Brussels, 15/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - In its plenary session in Strasbourg on Thursday 14 June, the European Parliament (EP) adopted a non-legislative resolution, largely backing the measures put forward by the European Commission to boost growth and create jobs.
Following on from the employment package, which the Commission brought forward in mid-April (see EUROPE 10597), the EP wants to encourage investment in the green economy, health and new technology sectors, while welcoming proposals on “setting decent minimum wages to tackle poverty and social dumping and creating a European Youth Guarantee to get young people into work”, as stated during the plenary debate by French MEP Pervenche Berès (S&D), who drafted the resolution. Overall, “the measures proposed by the European Commission to boost employment are on the right lines”, stated Alejandro Cercas (S&D, Spain).
Parliament did not, however, propose measures that were stronger - “more ambitious”, in the words of some Socialist MEPs - than the Commission in the resolution that was adopted by the overwhelming majority of 394 votes to 94, with 114 abstentions. Berès was deeply unhappy about this turn of events and criticised the EPP Group for failing to support the amendments which sought “solidarity in tax systems in order to maintain the financial base of social protection schemes” or those which encouraged “coordination of collective negotiations across Europe and rebalancing of taxation”. An amendment calling for minimum wages to be set at a level above the poverty threshold was rejected. (JK/transl.rt)