European Parliament legislative resolution of 15 February 2012 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Arrangement between the European Union and the Republic of Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Kingdom of Norway and the Swiss Confederation on the participation by those States in the work of the committees which assist the European Commission in the exercise of its executive powers as regards the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (07763/2010 – C7-0272/2011 – 2009/0168(NLE))

P7_TA(2012)0040 A7-0013/2012

(Consent)

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the draft Council decision (07763/2010),

–  having regard to the draft Arrangement between the European Union and the Republic of Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Kingdom of Norway and the Swiss Confederation on the participation by those States in the work of the committees which assist the European Commission in the exercise of its executive powers as regards the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis (07763/2010) and to the corrigendum to Article 5(1), footnote 1 of the Arrangement (13573/2011),

–  having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Articles 74, 77, 79 and point (a) of the second subparagraph of Article 218(6) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C7-0272/2011),

–  having regard to Rules 81 and 90(7) of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (A7-0013/2012),

1.  Consents to the conclusion of the Arrangement;

2.  Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and of the Republic of Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Kingdom of Norway and the Swiss Confederation.

European Parliament legislative resolution of 15 February 2012 on the proposal for a Council decision on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States (COM(2011)0813 – C7-0500/2011 – 2011/0390(CNS))

P7_TA(2012)0041 A7-0011/2012

(Special legislative procedure – consultation)

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Commission proposal to the Council (COM(2011)0813),

–  having regard to Article 148(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union , pursuant to which the Council consulted Parliament (C7-0500/2011),

–  having regard to Rules 55 and 46(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (A7-0011/2012),

1.  Approves the Commission proposal;

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 the text approved by Parliament;

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

European Parliament legislative resolution of 15 February 2012 on the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1290/2005 and (EC) No 1234/2007 as regards distribution of food products to the most deprived persons in the Union (18733/1/2011 – C7-0022/2012 – 2008/0183(COD))

P7_TA(2012)0042 A7-0032/2012

(Ordinary legislative procedure: second reading)

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Council position at first reading (18733/1/2011 – C7-0022/2012),

–  having regard to the reasoned opinions submitted, within the framework of the Protocol (No 2) on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, by the Danish Parliament, Swedish Parliament and the United Kingdom House of Lords, asserting that the draft legislative act does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity,

–  having regard to the opinions of the European Economic and Social Committee of 20 January 2011(1) and 8 December 2011(2),

–  having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 27 January 2011(3),

–  having regard to its position of 26 March 2009(4),

–  having regard to its resolution of 5 May 2010 on the consequences of the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon for ongoing interinstitutional decision-making procedures (COM(2009)0665) – ‘omnibus’(5),

–  having regard to the amended Commission proposals (COM(2010)0486) and COM(2011)0634),

–  having regard to Article 294(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

–  having regard to Rule 72 of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the recommendation for second reading of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (A7-0032/2012),

1.  Approves the Council position at first reading;

2.  Notes that the act is adopted in accordance with the Council position;

3.  Instructs its President to sign the act with the President of the Council, in accordance with Article 297(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;

4.  Instructs its Secretary-General to sign the act, once it has been verified that all the procedures have been duly completed, and, in agreement with the Secretary-General of the Council, to arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

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

(1) OJ C 84, 17.3.2011, p. 49. (2) Not yet published in the Official Journal. (3) OJ C 104, 2.4.2011, p. 44. (4) OJ C 117 E, 6.5.2010, p. 258. (5) OJ C 81 E, 15.3.2011, p. 1.

European Parliament legislative resolution of 15 February 2012 on the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a multi-annual radio spectrum policy programme (16226/1/2011 – C7-0012/2012 – 2010/0252(COD))

P7_TA(2012)0043 A7-0019/2012

(Ordinary legislative procedure: second reading)

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Council position at first reading (16226/1/2011 – C7-0012/2012),

–  having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 16 February 2011(1),

–  after consulting the Committee of the Regions,

–  having regard to its position at first reading(2) on the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2010)0471),

–  having regard to Article 294(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

–  having regard to Rule 72 of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the recommendation for second reading of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (A7-0019/2012),

1.  Approves the Council position at first reading;

2.  Notes that the act is adopted in accordance with the Council position;

3.  Instructs its President to sign the act with the President of the Council, in accordance with Article 297(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;

4.  Instructs its Secretary-General to sign the act, once it has been verified that all the procedures have been duly completed, and, in agreement with the Secretary-General of the Council, to arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

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

(1) OJ C 107, 6.4.2011, p. 53. (2) Texts adopted of 11.5.2011, P7_TA(2011)0220.

European Parliament legislative resolution of 15 February 2012 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 as regards contractual relations in the milk and milk products sector (COM(2010)0728 – C7-0408/2010 – 2010/0362(COD))

P7_TA(2012)0044 A7-0262/2011

(Ordinary legislative procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2010)0728),

–  having regard to Article 294(2), first subparagraph of Article 42 and Article 43(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7-0408/2010),

–  having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

–  having regard to the reasoned opinion submitted, within the framework of the Protocol (No 2) on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, by the Polish Diet, asserting that the draft legislative act does not comply with the principle of subsidiarity,

–  having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 4 May 2011(1)

–  having regard to the undertaking given by the Council representative by letter of 12 December 2011 to approve Parliament's position, in accordance with Article 294(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

–  having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the report of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (A7-0262/2011),

1.  Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;

2.  Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend its proposal substantially or replace it with another text;

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

Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 15 February 2012 with a view to the adoption of Regulation (EU) No .../2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 as regards contractual relations in the milk and milk products sector

(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position corresponds to the final legislative act, Regulation (EU) No 261/2012.)

(1) OJ C 218, 23.7.2011, p. 110.

European Parliament decision of 15 February 2012 on amendment of Rule 48 (2) of Parliament's Rules of Procedure on own-initiative reports (2011/2168(REG))

P7_TA(2012)0045 A7-0399/2011

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Conference of Presidents' decision of 7 April 2011 on own-initiative reports,

–  having regard to the letter of 26 April 2011 from the President of the European Parliament to the Chair of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs,

–  having regard to Rules 211 and 212 of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the report of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (A7-0399/2011),

1.  Takes note of the Conference of Presidents' decision of 7 April 2011 stating that own-intiative reports drawn up on the basis of annual activity and monitoring reports listed in Annexes 1 and 2 to the Conference of Presidents' decision of 12 December 2002 as contained in Annex XVIII to its Rules of Procedure (‘the 2002 Decision’) are to be considered as strategic reports within the meaning of Rule 48(2), and instructs its Secretary-General to incorporate the decision into Annex XVIII;

2.  Takes the view that Article 2(4) of the 2002 Decision has become obsolete as a result of its decision of 13 November 2007 on the amendment of Parliament's Rules of Procedure in light of the Statute for Members(1), and instructs its Secretary-General to adapt Annex XVIII accordingly;

3.  Decides to amend its Rules of Procedure as shown below;

4.  Points out that the amendment will enter into force on the first day of the next part-session;

5.  Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and the Commission, for information.

Present text   Amendment Amendment 6/rev Parliament's Rules of Procedure Rule 48 − paragraph 2 2.  Motions for resolutions contained in own-initiative reports shall be examined by Parliament under the short presentation procedure set out in Rule 139. Amendments to such motions for resolutions shall only be admissible for consideration in plenary if tabled by the rapporteur to take account of new information or by at least one-tenth of the Members of Parliament. Political groups may table alternative motions for resolutions in accordance with Rule 157(4). This paragraph shall not apply in cases where the subject of the report qualifies for a key debate in plenary, where the report is drawn up pursuant to the right of initiative referred to in Rule 41 or 42, or where the report can be considered a strategic report according to the criteria set out by the Conference of Presidents. 2.  Motions for resolutions contained in own-initiative reports shall be examined by Parliament under the short presentation procedure set out in Rule 139. Amendments to such motions for resolutions shall only be admissible for consideration in plenary if tabled by the rapporteur to take account of new information or by at least one-tenth of the Members of Parliament. Political groups may table alternative motions for resolutions in accordance with Rule 157(4). Rule 163 and Rule 167 shall apply to the committee's motion for a resolution and amendments thereto. Rule 167 shall also apply to the single vote on alternative motions for resolutions. The first paragraph shall not apply in cases where the subject of the report qualifies for a key debate in plenary, where the report is drawn up pursuant to the right of initiative referred to in Rule 41 or 42, or where the report has been authorised as a strategic report.

(1) OJ C 282 E, 6.11.2008, p. 106.

European Parliament resolution of 15 February 2012 on the feasibility of introducing stability bonds (2011/2959(RSP))

P7_TA(2012)0046 B7-0016/2012

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1173/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 November 2011 on the effective enforcement of budgetary surveillance in the Euro area(1) (part of the ‘six pack’),

–  having regard to the Commission Green Paper dated 23 November 2011 on the feasibility of introducing stability bonds,

–  having regard to the presentation by Vice-President Rehn in the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on 23 November 2011 and of the exchange of views with the German Council of Economic Experts on the European redemption fund on 29 November 2011,

–  having regard to President Van Rompuy's Interim Report: Towards a Stronger Economic Union of 6 December 2011,

–  having regard to Rules 115(5) and 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas Parliament has requested that the Commission present a report on the possibility of introducing euro-securities, which is an integral part of the agreement between Parliament and the Council on the economic governance package (‘six pack’);

B.  whereas the eurozone is in a unique situation, with the eurozone Member States sharing a single currency without a common fiscal policy and a single bond market;

C.  whereas the issuance of bonds with joint and several liability would require a process of deeper integration;

1.  Is deeply concerned at the continuous strains on the euro area sovereign bond markets reflected in widening spreads, high volatility and vulnerability to speculative attacks over the last two years;

2.  Believes that the euro area, as the issuer of the world's second international currency, is co-responsible for the stability of the international monetary system;

3.  Stresses that it is in the strategic long-term interest of the eurozone and of its Member States to draw all the possible benefits of issuing the euro, which has the potential to become a global reserve currency;

4.  Notes in particular that the US Treasury market and the total euro area sovereign bond market are comparable in size but not in terms of liquidity, diversity, and pricing; points out that it could be in the interests of the eurozone to develop a common liquid and diversified bond market, and that a stability bond market would offer a viable alternative to the US dollar bond market and establish the euro as a global ‘safe haven’;

5.  Believes also that the euro area and its Member States are responsible for ensuring the long-term stability of the currency used by more than 330 million people and many companies and investors, which indirectly affects the rest of the world;

6.  Points out that stability bonds would be different from bonds issued by federal states such as the USA and Germany and cannot therefore strictly be compared to US treasury bonds and Bundesanleihen;

7.  Welcomes the presentation of the Green Paper, which meets a longstanding request of the European Parliament, and considers it a useful starting point for further reflection; is open and eager actively to discuss all issues – both strengths and weaknesses – relating to the feasibility of introducing stability bonds under different options; encourages the Commission to deepen further its analysis after a broad public debate, to which the European Parliament and the national parliaments should contribute, as well as the ECB, if it deems it appropriate; considers none of the three options presented by the Commission to be a response per se to the current sovereign debt crisis;

8.  Takes note of the Commission's assessment, which is part of the Commission Green Paper on the feasibility of introducing stability bonds, that stability bonds would facilitate the transmission of euro-area monetary policy and would promote efficiency in the bond market and in the broader euro-area financial system;

9.  Reiterates its position that, for a common issuance of bonds, a sustainable fiscal framework needs to be in place, aimed at both enhanced economic governance and economic growth in the euro area, and that sequencing is a key issue, involving a binding roadmap similar to the Maastricht criteria for introducing the single currency, and drawing on all the lessons thereof;

10.  Takes the view that the objectives underlying the decisions taken at the European Council of 8-9 December 2011 to further enhance the sustainability of public finances also contribute to creating the necessary conditions for the possible introduction of stability bonds;

11.  Believes that stability bonds could be an additional means of incentivising compliance with the stability and growth pact, provided that they address the moral hazard and joint liability issues; notes that further work needs to be undertaken as regards the options presented in the Green Paper on issues such as:

12.  Believes that the prospect of stability bonds can foster stability in the euro area in the medium term; calls on the Commission, however, to come forward rapidly with proposals to address decisively the current sovereign debt crisis, such as the European redemption pact proposed by the German Council of Economic Experts and/or the finalisation and ratification of an ESM treaty and/or eurobills, as well as joint management of sovereign debt issuance;

13.  Points out that this resolution constitutes a preliminary response to the Commission Green Paper, which will be followed by a more comprehensive resolution in the form of an INI report;

14.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the European Central Bank.

(1) OJ L 306, 23.11.2011, p. 1.

European Parliament resolution of 15 February 2012 on employment and social aspects in the Annual Growth Survey 2012 (2011/2320(INI))

P7_TA(2012)0047 A7-0021/2012

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union,

–  having regard to Article 9 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),

–  having regard to Articles 145, 148, 152 and 153(5) of the TFEU,

–  having regard to Article 28 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

–  having regard to the European Pact for Gender Equality (2011-2020) adopted by the Council on 7 March 2011,

–  having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 23 November 2011 on the Annual Growth Survey 2012 (AGS) (COM(2011)0815), and the Draft Joint Employment Report annexed thereto,

–  having regard to its resolution of 1 December 2011 on the European Semester for Economic Policy Coordination(1),

–  having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 3 March 2010 on Europe 2020: a strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (COM(2010)2020),

–  having regard to its position of 8 September 2010 on the proposal for a Council decision on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States: Part II of the Europe 2020 Integrated Guidelines(2),

–  having regard to Council Decision 2010/707/EU of 21 October 2010 on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States(3),

–  having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 23 November 2010 on an Agenda for new skills and jobs: a European contribution towards full employment (COM(2010)0682),

–  having regard to its resolution of 26 October 2011 on the Agenda for New Skills and Jobs(4),

–  having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 16 December 2010 on the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion: A European framework for social and territorial cohesion' (COM(2010)0758),

–  having regard to its resolution of 15 November 2011 on the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion(5),

–  having regard to Commission Recommendation 2008/867/EC of 3 October 2008 on the active inclusion of people excluded from the labour market (notified under document number C(2008)5737)(6) and to its resolution of 6 May 2009 thereon(7),

–  having regard to the Social Protection Committee (SPC) Opinion and Report on the Social Dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy (SPC/2010/10/7 final),

–  having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 5 April 2011 on an EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020 (COM(2011)0173),

–  having regard to its resolution of 9 March 2011 on the EU strategy on Roma inclusion(8),

–  having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 15 September 2010 on Youth on the Move: An initiative to unleash the potential of young people to achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in the European Union (COM(2010)0477),

–  having regard to its resolution of 12 May 2011 on Youth on the Move: - a framework for improving Europe's education and training systems(9),

–  having regard to its resolution of 6 July 2010 on promoting youth access to the labour market, strengthening trainee, internship and apprenticeship status(10),

–  having regard to its resolution of 7 September 2010 on developing the job potential of a new sustainable economy(11),

–  having regard to Council Directive 1999/70/EC of 28 June 1999 concerning the framework agreement on fixed-term work concluded by ETUC, UNICE and CEEP(12),

–  having regard to Council Directive 97/81/EC of 15 December 1997 concerning the Framework Agreement on part-time work concluded by UNICE, CEEP and the ETUC(13),

–  having regard to Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation(14),

–  having regard to Rule 48 of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (A7-0021/2012),

A.  whereas the social consequences of the crisis are far-reaching, now exacerbated by the impact of austerity measures taken in certain countries in response to the sovereign debt crisis, cutting jobs, both in private and public sectors, social benefits and public services, and thus worsening poverty situations across the EU;

B.  whereas unemployment has increased significantly since 2008 and reached the level of 23 million unemployed people in the EU, corresponding to 10% of the working age population; whereas, in order to meet its employment target, the EU will have to bring an additional 17.6 million people into employment by 2020;

C.  whereas the labour market situation is particularly critical for young people, regardless of their level of education, who often end up with precarious employment contracts and in unpaid traineeships; whereas the difficult situation of young people is partly because of mismatches between acquired skills and labour market demand;

D.  whereas people approaching pension age, long-term unemployed workers, non-EU workers and low-skilled workers are also among those worse hit by the crisis;

E.  whereas the gender dimension is crucial to achieving the EU 2020 headline targets, as women form the greatest reserve of as yet unused labour and form the majority of those living in poverty in the EU; whereas specific attention needs to be paid therefore to both gender mainstreaming and policies targeted at women throughout the European Semester process;

F.  whereas in-work poverty and precariousness are increasing in the EU, in addition to the high numbers of unemployed people and the increased average length of time in unemployment; whereas the crisis has created new categories of people at risk of poverty; whereas the Social Protection Committee (SPC) warns of increasing numbers of people at risk of income poverty, child poverty, severe material deprivation and social exclusion because of the impact of fiscal consolidation measures, where wrongly-targeted and regressive, on social protection systems, and whereas implementation of integrated active inclusion strategies should therefore be a central element of EU and national social policy agendas;

G.  whereas the austerity measures and measures aimed at fiscal consolidation might have a disproportionately negative effect on the position of women in the labour market and on poverty among women, for instance due to cuts in the public sector that affect women or by limiting fiscal benefits for childcare;

H.  whereas, in spite of the urgency of the situation, progress in Member States in delivering on the Europe 2020 objectives is below expectations; whereas commitments set in the National Reform Programmes are insufficient to meet most of the EU-level targets;

I.  whereas the social and employment aspects are grouped into only one of the five priorities of the Annual Growth Survey (AGS) while they represent three out of the five headline targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy;

Key messages with a view to the Spring European Council

1.  Urges the European Council to ensure the following messages form part of its policy guidance for the European Semester 2012, and mandates its President to defend this position during the Spring European Council of 1-2 March 2012;

I.  Ensure coherence and increase ambition to achieve the Europe 2020 objectives

2.  Calls on the European Council to ensure that the yearly policy guidance set out on the basis of the AGS is fully aimed at fulfilling all the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth;

3.  Calls on the European Council to ensure coherence between the different priorities in its policy guidance, so that guidance on fiscal consolidation is based on social justice and does not increase poverty or hamper efforts to tackle unemployment and mitigate the social consequences of the crisis; believes strongly that the main focus needs to be on integrated reform measures that promote growth in the short term as well as in the medium and long term; stresses, therefore, that budgetary, growth and employment measures need to be taken together as they are all interdependent and jointly constitute prerequisites for recovery;

4.  Calls on the European Council to ensure, in its policy guidelines, that EU funds are earmarked for achievement of the Europe 2020 Strategy's objectives;

5.  Is deeply concerned about the fact that the current national targets are not sufficient to achieve the Europe 2020 headline targets for employment, education and poverty reduction; urges the European Council to ensure that Member States step up their national targets, and that these are accompanied by concrete and realistic roadmaps for implementation and assessed using clear and consistent indicators drawing on the agreed Joint Assessment Framework, so that the EU is put on a clear and feasible track to achieve all the Europe 2020 objectives and that progress can be transparently measured;

II.  Support sustainable job creation with investment and tax reform

6.  Calls on the European Council to provide the necessary budgetary leeway and encouragement for investments in sustainable and decent job creation in a wide range of sectors, as well as investment in training workers and the unemployed and in poverty reduction;

7.  Calls on the European Council to endorse the policy guidance to shift the tax burden as part of non-wage costs away from labour while encouraging the companies benefiting from those exemptions/reductions to offer decent living wages in return; believes that this would make hiring and retaining employees more attractive and improve the overall labour market situation, particularly that of vulnerable groups; calls on the European Council, in line with the subsidiarity principle, to endorse the guidance on increasing revenue through fair, progressive, redistributive, effective and efficient taxation, and better tax coordination to combat tax evasion, so as to ensure the fairness of the system and preserve social cohesion;

III.  Improve the quality of employment and conditions for increased labour participation

8.  Regrets that policy guidance aimed at making work more attractive does not address the quality of jobs and that too little attention is paid to putting in place the necessary preconditions for increasing labour market participation, notably that of women, people with disabilities and the most deprived, such as the long-term unemployed; calls on the European Council to include guidance on decent work and on efforts to support the reconciliation of work, family and private life by means of affordable care and childcare provision, family-related leave and flexible working arrangements;

9.  Warns that austerity measures and reduction of the administrative burden should not compromise social protection and health and safety standards nor result in lighter conditions or exemptions from EU legislation;

IV.  Tackle youth unemployment

10.  Stresses the importance of not losing the potential of the younger generation, and calls on the European Council to make tackling youth unemployment a priority; calls on Member States to develop comprehensive strategies for young people who are not in employment, education or training, including targeted active labour-market policy measures, measures tackling skills mismatches in the labour market, promotion of entrepreneurship among young people and frameworks securing the transition from education to work, such as ‘dual vocational training’; calls on Member States to introduce, in close cooperation with the social partners, a Youth Guarantee securing the right of every young person in the EU to be offered a job, an apprenticeship, additional training or combined work and training after a maximum period of four months' unemployment; stresses the importance of reducing precarious forms of employment among young people, such as temporary contracts, part-time jobs and unpaid internships, where these are undesired;

V.  Tackle poverty and social exclusion with the emphasis on groups with no or limited links to the labour market

11.  Welcomes the fact that, for the first time, the AGS includes guidance in the field of poverty and social exclusion, and calls on the European Council to endorse this guidance as a priority, while ensuring that combating poverty and social exclusion goes beyond measures aimed at integrating people into the labour market, by putting the emphasis on social protection and active inclusion of vulnerable groups with no or limited links to the labour market;

12.  Emphasises that Article 9 TFEU needs to be mainstreamed throughout the European Semesters, including in the country-specific recommendations, which should be accompanied by ex-ante and ex-post social impact assessments;

VI.  Enhance democratic legitimacy, accountability and ownership

13.  Recalls that the increased importance of the European dimension of the economic policies of Member States should go hand in hand with increased democratic legitimacy and appropriate accountability to the European Parliament and national parliaments; considers that, in the absence of a legal basis for ordinary legislative procedure applicable to the AGS, the European Council has a special responsibility to take into account parliamentary comments when endorsing the policy guidance in order to give it democratic legitimacy, and that the sense of urgency in implementing austerity measures and fiscal discipline cannot by any means override the need for a democratic decision-making process;

14.  Calls on the European Council and the Member States to ensure that national and regional parliaments, social partners, public authorities and civil society are deeply involved in the implementation and monitoring of policy guidance under the Europe 2020 Strategy and economic governance process, in order to ensure ownership;

15.  Calls on the Commission to transform the AGS into Annual Sustainable Growth Guidelines in 2013, to present this in a format that allows Parliament to propose amendments and to ensure that a transparent process of inter-institutional decision-making ends in commonly agreed policy guidance;

Additional efforts to be pursued in the employment and social field
Increase employment levels and improve job quality

16.  Calls on Member States to support initiatives that facilitate the development of sectors with the highest employment potential, particularly in the transformation to a sustainable economy (green jobs), health and social services (white jobs) and the digital economy;

17.  Calls on Member States to improve the environment for businesses, especially SMEs, and in particular to promote business start-ups and support existing SMEs in their job creation activities;

18.  Calls on the European Council to reinforce efforts to improve the Single Market, to enhance the digital economy and to focus on smart regulation to reduce unnecessary red tape;

19.  Calls on Member States to increase the coverage and effectiveness of employment services and to adopt effective active labour-market policies – in close cooperation with social partners – mutually supported by activation incentives, such as welfare-to-work programmes, and adequate benefit systems in order to maintain employability, support people back into work and safeguard decent living conditions;

20.  Calls on Member States to support and develop conditions for more flexible working arrangements, especially for older and younger workers, and to promote workers' mobility; stresses the importance of increasing labour productivity and efficiency across the EU in order to regain Europe's competitiveness;

21.  Calls on Member States to make full use of the Structural Funds in order to enhance employability and combat structural and long-term unemployment effectively; believes that the Commission should provide the Member States with further assistance and guidance in regard to this goal, especially in these times of recession and social challenges;

22.  Considers that the Europe 2020 headline target for the employment rate can only be achieved if women's participation in the labour market is increased significantly; calls on the Commission to ensure Member States receive stronger guidance which should aim at putting in place the necessary conditions for higher employment rates among women, such as affordable care and child care, adequate maternity, paternity and parental leave schemes and flexibility in working hours and place of work;

23.  Calls on the European Council to assess the effectiveness of its policy recommendations in supporting labour market participation of all adults in the household, in providing a decent living wage and in facilitating upward transitions for those trapped in low-paid or precarious jobs, as these are the three mechanisms that can reduce in-work poverty; calls on Member States to combat in-work poverty by pursuing labour-market policies which aim at ensuring living wages for those in work;

24.  Calls on the Commission to use gender disaggregated data in their progress reports;

25.  Calls on the Member States to further recognise the real added value that older workers represent within their enterprises and create age-friendly working conditions in order to enable older workers who so choose to participate and remain in the labour market; calls on Member States to do so by combating age discrimination, replacing incentives for older workers to leave the labour market with incentives for an inclusive labour market and by adapting working conditions to the needs of older workers, such as putting in place the right to flexible working time and place of work, the right to training and the right to a flexible exit into retirement, ensuring the adequacy of pension provision for all; believes that promotion of occupational health should ensure active ageing during and after work-life;

26.  Calls on the Member States to ensure that people on temporary or part-time contracts enjoy equal treatment, including with regard to dismissal and pay in accordance with primary and secondary EU law, and that these workers and people who are self-employed have adequate social protection and access to training and lifelong learning and that framework conditions are set to enable them to make a career; calls on the Member States to implement the framework agreements on part-time work and fixed-term employment and to enforce effectively the Directive establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation;

27.  Believes that necessary reforms in the labour market, which aim at increasing productivity and competitiveness, should be implemented in such a way as to ensure social justice and promote job quality, while respecting national traditions of social dialogue;

28.  Calls on Member States to take steps to improve mobility within and across labour markets and to remove all the existing legal and administrative barriers that hamper the free movement of workers within the European Union;

29.  Calls on the European Council to set up a tax on financial transactions to enhance sustainable job creation;

30.  Regrets the insufficient effort made to implement gender mainstreaming in the priorities of the Annual Growth Survey, despite the fact that the European Pact for Gender Equality 2011-2020 asks the Commission to integrate a gender equality perspective into the Annual Growth Survey; calls on the European Council to ensure that the policy guidance will address gender inequalities; calls on Member States to implement gender mainstreaming in the design of National Reform Programmes; calls on the Commission to address country specific recommendations in the case of Member States failing to take the gender dimension into account;

Invest in education and training

31.  Calls on the Member States to adapt and expand investment in education, training, the promotion of entrepreneurial skills and lifelong learning for all age groups, not only through formal learning but also through the development of non-formal and informal learning which lead to higher growth potential, and warns of the long-term social and economic costs of cuts in education budgets;

32.  Calls on the EU and Member States to bridge skills mismatches and shortages and increase synergies between universities, training institutions, youth organisations and enterprises, by improving anticipation of skills' needs, adapting education and training systems to the needs of the labour market and endowing the workforce with new skills in order to fight structural unemployment and prepare the workforce for the transition to a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy;

33.  Urges the Member States not to allow austerity measures to compromise growth-friendly policies, and to prioritise growth-friendly expenditure such as education, lifelong learning, research and innovation, ensuring at the same time the efficiency of this spending;

34.  Recalls that, in its ‘Youth on The Move’ flagship initiative, the Commission promised to propose a Quality Framework for Traineeships, and calls on it to submit, without delay, such a Framework;

35.  Encourages vigorous implementation of the National Qualifications Framework as a tool promoting the development of lifelong learning;

36.  Encourages the Commission, the Member States and employers to create more opportunities for female workers in the new technologies sectors in order to strengthen the high-tech sector in accordance with the Europe 2020 Strategy objectives;

Combat poverty, promote social inclusion and the quality of public services

37.  Highlights the fact that, according to the November 2011 Eurobarometer, 49 % of European citizens cited tackling poverty and social exclusion as a priority policy that they want to see promoted by the European Parliament, making it their first concern before coordination of economic, budgetary and fiscal policies;

38.  Calls on Member States to improve the adequacy and effectiveness of social protection systems, including access to pension systems with due consideration for gender equality, and to make sure that these continue to act as buffers against poverty and social exclusion;

39.  Calls on the Member States to implement active inclusion strategies and adequate and affordable high-quality services, adequate minimum income support and pathway approaches to quality employment to prevent marginalisation of low-income and vulnerable groups;

40.  Calls on the Commission and the Member States to follow-up the SPC's call for participative National Social Reports to underpin the National Reform Programmes, based on the Social OMC Common Objectives and providing multidimensional poverty solutions promoting access to rights, resources and services;

41.  Calls on the Member States and the Commission to put in place, implement and enforce effective anti-discrimination measures; calls on the Commission to address the lack of progress in implementing and enforcing anti-discrimination measures in the country specific recommendations;

42.  Calls on Member States to specify in their National Reform Programmes how EU funds will be used to support the national poverty targets and other social, employment and education targets, ensuring the achievement of the Europe 2020 targets;

43.  Warns that pension reforms encouraged in the AGS cannot just level up the retirement age to shore up deficits, but, on the contrary, must encompass working years and provide a decent universal coverage, reducing elderly poverty and without placing state-run pension systems in danger;

44.  Calls on the EU and the Member States to ensure that any health system reforms focus on improving quality and ensuring adequacy, affordability and universal access;

45.  Is concerned about the social impact of the crisis on poverty among women; calls on the Member States and the Commission to ensure that fiscal consolidation is compatible with the social dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy and the employment guidelines; calls on the Commission to assess also the effects of austerity measures on gender equality and female employment;

46.  Calls on the Commission to develop gender analysis and mainstreaming in regard to the impact of pension reforms on women's lives in the EU, with the objective of individualising pensions rights and social security and tax systems as well;

Further efforts needed to enhance governance, commitment and democratic legitimacy

47.  Is concerned about the fact that the European Parliament and national parliaments continue to play a limited role in the European Semester; deplores the fact that policy guidance in the AGS initiated by the Commission, and to be endorsed by the European Council, lacks parliamentary involvement and therefore democratic legitimacy;

48.  Notes that five Member States which currently have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Commission, IMF and ECB received no country-specific recommendations in July 2011; calls on the Commission to ensure that the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding is fully compatible with achieving the Europe 2020 objectives on increasing employment and reducing poverty; reiterates its position that the International Labour Organisation (ILO) should be involved in the Commission-IMF-ECB financial assistance programmes; calls on the European Council to give the Member States concerned the necessary encouragement for investments in sustainable job creation, education and training and poverty reduction so as to facilitate their contribution to achieving the EU headline targets in these areas;

49.  Calls on Member States, against the background of the worst economic crisis the European Union has ever known, to implement without delay the necessary national reform programmes;

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50.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

(1) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0542. (2) OJ C 308 E, 20.10.2011, p. 116. (3) OJ L 308, 24.11.2010, p. 46. (4) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0466. (5) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0495. (6) OJ L 307, 18.11.2008, p.11. (7) OJ C 212 E, 5.8.2010, p. 23. (8) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0092. (9) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0230. (10) OJ C 351 E, 2.12.2011, p. 29. (11) OJ C 308 E, 20.10.2011, p. 6. (12) OJ L 175, 10.7.1999, p. 43. (13) OJ L 14, 20.1.1998, p. 9. (14) OJ L 303, 2.12.2000, p. 16.

European Parliament resolution of 15 February 2012 on the contribution to the Annual Growth Survey 2012 (2011/2319(INI))

P7_TA(2012)0048 A7-0018/2012

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Communication from the Commission of 23 November 2011 on the Annual Growth Survey 2012 (COM(2011)0815),

–  having regard to the legislative package on economic governance adopted on 16 November 2011 and, in particular, to Regulation (EU) No 1176/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 November 2011 on the prevention and correction of macroeconomic imbalances(1),

–  having regard to its resolution of 15 December 2011 on the Scoreboard for the surveillance of macroeconomic imbalances: envisaged initial design(2),

–  having regard to its resolution of 1 December 2011 on the European Semester for Economic Policy Coordination(3),

–  having regard to its resolution of 6 July 2011 on the financial, economic and social crisis: recommendations concerning the measures and initiatives to be taken(4),

–  having regard to the conclusions of the European Council of 9 December 2011,

–  having regard to Rule 48 of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (A7-0018/2012),

A.  whereas the latest statistical evidence highlights rising inequalities and unemployment in the European Union;

B.  whereas most Member States have lost sight of the headline targets of the EU2020 objectives;

Economic challenges and main macroeconomic policies

1.  Welcomes the Annual Growth Survey (AGS) 2012 as presented by the Commission as a good basis for this year's European Semester; stresses that the solutions specifically targeting the current sovereign debt and financial crisis, on which all the institutions are working on a daily basis, should go hand in hand with a major focus on medium- and long-term growth-enhancing measures, as well as an overhaul of the general economic framework, in order to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of the European economy and ensure its long-lasting success;

2.  Deems however that the Annual Growth Survey falls short of what is necessary to restore confidence among European households and enterprises as well as financial markets, since it overlooks the need to take urgent action to support short-term activity and employment in investing in the EU 2020 objectives;

3.  Recalls that the Annual Growth Survey 2011 and a number of other initiatives, which need to be implemented through national and European legislation, already contained most of the elements which are necessary to restore confidence, increase competitiveness and promote smart and sustainable growth and job creation;

4.  Recalls its requests addressed to the Council and the Commission in its resolution of 1 December 2011 on the European Semester for Economic Policy Coordination and demands a public response to the elements contained in that resolution;

5.  Deplores the lack of, or unevenness in, the implementation in the Member States of guidelines agreed at the EU level, bearing in mind the necessary margin of discretion which the Member States enjoy to pursue their own policies, which prevents the agreed guidelines from unleashing their full potential to achieve EU 2020 goals; welcomes the fact of this year's Annual Growth Survey's emphasis being put on the need for implementation as well as on growth-enhancing actions; underlines the fact that the democratic legitimacy and national ownership of the changes which have been decided in terms of future economic governance need to be substantially increased;

6.  Agrees that the AGS and the official positions taken by the European Parliament and the other European Institutions in this regard set out priorities for action at national and EU level for the next twelve months, including for the achievement of the EU 2020 targets, which should feed into national economic and budgetary decisions, in line with the EU's country-specific recommendations;

7.  Agrees with the Commission's analysis that efforts at national and EU level should concentrate on the following five priorities:

8.  Welcomes the evaluation of the progress of the flagship initiatives of the EU 2020 Strategy, but underlines that the fight against social exclusion and poverty should remain a high priority of every policy;

9.  Believes that access to basic banking services remains a key factor for social inclusion and therefore encourages the Commission to take bolder action to guarantee this access;

Pursuing differentiated growth-friendly fiscal consolidation while ensuring economic recovery and job creation

10.  Acknowledges the interdependence and therefore spill-over effects between Member State economies and fiscal policies; stresses that the growth prospects of all Member States, whether they are currently in the Euro area or not, are highly dependent on how decisively the debt crisis is dealt with and how coordinated economic policies effectively ensure a better focus on investment for sustainable growth and job creation; urges Member States to take the appropriate steps to correct their excessive deficits by the deadlines set by the Council and to reduce their sovereign debts to a sustainable level;

11.  Takes note of the new legislative proposals on economic governance; believes that such proposals should offer the opportunity to enhance the role of the European Parliament regarding the definition and implementation of economic policy surveillance procedures within the European Semester framework in conformity with the provisions of Articles 121 and 136 of the Treaty;

12.  Recalls that, in the current context, where several Member States are confronted with stringent and difficult choices in terms of allocation of public resources it is urgent to ensure the consistency of different economic policy instruments and in particular policies conducive to respect for EU 2020 objectives and headline targets on an equal basis;

13.  Recalls in that perspective the need to explicitly identify, assess and address spill-over effects of Member States' economic policies as well as to carry out social impact assessments of economic policy instruments included in the EU Semester framework;

14.  Underlines the fact that Member States should pursue differentiated strategies according to their budgetary situations and insists that Member States must keep their public expenditure growth below the rate of medium-term trend GDP growth provided that increased expenditure is not matched by additional discretionary revenue measures; invites the Member States to prioritise, on the expenditure and revenue sides of the budget, growth-friendly policies, such as education, research, innovation, infrastructure and energy, and to ensure the efficiency of such expenditures and revenues; calls for efficient, socially just and sustainable reform:

Ensuring long-term financing of the real economy

15.  Welcomes the fact that a major overhaul of regulation and supervision of the financial sector is underway; believes that more diligent and ambitious measures are required in order to enhance the resilience of the EU financial system; stresses that this would enhance the competitiveness of the European Union; stresses that this must be undertaken in a way that discourages regulatory arbitrage and which does not encourage capital flight or the relocation of financial activity from the EU;

16.  Underlines the fact that restoring investor confidence will require a strengthening of the banks' capital positions and measures to support their access to funding, as far as possible curtailing short-term remuneration systems and inadequate business models; believes that further reform of the regulation and supervision of the financial sector will be necessary in order to reflect heightened risks in the sovereign and private debt markets, which includes a strengthening of the capital positions of systemic banks, although this must not undermine the competitive position of non-systemic financial institutions; stresses that, after having been correctly capitalised, banks should not unduly restrict lending to the real economy and therefore regulatory actions should lay the basis for an increase in their lending capacity; invites the Commission to ensure that the European system of financial supervision maintains bank lending, in particular by those institutions that benefited from crisis-related State aid and the support of ECB liquidity lines; expects the Commission to make its proposals on crisis bank management before Summer 2012; deplores the socialisation of private losses through injections of liquidity in the banking sector and any speculative behaviour by rating agencies and international financial centres;

17.  Supports the creation of project bonds designed to contribute to the financing of key infrastructure projects in order to promote sustainable growth and jobs;

18.  Underlines the key role of the EIB group in supporting the real economy and SMEs in particular and in ensuring investment in long-term infrastructure projects in line with the EU 2020 strategy; believes that the EU should use the existing resources and create innovative financing instruments for those Member States with limited room for financial stimulus;

Promoting sustainable growth through more competitiveness and investments

19.  Is worried by the macroeconomic imbalances within the EU and the fact that many Member States, in particular those under market pressure, are falling behind in terms of productivity; insists on the role of enhanced coordination of economic policies as well as structural reforms in tackling these problems in both deficit and surplus countries in an adequate way; is worried by the fact that the bulk of global growth is expected to come from outside the EU in the coming years, which will necessitate a strengthening of the export capacity of Member States, as well as providing a stable framework for value-creating foreign direct investment destined for the EU's real economy;

Tackling unemployment and the social consequences of the crisis (competence of the EMPL Committee)

20.  Believes that the structural mismatch between supply and demand for labour will hinder recovery and long-term growth and therefore calls for structural reforms in the labour market, while respecting the subsidiarity principle and ensuring social cohesion; draws attention to the role and responsibilities of the social partners in the design and implementation of structural reforms;

Modernising EU public administration and services of general interest

21.  Recalls that the quality of public administration at EU, national, regional and local level is a determining element of competitiveness and an important productivity factor; notes that public-sector reforms are an imperative part of restoring competitiveness; considers that a high quality of public administration needs adequate budgetary resources and reforms while respecting the subsidiarity principle as laid down in Protocol No 26 on Services of General Interest;

22.  Takes note of the Quality Framework on Services of General Interest to enhance clarity and legal certainty as to how EU rules apply to services of general interest (SGI), ensure access to essential services and promote quality;

23.  Regrets the slow pace of the implementation of EU legislation by certain Member States and urges them to deliver the agreed results concerning the quality of statistics; is firmly convinced that the availability of reliable, accurate and up-to-date data provides a key element of the political decision-making process; welcomes the efforts of the Commission to improve the reliability of the data provided by Member States for the Commission (Eurostat); calls on the Member States to implement the recently adopted Council Directive on Requirements for the Budgetary Framework of the Member States as soon as possible;

24.  Calls for more efficiency in the delivery of public services as well as an increase in the transparency and quality of public administration and the judiciary, and further encourages reductions in the unnecessary administrative burden and red tape; underlines the importance of monitoring and evaluating civil service performance in conformity with the subsidiarity principle;

25.  Encourages the Commission, considering that the AGS covers much more than just economic elements, to develop programmes for specific policy sectors, such as defence, where joint management or joint ownership between multiple Member States would provide economies of scale, which would bring added value and financial savings to the Member States involved;

26.  Underlines, in the current economic context, the even more crucial role played by EU-funded programmes and encourages the Commission to put forward a proposal to fund EU 2020 strategy actions through the transfer of unused payment appropriations;

Procedural framework

27.  Deplores the fact that the involvement of the European Parliament in the elaboration of the BEPG (Broad Economic Policy Guidelines)/AGS is not formally provided for by the Treaty, whilst Parliament's contribution to employment topics is made under the consultation procedure (Article 148(2) TFEU); recalls that the AGS should be subject to a codecision procedure that should be introduced by the next treaty change; wishes to step up dialogue between EU and national institutions, in particular parliamentary institutions, where appropriate and with mutual respect and consent;

28.  Recalls that the European Semester is now part of EU secondary legislation (see Article 2(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1175/2011)(6);

29.  Recalls that the economic governance legal framework (the ‘six pack’) provides the tool of economic dialogue: ‘in order to enhance the dialogue between the Union institutions, in particular the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, and to ensure greater transparency and accountability, the competent committee of the European Parliament may invite the President of the Council, the Commission and, where appropriate, the President of the European Council or the President of the Eurogroup to appear before the committee to discuss decisions taken... The competent committee of the European Parliament may offer the opportunity to the Member State concerned by such decisions to participate in an exchange of views’; calls for this tool, which enables economic cooperation and mutual understanding, to be utilised as much as possible;

30.  Notes that the 2012 edition of the European Semester is the first under the agreed enhanced economic governance legal framework (the ‘six pack’), which includes strengthened rules for the Stability and Growth Pact and national fiscal rules, as well as new procedures for monitoring and correcting macroeconomic imbalances;

31.  Invites the Commission to present future surveys under the title ‘Annual Sustainable Growth Guidelines’;

32.  Urges the Commission to provide a detailed assessment of the implementation by Member States of the country-specific recommendations that it will make public before the June 2012 European Council;

33.  Asks the Commission to work in close cooperation with the Council in order to develop a genuine and common budget and accounting nomenclature;

34.  Recalls the fact that the Council should explain its position publicly as part of the economic dialogue in Parliament when it diverges significantly from Commission recommendations and proposals;

35.  Stresses in this regard that the Commission recommendations and proposals must respect and preserve Member State policy discretion required for implementation in conformity with the principle of subsidiarity and the provisions of Article 126 TFEU, as several means can be conducive to the attainment of the goals and targets recommended;

36.  Urges the Commission to explain thoroughly the reason why it assessed negatively the National Reform Programme (NRP) or Stability and Convergence Programme (SCP) and any other document the Member States have submitted in the economic governance framework; expects that, in doing so, the Commission will provide the Member State concerned with its detailed methodology and the working hypothesis underpinning its assessment;

37.  Recalls that the new legal framework stipulates that the European Parliament is to be duly involved in the European Semester in order to increase the transparency and accountability of the decisions taken, in particular by means of the economic dialogue as specified in the relevant secondary legislation;

38.  Applauds the Commission for having published its Annual Growth Survey by the end of November and expects this schedule to be made permanent so that Parliament has time enough to express its views before annual guidelines are decided upon by the Spring European Council;

39.  Underlines the fact that the President of the Council, the Commission, in accordance with Article 121 TFEU, and, where appropriate, the President of the Eurogroup are to report annually to the European Parliament and the European Council on the results of multilateral surveillance;

40.  Urges the Commission, the Council and the European Council to agree with Parliament on a streamlined timetable for the European Semester in order to make it as effective, transparent and legitimate as possible;

41.  Mandates its President to defend this position during the Spring European Council (1-2 March 2012);

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42.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the European Council.

(1) OJ L 306, 23.11.2011, p. 25. (2) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0583. (3) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0542. (4) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0331. (5) See, for instance, Council Directive 2011/85/EU of 8 November 2011 on requirements for budgetary frameworks of the Member States (OJ L 306, 23.11.2011, p. 41). (6) See Regulation (EU) No 1175/2011 of the European Parliament and the Council of 16 November 2011 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1466/97 on the strengthening of the surveillance of budgetary positions and the surveillance and coordination of economic policies (OJ L 306, 23.11.2011, p. 12).