Grüne im Europaparlament bringen Entschließungsantrag für „nachhaltigen Aufschwung“ ein

Heute hat die Fraktion einstimmig ein eigenes Konzept beschlossen. Es soll dem einseitigen Fiskalpakt entgegengestellt werden und wird nun mit den anderen Fraktionen verhandelt.

Hier der Text:

Draft motion for a motion for a Resolution on a sustainable recovery pillar for enhanced economic governance

Final version, 13 March 2012

– having regard to the conclusions of the European Council of 9 and 10 December 2011 and of 30 January 2012,

– having regard to the statement of the Euro Area Heads of State and Government of 9 December 2011 and of ….,

– having regard to the submission made on behalf of the Parliament by its representatives in the ad hoc working group,

-having regard of the European Parliament resolution of 18 January 2012 on the European Council of 8/9 December 2011,

– having regard to the outcome of the negotiations on the draft international agreement on a stability, coordination and governance in the economic and monetary union,

– having regard to conclusions of the European Council of 30 January 2012,

– having regard to the „Six-Pack“ and the two Commission proposals on further strengthening fiscal discipline[1],

 

A. whereas the agreed draft intergovernmental Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union aims at strengthening the economic pillar of the Economic and Monetary Union by adopting a set of rules intended to foster budgetary discipline through a fiscal compact;

B. whereas the economic and financial crisis requires a far reaching and more comprehensive and democratic EU response built on solidity, solidarity and sustainability, which provides a systemic response to an economic, social and environmental crisis and builds up a real European Economic Governance based on the recognition of interdependence between the EU Member States;

Ba whereas attaining a high level of economic, social and environmental development for the European Union and creating a sphere for transnational, pan-European democracy remain overarching objectives;

Bb whereas fiscal consolidation measures should be based on the protection of social rights and avoid an increase of inequalities; whereas consolidation measures should not be implemented at the detriment of medium and long term means required for a sustainable and environmentally friendly transformation of the economy in line with EU 2020 and 2050 climate objectives;

C. whereas after a period of breathless decision-making on ever new emergency-packages, an increasingly re-governmentalised European Union, while focussing on the trust of markets and investors alone, is at high risk of losing the trust and confidence of its citizens, and therefore urgently needs a sound, democratic, and transparent process that leaves enough time for the debate on the necessary re-design of the European treaties required for the economic and social needs of the 21st century;

Ca. whereas the situation in vulnerable Member States and particularly in Greece is a matter of high concern and alarm, whereas the current situation highlights the urgent need to draw the lessons from past errors at the National and Union level while preserving and reinforcing solidarity;

D. whereas according to article 225 of the TFEU The European Parliament may, acting by a majority of its component Members, request the Commission to submit any appropriate proposal on matters on which it considers that a Community act is required for the purpose of implementing this Treaty;

E. whereas enhanced cooperation between Member States of the EU can be established within the framework of the Unions‘ non-exclusive competences by a Council decision taken by qualified majority provided that at least nine Member States participate in it; whereas the European Parliament must give its consent for the authorisation of an enhanced cooperation;

F. whereas Member States participating in enhanced cooperation can decide by unanimous decision in accordance with arrangements laid down in Art. 330 TFEU that within the framework of this enhanced cooperation legal acts requiring otherwise unanimity can be adopted by qualified majority (article 333 (1)) and/or that acts that  the Council adopts under a special legislative procedure can be adopted through the ordinary legislative procedure (Art. 333, paragraph 2 of the TFEU)

 

1.         Reiterates its conviction that only through the Community method can the Monetary Union evolve into a true economic including fiscal convergence; considers that the new intergovernmental Treaty is unnecessary, delivers little new and fails to deliver the necessary comprehensive crisis response;

2.         Underlines that most of the measures mentioned in the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance aiming to reinforce fiscal discipline can be implemented through EU law; points out that the Commission has stated its intention to bring forward proposals to that end with regard to:

– a new range for medium term objectives modification / a modification of  the reference value for the medium term budgetary objective,

– an automatic correction mechanism in case of significant observed deviations from the medium-term objective or the adjustment path towards it,

– Budgetary and Economic and partnership programmes,

– coordination of debt issuance,

all of which can be done via the proposed Regulation on enhanced monitoring under article 136 TFEU; will examine such proposals in the framework of an overall comprehensive and sustainable approach to the crisis;

3.         Underlines in this context also that the contracting parties to the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance have agreed to bring the substance of that agreement within the framework of the EU treaties within five years at the latest;

4.         Believes that fiscal retrenchment alone acts as a high pro-cyclical measure during recession periods and might lead Member States and the EMU as a whole into a situation of high unemployment, poverty and low investments; calls for the commitment of the Europe’s leaders to take equally vigorous action to build a true Economic and Political Union based on the principles of Social and Environmental Justice to restore confidence in EU society and markets;

5.         Reminds its calls for a democratic European Union of solidity, solidarity and sustainability; underlines therefore the urgent need to complement the rules on fiscal discipline with binding measures and legislative proposals on a sustainable recovery pillar in order to reactivate the EU economy on an environmentally sustainable basis while preserving social protection and respecting the rights of the most vulnerable;

6.         In the context of a sustainable recovery pillar:

a. Calls for an effective and enhanced firewall including a banking license for the EFSF/ESM in the framework of the ESM Treaty and the revision of the adequacy of the overall lending ceiling, as well as simultaneous activation of the EFSF and the ESM in order to enhance its lending capacity and to reduce yields across the euro area;

b. Intends to table a proposal for a Union act on the basis of the right of initiative granted to Parliament under Article 225 TFEU for the integration of the EFSF as well as the ESM within the Community method, with article 136 as a legal basis, and its transformation in the medium term into a European Monetary Fund (EMF) under due democratic scrutiny of the European Parliament,

c. Believes it is indispensable and urgent to have a clear commitment to reduce interestrates for the sovereign debt of vulnerable Member States as a first step towards the adoption of fully fledged Eurobonds, through a system of limited joint liabilities such as a redemption fund and eurobills, in the framework of the proposal for the Economic governance Pack II, and calls on the Commission to present by March 2012 and as a matter of urgency a roadmap for the development of fully fledged Eurobonds- for which a proper Treaty revision is needed- as a follow up to its Green book on Stability Bonds;

d. Believes it is necessary to amend the proposals for an Economic Governance Pack II so as to provide for an appropriate and explicit room of manoeuvre in case of severe economic downturn in the framework of multiannual budgetary commitments; deems that the pack II should also include a genuine EU 2020 partnership agreement including commitments related to budgetary and structural measures conducive to the achievement of the EU 2020  and climate 2050 objectives; furthermore, intends to submit such a partnership agreement to a specific EU surveillance and coordination procedure, so  that fiscal consolidation  ensures a fair and effective distribution of the costs of the crisis and is  carried  out  within  a legitimate democratic process;

e.  Points to the need to enhance the symmetric management of macro financial imbalances, introducing economically relevant social and environmental indicators such as income and wealth inequalities, education expenditures, the ecological footprint or resource productivity, by effective implementation of the agreed economic governance Pack I as well as new provisions in the proposals for an Economic governance Pack II, linking partnership programmes to the Excessive Imbalances Procedure;

f. Intends to table a proposal for a Union act using the right of initiative granted to Parliament under Article 225 TFEU, which if failing the necessary majority in Council, could be established under enhanced cooperation and/or using passerelle clauses, for a social convergence process based on upward minimum standards and gradual upward targets related inter alia to minimum income schemes, poverty reduction objectives, reduction of inequalities including gender inequalities, education, training and transition to green jobs, following the model of the convergence roadmap for the European Monetary Union;

g. Underlines the need for a European budget with a size commensurate with the tasks to help achieve the EU 2020 strategy and the capacity to provide for countercyclical flexibility, to be financed to a large extent by genuine own resources;

h. Calls for a further development of EU 2020 Project Bonds in the framework of the EU 2020 partnership agreement with a clear eligibility framework subject to enhanced democratic scrutiny as a proper means for achieving sustainable and countercyclical investments programmes consistent with EU social, climate and environmental objectives; stresses that project bonds should play a catalytic role aiming at attracting private capital for long-term projects; deems that EU budget guarantees and the EIB  banking license should be activated in order to channel ECB liquidity for financing the real economy;

i. Intends to table a proposal for a Union act on the basis of the right of initiative granted to Parliament under Article 225 TFEU, which if failing the necessary majorities in Council could be established under enhanced cooperation and using passerelle clauses, in order to establish a comprehensive tax pact to strengthen the revenue side of budgets including in particular:

– an EU or at least euro area financial transaction tax,

– an EU climate/energy contribution,

– a common consolidated corporate tax base associated with a minimal taxation rate so as to ensure a fair contribution by the corporate sector,

– a „tax disarmament pact“ whereby Member States would dismantle the tax havens built into their own legislations and commit to actively fight against tax evasion closing loopholes and limiting avenues for tax avoidance within a comprehensive European strategy;

j. Intends to amend the legislative proposals presented under article 114 related to financial services and will equally see to it that provisions will be included in the legislative acts that are still to be brought forward by the Commission for a strong re-regulation of Europe’s finance industry based on the polluter-pays-principle in order to

– restructure unsustainable debt and recapitalize in the short term the European banking system,

– impose binding capital requirements of at least 15% going beyond those included in the “Basel III” framework,

– put an absolute limit on the leverage ratio and binding liquidity requirements,

– adopt watertight separation between narrow banking that serves the real economy from riskier, often speculative, investment,

– ban -as a rule- financial products and activities that have no demonstrated social or economic benefit as well as the use of techniques such as naked transactions and transactions with borrowed products,

– gradually starve off the shadow-banking system through stronger rules governing liquidity and opaque off-balance sheet vehicles,

– create an independent, scientifically based European rating agency focusing on the quality of debt, including its ecological sustainability,

– impose stringent conditions to the institutions that benefited from crisis-related State aid and the support of ECB liquidity lines;

 

7.             Points out that Treaty changes would be needed in order to:

• create a legal basis for fully fledged Eurobonds
• obtain equal rights for the European Parliament to address the crisis, starting by receiving a  fully fledged initiative right
• introduce the reversed qualified majority voting rule in Council under the excessive deficit procedure

8.         Underlines the importance of the following measures in order to strengthen the democratic and effective decision making in the framework of economic governance:

• to use passerelle clauses within the Treaties – notably under enhanced cooperation- and/or makeproposals for Treaty change so as to switch from unanimity voting to qualified majority voting or to change from special legislative procedures to the ordinary procedure , e.g. in relation to the excessive deficit procedure, article 126(14), article 153 (social policy), taxation, the Multiannual Financial Framework and own resources;
• to have a stronger role for the European Parliament in the multilateral surveillance (121(4)) and excessive deficit procedures (article 126(6),(11),(12)), either through Treaty change or through commitments by the Commission in the Framework Agreement to accept Parliaments proposals or put them before the Council for a vote, as well as a stronger role for Parliament in the process of the adoption of the broad guidelines of economic policies and employment and more generally in the overall European Semester framework;
• to strengthen both the role of the European Commission, notably its Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro and at thesame time the democratic control of the Parliament over the European Commission as a whole and the Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs individually, through Treaty changes and/ or the appropriate modifications in the Framework agreement with the Commission;

9.         Intends therefore to initiate, besides the urgent necessary legislative action under the current Treaties for a comprehensive response to the crisis, a process for a reform of the European Union institutions and decision-making procedures in accordance with its initiative right under article 48 TEU and by calling for a Convention; underlines that such a Convention should  not only engage the European institutions and National parliaments but also involve social partners, civil society and other stakeholder in a broad public debate in order to design the appropriate structures and procedures to guarantee democratic decision making on the basis of the will of the people within  a clear constitutional and legal framework for a deeper political, economic, social and fiscal integration of the European Union

10.       Calls on its President to forward this resolution to the Heads of State and Government, the President of the Council, the President of the Euro group, the Commission and the European Central Bank.