Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-11-10-Speech-3-284"
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"en.20101110.22.3-284"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs has sent out an important signal with regard to the issue of demographic change. Firstly, a combined package for young and old has been put together. It takes a new innovative approach based on justice between the generations. We are not thinking in terms of the generations existing alongside each other, but in terms of them coming together. In order to give the debate a stable foundation, the Member States should produce generational accounting. This will enable reliable models and forecasts of payment flows between the generations to be produced. For the statistical offices, it will be easy to calculate how high the tax revenue, social insurance contributions and pension payments are. The ‘generation check’ is intended, firstly, to introduce a statutory impact assessment of the desired effects and the undesired side-effects in connection with the burdening of the generations. It is intended to be compulsory in all of our Member States and at EU level.
We are sending a clear signal to the European Commission and the Council with regard to pensions, too. We do not need a uniform European retirement age. Instead, the national pensionable ages should be observed. Older workers must not be forced to stop working against their will because of an arbitrarily concluded compulsory retirement age. The European Court of Justice also clearly rejected enforced retirement as of retirement age in its ruling in October. Pensioners are most definitely permitted to apply for vacant positions and must not be placed at a disadvantage on account of their age. For older citizens, we are calling for a European fifty-plus employment pact initiative. Three aims are to be achieved by 2020. Firstly, the percentage of workers over 50 in work is to increase to more than 55%. Secondly, early retirement and its financial incentives must be eliminated throughout Europe. Thirdly, funds will be made available in the Member States for people over 60 to enable them to remain on the labour market for longer.
At the other end of the age scale are the young people. We are calling for a European Youth Guarantee. After a maximum period of four months’ unemployment, all young people are to be offered a job, an apprenticeship or other training opportunities. The principle of ‘supporting and challenging’ needs to come into play here. However, support is not a one-way street. If the young people do not have sufficient qualifications, they are to have the opportunity to obtain them in order to become employable. I was very pleased to see that the European Commission has already taken up one of the initiatives called for in my report. A few weeks ago, it declared 2012 to be the European Year for Active Ageing. That is the right signal at the right time.
The only fly in the ointment is the decision by a majority in committee to call for additional anti-discrimination regulations. Thus, new criteria are to be laid down for older people in connection with concluding insurance policies, booking holidays and hiring cars. That will only serve to increase bureaucracy and ensure high financial expenditure that does not do justice to the basic idea of protecting people in an effective manner against exclusion. The Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) has therefore tabled an alternative motion for a resolution which does not contain this demand. Otherwise, however, we were in agreement in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. By means of the numerous joint motions and 22 compromises, we achieved a broad consensus.
I would like to thank my colleagues and my fellow Members from other groups for their constructive cooperation. We can, and we will, bring young and old together. I hope that, with this report on justice between generations, we have, together, taken an important step forward."@en1
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