Rapporti verbatim tad-dibattiti

It-Tlieta, 11 ta' Marzu 2014 - Strasburgu

20. Il-moviment liberu tal-ħaddiema (dibattitu)

  El Presidente. - El punto siguiente en el orden del día es el debate sobre el informe de Edit Bauer, en nombre de la Comisión de Empleo y Asuntos Sociales, sobre la propuesta de Directiva del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo sobre medidas para facilitar el ejercicio de los derechos concedidos a los trabajadores en el marco de la libre circulación de los trabajadores (COM(2013)0236 - C7-0114/2013 - 2013/0124(COD)) (A7-0386/2013).

  Edit Bauer, rapporteur. - Mr President, first of all I would like to thank all the shadows and colleagues with whom I worked on this directive. Thanks to them the text was enriched. I also appreciate the efforts of the Lithuanian Presidency to reach a good agreement.

Free movement of citizens is one of the core values of the European Union. Almost 60 years later, however, we still have to admit that there is no smooth free movement of workers in the Union. According to Commission statistics, 97[nbsp ]% of EU citizens do not move for work, while the other three freedoms are much more widely applicable, having in mind the free movement of capital, goods and services. What is the problem with the free movement of workers? Why does the regulation in force not solve the situation?

The problem is that in different Member States, workers coming from other Member States are still discriminated against and are facing unjustified obstacles. Recognising the problems in this field, the Commission decided to propose this piece of legislation in order to facilitate the free movement of Union citizens by enforcing the existing regulation. We have to keep in mind that this directive deals only with European citizens.

In the proposal, the Commission uses the expression ‘migrant’ workers, which can be misinterpreted by extending it to third-country nationals. Avoiding this, we have agreed with the Council to use the term ‘Union workers’ so that it is crystal clear that the directive is applicable only to Union citizens. Furthermore, this directive deals with discrimination based on nationality and residence and does not include other forms of discrimination. In addition, the scope of the directive is extended, in the same way as that of the regulation, to frontier workers (those who live in cross-border regions and only commute to work). It is also applied to seasonal workers.

Another new, core element in the directive is that it calls for closer and more intensive cooperation between national authorities both at national and European level. In order not to put an extra burden on the Member States, they do not have to establish new bodies whose task is to coordinate or facilitate the free moment of workers. In addition, the Member States can decide that more than one body will be in a charge of this issue. However, we found it essential to include in the text the idea that, if more than one body is responsible for free movement, there must be cooperation and coordination and it has to be clear who is in charge of coordination.

Finally, the essential element of this directive is citizens’ access to free, easily-understandable, comprehensive and up-to-date information and assistance wherever and whenever they need it. The European Union is the biggest and most prosperous market of goods, services and capital. If we want it to be prosperous to its fullest extent, we have to ensure that all Union workers have access to this huge European labour market and that every Union worker is treated equally, no matter which Member State he or she comes from.

  László Andor, Member of the Commission. - Mr President, free movement of workers is one of the cornerstones of the EU’s single market. It allows EU citizens to work in another Member State under the same conditions as nationals of that Member State. Free movement of labour is good for the European economy. At a time when some Member States are faced with high unemployment while others face labour shortages, worker mobility contributes to alleviating such gaps.

Article[nbsp ]45 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provides a clear legal framework for the free movement of workers and requires Member States to admit workers from other Member States to their labour markets without any discrimination. The 2011 Regulation on Freedom of Movement for Workers lists the rights that mobile EU workers and their family members should enjoy. In addition, there is abundant case-law from the Court of Justice which complements EU legislation.

In spite of the clear legal framework, no one can deny that there is a gap between the legal rights and the reality on the ground. Indeed, over the years, the Commission has received numerous complaints about the application of EU law at national level. In addition, many mobile EU workers and their families encounter difficulties in finding information about their rights. When they are confronted with a specific problem, they often lack information and support on how to enforce their rights.

For all these reasons the Commission presented last year a proposal for better enforcement at national level of the rights conferred by EU law. This proposal focused on three main aspects. The first and main element of the proposal requires Member States to designate one or more bodies at national level to provide support and assistance to EU mobile workers.

Secondly, the proposal requires Member States to establish an existing or new body or bodies to provide information to EU mobile workers. And thirdly, the proposal provides measures to ensure the effective protection of mobile workersʼ rights so they can seek redress in the same way as nationals of the host Member State.

I am pleased that the Council and Parliament have come to an agreement, which I believe is well balanced. My thanks go to Parliament and in particular to Ms[nbsp ]Bauer for her support and dedication.

  Marije Cornelissen, rapporteur for the opinion of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality and on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. - Mr President, I would like to thank the shadows, and mainly Ms[nbsp ]Bauer and Ms[nbsp ]Berès. They did exceptionally well in the trilogue. I think Ms[nbsp ]B and the other Ms[nbsp ]B did a really good ‘good cop, bad copʼ impression that worked wonders, and I must also admit that both the Commission and the Council were quite helpful as well, especially compared to some other trilogues.

The end result is a very consensual and very good directive. This directive is not going to rock the world, but it will benefit EU workers in several ways on the ground, and that is where it matters, because having rights does not mean that people can actually live out their rights, and I think we have made progress towards that. People will have more access to the information they need to exercise their rights. They will have more access to judicial procedures and also to group claims. They will have more access to equality bodies, and these equality bodies need to be properly funded to execute these tasks.

We as Greens are particularly happy with a prohibition on victimisation being included, because everybody needs to be able to claim their rights without being victimised for it. We are also very happy with the inclusion of rights for family members, including mutual recognition, so that a same-sex couple from the Netherlands going to Italy does not suddenly find out that they are not married any more according to the Member State that they are working in.

It is unfortunate that many people – many populist groups mainly – do not understand that problems with replacement and exploitation and the other problems connected to free movement can only really be combated by ensuring workers’ rights, and I think that this directive has been a good step in that direction.

  Danuta Jazłowiecka, w imieniu grupy PPE. – Swoboda przepływu pracowników jest jednym z fundamentów Unii Europejskiej. Była ona już zapisana w traktatach powołujących Wspólnoty Europejskie, co świadczy o tym, że dla ojców założycieli stanowiła jeden z najistotniejszych aspektów integracji. Pomimo faktu, że obywatele Unii Europejskiej mogą korzystać ze swobody przemieszczania się już od wielu lat, tylko niecałe 3% korzysta z tej możliwości, jak wskazała Edit Bauer. Wśród tej grupy większość stanowią osoby podejmujące pracę, co w konsekwencji pobudza wzrost gospodarczy, daje pracownikom szanse na lepsze zatrudnienie, a pracodawcom umożliwia czerpanie z szerszych zasobów wykwalifikowanej kadry. Niestety, z jednej strony osoby zainteresowane mobilnością wciąż napotykają na swej drodze wiele przeszkód, w tym tych związanych z wymogami administracyjnymi, nieodpowiednim wdrożeniem prawa, brakiem dostępu do informacji. Z drugiej strony niepokojące jest to, że ponad połowa obywateli Unii nie dostrzega wartości, jaką jest swoboda przepływu pracowników. Szokujący jest fakt, że dane pochodzą również z państw członkowskich, gdzie jest ogromny problem ze znalezieniem pracy. W zjawisku tym należy także upatrywać źródeł niewielkiej mobilności osób w ramach jednolitego rynku. Jeżeli bowiem połowa obywateli nie dostrzega pozytywów z możliwości znalezienia pracy w innym państwie członkowskim, to żadne ułatwienia nie przełożą się na wzrost mobilności. Sytuację tę dodatkowo pogarsza retoryka polityków z niektórych państw członkowskich, którzy otwarty rynek pracy traktują bardziej w kategorii zagrożeń niż szans i wykorzystują negatywne nastroje społeczne do budowania poparcia w zbliżających się wyborach, nawet kosztem przyszłości Unii Europejskiej. W tym kontekście upatruję ogromną rolę Komisji Europejskiej, która powinna podejmować działania wskazujące na sens istnienia swobody przemieszczania się i podejmowania pracy.

Wiele propozycji zawartych w dyrektywie jest właśnie ukierunkowanych na poprawę dostępu do informacji, doradztwa i wspierania odpowiednich instytucji, by bardziej sprzyjały mobilności obywateli Unii Europejskiej. Pamiętajmy, że Europa nadal wychodzi z kryzysu, a mobilność jest jednym z ważnych źródeł wzrostu gospodarczego. Jako politycy mamy obowiązek zapewnić obywatelom, którzy tego chcą, możliwość swobodnego podejmowania pracy w całej Unii Europejskiej.

  Ole Christensen, for S&D-Gruppen. – Hr. formand! Tak til Edit Bauer for et godt samarbejde om denne betænkning. Det har været en rigtig god proces, og jeg synes også, at vi har nået et flot og godt resultat.

Da det indre marked med fri bevægelighed for varer, serviceydelser, kapital og arbejdskraft blev etableret, var man også nødt til at fastlægge nogle regler for arbejdskraftens frie bevægelighed. Derfor besluttede man, at det kun var muligt at være socialt sikret i ét land, nemlig det land, hvor man har sin hovedbeskæftigelse, og hvor man betaler sin skat. Når jeg siger det så tydeligt, så er det, fordi det også i mit land, Danmark, nogle gange kan være nødvendigt at minde om grundreglerne, da man ikke hele tiden er opmærksom på, hvordan de europæiske regler egentligt er strikket sammen. Hvis man kommer til et land og arbejder og betaler skat der, så er man også berettiget til sociale ydelser fra det land.

Hvad angår den anden kategori af arbejdskraft, nemlig de udstationerede, som skal tilbage til hjemlandet igen, så er de ikke omfattet af det sociale system i det land, hvor de arbejder, men i det land, de kommer fra. Det er også der, de betaler deres skat. Jeg tror, at det er utroligt vigtigt at holde fast i disse to principper for at sikre, at folk forstår, hvorfor udenlandske arbejdstagere er ligeberettigede - også med hensyn til at modtaget sociale ydelser. Rettigheder og pligter hænger nemlig sammen.

Det er også vigtigt at slå fast – som det er tilfældet i forhold til grænsearbejderne – at man heller ikke skal diskrimineres på baggrund af bopæl. I dette tilfælde arbejder man og er socialt sikret i ét land, men bor i et andet. Det er vigtigt at være opmærksom på, at denne kategori ikke længere må diskrimineres.

Vi skal styrke myndighedernes rolle og arbejdsmarkedets parter, og vi skal være med til at sikre lige løn og lige arbejdsvilkår. Der skal samarbejdes meget mere på tværs af landene, og informationen skal styrkes, som også flere andre har været inde på. De kollektive rettigheder i de nordiske lande, hvor det er muligt at rejse en sag på baggrund af en person, der bliver uretfærdigt behandlet, bør også styrkes. Alt i alt er det en god betænkning, som vi har haft et godt samarbejde om.

  Phil Bennion, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Mr President, labour mobility gives citizens all across Europe the opportunity to move and work abroad. It allows labour supply to satisfy labour demand and is integral to the success of the single market.

This directive will facilitate the application of this fundamental freedom and will make everyone more aware of what their rights are, rather than the myths they have heard. It reinforces the idea that nationality should not be an obstacle to working in another Member State.

For example, a young person from Birmingham in my constituency could decide to teach English in Spain without worrying that she will have to jump through extra hoops to access employment. If she does, or if she finds a job where she is paid less than a national worker doing the same job, there will be a body in that Member State ready to advise her, and she will have access to judicial redress if necessary. If a man from Shropshire finds a job in Austria to be with his Austrian wife, he will not be prevented from accessing vocational training programmes offered to national workers because of his nationality.

These are the opportunities which EU citizens must be able to access and which Member States should uphold. I know that citizens have concerns about the effects of labour mobility on local services, and these concerns need to be heeded. We need to ensure that abuse by EU or national citizens is strongly dealt with at national level and that successful local integration, as well as efficient local services, are central to any action taken. We should be open, proactive and engaging when dealing with these local issues, rather than considering that pulling up the drawbridge and preventing our citizens and our young people from accessing these opportunities is the way forward.

  Syed Kamall, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, I am fortunate to represent London. For me, it is the greatest city in the world and the capital of the greatest country in the world. For many people it is probably the most diverse and open city in the world, which has welcomed people from all over the world for many centuries.

But when I speak to my constituents about freedom of movement, they tell me that they welcome anyone who comes to our country and our city to contribute, to work and to contribute to society in a positive way, but they have two concerns. The first concern is over numbers, the impact on integration and the impact and strain on public services. The second is so-called benefit tourism, no matter how small or large the numbers.

If we can address these very real concerns over these two issues – as my colleague, Mr[nbsp ]Bennion, said earlier on – then maybe there might be more support for the principle of freedom of movement for workers.

  Thomas Händel, im Namen der GUE/NGL-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident! Ich will betonen: Arbeitnehmerfreizügigkeit ist ein wichtiges Grundrecht für die Menschen in der EU. Darin sind wir uns wohl alle einig. Unser Ziel muss es sein, die Arbeitnehmer vor Diskriminierung zu schützen und gleiche Rechte am gleichen Ort für alle Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmer zu sichern.

Positiv an diesem Bericht – das will ich ausdrücklich erwähnen – ist: Er erleichtert die freiwillige Mobilität, er richtet sich gegen Diskriminierung, er will Gleichbehandlung beim Zugang zu Beschäftigung, bei den Arbeitsbedingungen, der Bezahlung und bei den Sozialansprüchen, er sichert Gesundheit und Sicherheit am Arbeitsplatz und schafft Zugang zu Weiterbildung. Die Einhaltung der nationalen Tarifverträge und die Förderung des sozialen Dialogs sind wichtige Elemente dieses Berichts. Soweit die positive Seite.

Die kritische Bemerkung, die ich anzubringen habe, ist die Frage: Das betrifft wieder nur ein Segment der Menschen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt. Entsandte Arbeitnehmer sind zum Beispiel nicht miteinbezogen. Aus welchem Grund? Zwar ist es richtig, wir haben Freizügigkeit nicht mit Dienstleistungsfreiheit zu verwechseln, aber der Verweis auf die Entsenderichtlinie reicht eben nicht aus. Die Strategie, die Mobilität und Flexibilität der Menschen in Europa weiter zu fördern, die Arbeitnehmer dorthin zu bringen, wo man sie gerade braucht, ist weder eine Zauberformel zur Lösung der Krise noch zur dauerhaften Bekämpfung des Fachkräftemangels.

Die derzeitige Strategie der Beschäftigung führt zu einem Flickenteppich unterschiedlichster Rechte und zur weiteren Fragmentierung des Arbeitsmarktes, das Risiko des Braindrain inklusive. Ich sage und wir fordern: Schaffen Sie endlich gleichen Lohn für gleiche Arbeit am gleichen Ort, und zwar unterschiedslos! Das wäre ein Fortschritt für ein soziales Europa.

  Derek Roland Clark, on behalf of the EFD Group. – Mr President, the Commissioner for Employment says that free movement of workers is a key principle of the single market, which is why, in 2004, only Sweden, Ireland and the UK exerted restrictions on 10 new Member States. The then British Home Secretary Jack Straw now says that opening borders to eastern European immigration was a spectacular mistake, while Mr[nbsp ]Barroso recently admitted that the influx of eastern Europeans was putting pressure on communities and leading to abuses in some cases.

Is realism now appearing? For Croatia, 13 Member States out of 27 will use restrictions, including France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, while Germany and Austria will restrict posted workers. Now, will Croatians join Bulgarians and Romanians in having first call on jobs in preference to third-country nationals, as in the Commissionʼs statement of April last year? But that is discrimination, and I raised this twice in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs last year and did not receive an answer. I now require a commensurate answer as to why this discrimination continues.

  Mike Nattrass (NI). - Mr President, the influx of workers into the UK must be controlled by the UK Government. It is a simple matter of sovereignty. Britain already has a housing shortage. Hospitals and schools are not coping with the ever-growing immigrant population. Britain must protect its own citizens who have paid their taxes and built the country.

The massive influx of immigrants produces an oversupply, adding to the unemployment problem, reducing job availability and reducing pay for working people. And yet, here we are facing yet more rules. These rules take control away from UK authorities, making management of the infrastructure impossible. Britain has not discriminated against foreign workers, and those willing to integrate with the existing population have been accepted, but now enough is enough.

You say the free movement of workers is a fundamental freedom of EU citizens, a cornerstone of the internal market. I say a fundamental right of the UK is to roll away this stone and gain independence from Europe. We need our independence now. Sadly, a great British trade unionist and defender of working people, Bob Crow, died today. I wish the Left would embrace his views in this debate.

  Csaba Sógor (PPE). - Üdvözlöm Bauer Edit kolléganőmnek a munkavállalók szabad mozgásával összefüggésben készült jelentését, mely az Európai Unióban egy másik tagállam területén munkát vállaló polgároknak biztosítja jogaik gyakorlását.[nbsp ]

Ez a dokumentum nem módosítja a szolgáltatási irányelvet, sem a szabad mozgásra és munkavállalásra vonatkozó, az Unió keretén belül már hatályos irányelveket és érvényben lévő rendelkezéseket; célja csupán egyszerűsíteni és megkönnyíteni azok gyakorlatba ültetését.

Az Európai Parlament jelenlegi törvényhozási ciklusában ez az utolsó munkajogi dosszié. Külön érdeme, hogy számba veszi és részletezi a rendelet végrehajtására vonatkozó praktikus intézkedéseket, de garantálja a származtatott munkajogok érvényesítését is, pl. a más uniós tagállamban szerzett diploma elismerését, a kettős adóztatás elkerülését vagy a zavartalan információcserét. Ebben nagy szerep jut az ún. európai kapcsolattartó pontok létesítésének és működtetésének. A tagállamoknak nagyobb figyelmet kell fordítaniuk a fokozott mértékű mobilitás mellékhatásaira is, mert a jelenlegi krízishelyzet felfokozta az agyelszívást és a fiatalok elvándorlását épp azokból a régiókból és tagállamokból, amelyekben pedig a legnagyobb szükség lenne az uniós felzárkózásra.

Az irányelv gyakorlatba ültetése révén munkához való jog gyakorlásában vagy a javadalmazás kérdésében bármely uniós polgárt vagy családtagjait megkülönböztetés vagy akadályoztatás érhesse, amikor egy másik tagállamba költözik és ott vállal munkát. A tagállamoknak gondoskodniuk kell a különböző törvényes élettársi kapcsolatok és azokból származó jogok kölcsönös elismeréséről, illetve a munkavállaló jogainak védelméről is. A mostani rendelet hatálya kiterjed - megkülönböztetés nélkül - nemcsak az állandó munkavállalókra, hanem a határ menti ingázókra, sőt a szolgáltatókra is.

Nagy öröm számomra, hogy a jelentés első olvasatban megnyugtató módon lezárja az országom polgárait különösen érintő számos érzékeny kérdések kezelését.

  Илияна Малинова Йотова (S&D). - Г-н Председател, днешната дискусия стана още по-важна, когато свободното движение на хора се превърна от право в инструмент на краен популизъм и развихряне на анти-кампания към граждани на новоприсъединили се държави, в измисляне на абсурдни правила и политики за лишаване най-вече на българи и румънци от пазара на труда.

По-малко от 1 процент от населението на Европейския съюз са емигранти без работа. Хората отиват в други страни членки, за да работят, а не да източват социалните системи. Те си плащат данъците, осигуровките и развиват икономиките на тези страни. И не знам къде, г-н Кларк, видяхте предимството за работа за тези хора. Точно обратното, вашите граждани бяха сплашвани, че милиони българи ще залеят трудовите пазари, например във Великобритания, и даже някои политици преживяха разочарование, когато на 1 януари тази година на Хийтроу не се появиха милионите българи, готови да превземат вашите работни места. Как си представяте това при положение, че цялата ни държава е едва от 7 милиона?

Трябва ни европейска методика, която категорично да показва как влияе на пазарите на труда притокът на работници от други части на Европейския съюз. Само така няма да допуснем Европа да попадне в ръцете на популисти и националисти. Основните права и свободи не подлежат на преговори в нито една страна.

(Ораторът приема да отговори на въпрос, зададен чрез вдигане на синя карта (член 149, параграф 8 от Правилника за дейността)).

  Derek Roland Clark (EFD), blue-card question. – In answer to the lady, I was quoting an official Commission document circulated in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs in April last year, which clearly and unambiguously stated that in any competition for jobs anywhere in the EU, anybody from Bulgaria or Romania applying shall be given first choice over anybody from outside the European Union. That is what I said, and that is what I meant, and that, Madam, is discrimination outlawed under the Lisbon Treaty, and I want to know why it continues.

  Илияна Малинова Йотова (S&D), отговор на въпрос, зададен чрез вдигане на синя карта. – Страхувам се, г-н Кларк, че отново четете европейското законодателство, както дяволът чете Eвангелието. Европейският съюз е общност от права и свободи, които Вие систематично нарушавате и то в ущърб на хората, които искат свободно да работят навсякъде в Европа. Иначе и Вие няма защо да сте в тази зала.

  Моника Панайотова (PPE). - Г-н Председател, колеги все по-често се нарушава една от четирите свободи на Европейския съюз и ставаме свидетели на негативни кампании спрямо законно пребиваващи български и румънски граждани в някои от държавите членки, особено във Великобритания. В тази връзка приветствам предложението за директива за свободно движение и правата на работниците от Европейския съюз.

Създаването на обща рамка за по-добро прилагане на правото на свободно движение на работниците и членовете на техните семейства ще допринесе за спазване принципа на недискриминация въз основа на гражданството по въпросите за достъпа до заетост, обучение, условия на труд, социални права и други.

Отпадането на ограниченията за достъп до пазара на труда за българи и румънци във Великобритания от 1 януари 2014 г. не оправда опасенията от "имигрантска вълна". Въпреки това, обаче анти-имиграционната риторика продължава и засяга в значителна степен и студентите от България и Румъния, учещи в Обединеното кралство. През ноември миналата година британското правителство преустанови отпускането за българки и румънски студенти на студентски заеми за издръжка и обвърза възстановяването им с доказване на законен престой от най-малко три години на територията на Острова.

Случващото се е в пълен разрез с правото на недискриминация въз основа на гражданството и поставя под въпрос един от основните приоритети на ЕС - мотивацията и реализацията на младите хора в Европа. Нека бъдещето и мечтите на младите европейци да не стават залог на краткосрочни вътрешнополитически цели.

Доказано е, че вътрешната мобилност допринася за развитието и конкурентоспособността на единния пазар, засилва европейската идентичност и толерантност на гражданите и запазва потенциала на Европа в нейните граници. Затова приветствам още веднъж парламента за настоящата директива, гарантираща правата и свободното движение на работници в ЕС.

  Jutta Steinruck (S&D). - Herr Präsident! Zunächst einmal mein Dank an Frau Bauer und alle Beteiligten für ihre wirklich gute Arbeit. Gerade in der aktuellen – wie wir heute Abend auch gehört haben – doch recht populistischen Debatte nicht nur hier im Parlament ist diese Richtlinie von großer Bedeutung. Unser Hauptproblem ist nicht der Sozialbetrug, sondern es sind Unternehmer oder Kriminelle, die die Notlage von Zuwanderern vielfach ausnutzen: Hungerlöhne, Unterkunftsabzüge, Verstoß gegen Arbeits- und Gesundheitsschutz, die Umgehung von Lohn- und Sozialstandards.

Ich freue mich sehr darüber, dass der Fokus dieses Berichts gerade auch auf Information und Beratung geht, denn die Europäische Union muss im Rahmen ihrer Fonds ausreichend Mittel zur Verfügung stellen, um flächendeckende Beratungsstellen für alle Nationalitäten einzurichten. Hier spielen gerade auch die Gewerkschaften eine wichtige Rolle, denn sie kennen die Belange der Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmer, des Arbeitsmarktes vor Ort am besten. Und ich freue mich, dass der gefundene Kompromiss gerade ihre Rolle auch stärkt. Je mehr Mobilität, desto mehr Beratung – und zwar vor, während und nach der Mobilitätserfahrung. Solche Stellen können besonders über den Europäischen Sozialfonds, aber auch über EURES, über Grenzgängerberatung geleistet werden. Das würde auch diejenigen Kommunen entlasten, die durch einen besonders hohen Anteil an EU-Einwanderern Belastungen haben. Mein Appell an manche ist, diese Arbeitsmigration innerhalb der EU nicht populistisch auszurichten. In diesen Ländern, die die Arbeitsmigration haben, sind die Einwanderer von großer Bedeutung für deren Arbeitsmärkte.

  Derek Roland Clark (EFD). - Mr President, I was not blue-carding Ms Steinruck, I was asking to respond to the lady over there who named me for a second time in her response, and I require the right to reply.

The lady concerned talked about my misinterpretation or the overuse of regulations, written and otherwise, by the Commission. This whole House works by the written regulations! Only recently we have had two examples in voting in this committee where a rapporteur was overturned in his request because he had not conformed to the exact written requisition that he was asking for.

The whole point is that this place runs by written regulation, and I repeat, the regulation about workers from Bulgaria and Romania having pride of place over third country nationals was in a Commission document of April last year, and Mr Andor will confirm that.

Intervenciones con arreglo al procedimiento de solicitud incidental de uso de la palabra («catch the eye»)

  Csaba Sándor Tabajdi (S&D). - Szeretnék gratulálni Bauer Editnek a kiváló jelentéséhez, és Andor Biztos úrnak, hogy olyan karakánan kiállt az Unió alapértéke mellett. Elég szégyenteljes Clarke úr szereplése, aki még az európai parlamenti kollégáinak a nevét sem tanulta meg, de ez jellemző a brit politikára. Ciklikusan visszatér a lengyel vízvezeték-szerelő ügye, 10 év után újra visszatért a mumus, a közép-európai munkavállaló. Vissza is kérhetnénk a közép-európai munkavállalók bér és oktatási költségét a britektől, hiszen rengetegen diplomások.

Itt van kezemben Cameron úr válaszlevele. 38 európai parlamenti képviselő levelet írt Cameron úrnak, hogy gyalázat, ami történik, mert Nagy-Britannia rengeteget profitált a közép-európai munkavállalókból, és rengeteget fog veszíteni ebből a populizmusból, ami jellemzi, és eltérően Spanyolországtól, ahol egymillió román munkavállaló van, Itáliában, Olaszországban egymillió munkavállaló van, semmi probléma nincs, nagy Britanniában a populizmus győzedelmeskedett: ez Európa szégyene, Nagy-Britannia szégyene.

  Malika Benarab-Attou (Verts/ALE). - Monsieur le Président, 97[nbsp ]% des Européens ne se déplacent pas pour leur travail au sein de l'Union européenne. Le droit à la libre circulation des travailleurs européens au sein de l'Union est très difficile à appliquer et à faire vivre. Les droits formels des travailleurs à la libre circulation sont pourtant alignés sur ceux existant dans la directive antidiscrimination, par exemple le droit à la protection sociale du pays du lieu de travail.

Cependant, il s'agit de donner des moyens pour faciliter l'exercice effectif de ces droits et d'éliminer les obstacles. La commission de l'emploi et des affaires sociales du Parlement européen a mené un travail constructif qui a amené ce texte sans encombre au trilogue avec le Conseil et la Commission. Cela a permis d'arriver à un bon accord. Les avancées importantes concernent notamment le droit à une procédure judiciaire de groupe, une référence à des fonds suffisants pour des organismes œuvrant à l'égalité des droits des travailleurs et de leur famille, l'accès facilité à l'information et une meilleure connaissance des barrières à l'exercice de ce droit.

La balle est maintenant dans le camp du Conseil. L'enjeu est celui de la lutte contre le dumping social au sein de l'Union.

(Fin de las intervenciones con arreglo al procedimiento de solicitud incidental de uso de la palabra («catch the eye»))

  László Andor, Member of the Commission. - Mr President, this has been a very important debate on an important Commission proposal, and this new directive helps to enforce the rights of EU citizens in the European labour market.

I must emphasise that Parliament has made some very important contributions to strengthen the Commission’s original proposal even further. Without being exhaustive, I would just mention the protection of the rights of frontier workers – which has been mentioned in this debate – and the addition of the right to be protected from victimisation.

This directive will be the first new legislation in this field since 1968. I am very pleased that the legislators have agreed to reinforce the rights of EU mobile workers in this way. This debate has also allowed for some very important clarifications, because perception falls far short of the reality on the ground.

For example, with regard to volume, after the crisis started in 2007-2008, the overall numbers of EU migrants or Union workers in fact fell sharply, almost to half the pre-crisis level. Now, since the low level in 2009, the numbers have recovered somewhat but have still not reached the pre-crisis level of labour mobility within the European Union. Indeed, since 1[nbsp ]January[nbsp ]2014, when the EU labour market became completely open to Romanian and Bulgarian nationals, we have not seen any kind of influx of Romanian or Bulgarian nationals to labour markets that until now have fallen under national legislation.

Nevertheless, it is true that concerns exist on both sides – on the receiving side, but also on the sending side – on the one hand regarding access to social services and benefits, and on the other regarding the so-called brain drain. We believe that very often these concerns are exaggerated. For example, the brain drain – if it exists – is compensated for by very significant remittances which amount, in certain cases, to 2.5[nbsp ]% or even 3[nbsp ]% of the national GDP of some countries, which should be seen as a very significant transfer and a support to domestic income and resources in the countries of origin of migrant workers.

However, on the side of the receiving countries, even if there is a lot of debate about so-called benefit tourism, there is much evidence from Sweden and the United Kingdom that EU mobile workers are actually net contributors to the national welfare systems. They pay more in taxes and social security contributions than they receive in social benefits or social services. Abuse, if it exists, has to be fought, but we believe that it is possible to do this on the basis of existing EU law.

We also have to continue our work in order to ensure that there is a better match between supply and demand, for example by reinforcing the European Employment Services (EURES). The Commission has put forward a very important proposal for that purpose. I think it is also extremely important – as Ms Steinruck emphasised – that the existing concerns and temporary difficulties can be addressed on both sides – the sending and the receiving side – by using EU financial instruments, especially the European Social Fund.

To Mr Clark, I would say that I think it is also very important to clarify that equal rights under the free movement of workers do not mean discrimination against third-country nationals. For example, the fact that in this House there are no Chinese or Australian members does not mean that there is any discrimination against Chinese or Australian nationals; it simply means that these countries are not members of the European Union. The fact that Chinese or Australian nationals do not enjoy the same rights under the free movement of workers in the EU is also simply associated with the fact that these countries are not EU members. It is not, in any form, discrimination against those citizens. I hope this serves to clarify the legal aspects of free movement.

  Edit Bauer, előadó. - Én elsősorban szeretném megköszönni a kollégáknak, akik ilyen késő éjszakai órán még mindig itt vannak.

Néhány megjegyzés az elhangzottakhoz a vitában: számszerűsíthető az, hogy az értékteremtés azok részéről, akik más tagországban dolgoznak, messze meghaladja azt a kiadást, amivel hozzájárulnak az egyes tagországok a szociális ellátásokhoz a kedvezmények útján. Úgy gondolom, hogy ezt fontos ismételten leszögezni, és köszönöm Andor biztos úrnak, hogy ezt leszögezte. Meglepő egyrészt, másrészt nem meglepő, de ismételten fönnakad az ember azon, hogy akkor, amikor a másik három szabadságot – tehát a tőke szabad áramlását, az áruk szabad áramlását, a szolgáltatások szabad áramlását – a kollégák nem kérdőjelezik meg. Pedig ennek is vannak mellékhatásai.

Az élet nem fekete-fehér. Ugyanúgy a szabad mozgásnak is vannak mellékhatásai. És engem pl. sokkal jobban bánt az a több tízezer gyerek, akiket a szülők elhagynak, mert más tagországban dolgoznak. Esetleg éppen azért, mert megkérdőjelezik az egyes tagországok, hogy jár-e nekik családi pótlék, tanulhatnak-e az iskoláikban. Számomra ezek az elhagyott gyerekek sokkal nagyobb problémát jelentenek, mint az a néhány tizednyi százalék, amivel többet ad ki az egyes tagország a szociális ellátásokra. Sajnos az idegenből mindig könnyű bűnbakot csinálni. De úgy gondolom, hogy ez rendkívül veszélyes, és én meg vagyok róla győződve, hogy ezt a kollégák előbb-utóbb tudatosítani is fogják. Köszönöm szépen!

Talán még egyetlen egy megjegyzést: kaptunk néhány módosító javaslatot, amelyik negligálja a szabad mozgás elvét. Én nagyon kérem a kollégákat, nehéz tárgyalások után jutottunk el egy ilyen kompromisszumhoz. Ez a kompromisszum, ez a legjobb elérhető kompromisszum volt. Nagyon kérem ennek a kompromisszumnak a támogatását és a módosítók elutasítását.

  El Presidente. - Se cierra el debate.

La votación tendrá lugar mañana, a las 12.00 horas.

Declaraciones por escrito (artículo 149 del Reglamento)

  Paolo Bartolozzi (PPE), per iscritto. – L'accordo raggiunto con il Consiglio sulla proposta di direttiva relativa alle misure intese ad agevolare l'esercizio dei diritti di libera circolazione dei lavoratori dell'Ue mira a instaurare un quadro comune generale di disposizioni e misure volte a facilitare l'applicazione migliore e più uniforme dei diritti conferiti dalla legislazione UE ai lavoratori e ai loro familiari che esercitano il diritto alla libera circolazione. Tale quadro, dando piena soddisfazione alle richieste espresse in tal senso e a più riprese dallo stesso Parlamento europeo, rende più efficace l'implementazione di quanto previsto dallo stesso trattato sul funzionamento dell'Unione europea, dalla Carta dei diritti fondamentali dell'Unione europea e dal regolamento n. 492/2011 relativo alla libera circolazione dei lavoratori all'interno dell'UE. Il testo approvato predispone una serie di misure di sostegno alla mobilità lavorativa e sociale così come di promozione della parità di trattamento e non discriminazione dei lavoratori migranti, favorendo il rafforzamento da un lato dello stesso mercato unico e, dall'altro, di un diritto fondamentale di tutti i cittadini europei.

  Vilija Blinkevičiūtė (S&D), raštu. – Nors laisvas darbuotojų judėjimas Europos Sąjungoje yra pagrįstas nediskriminavimo principu darbo rinkoje, taip pat numatoma teisė į darbo užmokesčio gavimą už atliktą darbą, numatomos socialinės, sveikatos ir darbo apsaugos teisės, šeimos narių atvykimas kartu su darbuotoju, tačiau daugeliu atveju realiame gyvenime darbuotojai vis dar susiduria su diskriminacija ar su socialinių teisių pažeidimu. Vienas iš pažeidimų – tai, kad Europos Sąjungoje vis dar per daug yra paplitęs nelegalus bei teisės aktų reikalavimų neatitinkantis darbas, o tokiu atveju ypatingą riziką patiria iš vienos valstybės narės į kitą judantys ES darbuotojai dėl nepakankamo kalbos ir įstatymų žinojimo. Dėl to yra pažeidžiamos darbuotojų teisės ir socialinės garantijos bei prarandamos valstybių narių biudžetų lėšos, tuo pačiu susilpninamos socialinės politikos galimybės. Siekiant vengti darbuotojų išnaudojimo darbo rinkoje, valstybės narės privalo užtikrinti, kad darbuotojai būtų įdarbinami legaliai, sudarant darbo sutartis ir laikantis visų įstatyme numatytų teisės normų. Valstybės narės taip pat turėtų užtikrinti, kad visa susijusi informacija apie sąlygas, socialines išmokas, būstą, sveikatos apsaugą, mokesčių lengvatas ir atgrasomąsias priemones darbuotojo partneriui, mokesčius ir lengvatas, susijusias su vaikų priežiūra ir teisėmis į pensiją, būtų plačiai prieinama ir nesunkiai gaunama atitinkamomis kalbomis kitų valstybių narių darbuotojams, darbdaviams ir kitoms suinteresuotosioms šalims.

  Minodora Cliveti (S&D), în scris. – Libera circulație a lucrătorilor reprezintă una dintre libertățile fundamentale ale cetățenilor UE, ce oferă fiecărui cetățean dreptul de a circula liber în alt stat membru pentru a lucra și locui în statul respectiv în acest scop. Totodată, îi protejează împotriva discriminării pe motiv de cetățenie sau naționalitate și a oricărui obstacol nejustificat în calea exercitării acestui drept, inclusiv împotriva cazurilor de dublă impozitare, în ceea ce privește încadrarea în muncă, remunerarea și alte condiții de lucru, inclusiv concedierea, avantajele sociale și fiscale, asigurându-le un tratament egal în raport cu resortisanții statului membru respectiv, în conformitate cu legislația națională sau contractele colective.

De aceste drepturi ar trebui să beneficieze, fără discriminare, lucrătorii cu contract pe durată nedeterminată, lucrătorii sezonieri și frontalieri al căror loc de muncă și loc de reședință se află în state membre diferite și persoanele care desfășoară activități în scopul furnizării de servicii. Sindicatele, asociațiile, organizațiile sau alte persoane juridice relevante ce pot reprezenta interesele juridice sau colective ale lucrătorilor ar trebui să aibă dreptul, conform cu legislația și practicile naționale, să întreprindă demersuri în numele sau în sprijinul unei victime, fără a aduce atingere normelor de procedură de drept intern cu privire la reprezentarea și la apărarea în fața instanțelor judecătorești.

  Kinga Göncz (S&D) , írásban. – Sok európait visszatart a külföldi munkavállalástól, hogy nincs elég információja arról, milyen jogok illetik meg, és milyen kötelezettségeknek kell eleget tennie, ha az EU valamely más tagállamában áll munkába, de a hátrányos megkülönböztetés közszájon forgó esetei is maradásra bírják az útra kelést fontolgatót.

Elengedhetetlen, hogy az európaiak tudják, a tagállamnak biztosítania kell a jogorvoslat lehetőségét, ha azért éri őket hátrány a munkavégzés során, mert külföldiek. Az új irányelv kötelezővé tenné az uniós országok számára, hogy tájékoztatással és tanácsadással foglalkozó nemzeti kapcsolattartó pontokat hozzanak létre a munkavállalók és a munkaadók számára.

Ezzel párhuzamosan azonban halaszthatatlannak tartom egyes tagállami vezetők és kormányok alapos tájékoztatását is arról, hogy milyen szerződéses előírásokhoz kell tartani magukat a munkaerő szabad áramlásával kapcsolatban, milyen jogokat kell biztosítaniuk az európai munkavállalók számára, valamint hogy milyen hivatalos adatokkal kell igazolniuk a „segélyturistákról” és a kelet-európai munkavállalók „inváziójáról” szóló állításaikat. Megfelelő módszernek kínálkozik erre a nyitott koordináció, a jó gyakorlatok cseréje.

  Evelyn Regner (S&D), schriftlich. – Die Richtlinie zur leichteren Ausübung der Rechte, die mobilen ArbeitnehmerInnen in der EU zustehen, ist ein wichtiger Schritt, um fairere und transparentere Bedingungen zu schaffen. Wir dürfen es nicht hinnehmen, dass Beschäftigte, wenn sie in einem anderen EU-Land als ihrem Herkunftsland arbeiten, nur deshalb schlechter gestellt sind als Einheimische. Das Prinzip „gleicher Lohn für gleiche Arbeit am gleichen Ort“ muss stets gelten.

Diese Richtlinie bringt einige wichtige Verbesserungen, etwa leichter zugängliche Informationen und rechtliche Unterstützung für mobile ArbeitnehmerInnen. Besonders wichtig ist mir, dass eine starke Rolle der Sozialpartner und die nötige Einhaltung von Kollektivvereinbarungen hervorgehoben wurden. Im selben Atemzug sind die Verweise auf Sicherheit und Gesundheit am Arbeitsplatz sowie auf die Notwendigkeit von effektiven Arbeitskontrollen, um das geltende Recht auch entsprechend durchzusetzen, zu nennen.

Meine Forderung, dass Arbeitgeber im Falle eines Gerichtsverfahrens nachvollziehbare Lohnabrechnungen und Arbeitszeitaufzeichnungen bereitstellen müssen, fand in den Verhandlungen mit dem Rat zwar keine Zustimmung. Dennoch bringt die neue Richtlinie klare Verbesserungen für die betroffenen ArbeitnehmerInnen, zu denen auch die sogenannten GrenzgängerInnen zählen. Außerdem haben die Mitgliedstaaten im Zuge der Umsetzung noch Spielraum, um möglichst günstige Bedingungen für die mobilen ArbeitnehmerInnen zu schaffen.

  Czesław Adam Siekierski (PPE), na piśmie. – Swobodny przepływ pracowników jest jedną z podstaw funkcjonowania UE, dlatego też zapewnienie wszystkim obywatelom oraz ich rodzinom możliwości pełnego jego wykorzystania jest zagadnieniem o fundamentalnym znaczeniu. Z zasadą tą wiąże się również poprawa sytuacji w zakresie równości szans na terytorium wszystkich państw członkowskich. Nie należy również zapominać, że swobodny przepływ pracowników ma duży wpływ na życie rodzinne milionów pracowników w UE. Większe możliwości wyboru kraju, stanowiska oraz samego pracodawcy mają zasadniczy wpływ na decyzje dotyczące wykształcenia oraz kariery zawodowej. Z tego też powodu niedopuszczalne jest jakiekolwiek dyskryminowanie pracowników. By system swobodnego przepływu pracowników mógł funkcjonować zgodnie ze swoimi założeniami, konieczne jest jednak skupienie się nie tylko na prawach i obowiązkach pracowników, ale również pracodawców. Zarówno jedni jak i drudzy skorzystają na zwiększeniu skuteczności i jednolitości stosowanych praw mających oparcie w prawodawstwie UE oraz bezpośrednio wpływających na odpowiednie funkcjonowanie rynku wewnętrznego. Należy tutaj również odnotować zagrożenia i skutki uboczne wynikające ze zwiększonej mobilności pracowników, takie jak drenaż mózgów oraz odpływ młodych obywateli za granicę. Jest to problem, z którym borykać muszą się głównie państwa słabiej rozwinięte, trzeba jednak podkreślić również wynikające z tego stanu rzeczy szanse długofalowe. Część pracowników powróci do swojego kraju i może stać się motorem postępu w swoich regionach lub dziedzinach. Kwestie te należy dokładnie monitorować.