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REPORT (COM(2026)0510 – C100153/2026 – 2026/0137(NLE))

On the proposal for a Council decision on guidelines for the employment policies of the Member States

A-10-2026-0260

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs · Rapporteur: Li Andersson

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Parliament's amended version of the Commission proposal for a Council decision on employment policy guidelines approves the proposal as amended. It adds a new recital welcoming the updated guidelines and renewing Parliament's call to be involved in setting the Integrated Guidelines on an equal footing with the Council. The amendments add references to quality employment, housing, skills, AI and algorithmic management, poverty reduction and social dialogue throughout the recitals and the guidelines in the Annex. The amended guidelines ask member states to promote quality job creation, skills and lifelong learning, equal opportunities, fair working conditions, social protection, affordable housing and inclusive labour markets. They also call for stronger collective bargaining, enforcement of labour law, fair labour migration and support for workers in the digital transition.

Committee position. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs proposes that Parliament approve the Commission proposal as amended, adding references to quality jobs, skills, housing, social dialogue and enforcement of labour law throughout the recitals and guidelines.

Key points

  1. Parliament approves the Commission proposal as amended and calls on the Commission to alter its proposal accordingly under Article 293(2) TFEU.
  2. A new recital welcomes the fully updated employment guidelines, notably their focus on job quality, education and skills, new technologies, AI and algorithmic management, poverty reduction, affordable housing and labour shortages.
  3. Parliament reiterates its call to be involved in setting the Integrated Guidelines at Union level on an equal footing with the Council.
  4. Recitals are amended to add quality employment and working conditions, closing gender pay and pension gaps, and access to decent, sustainable and affordable housing as a condition for equal opportunities.
  5. Member states should ensure transposition and effective implementation of Directive (EU) 2022/2041 and Directive (EU) 2023/970, including collective-bargaining action plans where required by Article 4 of the first directive.
  6. Member states should make full use of EU funding, including the European Social Fund Plus, the Social Climate Fund and the Just Transition Fund, to foster quality employment, skills and poverty reduction.
  7. Guideline 5 is renamed 'Boosting quality job creation'; member states should support investment and innovation-led growth for quality jobs in the digital, green and demographic transitions and reduce unnecessary administrative burdens on companies.
  8. Short-time work schemes such as SURE and similar arrangements, with targeted training, should help workers remain employed during downturns; employment-protection instruments modelled on SURE and Just Transition funding should be reinforced.
  9. Taxation should support job creation while ensuring progressive tax systems; joint taxation schemes that discourage secondary earners should be reformed, and member states should exclude from public contracts contractors engaged in unfair competition.
  10. Member states should ensure an effective individual right to accessible, quality education and training during working time and at no cost to the worker, and raise awareness among employers of lifelong-learning-friendly work.
  11. Member states should promote higher collective bargaining coverage with the aim of achieving a rate of 80%, in line with Directive (EU) 2022/2041, and involve social partners in policy design, including statutory minimum wages.
  12. Member states should ensure access to decent, affordable and sustainable housing, including public or social housing, and make the loss of a primary residence through enforcement proceedings a measure of last resort.

Who is affected

  • Member states: must implement the amended employment guidelines in their policies and use EU funding for quality jobs, skills and social inclusion.
  • Workers and jobseekers: gain calls for an individual training right, adequate unemployment benefits and support for job transitions.
  • Social partners: should be involved in policy design and collective bargaining, with a target coverage rate of 80%.
  • Third-country and mobile workers: should get fair recruitment, equal treatment, access to collective bargaining and protection against exploitation.
  • Persons with disabilities and other underrepresented groups: should get accessible workplaces, reasonable accommodation and targeted support.

Figures and deadlines

  • At least 78% of the population aged 20-64 should be in employment by 2030.
  • At least 60% of all adults should participate in training every year by 2030.
  • At least 15 million fewer people should be at risk of poverty or social exclusion, including 5 million children.
  • A collective bargaining coverage rate of 80% is the aim, in line with Directive (EU) 2022/2041.
  • The reinforced Youth Guarantee should make an offer within 4 months for young people aged 15-29.
  • The aim is eradicating poverty by 2035 through progress indicators and clear milestones.

Legal basis: Article 148(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union