The European Parliament wants to be much more ambitious than the European Commission on the issue of the adequacy of minimum incomes and will specifically try to ask the Commission to issue a directive on the subject; its recommendation, as presented on 28 September, is already deemed to be insufficient by several groups (see EUROPE 13031/21).
This is the aim of one of the co-rapporteurs of the European Parliament resolution that is currently being prepared on minimum income in the EU, namely that of Sara Mathieu (Greens/EFA, Belgian).
While all Member States have a minimum income scheme in place, it is not enough to eradicate poverty. In order to be adequate, it must be above the national median poverty line, which is actually only the case in the Netherlands to date. “Setting a minimum income level that is above the poverty line will be a fundamental part of the proposal”, commented the Belgian MEP.
It is also “more necessary than ever to adapt the minimum income to the way in which the cost of living is evolving, together with regular revisions”. The issue of access to these minimum incomes for those who need them will be another focus of the resolution, added the MEP, who would like to “make the case for a directive on minimum wages”, since the current tools have not been sufficient.
While the S&D group supports binding measures, it will also defend the idea of being able to reconcile a minimum income with other benefits. For the EPP, it also comes down to insisting that a dependency on minimum incomes or poverty traps is not created, while also helping people with other forms of support, such as assistance in returning to the labour market.
The Renew Europe group, for its part, shared the objectives of the resolution, but believes that the recommendation to the EU Council remains the “most appropriate” instrument, according to Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, on behalf of her Spanish colleague Jordi Cañas Pérez.
The deadline for the tabling of amendments is 13 October. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)