EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT. Committee on Employment and Social Affairs PE v01-00

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1 EUROPEAN PARLIAMT Committee on Employment and Social Affairs PE v01-00 AMDMTS Draft report Françoise Castex Demographic future of Europe (COM(2006)0571) (PE v01-00) Motion for a resolution Amendment by Magda Kósáné Kovács Amendment 1 Citation 7 a (new) - having regard to its report on a European Social Model for the future (A6-0238/2006) Amendment by Kathy Sinnott Amendment 2 Citation 10 a (new) - having regard to the Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee 'The family and demographic change' (CESE 423/2007) of 14 and 15 March 2007 and its core proposal of a European Pact for the Family to be signed by Member States, AM\ doc PE v01-00

2 Amendment by Thomas Mann Amendment 3 Recital A A. whereas demography is the combined result of three factors birth rate, life expectancy and migratory flows and whereas the current rates for these factors show that by 2050 we can expect to see large-scale demographic changes in EU Member States reflected in particular by an ageing of the population of Europe, whose average age could rise from 39 in 2004 to 49 in 2050, Or. de Amendment by Ewa Tomaszewska and Wojciech Roszkowski Amendment 4 Recital A A. whereas demography is the combined result of various factors, including birth rate, life expectancy and migratory flows and whereas the current rates for these factors show that by 2050 we can expect to see large-scale demographic changes reflected in particular by an ageing of the population of Europe, whose average age could rise from 39 in 2004 to 49 in 2050, Or. pl Amendment by Gabriele Zimmer et Ilda Figueiredo Amendment 5 Recital B B. whereas these demographic changes might, according to the Commission's estimates, profoundly alter the population structure and the age pyramid, with the number of young people aged between 0 and 14 years falling from 100 million (1975 index) to 66 million in 2050, the population of working age peaking around 2010 at 331 million and gradually diminishing thereafter to some 268 million in 2050, life expectancy increasing by six years for men and five years for women between 2004 and 2050, and the percentage of people aged over 80 climbing from 4.1% in 2005 to 11.4% in 2050, PE v /78 AM\ doc

3 Amendment by Maria Matsouka Amendment 6 Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas the decline in the birth rate in Europe is directly linked to the economic insecurity and the social inequality which have become increasingly apparent over the last few years in the EU: over 70 million people live in poverty, approximately 40 million people are in low-paid jobs and social and economic inequality between rich and poor is increasing in many EU Member States; Amendment by Gabriele Zimmer et Ilda Figueiredo Amendment 7 Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas projections on demographic change covering a period of 50 years ahead should be treated with caution, because they are based on certain 'status quo' assumptions which might need to be corrected or revised in the medium run; whereas there is a wide variety of projections on demographic change with results on population outcomes differing for more than 60 per cent, Amendment by Philip Bushill-Matthews Amendment 8 Recital C C. whereas the (deletion) European average old-age dependency ratio (number of persons aged over 65 divided by the number aged between 14 and 65) will rise from 25% in 2004 to 53% in 2050, AM\ doc 3/78 PE v01-00

4 Amendment by Gabriele Zimmer et Ilda Figueiredo Amendment 9 Recital C a (new) Ca. whereas, however, the economic dependency ratio (number of economically inactive population like pensioners, children and youth in education divided by the number of economically active population at working age) is much more important than the old-age dependency ratio for estimating the costs for society with regard to its nonactive population; whereas the economic dependency ratio is expected not to rise as steeply as the old-age dependency ratio, as according to the Commission's estimates, from 2005 to 2050 the number of children ( 0-14 years) will fall by 18.6 % and for youth (15-24) by 24.3 % respectively, Amendment by Gabriele Zimmer et Ilda Figueiredo Amendment 10 Recital C b (new) Cb. whereas the biggest part of demographic change has already been coped with successfully over the last 100 years; whereas e.g in Germany in 1900 for one retired person there were twelve workers, and in 2000 this ratio had gone down to four workers per one retired and is expected to further decline to two workers per one retired by 2040 and 2050 respectively; whereas thus for the coming four decades Europe only will have to cope with the comparatively minor demographic effect of the ageing of the baby boomer generation, Amendment by Philip Bushill-Matthews Amendment 11 Recital D deleted PE v /78 AM\ doc

5 Amendment by Maria Matsouka Amendment 12 Recital D D. whereas the contraction in the active population linked both to the overall ageing of the population and to the high rate of unemployment (mainly affecting young people aged between 25 and 34) which in some EU Member States exceeds 20% risks leading to a drop in economic dynamism, creativity and innovation, and to a drop in the potential growth of European GDP of up to 1.2% between 2031 and 2050, Amendment by Gabriele Zimmer et Ilda Figueiredo Amendment 13 Recital D D. whereas the contraction in the active population linked to the overall ageing of the population expected by the Commission may risk leading to a (deletion) drop in the potential growth of European GDP of up to 1.2% between 2031 and 2050; whereas available data do not suggest that older workers are necessarily less productive and less innovative and whereas Europe will increasingly have to rely on its productivity gains as a major source of economic dynamism, Amendment by Françoise Castex Amendment 14 Recital D a (new) Da. whereas the decline in the birth rate in Europe is also linked to economic insecurity and to the social inequality which has increased over the last few years in the EU, with over 70 million people living beneath the poverty threshold and approximately 40 million people in low-paid jobs, AM\ doc 5/78 PE v01-00

6 Amendment by Bilyana Ilieva Raeva Amendment 15 Recital D a (new) Da. whereas demographic change impacts seriously the public spending, which is expected to increase by 10% between 2004 and 2050; Amendment by Elisabeth Schroedter Amendment 16 Recital E E. whereas demographic changes should not affect the total size of the European population between now and 2050, but will lead to significant regional imbalances, with some areas of the Union already characterised by large outflows of young people, mainly young women; whereas, similarly, the population of Europe as a proportion of the world s population will fall from 15% 100 years ago to 5% in 2050; whereas EU regions are very differently affected by these changes, with regions that are experiencing net outward migration already having a disproportionately high number of older people, whilst regions with net inward migration are not yet seeing this process of an ageing society, thanks to young people immigrating into the areas, Or. de Amendment by Françoise Castex Amendment 17 Recital E a (new) Ea. whereas infertility is one of the causes of demographic decline and whereas it should be recognised as a public-health concern and as a social problem affecting both men and women; reminds the Commission of the 'Call for action on infertility and demography' which was issued by the European Parliament in 2005 and called upon the Commission to put forward recommendations in this area, PE v /78 AM\ doc

7 Amendment by Elisabeth Schroedter Amendment 18 Recital E a (new) Ea. whereas studies and analyses of regions experiencing net outward migration, in which at the same time there is a high level of unemployment, show that up to 25% more young women than men are moving away and that this is primarily due to discrimination against young women in terms of access to good training places, jobs and career opportunities, Or. de Amendment by Gabriele Zimmer et Ilda Figueiredo Amendment 19 Recital E a (new) Ea. whereas the growth of the low wage sector and of precarious employment is increasing social insecurity and thus drastically diminishes stable perspectives for people to opt for having children; whereas this insecurity can be an important reason behind low birth rates in several Member States, Amendment by Ewa Tomaszewska, Wojciech Roszkowski and Jan Tadeusz Masiel Amendment 20 Recital F deleted Or. pl Amendment by Thomas Mann Amendment 21 Recital F F. whereas immigration is a positive element in the make-up of the European population since the positive balance of 2 million immigrants in 2004/ together with the AM\ doc 7/78 PE v01-00

8 rise in the birth rate in some EU Member States - is helping to slow the fall in the population of working age, and must be at least maintained if the EU is not to see its working-age population drop sharply between now and 2017, Or. de Amendment by Philip Bushill-Matthews Amendment 22 Recital F F. whereas immigration can be a positive element in the make-up of the European population since the positive balance of 2 million immigrants in 2004/2005 is helping to offset the fall in the population of traditional working age, (deletion) Amendment by Ana Mato Adrover Amendment 23 Recital F F. whereas legal immigration is a positive element in the make-up of the European population and is necessary if demographic balance is to be maintained; whereas, however, legal immigration on its own is not sufficient to counteract the progressive ageing of the population in the EU and measures are needed to increase the birthrate of the resident population, Or. pt Amendment by Bernard Lehideux Amendment 24 Recital F F. whereas immigration is a positive element in the make-up of the European population, the working-age proportion of which is due to drop sharply between now and 2017, PE v /78 AM\ doc

9 Amendment by Evangelia Tzampazi Amendment 25 Recital F a (new) Fa. whereas disability is strongly linked with age and that older people are more likely to have impairment or disability, Amendment by Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou Amendment 26 Recital F a (new) Fa. whereas immigration is only a partial and short-term solution to demographic change in Europe, which requires government commitments to secure respect for the principle of gender equality in the public and private sectors, to protect maternity, provide social and economic support for families and take measures to improve the reconciliation of family life with work for men and women; Or. el Amendment by Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou Amendment 27 Paragraph 1 1. Notes with concern the demographic projections from now until 2050; stresses, however, that 50-year projections are not irreversible predictions but serious warnings to which we must respond today if we are to maintain Europe s competitiveness, the viability of the economy, social cohesion, solidarity between the generations and its social model for tomorrow; Or. el AM\ doc 9/78 PE v01-00

10 Amendment by Ana Mato Adrover Amendment 28 Paragraph 1 1. Notes with concern the demographic projections from now until 2050; stresses (deletion) that (deletion) projections are not irreversible predictions but warnings to which we must respond today if we are to maintain Europe s competitiveness and its social model for tomorrow; Or. pt Amendment by Elisabeth Schroedter Amendment 29 Paragraph 1 1. Notes with concern the demographic projections from now until 2050; stresses, however, that 50-year projections are not irreversible predictions but an indicator to which we must respond today if we are to maintain Europe s competitiveness and its social model for tomorrow; Or. de Amendment by Gabriele Zimmer et Ilda Figueiredo Amendment 30 Paragraph 1 1. Notes (deletion) the demographic projections from now until 2050; stresses, however, that 50-year projections are not irreversible predictions but warnings to which we must respond today if we are to maintain Europe s (deletion) social model for tomorrow; considers that the perspective of shrinking populations by 2050 may implicate a lowering of the pressure on the environment and provide an opportunity for sustainable development, which in turn needs proactive policies to adapt spatial planning, housing, transport and all other kinds of infrastructures accordingly; PE v /78 AM\ doc

11 Amendment by Elisabeth Schroedter Amendment 31 Paragraph 2 deleted Amendment by Maria Matsouka Amendment 32 Paragraph 2 2. Recalls first of all that the two chief causes of demographic change a drop in the birth rate and the ageing of the population are the result both of economic insecurity amongst the people of Europe (attributable to poverty, to unemployment and more generally to the increasing number of 'precarious' jobs) and of technological progress; that increased life expectancy is the direct result of progress in science, hygiene and living standards, that women s control over their reproductive lives is the result of their emancipation and goes hand-in-hand with higher levels of education for girls and women s participation in active life and public responsibilities; points nonetheless to the inequality which confronts women as regards both employment opportunities and pay levels, mainly on account of employers' suspicions that they may become pregnant; considers that this should be regarded as an irreversible benefit to humanity; Amendment by Kathy Sinnott Amendment 33 Paragraph 2 2. Recalls first of all that the two chief causes of demographic change (deletion) are the ageing of the population and a drop in the birth rate (deletion); that increased life expectancy is the direct result of progress in science, hygiene and living standards; that many factors have contributed to a decline in the birth rate, especially social and economic policies that disadvantage the family; recognises that (deleted) the emancipation of women which has led both to higher levels of education for girls and to women s participation in active life and public responsibilities (deletion), should be regarded as an irreversible benefit to humanity which can be promoted and enhanced by responsible social and economic policies that support the family as the fundamental and basic unit of society and encourage an increase in birth rate; AM\ doc 11/78 PE v01-00

12 Amendment by Ewa Tomaszewska and Wojciech Roszkowski Amendment 34 Paragraph 2 2. Recalls first of all (deletion) that increased life expectancy is the direct result of progress in science, hygiene and living standards, that women s control over their reproductive lives is the result of their emancipation and goes hand-in-hand with higher levels of education for girls and women s participation in active life and public responsibilities (deletion); Or. pl Amendment by Donata Gottardi Amendment 35 Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Supports the Commission in the establishment of a long-term EU demographic strategy and points out that any scheme must include public-finance aspects, policies geared to economic growth, employment and the labour market, proper policies designed to support demographic renewal, life-long education and training policies and aspects relating to healthcare and services of general interest; Amendment by Donata Gottardi Amendment 36 Paragraph 2 b (new) 2b. Points out that, if demographic challenges are to be successfully met, the Member States must implement the Lisbon Strategy effectively and establish close coordination between macro-economic policies in order to enable the growth, the competitiveness and the productivity of the EU's economic system to meet the challenges posed by an ageing population and to enable the Member States to discharge the obligations incumbent upon them pursuant to the Stability and Growth Pact; PE v /78 AM\ doc

13 Amendment by Françoise Castex Amendment 37 Paragraph 3 3. Stresses, however, that the average birth rate in the EU is 1.5, which is abnormally low and is not only the result of women s choice; considers that this alarming drop in fertility is also linked to the difficulty of reconciling work with family life, the anxiety-inducing social environment (economic and job insecurity and lack of suitable childcare infrastructure) and a fear of the future: late take-up of employment, job instability, expensive housing and inadequate financial assistance for families; Amendment by Evangelia Tzampazi Amendment 38 Paragraph 3 3. Stresses, however, that the average birth rate in the EU is 1.5, which is abnormally low and is not only the result of women s choice; considers that this alarming drop in fertility is also linked to the difficulty of reconciling work with family life, the anxiety-inducing social environment and a fear of the future; and that low birth rate also is the result of late access to employment, job instability, expensive housing and lack of incentives (family benefits, child care, equal pay); Amendment by Maria Matsouka Amendment 39 Paragraph 3 3. Stresses, however, that the average birth rate in the EU is 1.5, which is abnormally low and is not only the result of women s choice; considers that this alarming drop in fertility is also linked to the difficulty of reconciling work with family life, the anxiety-inducing social environment, economic and job insecurity, a lack of suitable infrastructure, the restricted scope of the welfare state and a fear of the future; AM\ doc 13/78 PE v01-00

14 Amendment by Liz Lynne Amendment 40 Paragraph 3 3. Stresses, however, that the average birth rate in the EU is 1.5, which is abnormally low (deletion); Amendment by Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou Amendment 41 Paragraph 3 3. Stresses, however, that the average birth rate in the EU is 1.5, which is abnormally low and is not a reflection of European citizens' actual aspirations for creating a family; considers that this alarming drop in fertility is also linked to the difficulty of reconciling work with family life, the lack of social and economic support for families, the anxiety-inducing work and social environment and the uncertainty and insecurity of the future; Or. el Amendment by Carlo Fatuzzo Amendment 42 Paragraph 3 3. Stresses, however, that the average birth rate in the EU is 1.5, which is abnormally low and is not only the result of women s choice; considers that this alarming drop in fertility is also linked to the difficulty of reconciling work with family life, the anxiety-inducing social environment and a fear of the future, and to the difficulties experienced by young people in finding a permanent, well-paid job, in the absence of which young couples do not dare to start a family; Or. it PE v /78 AM\ doc

15 Amendment by Bernard Lehideux Amendment 43 Paragraph 3 3. Stresses, however, that the average birth rate in the EU is 1.5, which is abnormally low and is not only the result of women s choice; considers that this alarming drop in fertility is also linked to the difficulty of reconciling work with family life (deletion) and a fear of the future; Amendment by Elisabeth Schroedter Amendment 44 Paragraph 3 3. Stresses, however, that the average birth rate in the EU is 1.5, which is abnormally low and is not only the result of women s choice; considers that people's willingness to start a family depends on whether the reconciling of family life and work is treated as a political priority, given financial support and adequate infrastructure support and is recognised by society; Or. de Amendment by Kathy Sinnott Amendment 45 Paragraph 3 3. Acknowledges that the average birth rate in the EU of (deletion) 1.5 (deletion) is abnormally low (deletion); considers that this alarming drop in fertility is also linked to the difficulty of reconciling work with family life, the anxiety-inducing social environment and a fear of the future; AM\ doc 15/78 PE v01-00

16 Amendment by Ewa Tomaszewska and Wojciech Roszkowski Amendment 46 Paragraph 3 3. Stresses, however, that the average birth rate in the EU is 1.5, which is abnormally low and is not only the result of women s choice; considers that this alarming drop in fertility is also linked to the difficulty of reconciling work with family life, the anxiety-inducing social environment and a fear of the future, as well as the lifestyle models and priorities that are propagated; Or. pl Amendment by Françoise Castex Amendment 47 Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Points to the inequality suffered by women as regards employment conditions, pay levels and employers' distrust regarding their desire for motherhood; calls upon the Member States to transpose Directive 95/85/EC on the health and safety of pregnant workers and young breastfeeding mothers; Amendment by Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou Amendment 48 Paragraph 4 4. Hopes that prolonged life expectancy will remain a positive factor and that old age will not become a decline to be feared; hopes, therefore, that the EU and the Member States will guarantee the elderly active, voluntary participation in social and economic life and that they will take measures to ensure that pensioners unable to afford a home, to care for themselves and to end their lives in dignity will not fall into poverty and social exclusion; Or. el PE v /78 AM\ doc

17 Amendment by Bilyana Ilieva Raeva Amendment 49 Paragraph 4 4. Considers that prolonged life expectancy is a positive factor and should be taken as such; therefore, asks the EU to ensure that Member States guarantee that pensioners unable to afford a home, to care for themselves and to end their lives in dignity will not fall into poverty; Amendment by Elisabeth Schroedter Amendment 50 Paragraph 4 4. Considers that prolonged life expectancy is a positive factor and should be taken as such; therefore asks the EU to ensure that Member States guarantee that pensioners, especially those unable to afford a home, to care for themselves and to end their lives in dignity, will not fall into poverty; Amendment by Kathy Sinnott Amendment 51 Paragraph 4 4. Hopes that prolonged life expectancy will remain a positive factor and that old age will not become a decline to be feared; hopes, therefore, that the EU will guarantee that pensioners unable to afford a home, to care for themselves and to live out (deletion) their lives in dignity will not fall into poverty; AM\ doc 17/78 PE v01-00

18 Amendment by Françoise Castex Amendment 52 Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Draws attention to the maltreatment and lack of care to which the elderly are exposed within their families or within the institutions in which they are placed; calls upon the Commission and the Member States to develop the provision of information, warning systems and penalties against maltreatment of this kind; Amendment by Marian Harkin Amendment 53 Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Stresses the importance of sharing of information and best practice among Member States on how health systems can prepare for the increased demand of an ageing population. Particularly in light of the fact that an ageing population will have a strong upward impact on public spending on health care, as disability and illness rises sharply at older ages especially amongst the very old (aged 80+) which will be the fastest growing segment of the population in the decades to come; Amendment by Liz Lynne Amendment 54 Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Calls on Member States to work towards ensuring independence, free personal care, life long learning and freedom from discrimination in the workplace for older people; PE v /78 AM\ doc

19 Amendment by Carlo Fatuzzo Amendment 55 Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Considers that the time has come to combat "pensioner's stress", i.e. the feelings of dejection, uselessness and nihilism experienced by workers a few days after retirement, when they find that they are useless, abandoned, alone and without a future; Or. it Amendment by Liz Lynne Amendment 56 Paragraph 4 b (new) 4b. Urges Member States and the European Commission to do more to uncover the extent of abuse of older people in the European Union; notes it has been estimated that as many as 10% of older people experience some form of physical, financial or mental abuse before they die, believes much greater attention should be paid to this issue and welcomes the Commission's intention to produce a communication on the abuse of older people in 2008; Amendment by Thomas Mann Amendment 57 Paragraph 5 5. Regrets that adequate measures have not yet been taken to prepare the Union for this challenge, which has been foreseeable for a number of years; regrets in particular that the Lisbon Strategy objectives and the commitments made at the Barcelona European Council on 15 and 16 March 2002 on childcare, employment for the over 55s, better balancing of family life and work and women s participation in working life have not been met; Or. de AM\ doc 19/78 PE v01-00

20 Amendment by Stephen Hughes Amendment 58 Paragraph 5 5. Regrets that no measures have yet been taken to prepare the Union for this challenge, which has been foreseeable for a number of years; regrets in particular that the Lisbon Strategy objectives and the commitments made at the Barcelona European Council on 15 and 16 March 2002 on childcare, employment and women s participation in working life have not been met by the great majority of EU Member States, and that the Union as a whole is still far from attaining those objectives for the over-55s; Or. pt Amendment by Stephen Hughes Amendment 59 Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Considers that the EU's objectives should not be confined to complying with the Barcelona objectives on childcare facilities; believes that those facilities should be viewed as universal services, available to all who need them; Or. pt Amendment by Maria Matsouka Amendment 60 Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Regrets the fact that in the Commission communication it is noted with concern that a relationship exists between greater life expectancy and a worsening budgetary situation and the risks associated with economic growth and monetary policy in a number of EU Member States and not the reverse, i.e. that poverty and economic insecurity have a bearing on the fall in the birth rate; PE v /78 AM\ doc

21 Amendment by Elisabeth Schroedter Amendment 61 Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Criticises the fact that the Commission and the Council have scrapped the fourth pillar of the employment policy guidelines, which included promoting access by women to the labour market and seeking to make it easier to reconcile family life and work, and that since then pro-women policies have not been a key focus of national reform plans; calls for a separate axis on achieving equality of opportunity between women and men in training and employment and reconciling family life and work to be introduced in the review of the Lisbon strategy in 2008; Or. de Amendment by Donata Gottardi Amendment 62 Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Stresses that, in order to respond to demographic challenges, the European Union and the Member States must implement coordinated policies and measures leading to a pact between the generations and between the sexes, based on: demographic renewal and an increase in the birth rate resulting from the introduction of effective policies relating to sex equality, equal treatment as regards employment and working conditions and the provision of assistance for those caring for children and dependants; investment in new generations by means of specific policies targeted at all ages from early childhood upwards; measures and policies enabling work, family and private life to be combined and based on the use of new technologies and on the flexible organisation of working hours and training opportunities; specific employment policies for persons aged over 45 who are at risk of losing their jobs and who may find it difficult to re-enter the labour market; an increase in the employment rate (especially in the case of workers aged over 55) by means of ad hoc policies providing in particular for adjustments to the rules governing health and safety at the work place and for specific leave (such as parental leave for grandparents); appropriate, long-term retirement schemes; AM\ doc 21/78 PE v01-00

22 Amendment by Jean Marie Beaupuy, Alfonso Andria and Gisela Kallenbach et Alain Hutchinson Amendment 63 Paragraph 6 6. Welcomes the Commission s initiative to continue the discussion on this major challenge; supports its integrated approach to the demographic challenge and the five core policy directions; encourages the Commission to support the identification and exchange of good practise at regional and local level of policies related to demographic change and the labour market, housing, planning, service provision, migration and integration and social cohesion; Amendment by Elisabeth Schroedter Amendment 64 Paragraph 6 6. Welcomes the Commission s initiative to continue the discussion on this major challenge; supports (deletion) the five core policy directions; Or. de Amendment by Françoise Castex Amendment 65 Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Points out that, if demographic challenges are to be successfully met, the Member States must implement the Lisbon Strategy effectively and establish close coordination between macro-economic policies in order to enable the growth, the competitiveness and the productivity of the EU's economic system to meet the challenges posed by an ageing population and to enable the Member States to discharge the obligations incumbent upon them; PE v /78 AM\ doc

23 Amendment by Stephen Hughes Amendment 66 Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Stresses that the promotion of general access to quality social services is a strategy with potential from the viewpoint of employment, the quality of family life, a proper work-life balance and the promotion of gender equality; from this vantage point, believes it is essential to make every effort to develop and improve the indicators, so as to make it possible to obtain quality information that is up-to-date and comparable with a view to monitoring national progress vis-à-vis the Barcelona Objectives (2002); also emphasises the need to create Community instruments expressing the same philosophy for social services dealing with senior citizens and dependent persons; Or. pt Amendment by Maria Matsouka Amendment 67 Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Regrets the fact that, in the Commission Communication, no link is found between Europe's 'retirement problem' and the high level of unemployment, the increasing number of 'precarious' jobs and the stagnating/falling wages of most workers in most EU Member States; Amendment by Bilyana Ilieva Raeva Amendment 68 Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Calls on the Commission to take leading role and to support the Member States in using demographic change as opportunity for innovation in the EU; AM\ doc 23/78 PE v01-00

24 Amendment by Jean Marie Beaupuy, Alfonso Andria, Gisela Kallenbach and Alain Hutchinson Amendment 69 Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Underlines the need to consider the territorial dimension of the demographic future of Europe; stresses that national data on demographic change can mask the local and regional realities, which is particularly problematic in terms of ensuring financial transfers from central government; calls on the Commission to help improve the quality and reliability of data and statistics on demographic trends and migration flows at the local level. This information is crucial for a real understanding of the demographic future of Europe and to predict more precisely the actual implications for planning and service provisions; Amendment by Maria Matsouka Amendment 70 Paragraph 7 7. Recognises that maternity choices are (deletion) private decisions which are nonetheless directly linked to economic stability, job security and the scope of the welfare state. Hence, given that Member States birth rates range from 1.25 to 2.0, believes that it is possible to influence birth rate curves by means of active employment policies, stable incomes and appropriate public policies, providing they are applied on a regular and stable basis over the long term and provide the necessary framework of stability for maternity decisions; Amendment by Magda Kósáné Kovács Amendment 71 Paragraph 7 7. Recognises that maternity choices are very private decisions but, given that Member States birth rates range from 1.25 to 2.0, believes that it is possible to have positive influence on birth rate curves by means of appropriate public policies, providing they are applied on a regular and stable basis over the long term and provide the necessary framework of stability for maternity decisions; PE v /78 AM\ doc

25 Amendment by Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou Amendment 72 Paragraph 7 7. Recognises that maternity choices are very private decisions but, given that Member States birth rates range from 1.25 to 2.0, believes that it is possible to influence birth rate curves by means of appropriate public policies, providing they are applied on a regular and stable basis over the long term and provide the necessary framework of protection and stability for maternity decisions; Or. el Amendment by Carlo Fatuzzo Amendment 73 Paragraph 7 7. Recognises that maternity and paternity choices are very private decisions but, given that Member States birth rates range from 1.25 to 2.0, believes that it is possible to influence birth rate curves by means of appropriate public policies, providing they are applied on a regular and stable basis over the long term and provide the necessary framework of stability for maternity and paternity decisions; Or. it Amendment by Elisabeth Schroedter Amendment 74 Paragraph 7 7. Recognises that maternity choices are very private decisions; advocates steps to try to minimise the difference between the number of children wished for and the number of children born; Or. de AM\ doc 25/78 PE v01-00

26 Amendment by Gabriele Zimmer et Ilda Figueiredo Amendment 75 Paragraph 7 7. Recognises that maternity choices are very private decisions; points out that polices should stay neutral on whether and how many children persons or couples want to have but, given that Member States birth rates range from 1.25 to 2.0, believes that it is necessary to improve access to affordable childcare and care for other dependants and to promote good working conditions and better wages allowing people to better reconcile work and non-work life by appropriate public policies, providing they are applied on a regular and stable basis over the long term and provide the necessary framework of stability for those who currently avoid maternity because of insufficient care infrastructure and employment insecurity; Amendment by Kathy Sinnott Amendment 76 Paragraph 7 7. Recognises that maternity choices are (deletion) private decisions but, given that Member States birth rates range from 1.25 to 2.0, believes that the alarming drop in the birth rate is reversible as it is a result of a nexus of factors which have conspired to prevent women from achieving their desired family size (2.3 children); Stresses that this can only be combated by concerted policy action by the Member States to strengthen family life and provide financial and emotional support for parents, both before and after the birth of their children, along the lines advocated by the European Economic and Social Committee in their proposed European Pact for the Family; Amendment by Ewa Tomaszewska, Wojciech Roszkowski and Jan Tadeusz Masiel Amendment 77 Paragraph 7 7. Recognises that maternity choices are very private decisions but, given that Member States birth rates range from 1.25 to 2.0, believes that it is possible to influence birth rate curves by means of appropriate public policies and promotion of parenthood, providing they are applied on a regular and stable basis over the long term and provide the necessary framework of stability for maternity decisions; PE v /78 AM\ doc

27 Or. pl Amendment by Françoise Castex Amendment 78 Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Calls, therefore, on the Member States to adopt best practice as regards the length of maternity leave (which varies according to Member State from 14 to 28 weeks) and as regards parental leave, a guaranteed wage during pregnancy and return to the same job; Amendment by Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou Amendment 79 Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Stresses that the promotion of maternity also depends on the elimination of discrimination still suffered by pregnant women, women who have recently given birth and nursing mothers on the labour market and in vocational training; Or. el Amendment by Kathy Sinnott Amendment 80 Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Encourages the Member States to provide services that will increase the opportunity for women to give birth by increasing public spending on women challenged by unexpected pregnancy, prenatal care, pregnancy counselling, young children, childcare facilities, social security, and the reduction of domestic violence and abuse; AM\ doc 27/78 PE v01-00

28 Amendment by Liz Lynne Amendment 81 Paragraph 8 8. Stresses that public spending by Member States on young children, childcare facilities and social security for the growing number of single mothers, who are at particular risk of social exclusion, isolation and poverty, is in the general interest; Amendment by Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou Amendment 82 Paragraph 8 8. Stresses that public spending on young children, childcare facilities and social security for families, particularly of vulnerable groups, such as large families and singleparent families, which are growing in number and at particular risk of social exclusion, isolation and poverty, is in the general interest; Or. el Amendment by Elisabeth Schroedter Amendment 83 Paragraph 8 8. Stresses that public spending on young children, childcare facilities and social security for the growing number of single mothers, who are at particular risk of social exclusion, isolation and poverty, is in the general interest; considering that various policy solutions such as child and family infrastructures, access to health services should therefore be assessed by the European Commission in order to provide best practice examples of regions in various Member States; PE v /78 AM\ doc

29 Amendment by Kathy Sinnott Amendment 84 Paragraph 8 8. Stresses that special attention needs to be given to the provision of these services to (deletion) the growing number of single mothers, who are at particular risk of social exclusion, isolation and poverty and that such provision is in the general interest; Amendment by Ewa Tomaszewska and Wojciech Roszkowski Amendment 85 Paragraph 8 8. Stresses that public spending on young children, childcare facilities and social security for large families and single mothers, who are at particular risk of social exclusion, isolation and poverty, is in the general interest; Or. pl Amendment by Stephen Hughes Amendment 86 Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Stresses that childcare services facilitate the integration of parents into the labour market; believes that those services are vital if the EU is to respond to demographic challenges while also increasing its competitiveness; considers that they also contribute to fighting the poverty that is now ever more affecting single-parent families, while, in addition, generating jobs in local economies, stimulating local and regional economic development; Or. pt AM\ doc 29/78 PE v01-00

30 Amendment by Karin Jöns Amendment 87 Paragraph 8 a (new) 8 a. Welcomes the setting up of the European Alliance for Families with the aim of promoting pro-family policies throughout Europe and in particular better balancing of work, family and private life; Or. de Amendment by Rumiana Jeleva Amendment 88 Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Calls on the Member States to revise their legislative basis and take all needed steps and facilitates the fostering and adoption of abused children without parents and those raised in specific institutions. This should also refer to the procedures of child adoption from one country to another without breaking the national and international rules for that procedure and avoiding any possible misuse and violence against the children; Amendment by Marian Harkin Amendment 89 Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Stresses that adequate access to services for the care of children, the elderly, people with disabilities and other dependants are essential in order to enable full and equal participation of men and women in the labour market, which will have an impact on the level of informal care available within households; PE v /78 AM\ doc

31 Amendment by Thomas Mann Amendment 90 Paragraph 9 9. Recalls that social dialogue culminated in agreements on parental leave and part-time work, which were the subject of Directives 96/34/EC and 97/81/EC; calls on the Member States, therefore, with due regard for the subsidiarity principle, to establish an effective right to parental leave for both parents and to promote paternity leave; Or. de Amendment by Liz Lynne Amendment 91 Paragraph 9 9. Recalls that social dialogue culminated in agreements on parental leave and part-time work, which were the subject of Directives 96/34/EC and 97/81/EC; (deletion) calls on the Member States, and the European Commission to ensure this legislation is implemented; Amendment by Bilyana Ilieva Raeva Amendment 92 Paragraph 9 9. Recalls that social dialogue culminated in agreements on parental leave and part-time work, which were the subject of Directives 96/34/EC and 97/81/EC; calls on the Member States, therefore, to establish an effective right to parental leave for both parents and to promote paternity leave as alternative to maternity leave; Amendment by Elisabeth Schroedter Amendment 93 Paragraph 9 9. Recalls that social dialogue culminated in agreements on parental leave and part-time AM\ doc 31/78 PE v01-00

32 work, which were the subject of Directives 96/34/EC and 97/81/EC; calls on the Member States, therefore, to establish an effective right to parental leave for both parents and to promote paternity leave; calls on them, additionally, to reform their tax systems so as to ensure that people with interrupted employment histories as a result of bringing up children or caring for the elderly are not put at a disadvantage in terms of old-age pension and social security provision; Or. de Amendment by Stephen Hughes Amendment 94 Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Stresses, from the viewpoint of Community legislation, the importance of better regulation of the protection of paternity, by two possible methods: revision of the existing directive on the protection of maternity, incorporating greater stress on those concerns, or, alternatively, a targeted directive; Or. pt Amendment by Françoise Castex Amendment 95 Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Stresses the need for EU paternity law to be improved; calls upon the Commission to propose specific recommendations designed to encourage fathers to become involved in family life thanks to an entitlement to paternal leave; calls upon the Commission and the Member Stats to promote fathers' rights as regards the upbringing and the care of children (particularly in the event of separation or divorce) with a view to developing sex equality within European society; Amendment by Françoise Castex Amendment 96 Paragraph 9 b (new) 9b. Calls upon the Commission to take into consideration the sensitive issue of infertility, which affects both married and unmarried women and couples; calls for PE v /78 AM\ doc

33 infertility to be made the subject of a specific recommendation in order to ensure that all the Member States acknowledge it and that the cost of treating infertility medically and psychologically is covered by social-security schemes; calls for the topic of adoption to be dealt with in conjunction with the topic of infertility and for the possibility of adoption to be offered to couples as an alternative to infertility treatment at all stages of that treatment; also calls upon the Member States to raise the age limit for legal adoption; Amendment by Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou Amendment 97 Paragraph Encourages the Member States to identify and exchange good practice in favour of families and to guarantee the family benefits systems, tax exemptions and social services of general interest for protecting and helping parents and children; Or. el Amendment by Rumiana Jeleva Amendment 98 Paragraph Encourages the Member States to identify good practise in favour of families and to guarantee the family benefits systems and social services of general interest for protecting and helping of mothers or fathers (in case they take care of the child) and children; Amendment by Bilyana Ilieva Raeva Amendment 99 Paragraph Encourages the Member States to identify good practice in favour of families and to guarantee the family benefits systems (deletion); AM\ doc 33/78 PE v01-00

34 Amendment by Elisabeth Schroedter Amendment 100 Paragraph Encourages the Member States to identify good practice in favour of families and to guarantee the family benefits systems and social services of general interest for protecting and helping parents and children; calls on the Member States to provide support targeted specifically at young parents, in order to enable them to combine raising their children with pursuing their training or studies; Or. de Amendment by Maria Matsouka Amendment 101 Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Maintains that the Member States should adopt suitable legislative measures in order to ensure that working women who are thinking of having children do not put themselves at risk of unemployment, poverty and marginalisation; considers, on the contrary, that, as future mothers, working women should be offered incentives and that action should be taken against employers who do not take on women wishing to become mothers or who directly or indirectly threaten working women in order to prevent them from becoming mothers; Amendment by Magda Kósáné Kovács Amendment 102 Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Encourages comprehensive anti-discrimination measures, since the issue of the demographic future of Europe cannot be separated from the problem of vulnerable groups living on the internal peripheries of society and suffering from severe poverty whose disadvantage is often seen as their own fault, which has an influence not only on children but also on the forthcoming generations; PE v /78 AM\ doc

35 Amendment by Marie Panayotopoulos-Cassiotou Amendment 103 Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Calls on the Member States, in the context of their measures to promote the institution of the family, to recognise the social, economic and educational value of informal family work in the form of caring for children and dependent persons, while examining the possibility of recognising length of service, social security and pension rights for those who carry out such informal work; Or. el Amendment by Thomas Mann Amendment 104 Paragraph Notes that, faced with an imbalance between the active and non-active population, the Union has substantial scope to increase employment by employing well-trained women, young people and senior citizens; hopes that full employment will become an objective; Or. de Amendment by Evangelia Tzampazi Amendment 105 Paragraph Notes that, faced with an imbalance between the active and non-active population, the Union has substantial scope to increase employment by employing women, young people, people with disabilities and senior citizens; hopes that full employment will become a short-term objective; AM\ doc 35/78 PE v01-00

36 Amendment by Maria Matsouka Amendment 106 Paragraph Notes that, faced with an imbalance between the active and non-active population, the Union has substantial scope to increase employment by employing women, young people and senior citizens; maintains that full employment must become a short-term objective; Amendment by Liz Lynne Amendment 107 Paragraph Notes that, faced with an imbalance between the active and non-active population, Member States have substantial scope to increase employment by implementing measures to increase employment opportunities for women, young people, disabled people and senior citizens; hopes that full employment will become a short-term objective; Amendment by Bilyana Ilieva Raeva Amendment 108 Paragraph Notes that, faced with an imbalance between the active and non-active population, the Union has substantial scope to increase employment by employing women, young people and senior citizens; emphasizes that full employment will become a short-term objective; PE v /78 AM\ doc

37 Amendment by Wojciech Roszkowski Amendment 109 Paragraph Notes that, faced with an imbalance between the active and non-active population, the Union has substantial scope to increase employment by employing women, young people and senior citizens (deletion); Or. pl Amendment by Bilyana Ilieva Raeva Amendment 110 Paragraph Calls for a reform of current European human resource management which, by underemploying people aged less than 25/30 and people over 55, limits to approximately 30 years the working life of a large part of the population; calls for the promotion of preventative and holistic age management techniques; Amendment by Carlo Fatuzzo Amendment 111 Paragraph 12 a (new) 12a. Calls for practical initiatives designed to enable older people to work longer, so that they can pass on their particular work experience to young people, other workers and employers; Or. it Amendment by Thomas Mann Amendment 112 Paragraph Encourages investment in education and training in order to raise the level of basic training for young people, and also for older people within the context of lifelong AM\ doc 37/78 PE v01-00