Sittings · Document

Report (2025/2183(INI)) 2026-03-04

European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities – annual report 2026

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4.3.2026 A10-0033/9

Amendment 9

Konstantinos Arvanitis

on behalf of The Left Group

Report A10-0033/2026

Nela Riehl

European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities – annual report 2026

(2025/2183(INI))

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3a. Recalls that the creation of quality jobs is key to attracting a skilled workforce and incentivising employers to invest in workers’ skills development; recalls that recruitment difficulties and skills mismatches often stem from poor job quality, a lack of people-oriented human resources policies and untapped job design opportunities1a; calls on the Commission to address the issue through the quality jobs act and the Union of Skills by adapting upskilling and reskilling policies and introducing measures that promote better working conditions, occupational health and safety, and quality job creation, including in the digital and automated work environment; stresses that transparent algorithmic management and accountability are essential to quality employment; emphasises that job quality and decent work1b are essential for a healthy and resilient Europe and must be assessed through a comprehensive monitoring framework (such as those of Eurofound and the International Labour Organization) that goes beyond wages and employment security to include the physical and social work environment, working time, work intensity, skills and autonomy, career prospects, and access to training and reskilling;

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1a European Parliament resolution of 15 March 2023 on the European Semester for economic policy coordination: Employment and social priorities for 2023 (OJ C, C/2023/402, 23.11.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2023/402/oj).

1b International Labour Organization ‘Decent work and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development’ https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@europe/@ro-geneva/@ilo-lisbon/documents/event/wcms_667247.pdf.

Or. en

4.3.2026 A10-0033/10

Amendment 10

Konstantinos Arvanitis

on behalf of The Left Group

Report A10-0033/2026

Nela Riehl

European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities – annual report 2026

(2025/2183(INI))

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Is concerned about the level of youth unemployment, which remains more than twice as high as the overall EU unemployment rate; stresses that, for young people, it is essential to complement employment activation measures with sustained support, including access to integrated social services, housing and mental health support in order to ensure their continued participation in education or employment; emphasises the need for Member States to invest in the reinforced Youth Guarantee in order to ensure quality and timely support for all young people not engaged in education, employment or training (NEETs) under the age of 30; urges the Member States to strengthen the use of the reinforced Youth Guarantee as a tool to support care leavers and prevent the ‘care cliff’, including through access to career guidance;

6. Is concerned about the level of youth unemployment, which remains more than twice as high as the overall EU unemployment rate; stresses that, for young people, it is essential to complement employment activation measures with sustained support, including access to integrated social services, housing and mental health support in order to ensure their continued participation in education or employment; highlights that investing in the improvement of living and working conditions, including addressing social exclusion and poverty, is needed to prevent poor mental health; emphasises that poor mental health comes at a great cost to the EU, including because it lowers productivity and causes 11.1 million years of life lost or lived with disability1a; emphasises the need for Member States to invest in the reinforced Youth Guarantee in order to ensure quality and timely support for all young people not engaged in education, employment or training (NEETs) under the age of 30; urges the Member States to strengthen the use of the reinforced Youth Guarantee as a tool to support care leavers and prevent the ‘care cliff’, including through access to career guidance;

_________________

1a Eurofound, ‘Mental health: Risk groups, trends, services and policies’, 2025.

Or. en

4.3.2026 A10-0033/11

Amendment 11

Anthony Smith, Pasquale Tridico

on behalf of The Left Group

Report A10-0033/2026

Nela Riehl

European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities – annual report 2026

(2025/2183(INI))

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States, within the framework of the European Semester, to promote high-quality and fairly remunerated traineeships and to prevent their misuse as a substitute for regular employment; calls for the forthcoming directive on improving trainees’ working conditions1a to be ambitious and comprehensive, ensuring the full protection of trainees’ rights, including the possibility of terminating the traineeship without prejudice in the event of a breach of fundamental rights, and calls for the swift conclusion of negotiations;

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1a Commission proposal of 20 March 2024 for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on improving and enforcing working conditions of trainees and combating regular employment relationships disguised as traineeships (‘Traineeships Directive’) (COM(2024)0132).

Or. en

4.3.2026 A10-0033/12

Amendment 12

Konstantinos Arvanitis

on behalf of The Left Group

Report A10-0033/2026

Nela Riehl

European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities – annual report 2026

(2025/2183(INI))

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Considers that action at EU and Member State level is needed to prevent and address persistently high levels of poverty and social exclusion, and welcomes the announcement of the first EU anti-poverty strategy in this regard; believes that the strategy must provide a comprehensive approach to tackling the root causes and multidimensional aspects of poverty and social exclusion, with concrete actions, a robust budgetary allocation, clear objectives, milestones and structural measures, while also ensuring strong implementation and monitoring; calls on the Member States to implement the directive on adequate minimum wages6 to fight in-work poverty and incentivise work; calls for the EU anti-poverty strategy to place the fight against child poverty at its core in order to break the cycle of poverty; urges the Member States to fully implement the Council recommendation on adequate minimum income7;

7. Considers that action at EU and Member State level is needed to prevent and address persistently high levels of poverty and social exclusion, and welcomes the announcement of the first EU anti-poverty strategy in this regard; believes that the strategy must provide a comprehensive approach to tackling the root causes and multidimensional aspects of poverty and social exclusion, with concrete actions, a robust budgetary allocation, clear objectives, milestones and structural measures, while also ensuring strong implementation and monitoring; calls on the Member States to implement the directive on adequate minimum wages6, especially with regard to collective bargaining coverage, to fight in-work poverty and incentivise work; underlines that higher minimum wages would stimulate domestic demand through increased household consumption within the EU, which is essential at a time when trade tariffs and growing geopolitical uncertainties are undermining the export-led growth models in several European economies; calls for the EU anti-poverty strategy to place the fight against child poverty at its core in order to break the cycle of poverty; urges the Member States to fully implement the Council recommendation on adequate minimum income7;

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6 Directive (EU) 2022/2041 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union (OJ L 275, 25.10.2022, p. 33, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2022/2041/oj).

7 Council Recommendation of 30 January 2023 on adequate minimum income ensuring active inclusion 2023/C 41/01 (OJ C 41, 3.2.2023, p. 1).

Or. en

4.3.2026 A10-0033/13

Amendment 13

Anthony Smith

on behalf of The Left Group

Report A10-0033/2026

Nela Riehl

European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities – annual report 2026

(2025/2183(INI))

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7a. Calls on the Member States to establish a youth autonomy guarantee for young people aged 18 to 25, including students, trainees, apprentices and young jobseekers, in order to prevent poverty and social exclusion and to support their transition to independent living, by ensuring access to adequate income support throughout the year, affordable housing, education and training, healthcare and tailored social support services, including for those who cannot rely on family support;

Or. en

4.3.2026 A10-0033/14

Amendment 14

Anthony Smith

on behalf of The Left Group

Report A10-0033/2026

Nela Riehl

European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities – annual report 2026

(2025/2183(INI))

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7b. Stresses the need to ensure adequately staffed and properly resourced labour inspectorates in order to effectively enforce the rights of workers, including young workers, trainees and apprentices, in particular regarding pay and working conditions;

Or. en

4.3.2026 A10-0033/15

Amendment 15

Pasquale Tridico

on behalf of The Left Group

Report A10-0033/2026

Nela Riehl

European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities – annual report 2026

(2025/2183(INI))

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States, within the framework of the European Semester, to closely monitor the direct transposition of Directive (EU) 2024/28311a and developments in platform work, with a view to ensuring fair and transparent working conditions, legal certainty and a level playing field; calls, in particular, for enhanced transparency and accountability in remuneration-setting mechanisms, especially where algorithmic management systems determine pay, in order to improve clarity, predictability and proportionality in income-setting practices;

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1a Directive (EU) 2024/2831 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2024 on improving working conditions in platform work (OJ L, 2024/2831, 11.11.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/2831/oj).

Or. en

4.3.2026 A10-0033/16

Amendment 16

Konstantinos Arvanitis

on behalf of The Left Group

Report A10-0033/2026

Nela Riehl

European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities – annual report 2026

(2025/2183(INI))

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 15 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

15a. Highlights the need for fair, progressive and efficient tax systems as a key component of sustainable and socially balanced fiscal policies; stresses that tax reforms should reduce inequalities, protect low- and middle-income households and ensure that the green and digital transitions are financed in a socially just manner; calls on the Member States to tackle tax avoidance, aggressive tax planning and tax fraud; calls for further coordinated steps to ensure proper taxation of large multinational enterprises, including digital business models; stresses that public revenue could be used to help address Member States’ fiscal challenges, as well as contribute to the long-term sustainability of social protection systems, support public investment and social resilience and ensure a more equitable distribution of wealth;

Or. en

4.3.2026 A10-0033/17

Amendment 17

Anthony Smith

on behalf of The Left Group

Report A10-0033/2026

Nela Riehl

European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities – annual report 2026

(2025/2183(INI))

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

20. Strongly believes that an individual right to training for workers during working hours, which addresses the main barriers to pursuing training, can ensure quality upskilling and reskilling, employee training and career development support in order to ensure a predictable and stable supply of skilled workers for employers; stresses the need for tackling the cost barrier by ensuring cost-free training for workers, supported by funding, tax incentives and partnerships; stresses that the right to training must explicitly include mandatory, high-quality, regular and paid occupational health and safety training aimed at preventing workplace accidents, occupational diseases and deaths at work, including in high-risk sectors; recalls that all training courses must be adapted to the specific tasks performed and to the risks of each sector, and must be provided in a language and format that all workers can understand, including workers in subcontracting chains, temporary agency workers and migrant workers; stresses that national institutions and social partners are responsible for the training of employees, and highlights their essential role in the implementation of the right to training; calls, in this regard, on Member States to prioritise and promote training schemes developed jointly by workers and their employers, ensuring that upskilling and reskilling respond to real market demand and contribute to career progression; recalls that training must never be used to shift responsibility away from employers, who remain fully responsible for ensuring safe and healthy workplaces through prevention measures, adequate staffing, proper work organisation and compliance with occupational health and safety rules; calls on the Commission to explore and issue guidance on how public-private partnerships between Member States and enterprises can fund the training, reskilling and upskilling of workers, in particular the right to training for individual workers;

Or. en