Tackle demographic change, say MEPs

The EU's average birth-rate of 1.5 is "abnormally low" says the report, drafted by Françoise Castex (PES, FR). It stresses that although "maternity choices are among the most private decisions men and women take, and must be respected", birth-rate curves can be positively influenced by "creating a family- and child-friendly material and emotional environment". The Parliament recommends inter alia that Member States provide tax breaks for company crèches  and take measures against employers who directly or indirectly discriminate female workers who wish to have children.

 

 

MEPs call for "a thorough reform of career management for senior employees" aged 50 and older. They advocate "a cutback as soon as possible in companies resorting to early retirement". However, for older workers beyond the minimum retirement-age threshold who do not wish to continue working full-time of their job, "an innovative form of gradual retirement" should be considered, such as part-time work, flexible working hours, distance working or job-sharing. MEPs also say that rules and conventions should be established to promote a voluntary prolongation of working life.

 

Additionally, Member States should provide specific employment advice for older workers, e.g. on interview techniques, confidence building and CV writing.

 

The Parliament calls on the Member States to set aside budgetary appropriations each year for the payment of future pensions in order to maintain the budgetary balance between revenue and expenditure in the various pension schemes.

 

 

Member States should ensure that "work breaks for maternity and parental leave cease to constitute a penalty when pension entitlements are calculated", say MEPs adding that those periods should count towards women's pension entitlements. They suggest adding bonuses to pensions on the basis of the number of children parents have raised.

 

 

The EP is concerned about the growth in infertility, which now occurs in about 15 % of couples. Member States should guarantee couples a universal right of access to infertility treatment

 

MEPs deleted, however, a passage from the report which called for offering adoption to couples as an alternative to infertility treatment. The Parliament equally rejected a call for raising the age limit for legal adoption.  Yet it urged Member States to facilitate the fostering of abused children without parents and those raised in specific institutions.

 

 

The Parliament says that EU paternity law needs to be improved and urges the Commission to propose specific measures for an entitlement to paternal leave. Fathers' rights regarding the upbringing and care of children, particularly in case of separation or divorce, should be promoted, it adds.

 

 

Europe needs "a clear and reasoned approach to immigration in order to counter xenophobic and racist opinions and attitudes and promote the full and effective integration of migrants into society", say MEPs (amendment 15).  Immigrants needed to be better integrated into the formal economy and must receive legal and social security, including pension entitlements. Member States should fight "resolutely" against human trafficking and clandestine channels, by penalising employers who employ or exploit illegal workers, says the report. 

 

Furthermore, the EP favours giving family members accompanying immigrant labour residence permits and, where appropriate, work permits.

 

 

Finally, MEPs also draw attention to "the maltreatment and lack of care to which the elderly are exposed within their families or within the institutions in which they are placed". As an estimated 10% of older people experience some form of physical, financial or mental abuse before they die, the Commission and the Member States should develop warning systems and penalties for maltreatment of this kind, stresses the report. The Commission's communication on the abuse of older people, which it intends to publish this year, should draw up "a comprehensive strategy for a large-scale information and action campaign in this field", including training of care workers, definition of quality standards, and penalties for maltreatment.