REPORT on the draft Council decision establishing the Social Protection Committee and repealing Decision 2004/689/EC

26.3.2015 - (05126/2015 – C8‑0025/2015 – 2015/0802(CNS)) - *

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs
Rapporteur: Marita Ulvskog

DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

on the draft Council decision establishing the Social Protection Committee and repealing Decision 2004/689/EC

(05126/2015 – C8‑0025/2015 – 2015/0802(CNS))

(Special legislative procedure – consultation)

The European Parliament,

–       having regard to the Council draft (05126/2015),

–       having regard to Article 160 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C8‑0025/2015),

–       having regard to Rule 59 of its Rules of Procedure,

–       having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (A8-0066/2015),

1.      Approves the Council draft as amended;

2.      Calls on the Council to notify Parliament if it intends to depart from the text approved by Parliament;

3.      Asks the Council to consult Parliament again if it intends to substantially amend its draft;

4.      Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.

Amendment  1 Draft decision Recital 3
Council draft	Amendment
(3) In its Conclusions of 17 December 1999 on the strengthening of cooperation for modernising and improving social protection2, the Council supported the Commission's proposal to establish a mechanism for enhanced cooperation, brought about by the work of the group of high-level officials, for the implementation of this action. The Council stressed that this kind of cooperation should cover all forms of social protection and, where necessary, help the Member States to improve and strengthen their social protection systems in accordance with their national priorities. It also recalled the competence of the Member States for the organisation and financing of social protection and endorsed the four broad objectives within the overall challenge of modernising social protection systems as identified by the Commission: namely to make work pay and provide secure income, to make pensions safe and pension systems sustainable, to promote social inclusion and to ensure high quality and sustainable health care; it also underlined that equality between women and men must be mainstreamed in all activities aiming at these four objectives. Finally, the Council recognised that the aspects relating to finance are common to all the objectives.	(3) In its Conclusions of 17 December 1999 on the strengthening of cooperation for modernising and improving social protection2, the Council supported the Commission's proposal to establish a mechanism for enhanced cooperation, brought about by the work of the group of high-level officials, for the implementation of this action. The Council stressed that this kind of cooperation should cover all forms of social protection and, where necessary, help the Member States to improve and strengthen their social protection systems in accordance with their national priorities. It also recalled the competence of the Member States for the organisation and financing of social protection and endorsed the four broad objectives within the overall challenge of modernising social protection systems as identified by the Commission: namely to make work pay and provide secure income, to make pensions safe and pension systems sustainable, to promote social inclusion and to ensure high quality and sustainable health care for all; it also underlined that equality between women and men must be mainstreamed in all activities aiming at these four objectives. Finally, the Council recognised that the aspects relating to finance are common to all the objectives.
__________________	__________________
2 OJ C 8, 12.1.2000, p. 7.	2 OJ C 8, 12.1.2000, p. 7.
Amendment  2 Draft decision Recital 7
Council draft	Amendment
(7) In its Conclusions of June 2013, the European Council stated that the social dimension of the EMU should be strengthened. As a first step, it is important to better monitor and take into account the social and labour market situation within EMU, notably by using appropriate social and employment indicators within the European semester. It is also important to ensure better coordination of employment and social policies, while fully respecting national competences.	(7) In its Conclusions of June 2013, the European Council stated that the social dimension of the EMU should be strengthened. As a first step, it is important to better monitor and take into account the social and labour market situation within EMU, notably by using appropriate social and employment indicators within the European semester. It is also important to ensure better coordination of employment, social and socio-economic policies, while fully respecting national competences.

PROCEDURE

Title	Decision establishing the Social Protection Committee and repealing Decision 2004/689/EC
References	05126/2015 – C8-0025/2015 – 2015/0802(CNS)
Date of consulting Parliament	30.1.2015
Committee responsible        Date announced in plenary	EMPL 9.2.2015
Committees asked for opinions        Date announced in plenary	BUDG 9.2.2015	ECON 9.2.2015	FEMM 9.2.2015
Not delivering opinions        Date of decision	BUDG 11.2.2015	ECON 10.3.2015	FEMM 18.3.2015
Rapporteurs        Date appointed	Marita Ulvskog 22.1.2015
Date adopted	24.3.2015
Result of final vote	+: –: 0:	46 1 0
Members present for the final vote	Laura Agea, Guillaume Balas, Tiziana Beghin, Brando Benifei, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Enrique Calvet Chambon, David Casa, Ole Christensen, Lampros Fountoulis, Elena Gentile, Arne Gericke, Marian Harkin, Danuta Jazłowiecka, Agnes Jongerius, Jan Keller, Agnieszka Kozłowska-Rajewicz, Jean Lambert, Jérôme Lavrilleux, Jeroen Lenaers, Javi López, Thomas Mann, Dominique Martin, Anthea McIntyre, Elisabeth Morin-Chartier, Emilian Pavel, Terry Reintke, Sofia Ribeiro, Claude Rolin, Anne Sander, Sven Schulze, Siôn Simon, Jutta Steinruck, Romana Tomc, Yana Toom, Ulrike Trebesius, Marita Ulvskog, Renate Weber, Tatjana Ždanoka, Inês Cristina Zuber
Substitutes present for the final vote	Georges Bach, Amjad Bashir, Deirdre Clune, Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, António Marinho e Pinto, Joachim Schuster, Csaba Sógor, Ivo Vajgl
Date tabled	26.3.2015