Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats in the European Parliament

S&Ds call on the EU to take resolute action to guarantee media freedom and pluralism

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:43:03 GMT

With media freedom and independence under threat in a number of EU countries – above all in Hungary and Italy – the S&D Group today backed a European Parliament report urging EU countries to do more to prevent intimidation of the media and to improve their national laws on pluralism and conflicts of interest. In addition, the European Parliament also called on the EU to monitor the situation closely and produce a yearly report on media freedom in Europe, and to take adequate action against violations, including opening infringement procedures. Following the vote, S&D vice-president Sylvie Guillaume said: "Politicians must do more to guarantee media freedom and – first and foremost – they must leave the press free to do its job. "Media freedom is an essential element in strengthening our democracies. That is why the Socialists and Democrats strongly support any action aimed at establishing criteria for the appointment of public media executives and combating excessive concentrations of ownership in the sector. "Given the economic downturn which is also affecting the media industry, we ask to the Commission to monitor it closely to prevent any threat to this vital sector, so that our citizens can fully exercise their rights." S&D rapporteur on media freedom, Hungarian MEP Kinga Göncz said: "We are not proposing excessive regulation; indeed, the report explicitly acknowledges the role of self-regulatory media bodies. "However, the attacks on press freedom in Hungary and other member states have clearly indicated that EU action is necessary. "We believe the time has come for the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AMSD) to be revised to ensure that media freedom and pluralism are legally upheld everywhere in Europe. "We also call on the EU to support and promote investigative journalism and urge EU countries to improve the working conditions of media professionals."

S&D Press contact: Paolo Alberti paolo.alberti@europarl.europa.eu + 32 2 283 20 40 + 33 3 88 16 40 82 + 32 476 95 51 44 www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu

Tax fraud, evasion and havens: "We want our money back" say S&D Euro MPs

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:21:20 GMT

On the eve of the European summit, S&D Euro MPs called on EU leaders to take strong action against tax fraud and evasion, which costs €1000 billion every year in Europe. They led a cross-party majority on a report drafted by S&D MEP Mojca Kleva Kekuš which proposed 30 specific measures to act against tax fraud, evasion, avoidance and tax havens. Said S&D Group president Hannes Swoboda during a debate today in Strasbourg: "We need strong action, not just declarations. "We want our money back from the tax havens" he said, referring to former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher's famous demand on the UK rebate from the European budget. "The money is there and we want it back. It is not acceptable that €1 trillion – €2000 per citizen – is not going to investments but is lost to tax havens or tax evasion." He added that it is "shameful" that EU finance ministers had to rely on investigative journalists to get names and data for offshore accounts. "Citizens feel that journalists have more powers or more willingness to fight tax evasion than their governments and that is not acceptable", he said. He called on Austria and Luxembourg to agree to the full package of measures to fight tax evasion, including the extension of automatic information exchanges between fiscal administrations. Against the background of extreme austerity and rising unemployment, he concluded "we need investment, especially for the younger generation". Said S&D Euro MP Mojca Kleva Kekuš, who drafted the European Parliament's report on tax evasion: "It is not enough for our politicians that the OECD and the G20 make statements. We need concrete actions and don't want empty promises." She urged EU leaders to look at the measures proposed by the European Parliament and called on the European Commission to co-ordinate tax agreements between member states and at EU level. She also stressed the need to lift banking secrecy and to close the loopholes in the European tax system. "Companies can use tax planning so that they only pay 1% tax at the end of the day, whereas European citizens have to pay their fair share. Starbucks, Google and Amazon are all active in Europe and they must make their fair contribution to our society too." She also called for a clear definition of tax havens in Europe. "We need to set up a European blacklist of tax havens and identify proper sanctions for banks co-operating with them, including suspension of banking licences." Find out more on tax fraud, evasion and havens Find out more : Tax lost as a result of Shadow Economy Conclusion: - €864 billion of revenues are lost each year in Europe (€927 billion a year if the tax burden was calculated by using the Heritage Foundation and the World Bank GDP data). Table published in an independent report commissioned by the S&D Group on tax fraud and tax evasion. Find out more here : (Click here). S&D Press contact: Solange Hélin Villes solange.helin@europarl.europa.eu + 32 2 283 21 47 + 33 3 88 17 47 79 + 32 476 51 01 72 www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu

Led by S&Ds, Parliament calls for binding renewable energy target for 2030

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:14:39 GMT

Today the plenary of the European Parliament supported a call launched by the Socialists and Democrats for the Commission to come forward with a binding renewable energy target for 2030 without delay. S&D got support from other political groups to pass an amendment calling for a binding target in an own- initiative report about the current challenges and opportunities for renewable energy in the European market that was voted on this afternoon. The S&Ds vowed to push for a target of up to 45% renewables in the EU energy mix. S&D spokesperson on energy, Euro MP Teresa Riera, said: "Renewables play a strategic role in Europe. It is not just important from the environmental point of view, but also for security of supply and competitiveness. "Our current target is 20% renewable energy by 2020 and we can still go further. That is why in the future we must set more ambitious targets: 40 or 45%. "Research and development on renewables is a key element of our strategy. We must improve existing technologies and support new ones. If we make progress in this area we will be able to maintain the EU's industrial lead in the world and create jobs." S&D Euro MP Bernd Lange, S&D spokesperson on industrial policy and author of the amendment to introduce a binding target, said: "We want to send a strong message to the Commission and the Council, who will meet this evening. "We must reduce our dependency on fossil fuels – where prices are becoming ever higher and we must provide clarity and certainty to those willing to invest in renewables. "The current 20% target has given a real push and allowed for real investments. We have paved the way and incentivised companies to make investments, and we want to go further in this direction. Now we have to look to the future, to 2030. "We Socialists and Democrats also want to see greater integration. We want to better co-ordinate renewable energy support systems. For that to happen we need closer integration and increased investment in our distribution grids and transmission networks. "We need to tailor our support system to favour those partners and those technologies which are most effective, and particularly we need to encourage energy storage technologies. But we have to take a European approach, not a piecemeal one. This will help us guarantee a more stable development of prices and tariffs. "Renewable energies and security for investments are crucial for industrial development and therefore jobs in Europe!"

S&D Press contact: Victoria Martín de la Torre victoria.martindelatorre@europarl.europa.eu + 32 2 284 30 18 + 33 3 88 17 81 64 + 32 473 23 41 73 www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu

Fighting tax fraud & tax havens: Live Debate during a live chat on Tuesday 21 May at 13:30 CET with the President of the Group Hannes Swoboda and Mojca Kleva Kekuš

Tue, 21 May 2013 07:54:02 GMT

Tax fraud, evasion and havens is a key topic of the week with a debate in the parliament and the EU summit later this week. The S&D Group will be focussing on this topic this week with a Live Debate during a live chat on Tuesday 21 May at 13:30 CET with the President of the Group Hannes Swoboda and Mojca Kleva Kekuš, rapporteur of a Parliamentary report to fight tax fraud, evasion and havens, on the S&D Group Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/socialistsanddemocrats Details
Join the live chat here: http://ow.ly/l7SDI
Find out more event details here: http://ow.ly/la2ap About the report
Mojca Kleva Kekuš is the author of the report to the ECON committee setting out a framework on how to begin tackling tax fraud, evasion and havens. Her proposals suggest:

"We want to avoid taxpayers bailing out banks in future"

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:53:40 GMT

S&D Euro MPs backed new rules last night to rescue failing banks in the future during a vote that took place in the European Parliament's economic and monetary committee in Strasbourg. Said S&D Group spokeswoman and negotiator Elisa Ferreira: "We have reached a reasonable compromise. As Socialists and Democrats, our main concern was to ensure banks in trouble are not rescued with taxpayers' money." "We don't want a repetition of the Cyprus case. At one point, the Cyprus government was ready to bail out two banks through a levy on all deposits. This was absolutely unacceptable for us." The new rules will mean member states will have to set up national resolution funds financed by all financial institutions according to the risks they present. The fund should amount to at least 1.5% of the deposits of all credit institutions. In case of a major crisis, the agreement sets out a clear hierarchy for who will pay in a failing bank. First shareholders, junior bondholders and senior bondholders will support losses. The resolution Fund, not tax payers money, will be used to manage those procedures. Deposits below €100,000 will be excluded from any loss. Deposits above €100,000 rank as the most protected category and are considered as a last resort to preserve financial stability. "We have insisted on introducing some solidarity between member states. National resolution funds should be forced to lend to each other," stressed Elisa Ferreira. "Banks have assets and activities across Europe and will have a single supervisor. It is fair to mutualise the instruments of intervention." "For us, this new procedure is a first step. We are calling for an efficient single resolution mechanism at European level and a European guarantee scheme for deposits as strong pillars of a future banking union", she added.

S&D Press contact: Solange Hélin Villes solange.helin@europarl.europa.eu + 32 2 283 21 47 + 33 3 88 17 47 79 + 32 476 51 01 72 www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu

Plenary Session - European Parliament in Strasbourg from 20 to 23 May 2013. Socialist and Democrat priorities on the agenda

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:00:00 GMT

S&D Group's news on the European parliament Plenary session in Strasbourg - 20 to 23 May 2013 .

Socialist and Democrat Priorities - Plenary Session - May I - Strasbourg.
Monday 20 May 2013

Nuclear decommissioning assistance programmes in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia
Reinstatement of Myanmar/Burma's access to generalized tariff preferences
Establishing a framework for managing financial responsibility linked to investor-state dispute settlement tribunals established by international agreements to which the EU is party
Bilateral investment treaties and EU law

Tuesday 21 May 2013

Specific tasks for the European Central Bank concerning policies relating to the prudent supervision of credit institutions
Fight against tax fraud, tax evasion and tax havens

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Asset recovery to Arab Spring countries in transition
Implementation of the audiovisual media services directive
Adequate, safe and sustainable pensions
Regional strategies for industrial areas in the European Union

Access to Plenary session Hotspots

“François Hollande’s proposals on Europe are going in the right direction” says Hannes Swoboda

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:18:29 GMT

Hannes Swoboda, president of the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament, has welcomed the European initiative announced today by President François Hollande to boost Europe. “The French president made very important proposals for the future of Europe, which are in line with our demands. This initiative provides an opportunity for Europe to emerge from austerity, crisis and despair. “I welcome the French president’s commitment to making it a priority to fight against youth unemployment and to boost the European economy. This is essential for the Socialists and Democrats Group since in the European Union today one young person in five is unemployed. “The Socialists and Democrats Group supported the adoption of a youth guarantee at the European level. This will enable young people to receive an offer of employment, a traineeship, an apprenticeship or continued education within four months of leaving formal education. It must become a reality soon and receive the necessary financial backing. Given the recession, Europe needs growth and prospects. We support the implementation of a strategy to invest in a future that encourages growth and job creation in Europe. Similarly, setting up a European energy community will promote the transition to energies of the future. “The financial crisis and sovereign debt have highlighted the need to move towards establishing a true economic and monetary union. Establishing veritable economic governance for the eurozone is a viable option. This development should not create new divisions within the European Union. Reform of an economic and monetary union should be based on a strong social pillar and reinforced by the democratic control of the European Parliament. “I invite other heads of state and government leaders, who will gather in Brussels next week, to examine this contribution. In these difficult times, Europe needs such initiatives.” Solange Hélin Villes solange.helin@europarl.europa.eu + 32 2 283 21 47 + 33 3 88 17 47 79 + 32 476 51 01 72 www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu

Swoboda on the EU budget: "If the Council does not move, there will be no agreement"

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:10:17 GMT

Following negotiations this week on the 'amending budget' for 2013, the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament laid out clear conditions for accepting the EU budget for 2014-2020 – the multiannual financial framework. Hannes Swoboda, president of the Socialists and Democrats Group, said: "We welcome the readiness of European finance ministers to have serious discussions on closing the existing gap in the budget of 2013. But this is not enough. It must be clear that the current deficit (at least €16 billion) is not a result of EU overspending, but of national governments not financing the commitments they have made. It is unacceptable that governments commit money to EU programmes but then refuse to pay the bill. "We cannot agree to the EU budget for 2014-2020 without ensuring that all the outstanding bills are paid. I deplore the lack of willingness from some governments to engage seriously with the European Parliament on finding a compromise on the multiannual financial framework. "The budgetary demands of the European Parliament are reasonable. In order to finance EU priorities for growth and job creation – including the fight against youth unemployment – we want more flexibility in the use of European funds, a legally binding revision after the 2014 European elections and an overhaul of the way the EU budget is financed." On the issue of tax evasion and tax avoidance, Hannes Swoboda added: "Tax evasion and avoidance lead to a €1 trillion loss each year for tax authorities in Europe, which amounts to almost seven years of EU budgets. We need an ambitious and efficient strategy against tax evasion and avoidance so that additional funds can support a European growth policy." S&D Press contact: Céline Bayer celine.bayer@europarl.europa.eu + 32 2 284 65 97 + 33 3 88 17 22 65 + 32 473 85 82 11 www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu

'Access to quality long term care is a right for all', say S&D Euro MPs

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:12:16 GMT

S&D Euro MPs today back a European citizens' initiative that will be launched this summer with the aim to ensure access to quality long term care for all. They invite citizens across Europe to mobilise themselves in support of preserving the dignity, and ensuring the protection of elderly and isolated people in times of public service cutbacks and a lack of financial support for the social care sector. The launch of a European citizens' initiative was announced today in Brussels during a Conference organised by the S&D Group under the supervision of Pier Antonio Panzeri and Sergio Cofferati in association with the European Federation of the Retired and Elderly People (FERPA) and its Secretary General Bruno Constantini. The conference gathered more than 500 participants from the trade unions, NGOs and civil society including several S&D members, Pervenche Berès as the Chair of the employment and social affairs committee, European Parliament's vice-president Miguel Angel Martínez Martínez and commissioner Lázló Andor. Said S&D Group leader Hannes Swoboda who opened the conference: "We must care for the people who cared for us. They helped to build Europe. Therefore I give my full support to the launch by FERPA of the European Citizens' Initiative that seeks to protect 'citizens' right to quality long-term care, accessible to all in the European Union, and people with increasing care needs'. "One of the key challenges for Europe is to transform longer life expectancy into an increased number of active and healthy years for people. It is also to ensure that our ageing population will receive the care and assistance they need to age in dignity and be protected from neglect or abuse. "We need to spend money on qualitative care and offer clear support for those in need of help. "Extreme austerity is touching the poorest. The gap is getting bigger between rich and poor. At the same time 1 trillion euro in Europe is missing because of tax evasion, avoidance and havens. This is the money that could be spent to care for all. Cuts are not acceptable". Said S&D Euro MP Pier Antonio Panzeri: "With this initiative we want to bring the legislative act closer to citizens and involve them in a new way with our work in the European Parliament, the only institution with democratically elected representatives. "Europe is facing demographic challenges with a growing number of older people and immigrants. The ageing of the population is a common phenomenon within all EU member states. In addition, studies showed that self-sufficiency is worsening poverty. This is why we want to defend access to long term care as a right for all EU citizens and ask for a harmonization of the health and social legislations at the EU level." Said S&D Euro MP Sergio Cofferati: "This initiative is a great way to get the European citizens closer to the EU. The Commission is backing us because they have finally begun to realise the terrible consequences of the crisis on the daily-lives of elderly people in addition to women, isolated people and young people. "And I hope that the EU decision makers of the highest level will recognise the seriousness and urgency of the issue and react as soon as possible to the demands of the ageing EU society". Note to editors: The European citizens' initiative allows one million EU citizens from at least 7 countries to participate directly in the development of EU policies by calling on the European Commission to make a legislative proposal. FERPA hopes to collect one million signatures with the help of its 9 million affiliated members across Europe. In Europe, those aged 65 years or over will account for 29.5 % of the EU-27’s population by 2060 (17.4 % in 2010). S&D Press contact: Solange Hélin Villes solange.helin@europarl.europa.eu + 32 2 283 21 47 + 33 3 88 17 47 79 + 32 476 51 01 72 www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu

Relaunching Europe in Croatia: Solidarity and industrial renewal

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:02:27 GMT

At a Relaunching Europe event in the historic Croatian city of Split this week, the S&D Group reiterated its call for solidarity in Europe and for a relaunch of European industry. The speakers also discussed the challenges and opportunities for Croatia when it joins the EU on 1 July 2013. Hannes Swoboda, S&D Group president and former European Parliament rapporteur during Croatia's accession negotiations, said: "Croatia shows that countries and people still want to join the European project. Of course there are regional variations but Croatia's EU membership will bring a new dynamism to the country and to the EU as a whole. "Croatia's social-democratic government will strengthen the European Left and they will support our call for a more socially balanced future. "We must end the austerity-driven approach taken by conservative governments and the Troikas, whose actions make them more like 'Destroykas'." He continued by arguing that solidarity in Europe brings benefits for everyone: "Solidarity between countries, regions and people must not be abandoned. Europe is more than a common market and the welfare state is both a political and economic success. By giving people opportunities to join the labour market and offering them a decent standard of living, you create consumer power and new possibilities." On relaunching industry and the fight against unemployment, Hannes Swoboda said: "Croatia has great potential, from tourism and shipping – and great creativity. However lots of young people are leaving the country in search of better working conditions abroad. This is the wrong path. "We must create the conditions in Croatia that encourage people to stay and work there. Investment in education and skills is crucial. The education system used in countries like Germany and Austria, combining academic studies with practical skills, could be a good model for Croatia. Support for start-ups and small and medium-sized companies is another area we should invest in. "However, this must be based on good social dialogue and co-operation with trade unions." Croatian observer Tonino Picula concluded by calling for the introduction of the youth guarantee in Croatia: "Unemployment – and especially youth unemployment – is one of our main problems. We must redefine the education system and adapt it to the needs of the labour market. Once Croatia is a full EU member, we should implement the youth guarantee – providing young people with opportunities for jobs and training – to help young people get into the labour market." Speakers at the event included Croatian prime minister Zoran Milanović, S&D Group president Hannes Swoboda, head of the Croatian observer delegation in the European Parliament, Tonino Picula and several representatives of trade unions and NGOs from Europe. Read more about the S&D Group's Relaunching Europe initiative here: www.relaunchingeurope.eu S&D Press contact: Utta Tuttlies Head of Press and Communications Spokesperson of the Group Leader utta.tuttlies@europarl.europa.eu + 32 2 284 30 61 + 33 3 88 17 29 98 + 32 473 85 34 07 www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu