Committee on Budgets. for the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

Transcription

1 European Parliament Committee on Budgets 2016/2307(INI) OPINION of the Committee on Budgets for the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs on European Semester for Economic Policy Coordination: employment and social aspects in the Annual Growth Survey 2017 (2016/2307(INI)) Rapporteur(*): Liadh Ní Riada (*) Associated committee Rule 54 of the Rules of Procedure AD\ docx PE v02-00 United in diversity

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3 SUGGESTIONS The Committee on Budgets calls on the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following suggestions into its motion for a resolution: 1. Stresses the complementary role played by the EU budget in achieving the Union s goals under the social policies charted in the Annual Growth Survey 2017, aiming at the creation of more and better jobs throughout the EU; notes the delay in implementation of some of the 187 employment programmes, and the fact that, by September 2016, only 65 % of competent national authorities had been designated; 2. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to speed up the implementation of all programmes which can boost the creation of decent, quality, long-term employment for all categories of the population, and particularly young people; stresses that youth unemployment remains at 18.6 % despite the slight decrease in unemployment in the EU; calls on the Member States to ensure a more proactive follow-up of the programme managing authorities; 3. Notes that economic growth in the EU and the euro area remains modest; stresses that investment is needed in research, innovation, and education; notes that the 2017 EU budget allocates EUR million in commitment appropriations for competitiveness, growth and jobs through programmes such as Horizon 2020, COSME, and Erasmus+; 4. Notes the adoption of EUR 500 million in commitment appropriations for the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) for 2017; stresses that this amount is not sufficient and needs to be increased and secured in the current MFF; notes also, however, that an agreement on appropriate additional financing for the YEI to cover the remainder of the current MFF period must be reached in the context of the mid-term revision; 5. Stresses the leverage effect of the EU budget on national budgets; urges the Member States to speed up the implementation of programmes, in line with the Union s strategy to increase employment, and step up measures to reduce poverty and inequality; underlines that this responsibility lies with the Member States particularly; also stresses that, according to Eurostat, million people in the EU live on or are now below the poverty line, and that tackling this situation is a political priority; 6. Notes the Commission proposal (COM(2016)0605) for simplifying horizontal and sectorial financial rules; also notes the proposal to continue to support NEETs (young people not in employment, education, or training) in regions with high youth unemployment, through the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, beyond the end of 2017; 7. Notes the Commission proposal (COM(2016)0597) for extending the duration of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI); notes that EFSI aims at creating jobs and tackling youth unemployment by mobilising investment; 8. Stresses that the way EU funding instruments such as EFSI are structured must be adjusted in line with the aim of improving the socio-economic convergence of EU AD\ docx 3/5 PE v02-00

4 Member States and regions by increasing support for SMEs; notes that an increase in such investment is especially needed in the EU s lagging regions, some of which have been characterised by a persistent lack of growth over the last decade; calls for the European Investment Fund (EIF) to present and implement new products provided for under the SME Window (SMEW), in order to accelerate the implementation of the EIF mandate in InnovFin, COSME and RCR, in accordance with the EFSI Regulation, in particular the SMEW Equity Product and the uncapped guarantees for riskier loans to innovative SMEs and small mid-caps; also calls for the EU Programme for Employment and Social Innovation to foster access to microfinance for vulnerable groups, as well as micro- and social enterprises; calls for the EIB to prioritise projects eligible for EFSI and EIF in order to foster synergies and develop efficient strategies. PE v /5 AD\ docx

5 RESULT OF FINAL VOTE IN COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION Date adopted Result of final vote +: : 0: Members present for the final vote Substitutes present for the final vote Substitutes under Rule 200(2) present for the final vote Nedzhmi Ali, Jean Arthuis, Reimer Böge, Lefteris Christoforou, Gérard Deprez, Manuel dos Santos, José Manuel Fernandes, Eider Gardiazabal Rubial, Jens Geier, Esteban González Pons, Ingeborg Gräßle, Iris Hoffmann, Monika Hohlmeier, Vladimír Maňka, Victor Negrescu, Jan Olbrycht, Paul Rübig, Petri Sarvamaa, Patricija Šulin, Eleftherios Synadinos, Indrek Tarand, Isabelle Thomas, Inese Vaidere, Daniele Viotti, Tiemo Wölken Jean-Paul Denanot, Andrey Novakov, Marco Valli Paul Brannen, Ulrike Lunacek AD\ docx 5/5 PE v02-00