Skip to content
OPINION (COM(2025)0565 – C100179/2025 – 2025/0240(COD))

On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Fund for economic, social and territorial cohesion, agriculture and rural, fisheries and maritime, prosperity and security for the period 2028-2034 and amending Regulation (EU) 2023/955 and Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509

EMPL-AD-784343

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs · Rapporteur: Sérgio Humberto

Official HTML ↗ PDF DOCX
✦ In shortFull textProcedure & committee votes
✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 9 Oct 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs proposes amendments to the proposed regulation establishing the European Fund for economic, social and territorial cohesion, agriculture and rural, fisheries and maritime, prosperity and security for 2028-2034. The amendments add a European Social Fund (ESF) as an instrument under the Fund, with its own allocation of at least EUR 124 190 000 000, and set social objectives including poverty eradication and social protection. They require partnership with social partners and civil society, gender equality, respect for the UN conventions on the rights of persons with disabilities and of the child, and a 14% minimum for social objectives. They delete the provisions linking the Social Climate Fund to the Plans and the transfer of resources from it. They strengthen transparency and accountability, including transmission of documents to Parliament and a national and regional partnership dialogue.

Committee position. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs proposes amendments to the lead committees, adding a European Social Fund with its own allocation, strengthening social objectives, partnership, gender equality and disability and children's rights, and deleting the Social Climate Fund provisions.

Key points

  1. Adds a new recital stating that the 20 principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights should be taken into account when designing actions under the National Regional Partnership Plan.
  2. Amends recitals to refer to the European Social Fund (ESF) with set objectives, the role of social partners and social dialogue, and social protection and cohesive societies aiming to eradicate poverty.
  3. Adds that particular attention should be paid to social inclusion, poverty eradication, quality employment, skills development, demographic decline, labour shortages and regional depopulation.
  4. Requires sector-specific regulations to complement this Regulation through specific goals and conditions, which shall not contradict its provisions, and deletes the rule that this Regulation prevails in case of doubt.
  5. Adds a general objective to support social and economic cohesion and reduce disparities between people and between regions, and amends the objective on quality employment, education, skills, social inclusion, social protection and cohesive societies.
  6. Adds specific objectives on anticipation of change and new skills requirements, quality and inclusiveness of education and training, a just transition with a cost-free right to training during working time, socio-economic integration of marginalised communities, and support for redundant workers.
  7. Requires Member States to organise a comprehensive and meaningful partnership including sectoral social partners, social economy actors, equality bodies and organisations representing groups in vulnerable situations, and to allocate funds to capacity building of social partners and civil society.
  8. Adds horizontal principles covering the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the European Pillar of Social Rights, the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and gender equality, and requires steps to promote gender equality and prevent discrimination.
  9. Adds at least EUR 124 190 000 000 for the ESF, keeps the 14% minimum for social objectives, and deletes the EUR 50 100 000 000 from the Social Climate Fund and the related external assigned revenue.
  10. Sets out allocation criteria for ESF resources based on employment, social and inclusion challenges, broken down by category of region, with additional support for outermost and sparsely populated regions.
  11. Raises the technical assistance flat rate for each NRP Plan from up to 3% to up to 4%, and makes technical assistance by the Commission and Member States mandatory ('shall' instead of 'may').
  12. Deletes the provisions on the Social Climate Plan chapter and the transfer of resources from the Social Climate Fund, and deletes the related amendment to Regulation (EU) 2023/955.

Who is affected

  • Member States, which must organise partnership, submit NRP Plans and allocate resources for social objectives.
  • Social partners and civil society organisations, which must be involved in preparing, implementing, modifying, monitoring and evaluating the Plans.
  • Persons with disabilities, children, Roma, third country nationals and other groups in vulnerable situations, whose rights and inclusion the amendments address.
  • The Commission, which must transmit documents to Parliament and Council and take part in a national and regional partnership dialogue.

Figures and deadlines

  • At least EUR 124 190 000 000 in current prices for the European Social Fund.
  • EUR 50 100 000 000 from the Social Climate Fund, deleted.
  • At least 14% of the financial envelope dedicated to the Union's social objectives.
  • Technical assistance flat rate of up to 4% for each NRP Plan and 8% for each Interreg Plan chapter.
  • Pre-financing of 10% paid in tranches: 4% in 2028, 3% in 2029 and 3% in 2030.
  • Member States should submit their NRP Plan, as a rule, by 31 January 2028.
  • Amended NRP Plan presenting the outcome of the mid-term review by 31 March 2031.
  • EUR 63 223 000 000 billion for Union actions.