On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Social Fund as part of the National and Regional Partnership Plan set out in Regulation (EU) [NRPPlan] establishing conditions for the implementation of the Union support to quality employment, skills and social inclusion for the period from 2028 to 2034
CULT-AD-785225
Committee on Culture and Education · Rapporteur: Isilda Gomes
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The Committee on Culture and Education proposes amendments to the proposed regulation establishing the European Social Fund for 2028 to 2034. It adds education, training, skills, culture, sport and youth themes to the fund's objectives and recitals.¶¶¶ The amendments set new ESF specific objectives covering employment, education and training quality, teachers, basic and transversal skills, social inclusion through culture and sport, and digitalisation in cultural sectors.¶¶¶ They require member states to allocate at least 28% of the ESF through a three-tier structure and at least 3% to culture-based social integration actions.¶¶ They add new articles on synergies with Erasmus+, the Youth Guarantee and the AgoraEU programme, and require structured participation of social partners and civil society.¶¶¶
Committee position. The Committee on Culture and Education proposes amendments to the lead Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, adding education, training, skills, culture, sport and youth themes to the ESF regulation's recitals and objectives, and setting allocation requirements for skills and culture.¶¶¶
Key points
- Recital 1 is amended to add education, training, skills, basic skills and measures against early leaving from education or training to the ESF's policy areas.¶
- Recital 2 adds training, skills and sport to the employment guidelines and aligns the ESF 2028-2034 scope with the Council's employment guidelines.¶
- Recital 3 adds partnership with national, regional and local authorities, civil society, education providers, youth organisations, cultural operators and grassroots sports organisations, and cites the Council Recommendation on human capital.¶
- Recitals 4 to 6 add declining learning outcomes, teacher shortages, unequal access to education, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, non-standard work, NEETs and support for entrepreneurship to the challenges the ESF addresses.¶¶¶
- New recitals 7a and 7b recognise cultural and creative competences as transversal skills and call for ESF support for cultural and creative professionals' skills, working conditions, social protection and gender equality.¶¶
- Recitals 9, 9a and 11 to 13 add basic skills, digital literacy in cultural, creative and educational sectors, synergies with Erasmus+, the Youth Guarantee and AgoraEU, and monitoring and stakeholder involvement in implementation.¶¶¶
- Recitals 13 to 17 add validation and recognition of skills, lifelong guidance, youth employment, cultural and creative education, community-based learning, transparency of ESF resources and culture and sport as social inclusion tools.¶¶¶
- Recitals 17 to 25 add respect of Union values by beneficiaries, equity across member states, access to cultural, educational and recreational opportunities for children, and youth employment and education resources.¶¶¶
- Recital 23 requires member states to ensure meaningful and inclusive participation of local and regional social partners, civil society organisations, youth organisations and local authorities in ESF programming, management, monitoring, implementation and evaluation.¶
- Article 2 is replaced with six new specific objectives: employment access, education and training quality, teachers and trainers, basic and transversal skills, social inclusion through culture and sport, and digitalisation in cultural and creative sectors.¶¶¶
- Member states must allocate at least 28% of the ESF through three tiers: at least 15% for foundational skills, at least 8% for adult upskilling with at least 40 hours of annual certified training, and the remainder for flexible regional priorities.¶
- Member states must allocate at least 3% of their shared-management ESF resources to culture-based social integration, and new articles require synergies with Erasmus+, the Youth Guarantee and AgoraEU and structured social partner participation.¶¶¶
Who is affected
- Member states, which must allocate at least 28% of the ESF through three tiers and at least 3% to culture-based social integration.¶¶
- Cultural and creative professionals, who would gain ESF support for skills, working conditions, social protection and collective bargaining.¶¶
- Teachers, trainers and educators, who would benefit from measures on attractiveness, recognition, working conditions and retention.¶
- Young people, including NEETs, who would gain employment, education, training and Youth Guarantee support.¶¶¶
- Social partners, civil society organisations, youth organisations and local authorities, which must be involved in ESF programming, management, monitoring, implementation and evaluation.¶¶
Figures and deadlines
- At least 78% of the population aged 20-64 in employment by 2030, cited as a Union headline target.¶
- At least 60% of all adults participating in training every year, cited as a Union headline target.
- At least 15 million fewer people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, including 5 million children, cited as a Union headline target.
- Approximately 1 million fewer persons each year in the Union labour market between now and 2040.¶
- At least 28% of the ESF to be implemented through a progressive three-tier structure.¶
- Tier 1 – Foundational Skills: minimum 15%.
- Tier 2 – Adult Upskilling: minimum 8%, including at least 40 hours of annual certified training.
- At least 3% of member states' resources under the ESF strand under shared management for culture-based social integration.¶