31. Asks the Commission to make other potential sources of financing available to Member States for the development and renovation of social housing stock as forms of social investment, as well as to encourage Member States and regional and local authorities to make effective use of available European funding, and to retain the reduced rates of VAT that apply to such investment, given the labour-intensive nature of the sector and its very limited impact on cross-border trade within the EU; urges that consideration be given to applying the same rates of VAT to social housing as to basic necessities; encourages Member States to ...[+++] mobilise private savings in order to both facilitate access to land and encourage the construction and renovation of social housing;

33. Asks the Commission to make other potential sources of financing available to Member States for the development and renovation of social housing stock as forms of social investment, as well as to encourage Member States and regional and local authorities to make effective use of available European funding, and to retain the reduced rates of VAT that apply to such investment, given the labour-intensive nature of the sector and its very limited impact on cross-border trade within the EU; urges that consideration be given to applying the same rates of VAT to social housing as to basic necessities; encourages Member States to ...[+++] mobilise private savings in order to both facilitate access to land and encourage the construction and renovation of social housing;

Considers that, given budgetary pressure, efficiency in social spending is of major importance; considers that, in view of the current budgetary pressure, social spending has played a significant economic and social role in softening the effects of the crisis; considers that pay-as-you-go schemes have demonstrated their fundamental role in creating solidarity between generations; also considers that the second and third pillars have a supplementary role to play in reducing pressure; calls on Member States to ensure the best possible mix of forms of pension provision to safeguard pensions in the future; calls upon Member States to improve citizens’ ...[+++]access to private savings schemes; points out that, because of the financial crisis, several Member States are planning to introduce changes to their pension systems; urges them, however, to ensure that all pension systems remain stable, reliable and sustainable, and that all changes are made after adequate social dialogue and on the basis of the provision of sufficient information; advocates that, if choices can be made by employees, enough time should be provided for them to make informed and well thought-out decisions;

21. Considers that, given budgetary pressure, efficiency in social spending is of major importance; considers that, in view of the current budgetary pressure, social spending has played a significant economic and social role in softening the effects of the crisis; considers that pay-as-you-go schemes have demonstrated their fundamental role in creating solidarity between generations; also considers that the second and third pillars have a supplementary role to play in reducing pressure; calls on Member States to ensure the best possible mix of forms of pension provision to safeguard pensions in the future; calls upon Member States to improve citizens‘ ...[+++]access to private savings schemes; points out that, because of the financial crisis, several Member States are planning to introduce changes to their pension systems; urges them, however, to ensure that all pension systems remain stable, reliable and sustainable, and that all changes are made after adequate social dialogue and on the basis of the provision of sufficient information; advocates that, if choices can be made by employees, enough time should be provided for them to make informed and well thought-out decisions;

10. Expresses concerns about the ongoing appreciation of the euro against most major foreign currencies; points out in this connection that Article 111 of the Treaty assigns responsibility for exchange rate policy to the Council, but without specifying how this responsibility should be exercised; calls on the Eurogroup, the Council and the ECB to exercise their respective competences in full; observes that such appreciation has not been harmful to exports on the eurozone level so far, but that the effects vary among Member States; underlines the risks associated with large global current account imbalances which could result in addit ...[+++]ional increases in the euro exchange rate; notes that there is now a broad consensus among policy makers on how to tackle the problem of global imbalances; notes that the efforts made by the international community and international financial institutions have been far from adequate; hopes that the implementation of measures to reduce the budget deficit and promote private savings in the USA and to achieve greater exchange rate flexibility in a number of surplus countries in emerging Asia, in particular China, which is to be monitored by the IMF, will make a significant contribution to the gradual resolution of global imbalances;

10. Expresses concerns about the ongoing appreciation of the euro against most major foreign currencies; points out in this connection that Article 111 of the Treaty assigns responsibility for exchange rate policy to the Council, but without specifying how this responsibility should be exercised; calls on the Eurogroup, the Council and the ECB to exercise their respective competences in full and to coordinate their actions in the field of exchange rate policy more closely; observes that such appreciation has not been harmful to exports on the euro zone level so far, but that the effects vary among Member States ; underlines the risks ...[+++] associated with large global current account imbalances which could result in additional increases in the euro exchange rate; notes that there is now a broad consensus among policy makers on how to tackle the problem of global imbalances; notes that the efforts made by the international community and international financial institutions have been far from adequate; hopes that the implementation of these measures (the adoption of measures to reduce the budget deficit and promote private savings in the USA and to achieve greater exchange rate flexibility in a number of surplus countries in emerging Asia, in particular China), which is to be monitored by the IMF, will make a significant contribution to the gradual resolution of global imbalances;