionately negative impact movement restrictions introduced as a result of the COVID-19 crisis had on the availability of seasonal workers for necessary agricultural work and across the food supply chain as a whole, notes in this regard the importance of a fully functioning internal market with clear guidelines and uniform interpretation by the Member States;

Amendment 38 #

Asger CHRISTENSEN, Irène TOLLERET, Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Linea SØGAARD-LIDELL, Jérémy DECERLE, Cristian GHINEA, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. CNotes that the full and proper implementation of Directive 2014/36/EU (on the conditions of entry and stay of third-country nationals for the purpose of employment as seasonal workers) should be ensured and monitored in Member States to ensure minimum standards are achieved, considers that better legal frameworks and a greater focus on the implementation and enforcement of labour law are urgently needed, including with regard to employment rights and social security coverage, especially for atypical work and exploited labour; furthermore underlines the importance of the principle of equal pay for equal work at the same place;

Amendment 39 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Considers that ~~better~~there is an urgent need to rethink legal frameworks and place a greater focus on the implementation and enforcement of labour law ~~are urgently needed~~, including with regard to employment rights and social security coverage, especially for atypical work and exploited labour so as to prevent unfair competition among Member States;

Amendment 4 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Citation 1 c (new)

– having regard to the European Court of Auditors’ Special Report No 6/2018 entitled ‘Free Movement of Workers – the fundamental freedom ensured but better targeting of EU funds would aid worker mobility’;

Amendment 40 #

Asim ADEMOV, Michal WIEZIK, Franc BOGOVIČ, Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ, Daniel BUDA, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Considers that better legal frameworks and a greater focus on the implementation and enforcement of labour law are urgently needed, including with regard to employment rights and social security coverage, especially for atypical work and exploited labour with cross- border and seasonal workers being particularly vulnerable;

Amendment 41 #

Asger CHRISTENSEN, Irène TOLLERET, Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Linea SØGAARD-LIDELL, Elsi KATAINEN, Jérémy DECERLE, Cristian GHINEA, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Considers that better legal frameworks and a greater focus on the implementation and enforcement of labour law are urgently needed, including with regard to employment rights and social security and medical coverage, especially for atypical work and exploited labour;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Expresses concern at the working, health and safety and social conditions facing some migrant and seasonal workers and points to the importance of monitoring compliance with employment legislation, combating undeclared work and monitoring adherence to social welfare and safety standards that promote the social and economic integration of migrant and seasonal workers;

Amendment 43 #

Pina PICIERNO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Clara AGUILERA, Ivo HRISTOV, Maria NOICHL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Calls for a swift implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and in particular of Directive (EU) 2019/1152 on transparent and predictable working conditions, in order to guarantee - among others - the right to fair and equal treatment regarding working conditions, access to social protection and training for workers;

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Emphasises, in that regard, that it is vital to acknowledge the work that women do in the agricultural sector, especially to ensure that spouses in the agricultural sector have an appropriate professional status that enables them to access social security coverage, training, maternity leave and a pension;

Amendment 45 #

Asim ADEMOV, Michal WIEZIK, Franc BOGOVIČ, Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ, Daniel BUDA, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2 a. Notes with concern the precarious working and living conditions to which seasonal and cross-border workers are often exposed and calls on the Member State to ensure their equal treatment, social protection and access to healthcare;

Amendment 46 #

Pina PICIERNO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Clara AGUILERA, Ivo HRISTOV, Maria NOICHL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2 b. Condemns the exploitation of workers in the agri-food sectors, which is a serious phenomenon affecting in particular seasonal and women workers; underlines that vulnerable workers, such as women and migrants, are at a particular risk of being subject to physical and psychological violence; calls therefore on the Commission and on Member States to strengthen the actions to prevent, suppress and punish exploitation and any other form of abuse;

Amendment 47 #

Asger CHRISTENSEN, Irène TOLLERET, Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Linea SØGAARD-LIDELL, Jérémy DECERLE, Cristian GHINEA, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Points out that better targeting of EU funds would support worker mobility, enabling better use of the information available and improving the collection and use of data on the patterns of labour mobility flows and imbalances within the labour market; calls for support for protecting the workers exposed to risks in agri-food sector;

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Points out that better targeting of EU funds ~~would support worker mobility~~such as those under the European Social Fund and tools under the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) programme would support worker mobility, inclusion and increased health and safety training and awareness, enabling better use of the information available and improving the collection and use of data on the patterns of labour mobility flows and imbalances within the labour market;

Amendment 49 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Points out that better targeting of EU funds would support worker mobility, enabling better use of the information available and improving the collection and use of data on the patterns of labour mobility flows and imbalances within the labour marketand exchanges of information among Member States would, where justified, support worker mobility in the agricultural sector, worker mobility;

Amendment 5 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Citation 1 d (new)

– having regard to the publication in the Official Journal on 11 July 2019 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1149 establishing a European Labour Authority, and the entry into force of that regulation on 31 July 2019;

Amendment 50 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Urges the Commission, in line with the recommendations made by the European Court of Auditors in Special Report No 6 2018, to refine its monitoring framework for EaSI-EURES cross- border-partnership projects, so that there is a clear link between targets, outputs and results at the application stage, in order to guarantee that funds are used efficiently and are genuinely useful;

Amendment 51 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Acknowledges the advances made by Member States regarding the protection of temporary farm workers; rejects the hoax and disinformation campaign surrounding the situation of farm workers; stresses that members of the European Union respect the rights of farm workers;

Amendment 52 #

Herbert DORFMANN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Emphasises that seasonal European agricultural workers often cannot predict way in advance their movements or the days they will spend in another Member State. Ad hoc rules and swift checks are therefore needed to enable them to move freely within the Union;

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Highlights the need to link the Common Agricultural Policy and the EU social policies by making CAP Payments conditional on the respect of labour, health and safety as well as environmental provisions to promote equal treatment and environmental protection;

Amendment 54 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Urges the Commission to make sure that the Farm to Fork Strategy and the current revision of the Common Agriculture Policy deliver for agricultural workers in Europe, including seasonal, migrant and other mobile workers;

Amendment 55 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Notes that there are isolated cases of serious breaches of labour law on some farms and calls for exemplary intervention to protect the rights of farm workers;

Amendment 56 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3 c. Notes that the CAP Rural Development Programmes can be employed to foster the inclusion of migrants and refugees in rural areas with rights-based policies concerning services, housing, transport, health, infrastructure and economic diversification, all of which can spur rural development;

Amendment 57 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Points out that labour inspections on farms should be proportional and not hamper the normal development of the farm's activity;

Amendment 58 #

Asger CHRISTENSEN, Irène TOLLERET, Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Linea SØGAARD-LIDELL, Jérémy DECERLE, Cristian GHINEA, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)

3 d. Stresses that gender-based discrimination and abuse in the agri-food system can be addressed by supporting actions – for instance under the EU Gender Equality Strategy (2020-2025) – that encourage all actors in supply chains, ranging from farmers to retailers, to adopt gender-sensitive policies in their business models;

Amendment 59 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Considers that family workers still represent the vast majority of agricultural labour in Europe, and that insufficient generational renewal is one of the major challenges faced by the farming sector across the EU, resulting in fewer farmers in the sector year after year; Notes that CAP measures oriented towards young farmer help maintain employment in agriculture, namely through supporting farm succession and generating local jobs in both farming and its up-and downstream sectors. However, regrets that this positive trend remains very limited in its impact because of many other economic factors influencing farming employment, such as access to credit and land as well as lack in succession planning and lack of tax incentives;

Amendment 6 #

Pina PICIERNO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Clara AGUILERA, Ivo HRISTOV, Maria NOICHL

- having regard to the Communication of the European Commission of 23 March 2020 on the implementation of the Green Lanes under the Guidelines for border management measures to protect health and ensure the availability of goods and essential services,

Amendment 60 #

Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ, Asim ADEMOV, Michal WIEZIK, Franc BOGOVIČ, Marlene MORTLER, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Considers that family workers still represent the vast majority of agricultural labour in Europe, and that insufficient generational renewal is one of the major challenges faced by the farming sector across the EU, resulting in fewer farmers in the sector year after year; emphasises that the sector is becoming less attractive, especially among young people, and that this is a major cause for concern, because if we are to maintain the quality of European agriculture it must continue to be a forward-looking, attractive career choice that is recognised and well paid; calls on the Commission, therefore, to step up its efforts to ensure that jobs in the agricultural sector are attractive for young people;

Amendment 61 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

Amendment 62 #

Clara AGUILERA, Ivo HRISTOV, Carmen AVRAM, Maria NOICHL, Juozas OLEKAS, Pina PICIERNO, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Paolo DE CASTRO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Considers that family workers still represent the vast majority of agricultural labour in Europe, and that insufficient generational renewal, aggravated by the lack of profitability of many agricultural holdings, which makes this activity unattractive for the incorporation of young people, is one of the major challenges faced by the farming sector across the EU, resulting in fewer farmers in the sector year after year;

Amendment 63 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Considers that family workers still represent the vast majority of agricultural labour in Europe, and that insufficient generational renewal is one of the major challenges faced by the farming sector across the EU, resulting, among other factors such as the lack of services in rural areas, in fewer farmers in the sector year after year;

Amendment 64 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Considers that family workers still represent the vast majority of agricultural labour in Europe, and that insufficient generational renewal ~~is one of~~and the demographic trends are the major challenges faced by the farming sector across the EU, resulting in fewer farmers in the sector year after year;

Amendment 65 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Considers that family workers ~~still~~ represent the ~~vast~~ majority of agricultural labour in Europe, and that insufficient generational renewal is one of the major challenges faced by the farming sector across the EU, ~~resulting in fewer farmers in the sector year after year~~therefore new entrants and young farmers should be especially promoted and supported;

Amendment 66 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Emphasises that matching up skills and qualifications with job opportunities in the agricultural sector is a precondition for the establishment of a competitive labour market in the European Union; emphasises that the diversification of tasks means there is an increasing demand for qualified people in the agricultural sector; calls on the Member States to bring training in the agricultural sector into line with the sector’s labour market needs and to promote lifelong learning as a way of addressing the shortfall in workers;

Amendment 67 #

Pina PICIERNO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Clara AGUILERA, Ivo HRISTOV, Maria NOICHL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Stresses the necessity to guarantee agri-food supply chains and food security, especially during the current COVID-19 crisis; notes that seasonal workers are crucial to the smooth and proper functioning of the agricultural sectors, in particular for the fruit, vegetable and wine sectors; points out that it is fundamental to protect and guarantee the rights, health and safety of workers in the agri-food sectors, especially during the current COVID-19 crisis;

Amendment 68 #

Balázs HIDVÉGHI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Considers that seasonal workers play an important role in agricultural sector, therefore it is of utmost importance to guarantee their rights in the field of working conditions ensuring the same level of protection that applies to domestic workers, furthermore to safeguard that social security rights are provided by the Member State of employment in accordance with the lex loci laboris principle;

Amendment 69 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Takes the view that the complete lack of a fair wage, which has long been the case and is directly linked with European and international market legislation, is one of the major causes of the problems with regard to generational renewal and maintaining the attractiveness of farming;

Amendment 7 #

Asim ADEMOV, Michal WIEZIK, Franc BOGOVIČ, Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ, Daniel BUDA, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU

Draft opinion
Citation 2 a (new)

- having regard to the European Parliament Resolution of 19 June 2020 on European protection of cross-border and seasonal workers in the context of the COVID-19crisis (2020/2664(RSP)),

Amendment 70 #

Asim ADEMOV, Michal WIEZIK, Franc BOGOVIČ, Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ, Daniel BUDA, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Points out that the shortage of labour supply makes EU farmers and food producers increasingly dependent on hired and seasonal labour with a large part of the seasonal EU agri-workforce predominantly coming from economically vulnerable social groups from Central and Eastern Europe;

Amendment 71 #

Clara AGUILERA, Ivo HRISTOV, Carmen AVRAM, Maria NOICHL, Juozas OLEKAS, Pina PICIERNO, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Paolo DE CASTRO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Stresses the importance of ensuring that rural areas are equipped with the necessary basic public service facilities in order to enable a proper and permanent incorporation of women into any labour activity in these territories;

Amendment 72 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Considers that 10 million people are, in addition to landowners and their families, employed in the European agricultural sector, constituting an important part of the rural population;

Amendment 73 #

Emmanouil FRAGKOS

4a. Considers that targeted support for triple-track cooperation in the agricultural sector, encompassing research and entrepreneurship, can produce significant results.

Amendment 74 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Considers that the labour shortage and skills gap is one of the main problems facing farms in the south of Europe;

Amendment 75 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Points out that technical and higher education in agriculture plays a key role in shaping the European area of education and research; emphasises how important it is to enable the agriculture professionals of the future to access the ERASMUS+ European mobility programme in order to give them the opportunity to acquire new know-how and improve their skills, while also ensuring the recognition of qualifications at EU level;

Amendment 76 #

Asim ADEMOV, Michal WIEZIK, Franc BOGOVIČ, Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ, Daniel BUDA, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Regrets that COVID-19 exacerbated the occupational risks to the safety and health of seasonal workers, leading to further spread of infection and disease clusters; encourages in this regard the Member States to make full use of the recently adopted Guidelines on seasonal workers in the EU in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak to better guarantee their rights, health and safety;

Amendment 77 #

Asger CHRISTENSEN, Irène TOLLERET, Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA, Atidzhe ALIEVA-VELI, Linea SØGAARD-LIDELL, Jérémy DECERLE, Cristian GHINEA, Morten LØKKEGAARD, Elsi KATAINEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4 b. Points out the need for a holistic European Migration Code, which addresses the vulnerabilities migrant workers face, reduces inequalities, ensures decent working conditions for all workers, and allows migrants to play an active role in rural societies;

Amendment 78 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that technological innovation is a driver of structural change within farms and agricultural labour markets, and that many holdings across Europe are not sufficiently prepared for taking up technological innovation owing to the low level of agricultural training of their farm managers, a level which differs significantly among Member States; notes that that the current trend towards a technology-oriented agricultural sector has the potential to push labour costs upwards, as farming will demand a higher-skilled labour force; highlights that increased training, education and upskilling will be required by all workers in the sector to meet the challenge of increased technologic innovation and modernisation and notes that this increased training should be planned in close collaboration with social partners within the labour market;

Amendment 79 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that technological innovation is a driver of structural change within farms and agricultural labour markets, and that many holdings across Europe are not sufficiently prepared for taking up technological innovation owing to the low level of agricultural training of their farm managers and farm workers, a level which differs significantly among Member States; stresses the need for provision of support and advice in terms of sustainability and digitalisation; considers that, priority must be given to provision of basic digital skills to all people related to farming activities, including information on their rights and obligations within digitalisation;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Citation 2 a (new)

- having regard to the Motion for Resolution on European protection of cross-border and seasonal workers in the context of the COVID-19 crisis (2020/2664(RSP)),

Amendment 80 #

Pina PICIERNO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Ivo HRISTOV, Maria NOICHL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that technological innovation is, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technologies are a driver of structural change within farms and agricultural labour markets, and that many holdings across Europe are not sufficiently prepared for taking up ~~technological~~such innovation owing to the low level of agricultural training of their farm managers and workers, a level which differs significantly among Member States; calls therefore for the promotion of digital training and upskilling as well as for support and advice for both workers and employers in the agricultural sector;

Amendment 81 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

Amendment 82 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that technological innovation is aone of the drivers of structural change within farms and agricultural labour markets, and that many holdings across Europe are not sufficiently prepared for ~~taking up technological innovation owing to the low level of agricultural training of their farm managers, a level which differs significantly among Member Stat~~adapted when it comes to embracing technological innovation, and points out, with that in mind, that action should be taken in vocational agricultural training courses to step up training and support in the use of new technologies;

Amendment 83 #

Ivo HRISTOV

Amendment 84 #

Clara AGUILERA, Ivo HRISTOV, Carmen AVRAM, Maria NOICHL, Juozas OLEKAS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Paolo DE CASTRO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that technological innovation and digital technology is a driver of structural change within farms and agricultural labour markets, and that many holdings across Europe are not sufficiently prepared for taking up technological innovation owing to the low level of agricultural training of their farm managers, a level which differs significantly among Member States;

Amendment 85 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Points out that technological innovation is a driver of structural change within farms and agricultural labour markets, and that many holdings across Europe ~~are not sufficiently prepared for taking up technological innovation owing to the low level of agricultural training of their farm managers, a level which differs significantly among Member States~~must be supported in the transition to the use of more technological innovations via training – in particular digital training – for professionals in the agricultural sector;

Amendment 86 #

Pina PICIERNO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Clara AGUILERA, Ivo HRISTOV, Maria NOICHL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Underlines that the new CAP should have a social dimension and a conditionality on social and labour requirements and standards, protecting the rights, wages and social security of all workers, including seasonal ones who are the most vulnerable on the market;

Amendment 87 #

Emmanouil FRAGKOS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Notes that the dynamic digital transition prompted by the challenges of 2020, if underpinned by coordinated private and public sector investment, could significantly help to stem the decline in the rural population.

Amendment 88 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Considers that, in order to create quality employment, farms and livestock holdings must be profitable and not sell below production costs;

Amendment 89 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5b. Considers that certain regional support systems for part-time workers incentivise the shadow economy and informal employment;

Amendment 9 #

Pina PICIERNO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Carmen AVRAM, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Clara AGUILERA, Ivo HRISTOV, Maria NOICHL

Draft opinion
Citation 2 b (new)

- having regard to the Communication of the European Commission of 30 March 2020 ‘Guidelines concerning the exercise of the free movement of workers during COVID- 19 outbreak’,

Amendment 90 #

Joëlle MÉLIN, Gilles LEBRETON, Maxette PIRBAKAS, Mara BIZZOTTO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Recalls that maintaining farming employment plays a key role in keeping rural economies alive and i~~s therefore of significant importance~~n land-use planning and it is therefore extremely important because many other jobs in other sectors stem from it; emphasises the potential that agri-tourism has to create jobs, and that it should therefore be promoted;

Amendment 91 #

Clara AGUILERA, Ivo HRISTOV, Carmen AVRAM, Juozas OLEKAS, Pina PICIERNO, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Paolo DE CASTRO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Recalls that maintaining farming employment ~~plays a key role~~and adequate profitability of agricultural holdings are essential in keeping rural economies alive and isare therefore of significant importance which shows an urgent need for measures beyond the CAP reform;

Amendment 92 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Recalls that maintaining farming employment plays a key role in ~~keeping rural economies alive~~preserving the life and economies of rural, mountainous and outermost areas and is therefore of significant importance;

Amendment 93 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Emphasises the need to make it easier for seasonal workers to move around, in particular in border areas, because European farms are reliant on such workers for their survival, as the COVID-19 crisis has shown;

Amendment 94 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Emphasises that it is crucial to counter any unfair intra-EU competition that hampers the smooth functioning of the single market; emphasises, in this regard, how important the role of the European Labour Authority will be in combating fraud and other irregularities;

Amendment 95 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

~~7. Believes that the EU should not make legislation on EU minimum wages as this is a national competence.~~deleted

Amendment 96 #

Clara AGUILERA, Ivo HRISTOV, Carmen AVRAM, Maria NOICHL, Juozas OLEKAS, Pina PICIERNO, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Paolo DE CASTRO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

~~7. Believes that the EU should not make legislation on EU minimum wages as this is a national competence.~~deleted

Amendment 97 #

Evelyne GEBHARDT, Sándor RÓNAI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Marc ANGEL, Petra KAMMEREVERT, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Maria GRAPINI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Emphasises that, in its trade policy, the EU must ensure there is no unfair competition on the part of non-EU countries by guaranteeing that products entering the EU comply with our working conditions and labour standards;

Amendment 98 #

Ivo HRISTOV

7a. Considers that European assistance should only be granted to beneficiaries who comply with social standards and who do not foster illegal, unregulated and/or undeclared work practices, either for temporary or for permanent workers.

Amendment 99 #

Clara AGUILERA, Ivo HRISTOV, Carmen AVRAM, Maria NOICHL, Juozas OLEKAS, Pina PICIERNO, Attila ARA-KOVÁCS, Isabel CARVALHAIS, Paolo DE CASTRO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7 a. Considers it vital to make progress on these issues in the European Union, to adopt measures at European level as a European minimum wage that can protect all workers, regardless of where they come from;

source: 650.469

2020/10/30 IMCO 86 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Draft opinion
Recital A

A. whereas the Professional Qualifications Directive (PQD) ~~explicitly seeks to harness intra-EU mobility to match labour market needs and skill~~seeks to enable professionals to work or establish themselves across the Union byand to mak~~ing~~e it easier for workers of certain professions to find employment in different Member States;

Amendment 10 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Maria GRAPINI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Marc ANGEL, Evelyne GEBHARDT

Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)

Ab. whereas the Services Directive, the Professional Qualifications Directive and the Proportionality Test Directive laid down the provisions that ensure the proper functioning of the internal market, while guaranteeing a high level of workers and consumer protection;

Amendment 11 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Recital A c (new)

Ac. whereas different regulatory choices at both the European and national level, imperfect and inadequate transposition of relevant directives, excessive requirements, lack of clear rules and fragmentation create the obstacles to fully benefit from the free movement of workers and services;

Amendment 12 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Maria GRAPINI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Marc ANGEL, Evelyne GEBHARDT

Draft opinion
Recital A c (new)

Ac. whereas a single market with high social and environmental standards, quality services and fair competition serves the interests of all stakeholders;

Amendment 13 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Recital A d (new)

Ad. whereas in March 2020 the Commission has issued the Guidelines concerning the exercise of the free movement of workers during COVID-19 outbreak, which sets out the principles for an integrated approach to effective internal borders management to protect public health while preserving the integrity of the internal market;

Amendment 14 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Maria GRAPINI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Marc ANGEL, Evelyne GEBHARDT

Draft opinion
Recital A d (new)

Ad. whereas the economic recovery from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has to be in accordance with the guidelines set out by the European Green Deal and not at the expense of social or workers’ rights;

Amendment 15 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Recital A e (new)

Ae. whereas the Council has adopted a recommendation on a coordinated approach to the restrictions of free movement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which aims at increasing the transparency and predictability of free movement across the EU for both citizens and enterprises;

Amendment 16 #

Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Dominik TARCZYŃSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights that, in the present health crisis, free movement of workers, not only in the field of health services, clearly demonstrates the benefits of ~~the PQD~~EU- wide free movement of workers and calls for this free movement to be adequately supported with rights to protect their working conditions, health and safety, especially for seasonal and cross-border workers; underlines furthermore that existing legislation concerning the access to social rights, such as social insurance, including their exportation, must be respected when workers exercise their rights to free movement;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights that, in the present health crisis, free movement of workers in the field of health services clearly demonstrates the benefits of the PQD;, especially given its digital elements and proven effectiveness in facilitating labour mobility1a; calls to further expand the list of professions that could be governed within the framework of the EPC to offer swift and less burdensome way of recognising qualifications for European workers; __________________ 1aKoumenta, M. and Pagliero, M., Measuring Prevalence and Labour Market Impacts of Occupational Regulation in the EU, 2016, p. 88.

Amendment 18 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights that, in the present health crisis, free movement of workers in the field of health services clearly demonstrates the benefits of the PQD; recalls that the aim of PQD is to facilitate the professionals to provide their services across Europe whilst guaranteeing an improved level of protection for consumers and citizens, which is particularly important during the pandemic crisis,

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights that, in the present health crisis, free movement of workers in the field of health services clearly demonstrates the benefits of the PQD; whereas at the same time the current crisis has shed light on and exacerbated existing short-comings in the protection of posted workers in the framework of the provision of services;

Amendment 2 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas the Professional Qualifications Directive facilitates the intra-EU labour mobility and the Services Directive realises the free movement of services, but the full potential of the single market for services and professionals can still be further improved and developed and the barriers for the free movement of services and professionals removed;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Highlights that, in the present health crisis, free movement of workers in the field of health services clearly demonstrates the benefits of the PQD, while also pointing to the shortcomings of these arrangements;

Amendment 21 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. underlines the great importance of free movement of workers and services in overcoming the recession and increased unemployment rates caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, reiterates that further removal of the existing barriers within the single market is essential in order to fully benefit from its potential; regrets that the Recovery Plan proposed by the Commission lacks ambition when it comes to the movement of workers and services and fails to fully recognise its importance as a tool for economic recovery;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Stresses that the latest decisions on travel restrictions crisis by certain Member States due to COVID19 have created uncertainty for both citizens and businesses, especially cross-border workers; calls therefore the Commission and Member States for coordination of such measures to prepare for future waves and ensure safe mobility for workers;

Amendment 23 #

Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Dominik TARCZYŃSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Stresses the need to guarantee the comprehensive and efficient application of EU rules on the free movement of workers and services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to protect both businesses and consumers, and stimulate innovation and competitiveness under fair and balanced conditions, upholding the principles of the Single Market;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Underlines, that uninterrupted mobility of health professionals and carers should be ensured where possible, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as future demographic challenges;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Welcomes the Commission’s legislative proposal on minimum wages that can underpin the EU single market, especially in the services sector, and allow for a level-playing field;

Amendment 26 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Marc ANGEL, Evelyne GEBHARDT

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Regrets that insufficient national implementation of existing legislation continues to seriously hamper the free mobility of workers and the effective protection of their rights within the EU to the detriment of workers and the European economy as a whole; stresses however that the free movement of workers has to be a choice rather than the outcome of economic pressure;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Regrets that insufficient national implementation of existing legislation continues to seriously hamper the fre~~Highlights that workers have the possibility to move freely across the Union; however, regrets that insufficient national implementation and enforcement of current legislation still exist with negative effect on the mobility of workers within the EU ~~to the detriment of workers~~ and the European economy as a whole;

Amendment 28 #

Markus BUCHHEIT, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Alessandra BASSO, Marco CAMPOMENOSI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Regrets that in~~sufficient~~complete national implementation of existing legislation continues to ~~seriously~~ hamper the free mobility of workers within the EU ~~to the detriment of workers and the European economy as a whole~~;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Regrets that insufficient national implementation of existing legislation continues to seriously hamper~~Calls on Member States to fully implement and better enforce existing legislation to ensure the free mobility of workers within the EU t~~o the detriment of worker~~hat will benefit workers, citizens and the European economy as a whole;

Amendment 3 #

Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Dominik TARCZYŃSKI

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas the free movement of workers is a fundamental principle of the European Union, a right for all citizens and essential to the proper functioning of the internal market; whereas labour mobility should not only be free but also fair and underlined with solid rights so as to create a true level playing field;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Regrets that insufficient national implementation of existing legislation continues to seriously hamper the free mobility of workers within the EU to the detriment of workers and the European economy as a whole; urges the Members States to refrain from gold-plating the legislation in order to safeguard their markets from fair competition; points at lack of harmonised interpretation of EU law by the Member States such as the recently revised Posting of Workers Directive 2018/957/EU, which leads to lack of legal clarity and bureaucratic burdens for companies providing services in various Member States;

Amendment 31 #

Andreas SCHWAB, Krzysztof HETMAN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Regrets that insufficient national implementation of existing legislation continues to seriously hamper the free mobility of workers within the EU to the detriment of workers and the European economy as a whole, pointing out that workers in the same job and with the same responsibilities are being treated differently;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

Amendment 33 #

Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Dominik TARCZYŃSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Recalls the introduction of the European Professional Card under EU legislation1a to reduce the administrative burden of recognition and further improve the qualifications recognition system of certain professions; notes its effective role in boosting the mobility of professionals across the Member States1b and considers that the Commission should assess the feasibility of extending the use of the European Professional Card in order to tackle the existing unjustified barriers that deprive citizens of jobs, consumers of choices, and entrepreneurs of opportunities in the Single Market; __________________ 1aDirective 2005/36 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005, as amended by Directive 2013/55/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 2013 1bReport from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of Regions, on the implementation of certain new elements introduced by Directive 2013/55/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 2013 amending Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications and Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012 on administrative cooperation through the Internal Market Information System ('the IMI Regulation'), {SWD(2020) 79 final}

Amendment 34 #

Clara PONSATÍ OBIOLS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Regrets the fact that workers who move within the EU and are covered by the rules on social security coordination face significant administrative burdens and issues such as uncertainty regarding their contributions and entitlements, and lack of exchange of data and lack of coordination between institutions, which affect the free mobility of workers; calls on Member States to enhance administrative cooperation between the competent authorities and on the Commission to foster and support such cooperation; further calls for a revision and modernization of the rules on social security coordination;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Regrets insufficient access to information with regards to mobility of services; underlines that information available on single official national websites is often provided in few languages only and limited in scope; underlines, that access to information on domestic collective agreements is especially difficult; calls on the relevant European and national authorities to take appropriate steps aimed at establishing a single template for single official national websites and to make them compatible with SDG to ease access to relevant information between different Members States;

Amendment 36 #

Evelyne GEBHARDT, Sándor RÓNAI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Petra KAMMEREVERT, Marc ANGEL, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Maria GRAPINI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Regrets that the European Commission is not using the full potential of initiatives such as the European Professional Card as foreseen in the PQD; calls therefore upon the European Commission to extend the European Professional Card to more professions as it offers an advantageous option for professionals who wish to work either temporarily or permanently in another Member State;

Amendment 37 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Maria GRAPINI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Marc ANGEL, Evelyne GEBHARDT

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Recalls that regulated professions represent up to 22 % of the labour force in the EU and cover many crucial sectors, such as health and social services, business services, construction, network services, transport, tourism, real estate, public services and education.1a __________________ 1a A8-0401/2017.

Amendment 38 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Marc ANGEL, Evelyne GEBHARDT

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that ~~while it is a competence of Member States to regulate a certain profession, they~~regulation of professions is often indispensable to safeguard public interest objectives, such as public security, public health, consumer protection, or protection of the environment, and deregulation must not be an aim for the future of the regulation of professions at the EU level; recalls though, for regulation to be fair for the professionals and to enable mobility within the EU, Member States must respect the limits of the principles of non- discrimination and proportionality, and be transparent about the regulation they put in, as explicitly stipulated in the Proportionality Test Directive; encourages the Member States to exchange the information with other Member States on matters covered by the Directive;

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that while it is a competence of Member States to regulate a certain profession, they must respect the limits of the principles of non- discrimination on grounds of gender, religion, race, ethnicity and age, and proportionality, as explicitly stipulated in the Proportionality Test Directive;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas different regulatory choices at both the European and national level, imperfect and inadequate transposition of relevant directives, excessive requirements, lack of clear rules and fragmentation create the obstacles to fully benefit from the free movement of workers and services;

Amendment 40 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that ~~while it is a competence of Member Stat~~regulation on access to ~~regulate a certain profession, they must respect the limits of the principles of non- discrimination and proportionality, as explicitly stipulated in the Proportionality Test Directive~~and exercise of professions may be necessary and legitimate for the protection of public interest and protect workers and consumers;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that while it is a competence of Member States to regulate a certain profession, they must respect the limits of the principles of non- discrimination and proportionality, as explicitly stipulated in the Proportionality Test Directive; calls on the Commission to provide structured assistance and issue guidance to Member States on how to conduct ex-ante proportionality assessments of new national regulation of services according to the Proportionality Test Directive;

Amendment 42 #

Markus BUCHHEIT, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Alessandra BASSO, Marco CAMPOMENOSI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that while it is a competence of Member States to regulate a certain profession, they must respect the limits of the principles of non- discrimination and proportionality, as explicitly stipulated in the Proportionality Test Directive; regrets that the assessment of proportionality is rarely carried out; calls on the Commission to define the concept of proportionality more precisely and to provide Member States with practical guidelines for its application;

Amendment 44 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Stresses that while it is a competence of Member States to regulate a certain profession, they must respect the limits of the principles of non- discrimination and proportionality, as explicitly stipulated in the Proportionality Test Directive; while at the same time also recognising regulation on grounds of public interest objectives;

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls on the Member States to reduce bureaucratic obstacles, and, as quickly as possible, make it possible to obtain electronically the documents needed for the cross-border provision of services as well as facilitate the cross- border activities of workers in regulated professions;

Amendment 46 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Maria GRAPINI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Marc ANGEL, Evelyne GEBHARDT

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Underlines that while certain aspects remain the competence of Member States, it is the Union’s responsibility to tackle social dumping and practices that could have negative consequences on workers' social security;

Amendment 48 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Takes into consideration that the harmonisation inspired by the Professional Qualifications Directive gained success within several professions; further proclaims that Member States should reconsider and coordinate rules governing entry and exercise requirements in relation to specific activities or professions;

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

Amendment 5 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Maria GRAPINI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Marc ANGEL, Evelyne GEBHARDT

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas mutual recognition of skills and qualifications is key to support mobility, long-life learning and career opportunities for all across the EU, including people with disabilities, thereby contributing to the free movement of services in the Single Market;

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Condemns the practices of some corporations exploiting the fact that certain Member States have lower average salaries, as wages are a key component of working conditions;

Amendment 51 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Stresses, that, according to the Single Market Scoreboard 2020, further improvements are needed to ensure the free movement of professionals, especially in the field of recognising professional qualifications;

Amendment 52 #

Evelyne GEBHARDT, Sándor RÓNAI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Petra KAMMEREVERT, Christel SCHALDEMOSE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Recalls that the Services Directive builds on the country of destination principle and aims to ensure the provision of high-quality services and therefore Member States shall not be prevented from imposing necessary requirements with regard to the provision of a service activity and the PQD builds on the principle of mutual recognition to facilitate free movement of ~~service~~professionals; calls on the Member States to extend mutual recognition to more levels of education and to improve or introduce the necessary procedures as soon as possible;

Amendment 54 #

Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Dominik TARCZYŃSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Recalls that the ~~Services Directive and the~~ PQD builds on the principle of mutual recognition to facilitate free movement of services and recommends to extend this principle to the Services Directive; believes that the continuous updating of the Annex V of the PDQ, which lists all the qualifications that comply with the minimum requirements could further benefit professionals in Europe; calls on the Member States to extend mutual recognition to more levels of education and to improve or introduce the necessary procedures as soon as possible;

Amendment 55 #

Christel SCHALDEMOSE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Recalls that the Services Directive and the PQD build on the principle of mutual recognition to facilitate free movement of services; calls on the Member States to examine the possibilities to extend mutual recognition to more levels of education without lowering national educational requirements and to improve or introduce the necessary procedures as soon as possible;

Amendment 56 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Recalls that the Services Directive and the PQD build on the principle of ~~mut~~equal tre~~cognition to facilitate free movement of services; calls on the~~atment and the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of nationality; whereas the Service directive allows Member Sstates to ~~extend mutual recognition to more levels of education and to improve or introduce the necessary procedures as soon as possible;~~restrict the freedom of services for reasons of public policy, public security, public health or the protection of the environment

Amendment 57 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

Amendment 58 #

Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Dominik TARCZYŃSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

Amendment 59 #

Clara PONSATÍ OBIOLS

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Recalls that the Services Directive and the PQD build on the principle of mutual recognition to facilitate free movement of services; calls on the Member States to extend mutual recognition to more levels of education and to improve or introduce the necessary procedures as soon as possible; further calls on Member States to coordinate and harmonize the recognition of qualifications completed outside the EU so that these qualifications enjoy comparable recognition everywhere within the single market;

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas the European Professional Card enhances safe professional mobility and creates a framework for a simpler, faster and more transparent recognition of the qualifications;

Amendment 60 #

Markus BUCHHEIT, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Alessandra BASSO, Marco CAMPOMENOSI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Recalls that the Services Directive and the PQD build on the principle of mutual recognition to facilitate free movement of services; calls on the Member States to extend mutual recognition to more levels of education and to improve or introduce the necessary procedures as soon as possible; recalls that the country of destination principle was not included in the Services Directive;

Amendment 61 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Maria GRAPINI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Marc ANGEL, Evelyne GEBHARDT

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Calls on the Commission to strengthen cooperation with Member States and increase enforcement efforts, not just regarding the legislation on free movement, but also regarding working conditions and the protection of workers’ health and safety, in line with the European Pillar of Social Rights;

Amendment 62 #

Markus BUCHHEIT, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Alessandra BASSO, Marco CAMPOMENOSI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Encourages~~Calls on the Commission ~~to fully enforce existing rul~~not to exceed its competences disproportionately and, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, to give the Member States room for development in their policies and legislation on the free movement of workers and services; calls for alternative resolution mechanisms to be assessed and for infringement procedures to be applied swiftly and rigorously whenever breaches of relevant legislation are identified or disproportionate non-regulatory burdens introduced;

Amendment 63 #

Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Dominik TARCZYŃSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Encourages the Commission to fully enforce existing rules and to make quick decisions on complaints to ensure that relevant issues from an end-user perspective are promptly handled and efficiently settled; calls for alternative resolution mechanisms to be assessed and for infringement procedures to be applied swiftly and rigorously whenever breaches of relevant legislation are identified or disproportionate burdens introduced;

Amendment 64 #

Evelyne GEBHARDT, Sándor RÓNAI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Marc ANGEL, Petra KAMMEREVERT, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Maria GRAPINI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Encourages the Commission to fully enforce existing rules; calls for alternative resolution mechanisms to be assessed and for infringement procedures to be applied ~~swiftly and rigorously~~in accordance with Art. 258 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) whenever breaches of relevant legislation are identified or ~~disproportionate~~unjustified burdens introduced;

Amendment 65 #

Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Dominik TARCZYŃSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Encourages the Commission to ~~fully~~cooperate with Member States to ensure a full implementation and enforcement of existing rules; calls for alternative resolution mechanisms to be assessed and for infringement procedures to be applied ~~swiftly and rigorously~~ whenever breaches of relevant legislation are identified or disproportionate and unjustified burdens introduced;

Amendment 66 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Encourages the Commission to fully and effectively enforce existing rules; calls for alternative resolution mechanisms to be assessed and for infringement procedures to be applied swiftly and rigorously whenever breaches of relevant legislation are identified or disproportionate burdens introduced;

Amendment 67 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Notes that mobility of labour and services complexity increased in the recent years due to number of new European and national rules; calls on the Commission to regularly screen the Internal Market for administrative burdens and to lift them; asks the Commission and the Members States to devote additional resources to improve the functioning of the SOLVIT system as a way for a swift resolution of administrative problems in the Member States;

Amendment 68 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Encourages Member States to work together in order to guarantee the continuity of work of cross-border workers during the pandemic crisis, taking into account their specific situation and in order to preserve the free movement of services and workers in regulated professions within the internal market;

Amendment 69 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Maria GRAPINI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Marc ANGEL, Evelyne GEBHARDT

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas the free movement of workers and services are essential for a well-functioning single market;

Amendment 70 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Maria GRAPINI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Evelyne GEBHARDT

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Welcomes the announcement of the Commission in its´ 2021 Work Programme1a to withdraw the e-card proposals1b; regrets that the proposal on Services Notification Procedure1c could not be adopted due to the lack of an agreement in Council; __________________ 1a COM(2020) 690 final. 1bCOM(2016)823 final 2016/0402 (COD) and COM(2016)824 final 2016/0403 (COD). 1c COM(2016)821 final 2016/0398 (COD).

Amendment 71 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5b. Reiterates that Member States should follow the Council Recommendation on a coordinated approach to the restriction of free movement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, adopted on 13th October 2020 in order to avoid any disruption in the internal market and free movement of workers and services;

Amendment 72 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission to improve tools such as the Points of Single Contact and the Single Digital Gateway and on the Member States to ~~use such tools~~ensure compliance with the requirements of making available information and online procedures for the effective use of such tools, in order to provide workers, consumers and businesses with accurate and easily accessible information regarding their rights and obligations related to free movement within the single market., and with particular attention to vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities;

Amendment 73 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission to improve tools such as the Points of Single Contact and the Single Digital Gateway where appropriate, to provide guidelines to help Member States streamline procedures, in particular for SMEs; calls and on the Member States to use such tools to provide workers, consumers and businesses with prompt, accurate and easily accessible information regarding their rights and obligations related to free movement within the single market.

Amendment 74 #

Sándor RÓNAI, Maria GRAPINI, Andreas SCHIEDER, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Marc ANGEL, Evelyne GEBHARDT

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission to ~~improve tools such as~~strengthen the Points of Single Contact and the Single Digital Gateway as foreseen in the Services Directive and on the Member States to use ~~such~~those tools to provide workers, consumers and businesses with accurate and easily accessible information regarding their rights and obligations related to free movement within the single market.

Amendment 75 #

Edina TÓTH

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission to improve tools such as the Points of Single Contact and the Single Digital Gateway and on the Member States to use such tools to provide workers, consumers and businesses with accurate and easily accessible information regarding their rights and obligations related to free movement within the single market. ; also sees a need to further develop the Internal Market Information System (IMI) by, for example, expanding the available functions in order to facilitate the work of national authorities; therefore asks the Commission to establish appropriate support structures in the areas of training and technical assistance so that all the advantages of the system in terms of effectiveness can be realised;

Amendment 76 #

Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Dominik TARCZYŃSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

Amendment 77 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Dan-Ştefan MOTREANU, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 – point 1 (new)

(1) Urges the Commission to take action against the so-called letterbox companies, which are artificially set up to circumvent applicable legislation in a host country, while clearly abusing the freedom of establishment;

Amendment 78 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Recalls that cross-border health care services fall within the ambit of freedom to provide services as stated by the Court of Justice of the EU; notes that Cross-border Health Care Directive was adopted also on basis of Article 114 TFEU; regrets that Cross-border Health Care Directive creates additional obstacles to provision of cross-border health care services when compared to the case-law of the Court of Justice applying the Treaty provisions on free movement of services; underlines the necessity that these additional obstacles are removed, underlines that a better coordination and promotion of best practices between Member States and cross-border mobility of health professionals are beneficial and particularly important during the COVID- 19 pandemic;

Amendment 79 #

Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Dominik TARCZYŃSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

Amendment 8 #

Krzysztof HETMAN, Arba KOKALARI, Tomislav SOKOL, Ivan ŠTEFANEC, Andreas SCHWAB, Maria da Graça CARVALHO, Romana TOMC

Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)

Ab. whereas the COVID-19 crisis has caused an unprecedented economic crisis, and unlocking the full potential of the single market as well as enhancing the free movement of workers and services by making full use of the mutual recognition of professional qualifications and freedom to provide services under the Services Directive can facilitate the recovery process and put the economy back on track after the crisis;

Amendment 80 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Emphasises that due to the growing volume of labour and services’ mobility, digitalisation is a must; is of the opinion that the digital tools designed to facilitate mobility of labour and services as well as an exchange of the information between the different social security systems, such as digital A1Portable Document form, will improve workers’ protection, reduce administrative burdens and improve Member States cooperation;

Amendment 81 #

Andreas SCHWAB, Krzysztof HETMAN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that all relevant procedures to access the services market in another Member State are efficiently coordinated and that service providers are properly informed, in order to ensure compliance with applicable national rules, including proportionate employment terms and conditions that Member States apply in accordance with Union law;

Amendment 82 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls therefore for greater promotion, application and enforcement of the European Qualifications Framework to guarantee a widely used recognition instrument throughout the European Union;

Amendment 83 #

Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Dominik TARCZYŃSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Considers that, in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the internal market and the timely provision of services, it is necessary to remove barriers to the free movement of workers within the EU;

Amendment 84 #

Christel SCHALDEMOSE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Urges the Commission to introduce a European social security number in order to promote fair working conditions, and thus realizing the principle of equal pay for equal work at the same place;

Amendment 85 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Supports the Commission's Communication on "Long term action plan for better implementation and enforcement of Single Market rules" especially the proposals to: reinforce SOLVIT as a tool for Single Market dispute resolution, increase the Commission activity and support to the Member States as they transpose the EU law to ensure correct and harmonised interpretation across the Internal Market, create a Single Market obstacles tool under the Single Digital Gateway, allowing citizens and businesses to report anonymously on regulatory obstacles encountered by them while exercising their internal market rights; highlights further that the Commission should act decisively to mitigate discovered obstacles, as in the past identifying issues itself frequently led to little few achievements;

Amendment 86 #

Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Dominik TARCZYŃSKI

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)

6c. Calls on the Member States, to implement the updated Commission Guidelines concerning the exercise of the free movement of workers during COVID- 19 outbreak in order to allow workers, in particular transport, frontier, posted and seasonal workers, and service providers to cross borders and have access to their place of work, unless imposed restrictions are dully justified; calls on the Commission to actively collect and present in a comprehensive way all relevant information including sanitary obligations and restrictions present in various Member States;

Amendment 9 #