Sittings · Document
Report (2025/2183(INI)) 2026-03-04
European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities – annual report 2026
4.3.2026 A10-0033/19
Amendment 19
Séverine Werbrouck
on behalf of the PfE 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
Recital B
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| B. whereas the European Semester remains a central instrument for coordinating economic, fiscal, employment and social policy across the EU, and should aim to embed social justice, environmental sustainability and intergenerational fairness more systematically into macroeconomic governance, putting the EPSR at its core and respecting the principle of subsidiarity; whereas efforts have been made to better balance the monitoring of economic and social objectives in the European Semester process with the development of the Social Scoreboard and the recent integration of the social convergence framework into the process; whereas the 2026 Autumn Package was presented without an Annual Sustainable Growth Survey setting out a holistic and balanced strategy for the EU’s economic, social and employment, and environmental objectives and anchoring the European Semester in a broad vision of sustainable growth for the Union; whereas the EU must remain committed to competitiveness, sustainability and social justice, without allowing one objective to be pursued at the expense of the others; | B. whereas the European Pillar of Social Rights has no binding legal force and must not serve as a basis for extending the EU’s competences into areas reserved to the Member States under the Treaties; whereas social policy, wage-setting mechanisms and the organisation of social protection systems remain primarily national competences; whereas the European Semester must not evolve into a mechanism of centralised social surveillance or indirect social harmonisation; whereas full respect for the principle of subsidiarity and national diversity of social models must remain a cornerstone of economic governance within the EU; |
Or. en
4.3.2026 A10-0033/20
Amendment 20
Séverine Werbrouck
on behalf of the PfE 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 5
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 5. Reiterates its call for an increase in the funding of the European Child Guarantee, with a dedicated budget of at least EUR 20 billion, and for Member States to earmark at least 5 % of their allocated ESF+ funds to fighting child poverty and promoting children’s well-being, with at least 10 % earmarked for Member States with child poverty levels exceeding the EU average; | 5. Reiterates its call for Member States to allocate an adequate portion of their allocated ESF+ funds to fighting child poverty and promoting children’s well-being, with particular attention paid to Member States where child poverty levels exceed the EU average; recalls that combating poverty primarily falls within the responsibility of national family and social policies; |
Or. en
4.3.2026 A10-0033/21
Amendment 21
Séverine Werbrouck
on behalf of the PfE 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 9
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 9. Calls for an EU directive on a framework for minimum income schemes, with the purpose of safeguarding the right to a decent life and ensuring that every person in need in the EU is covered by a minimum income scheme; recalls that such a directive, in compliance with the principle of subsidiarity, would address gaps in the EU social acquis by contributing to the goals of reducing poverty while fostering the active integration of people who are absent from the labour market; | 9. Recalls the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 11 November 2025 in Case C-19/231a concerning Directive (EU) 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages, which held that the determination of pay falls outside the competences conferred on the Union pursuant to Article 153(5) TFEU; stresses, therefore, that any EU action affecting wage formation at national level risks undermining the proper functioning of collective bargaining models; ________________________ 1a Judgment of the Court of Justice of 11 November 2025, Kingdom of Denmark v European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, C-19/23 ECLI:EU:C:2025:865. |
Or. en
4.3.2026 A10-0033/22
Amendment 22
Séverine Werbrouck
on behalf of the PfE 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 19
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 19. Highlights the need for EU initiatives on skills shortages to provide stronger support for comprehensive, inclusive education and training systems, including through active labour market policies, individual learning accounts and micro-credentials, and the strengthening of procedures for the validation of non-formal and informal learning; further stresses the importance of improving and facilitating fair labour mobility within the EU and of the role of legal migration and the recognition of foreign qualifications to address skills shortages; is concerned that adult participation in training remains well below the 60 % target in most Member States, particularly among low-skilled workers, older workers, non-EU nationals and persons with disabilities; calls on the Commission to put forward concrete solutions to skills shortages and to address persistent challenges in the upcoming Fair Labour Mobility Package, ensuring that the forthcoming Skills Portability Initiative addresses current obstacles to skills recognition; | 19. Acknowledges the existence of skills shortages in certain sectors but stresses that responses must primarily focus on mobilising the existing workforce within the Member States, improving working conditions and wage levels, and strengthening national education and vocational training systems in line with domestic labour market needs; underlines that education and training policies fall within the competences of the Member States and must respect national specificities; |
Or. en
4.3.2026 A10-0033/23
Amendment 23
Séverine Werbrouck
on behalf of the PfE 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 19 a (new)
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 19a. Considers that labour mobility within the EU must remain balanced and must not contribute to social dumping or brain drain in less economically developed regions; stresses that legal migration cannot constitute a structural or automatic response to labour shortages and that priority should be given to upskilling and reskilling EU citizens; calls on the Commission to fully respect the principle of subsidiarity when proposing initiatives related to skills recognition, portability or labour mobility; |
Or. en
4.3.2026 A10-0033/24
Amendment 24
Séverine Werbrouck
on behalf of the PfE 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 22
| Motion for a resolution | Amendment |
| 22. Stresses that, within the framework of the European Semester, defence spending must be planned in a coordinated, efficient, transparent and European manner to maximise societal benefits; underlines that security-related investment should include societal resilience, including infrastructure with high civilian benefits, social protection, civic education, democratic resilience and protection against disinformation, recognising that social stability and democratic trust are important components of Europe’s security architecture and must be reflected in the Semester’s analysis of long-term reform and investment needs; | 22. Recalls that national defence policy and the determination of defence expenditure remain the sovereign prerogative of the Member States, in accordance with Articles 4(2), 24 and 42 of the Treaty on European Union; stresses that the European Semester, as an instrument of economic policy coordination under Articles 121 and 148 TFEU, must not be used to assess, coordinate or steer national defence planning or military expenditure; rejects any attempt to integrate defence priorities into social or fiscal surveillance mechanisms; |
Or. en