Sittings · Document

Draft report (2025/2183(INI)) 2025-12-17

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

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

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Amendment 1

Séverine Werbrouck, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Citation 1 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to Article 153 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;

Or. fr

Amendment 2

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Citation 2 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Regulation (EU) 2024/1263 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2024 on the effective coordination of economic policies and on multilateral budgetary surveillance and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1466/971a, and in particular its articles 3, 4, 13 and 27,

_________________

1a OJ L, 2024/1263, 30.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1263/oj.

Or. en

Amendment 3

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Citation 2 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to Council Directive (EU) 2024/1499 of 7 May 2024 on standards for equality bodies in the field of equal treatment between persons irrespective of their racial or ethnic origin, equal treatment in matters of employment and occupation between persons irrespective of their religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, equal treatment between women and men in matters of social security and in the access to and supply of goods and services, and amending Directives 2000/43/EC and 2004/113/EC2a,

_________________

2a OJ L, 2024/1499, 29.5.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1499/oj.

Or. en

Amendment 4

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Citation 3 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the EU Social Scoreboard and its headline and secondary indicators,

Or. en

Amendment 5

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Citation 3 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Commission communication of 7 October 2020 entitled ‘A Union of Equality: EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation’ (COM(2020) 620 final),

Or. en

Amendment 6

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Citation 3 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Commission communication of 3 March 2021 entitled ‘Union of Equality: Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030’ (COM(2021) 101 final),

Or. en

Amendment 7

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Citation 3 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Commission communication of 4 March 2021 entitled ‘The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan’ (COM(2021)0102) and its proposed 2030 headline targets on employment, skills and poverty reduction,

Or. en

Amendment 8

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Citation 3 e (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to Council Recommendation (EU) 2021/1004 of 14 June 2021 establishing a European Child Guarantee,

Or. en

Amendment 9

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Citation 3 f (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Commission communication of 4 December 2025 entitled ‘Quality Jobs Roadmap’ (COM(2025) 944 final),

Or. en

Amendment 10

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Citation 3 g (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Recommendation for Council Recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area (COM (2025) 957) final,

Or. en

Amendment 11

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Citation 5

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Commission proposal of XXX 2026 for a joint employment report from the Commission and the Council,

– having regard to the Commission proposal of 25 November 2025 for a joint employment report from the Commission and the Council,

Or. en

Amendment 12

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Citation 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Commission recommendation of XXX 2026 for a Council recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area,

– having regard to the Commission recommendation of 25 November 2025 for a Council recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area,

Or. en

Amendment 13

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Citation 6 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– Having regards the Commission Communication on "A dynamic EU budget for the priorities of the future – The Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034" and its corrigendum

Or. en

Amendment 14

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Citation 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Commission report of XXX 2026 entitled ‘Alert Mechanism Report 2025’,

– having regard to the Commission report of 25 November 2025 entitled ‘Alert Mechanism Report 2025’,

Or. en

Amendment 15

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Citation 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Commission communication of XX November 2026 entitled ‘Draft Budgetary Plans for 2025: Overall assessment’,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 25 November 2025 entitled ‘Draft Budgetary Plans for 2025: Overall assessment’,

Or. en

Amendment 16

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Citation 8 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Commission proposal of 25 November 2025 for a Council Recommendation on human capital in the European Union,

Or. en

Amendment 17

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Citation 11 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Skills Roadmap, as developed under the European Skills Agenda (2020–2025) and further reinforced by the Union of Skills (2025),”

Or. en

Amendment 18

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Citation 11 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the European Commission report entitled ‘Employment and Social Developments in Europe 2025’, published in September 2025,

Or. en

Amendment 19

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Citation 11 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/241 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and in particular to the requirement that all milestones and targets be fulfilled by December 2026

Or. en

Amendment 20

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Citation 11 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the European Commission report entitled ‘Labour Market and Wage Development in Europe 2025’, published in October 2025,

Or. en

Amendment 21

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Citation 12 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– Having regards the European Court of Auditors 2024's Annual Report

Or. en

Amendment 22

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Citation 13 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the inputs of the European Social Partners to the European Semester 2026 and in particular to the Autumn Package1a,

_________________

1a https://commission.europa.eu/publications/sustainable-economy-and-social-progress-etuc-inputs-2026-european-semester_en

Or. en

Amendment 23

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Citation 13 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), proclaimed by the Council, Parliament and the Commission in November 2017, and its accompanying Action Plan adopted in 2021

Or. en

Amendment 24

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Citation 13 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/1263 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2024 on the effective coordination of economic policies and on multilateral budgetary surveillance and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1466/97,

Or. en

Amendment 25

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Citation 13 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to Directive (EU) 2022/2041 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union,

Or. en

Amendment 26

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Citation 13 e (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Commission communication of 7 September 2022 on the European care strategy (COM(2022)440 final),

Or. en

Amendment 27

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Citation 13 f (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

– having regard to the Council Recommendation on access to affordable, high-quality long-term care,

Or. en

Amendment 28

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Recital -A (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

-A. having regard to the mid-term review of the Cohesion Policy, specifically the amendments to Regulations 2021/1057 (ESF+) and 2021/1058 (ERDF) as well as the Common Provisions Regulation,

Or. en

Amendment 29

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Recital -A a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

-A a. having regard the Social Economy Action Plan dated December 2021 and its current mid-term review

Or. en

Amendment 30

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital A

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

A. whereas in June 2025, the unemployment rate in the EU stood at 5.9 %, while youth unemployment remains high at 14.7 %; whereas higher levels of employment are not fully matched by job quality, wage increases and productivity gains;

A. whereas the EU’s employment target to have at least 78% of people aged 20 to 64 in employment by 2030 is on track to be achieved; whereas more than two-thirds of Member States have continued to make progress towards this target in 2024, with seven having already reached or exceeded their national target; whereas in October 2025, the unemployment rate in the EU stood at 6.0 %, while youth unemployment remains high at 13.2 %; whereas unemployment levels also remain persistently high for certain groups such as Roma and persons with disabilities, facing structural barriers including discrimination, limited access to quality education, and segregation; whereas higher levels of employment should go hand in hand with job quality, wage increases and productivity gains; whereas, in particular, almost 1 in 12 workers in the Union were still at risk of poverty in 2024;

Or. en

Amendment 31

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital A

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

A. whereas in September 2025, the unemployment rate in the EU stood at 6 %, while youth unemployment remains high at 14.8 % whereas higher levels of employment in the EU are not fully matched by job quality, decent salaries, wage increases and productivity gains whereas unemployment and precarious working conditions affect in particular young people, women, older workers, low, low- and medium-qualified, migrants and persons with disabilities , together; whereas many workers still face low pay, involuntary temporary and precarious contracts, insufficient access to adequate social protection systems and too few opportunities for high quality training; whereas in-work poverty remains at 8.2 %, undermining social cohesion;

Or. en

Amendment 32

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Recital A

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

A. whereas in June 2025, the unemployment rate in the EU stood at 5.9 %, ranging in Member States from 2.6% to as much as 10.6%, while youth unemployment remains high at 14.7 %; whereas higher levels of employment are not fully matched by job quality, wage increases and productivity gains;

Or. en

Amendment 33

Miriam Lexmann

Motion for a resolution

Recital A

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

A. whereas in June 2025, the unemployment rate in the EU stood at 5.9 %, while youth unemployment remains high at 14.7 % and unemployment of persons with disabilities is at 15,1%; whereas higher levels of employment are not fully matched by job quality, wage increases and productivity gains;

Or. en

Amendment 34

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Recital A

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

A. whereas in September 2025, the unemployment rate in the EU stood at 6,0 %, while youth unemployment remains high at 14.8 %; whereas higher levels of employment are not fully matched by job quality, wage increases and productivity gains;

Or. en

Amendment 35

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital A a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

A a. whereas the recent high inflation in the EU has eroded the purchasing power of many households and workers, increasing the risk of in-work poverty and precariousness; whereas recent analyses by the ECB and the IMF indicate that rising corporate profit margins and mark-ups have contributed significantly to inflation in the last years, while there is no evidence of a wage–price spiral; whereas this has led to a shift in value added from wages to profits at a time when many workers have experienced real wage losses;

Or. en

Amendment 36

Séverine Werbrouck, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Recital A a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Aa. whereas the unemployment rate among immigrants of working age is higher than among native-born citizens; whereas according to Eurostat1 a, approximately 10 % of immigrants are unemployed, and whereas if we consider only immigrants from non-EU countries, the unemployment rate rises to 12.3 % in this population group; whereas the inability to control migration flows from third countries, as demonstrated by the European Union, contributes to increased pressure on the labour market;

_________________

1 a Eurostat, publication of 12 May 2025 - "Migrant integration statistics – labour market indicators"

Or. fr

Amendment 37

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Recital A a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

A a. whereas in eight EU Member States the unemployment rate has remained below 4.5%, which is significantly lower than the EU average, and therefore the Member States with unemployment rates above the EU average are needing in-depth analysis to draw on the good practices of the countries where unemployment rate stays continuously lower than the EU average

Or. en

Amendment 38

Emmanouil Fragkos, Galato Alexandraki

Motion for a resolution

Recital Α a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Aa. whereas, according to Eurostat, around 13 % of the Union's population lives in mountain areas and island regions have a consistently lower GDP per capita, a higher cost of living and limited access to essential services;

Or. el

Amendment 39

Idoia Mendia, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital A b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

A b. whereas value must be placed on the economic return of social investments that not only improve living standards and reduce poverty but are also key drivers of sustainable and inclusive economic growth, higher productivity and increased employment rates;

Or. en

Amendment 40

Emmanouil Fragkos, Galato Alexandraki

Motion for a resolution

Recital Α b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Ab. whereas the permanent geographical disadvantages of mountainous and island regions, as recognised in Article 174 of the TFEU, limit their development opportunities and productive capacity;

Or. el

Amendment 41

Emmanouil Fragkos, Galato Alexandraki

Motion for a resolution

Recital Α c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Ac. whereas the European Semester must take into account these structural specificities when formulating country-specific recommendations, with a view to achieving upward convergence and ensuring equal opportunities for all of the Union's regions;

Or. el

Amendment 42

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital B

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B. whereas the European Semester combines different instruments in an integrated framework and remains a central instrument for multilateral coordination and surveillance of economic, fiscal, employment and social policy across the EU and it must become key tool for fostering upward social convergence ensuring that economic and fiscal policies not only drive growth but also contribute to a social and sustainable EU; whereas under Regulation (EU) 2024/1263, the Commission must assess risks to upward social convergence and monitor progress on the implementation of all the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) on the basis of the Social Scoreboard and of the principles of the Social Convergence Framework; whereas the Semester must therefore ensure that economic and fiscal policies reduce inequalities and support a fair and just green and digital transition; whereas this offers an opportunity to embed social justice, environmental sustainability and intergenerational fairness more systematically into macroeconomic governance putting the European Pillar of Social Rights at its core;

Or. en

Amendment 43

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

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 thus offers an opportunity to embed social, environmental and intergenerational fairness more systematically into macroeconomic governance; 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;

Or. en

Amendment 44

Konstantinos Arvanitis

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, environmental and intergenerational fairness more systematically into macroeconomic governance; whereas fiscal adjustment strategies relying primarily on expenditure cuts have repeatedly resulted in underinvestment in human capital, with negative consequences for productivity, social cohesion and long-term growth;

Or. en

Amendment 45

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Recital B

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B. whereas the European Semester should promote social and intergenerational fairness as well as economic competitiveness, respecting the principle of subsidiarity and Member States’ primary responsibility for social policy, and encouraging cost-efficient national implementation;

Or. en

Amendment 46

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital B a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B a. whereas the EPSR must be the compass for leading EU social and economic policies, ensuring that the Union takes a leading role in promoting social progress and guiding all policies under the European Semester towards full quality employment, quality jobs, robust and adequate social protection systems, equal opportunities and access to quality public services for all;

Or. en

Amendment 47

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Recital B a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B a. whereas social cohesion and upward social convergence are core objectives of the European Union and should therefore be central to the European Semester; whereas persistent inequalities in income, regional development and access to quality jobs and essential services constitute significant barriers to achieving these objectives;

Or. en

Amendment 48

Pál Szekeres, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Recital B a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B a. whereas the unemployment data demonstrate that the European Semester has not proven to be an effective instrument, and therefore it should not be imposed on the Member States.

Or. en

Amendment 49

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital B b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B b. whereas addressing the challenges identified in the JER will contribute to achieving upward social convergence, strengthen the European social model and welfare states, supporting fair and just green and digital transitions, respond to demographic change and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals:

Or. en

Amendment 50

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital B c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B c. whereas the 2026 Autumn Package was presented without an Annual Sustainable Growth Survey setting out a holistic and balanced strategy for the Union’s economic, social and employment, and environmental and anchoring the European Semester in a broad vision of sustainable growth for the Union; whereas the package is instead guided primarily by the 'Competitiveness Compass', focused on innovation, decarbonisation and reducing dependencies; whereas, although these are valid goals, this shift risks narrowing the scope of the Semester and marginalising the social dimension; whereas the Union must remain committed to competitiveness, sustainability and social justice, without allowing one objective to be pursued at the expense of the others;

Or. en

Amendment 51

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital B d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B d. whereas structural reforms and investments under the European Semester must prioritise social progress, ensuring access for all to adequate social protection, affordable and decent housing and essential services, such as high quality and accessible health, education, long-term care and childcare, in particular for vulnerable groups;

Or. en

Amendment 52

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital B e (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

B e. whereas according to article 3 TEU, social progress in the EU is one of the aims of a highly competitive social market economy, together with full employment, a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment; whereas article 3 also states that the EU shall combat social exclusion and discrimination and shall promote social justice and protection, equality between women and men, solidarity between generations and protection of the rights of the child;

Or. en

Amendment 53

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital C

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

C. whereas, according to the Commission, 21 % of the EU population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) in 2024, with a higher risk for women than for men; whereas this means that around one in five people in the EU remained at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2024 and that there is no clear sign of upward social convergence in this respect; whereas poverty risks are much higher for children, older people, persons with disabilities,LGTBI, low-skilled people, migrants and Roma, and significant discrepancies persist between and within Member States, including between rural and urban areas; whereas insufficient progress is being made towards the objective of reducing the number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 5 million by 2030 with the percentage of children AROPE having risen every year since 2019; whereas, according to the Joint Employment Report 2026, in 2024 around 19.5 million children (24.2 %) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU; whereas the real gross disposable household income per capita in the EU increased substantially in 2024; whereas this divergence between rising average incomes and persistent poverty levels highlights structural problems in income distribution, labour markets and the design and coverage of social protection systems;

Or. en

Amendment 54

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Recital C

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

C. whereas 21 % of the EU population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) in 2024; whereas insufficient progress is being made towards the objective of reducing the number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 5 million by 2030, with the percentage of children AROPE having risen every year since 2019;1a whereas the risk of poverty or social exclusion is greater for women, young adults, people with a low level of educational attainment, the unemployed and whereas evidence shows that around two-thirds of unemployed people in the Union do not receive unemployment benefits or minimum income support, revealing persistent gaps in coverage and adequacy of social protection systems;1b whereas in-work poverty remains widespread, with wages failing to keep pace with the cost of living; whereas in 2024 8.2% of EU workers were at risk of poverty;1c

_________________

1a https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/en/publications/all/working-children-matters-overview-service-delivery-and-workforce-europe

1b Social protection 2.0: Unemployment and minimum income benefits

1c https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20251103-1

Or. en

Amendment 55

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital C

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

C. whereas the EU 2030 target of reducing the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million compared to 2019, including at least 5 million children is not on track to be met; whereas the Member States have committed themselves to national targets in order to achieve this headline goal and whereas the trend is moving in the opposite direction in more than half the Member States; whereas 21 % of the EU population was still at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) in 2024; whereas without a change of approach to tackling poverty at EU and national level, it will not be possible to reverse the trend and ensure that every citizen has equal opportunities to participate in society; whereas an ambitious EU Anti-Poverty Strategy will be essential to provide responses to the multidimensional phenomenon of poverty;

Or. en

Amendment 56

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Recital C

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

C. Whereas 21% of the EU population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) in 2024; pointing to a slight decrease compared to previous years but to limited progress towards the 2030 EU-level target; whereas for children, the AROPE population has been rising since 2019, moving away from the objective of a 5 million reduction; whereas one in twelve workers in the EU experienced in-work poverty in 2024, highlighting that employment does not per se provide full protection against poverty;

Or. en

Amendment 57

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Recital C

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

C. whereas 21 % of the EU population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) in 2024, and the differences between individual countries in this field are very large: the percentages range from 1.8% to 17.2%; whereas insufficient progress is being made towards the objective of reducing the number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 5 million by 2030;

Or. en

Amendment 58

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital C a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

C a. whereas one child in four is still at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the European Union, at a higher level than for the population as a whole; whereas insufficient progress is being made towards the objective of reducing the number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion by 5 million by 2030, as the number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion has increased by 446,000 since 2019; whereas preventive child and family support policies and services, in line with the European Child Guarantee, are essential to addressing the socio-economic conditions that may lead to family separation and child institutionalisation; whereas EU and national resources currently deployed are also insufficient for addressing the challenge of child poverty and, therefore, a dedicated funding instrument for the European Child Guarantee as well as synergies with other EU and national funds are of utmost importance both in the current and next Multiannual Financial Framework;

Or. en

Amendment 59

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital C a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

C a. whereas insufficient coverage and adequacy of minimum income schemes, unemployment benefits and family and child benefits, as well as barriers to accessing quality public services such as health, education, care and housing, contribute to the persistence of poverty and social exclusion, particularly among the most disadvantaged groups;

Or. en

Amendment 60

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Recital C a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

C a. whereas the European Semester should aim to steer Member States’ policies towards poverty eradication with even more targeted measures, as the Commission prepares to launch the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy;

Or. en

Amendment 61

Emmanouil Fragkos, Galato Alexandraki

Motion for a resolution

Recital Γ a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Ca. whereas the huge disparities in interest rates on home and business loans in the EU which affect living standards and overall economic activity;

Or. el

Amendment 62

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital C b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

C b. whereas economic and social inequalities, territorial disparities and limited access to quality public services have increased the risk of poverty and social exclusion, particularly affecting children, single-parent households, young and older people, LGTBI, migrants, Roma, persons with disabilities and people living in depopulated areas; whereas these inequalities undermine social cohesion and trust in democratic institutions;

Or. en

Amendment 63

Emmanouil Fragkos, Galato Alexandraki

Motion for a resolution

Recital Γ b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Cb. whereas, according to Eurostat's most recent data (Urban–rural Europe – income and living conditions, 2023/2024 edition) the median equivalised net income of people living in rural areas of the Union is just 88.2 % of the equivalent income recorded for people living in urban areas, which shows that rural areas are consistently lagging behind in terms of income and development with a shortfall of around 12 %;

Or. el

Amendment 64

Emmanouil Fragkos, Galato Alexandraki

Motion for a resolution

Recital Γ c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Cc. whereas, according to Eurostat, in 2024 GDP per capita across EU Member States — expressed in purchasing power standards (PPS) — ranged from as low as ~ 66 % of the EU average to as high as ~ 241 %, with central European countries like the Netherlands recording rates equal to 135 % of the EU average while southern European countries such as Greece recorded rates equal to just 70 % of the EU average, which underscores the significant discrepancies between Member States in terms of productive capacity and development opportunities and highlights the need to reinforce upward convergence in the context of the European Semester;

Or. el

Amendment 65

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital C c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

C c. whereas the introduction of Artificial Intelligence at the workplace enhances the need for training in order to maintain the employability of workers and reaping the productivity benefits for companies; whereas the clear advantages of workplace social dialogue on the use of AI and associated employee training have been demonstrated in Eurofound’s research;

Or. en

Amendment 66

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital C d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

C d. whereas according to the European Working Conditions Survey, workers have more opportunities to use and develop their skills, however inequalities in access to training remain in certain occupational and age groups;

Or. en

Amendment 67

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital C e (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

C e. whereas the 2026 Joint Employment Report (JER) highlights the right to disconnect, particularly in the context of telework, recognising its essential role in safeguarding work–life balance amid accelerating digitalisation and the continued expansion of remote and hybrid work arrangements;

Or. en

Amendment 68

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Recital D

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

D. whereas climate change and environmental destruction have exacerbated inequalities and affected the most vulnerable groups; whereas the transition towards climate neutrality is expected to create about 2.5 million additional jobs; whereas the green transition requires the creation of quality climate jobs, including in the production and deployment of renewable energy, in the manufacturing of sustainable mobility solutions and along their supply chains, which can offer stable, well-paid and future-oriented employment opportunities; whereas effective safety nets and protection mechanisms are required to support workers affected by the shift to a low-carbon economy, which can ensure that no one is left behind and the transition is socially just;

Or. en

Amendment 69

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital D

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

D. whereas climate change and environmental destruction have exacerbated inequalities and affected the most vulnerable groups hardest; ; whereas strong and adequately funded welfare and adequate social protection systems are a prerequisite for ensuring a fair and just transition towards climate neutrality and digital transformation; whereas the transition towards climate neutrality could create between 1 and 2.5 million additional quality jobs, if accompanied by effective policies; whereas the social impact of the transition toward climate neutrality cannot be reached without a proper just transition framework;

Or. en

Amendment 70

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital D

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

D. whereas climate change has exacerbated inequalities and affected the most vulnerable groups; whereas the transition towards climate neutrality is expected to create between 1 million and 2.5 million additional jobs by 2030, if supported by the right employment and education policies; whereas adequate supports for workers and households should be provided to ensure a just transition;

Or. en

Amendment 71

Petar Volgin

Motion for a resolution

Recital D

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

D. whereas climate change and environmental destruction have exacerbated inequalities and affected the most vulnerable groups;

Or. en

Amendment 72

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Recital D

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. en

Amendment 73

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Recital D

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

D. whereas The green transition and the pursuit of climate neutrality are causing the decline of industry and the threat of losing many jobs in individual regions of the EU;

Or. en

Amendment 74

Galato Alexandraki, Emmanouil Fragkos

Motion for a resolution

Recital Δ a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Da. whereas the green transition is expected to create new jobs, stresses that the real impact on employment depends on the resilience and sustainability of traditional production sectors such as the process industry and the primary sector; points out that many EU regions depend on these sectors for stable and quality jobs and that a hasty or imbalanced implementation of transition policies may lead to income loss, de-industrialisation and a shrinking of the local economy;

Or. el

Amendment 75

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital D a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

D a. whereas the green and digital transitions must be socially fair, just and inclusive for all, seizing the opportunity to create quality jobs, tackle discrimination at work, protect workers’ rights and raise labour standards; whereas it is essential to promote good-quality job creation, robust and adequate social protection, and targeted investments in skills that match emerging labour opportunities in the green and digital sectors combined with adult education to ensure access to high quality upskilling and reskilling for all;

Or. en

Amendment 76

Séverine Werbrouck, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Recital D a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Da. whereas economic stagnation has exacerbated inequalities and affected the most vulnerable groups; whereas this stagnation is also due to political choices; welcomes Parliament's adoption at first reading of Omnibus Directive COM/2025/80, which is a step towards simplification and reducing red tape; whereas only economic recovery can guarantee the long-term creation of quality jobs and a reduction in social insecurity;

Or. fr

Amendment 77

Pál Szekeres, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Recital D a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

D a. whereas projections that expect to have more workplaces through climate neutrality overlook the significant job losses expected in carbon-intensive sectors as well as the competitive advantage of Far Eastern economies in the production of renewable technologies and underestimate the social and regional disparities that the transition may deepen, meaning that the net employment impact is far from guaranteed to be positive

Or. en

Amendment 78

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Recital D a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

D a. whereas defence production is comparatively capital-intensive and generates fewer jobs per unit of investment than education, healthcare or green sectors; whereas the planned reallocation of public resources towards defence therefore raises concerns about the social and employment impact of this shift in priorities;

Or. en

Amendment 79

Séverine Werbrouck, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Recital D b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Db. whereas migratory pressure has exacerbated inequalities and affected the most vulnerable groups;

Or. fr

Amendment 80

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital E

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households, yet housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations;

E. whereas there is an ongoing housing crisis in the EU affecting in particular low- and middle-income households, women, young and older people, LGTBI, migrant workers, single-parent households, persons with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, and other vulnerable groups; whereas cost pressures and high energy prices have increased the cost of living and impose significant burdens on households;, yet housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations; ; whereas the loss of purchasing power and rising housing costs limit their ability to acquire or rent decent and affordable housing and to live independently; whereas access to decent, affordable, and sustainable housing is essential to ensure that all people, regardless of income or personal circumstances, can exercise their right to housing;whereas, over the last decade, house prices in the EU have grown on average around 10 % faster than incomes, reducing affordability; whereas housing is becoming unaffordable for many Europeans and 8,9% of the EU population live in households where housing costs represent 40% of their total disposable income; whereas decent, accessible good-quality and affordable housing, including through social housing, is a fundamental condition for ensuring equal opportunities and fighting poverty and/or social exclusion;

Or. en

Amendment 81

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Recital E

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households, yet housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations;

E. Whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices place a significant burden on households across the Union; whereas the persistent lack of housing supply is increasingly recognised as one of the main structural drivers of affordability problems in the EU alongside with labour shortages in the construction sector , yet housing policy remains under-represented in country-specific recommendations; whereas regulatory uncertainty and insufficient incentives discourage private owners from investing their savings in the rental and housing markets, compounded by inadequate public investment in land availability and planning liberalisation in several Member States; whereas price-control and rent-freeze measures adopted in some countries have proven ineffective and risk further constraining supply by disincentivising investment in the housing market

Or. en

Amendment 82

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital E

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households, yet housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations;

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households, and mobile workers, yet housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations; whereas investment in social services and increasing housing supply, including social and affordable housing, as well as in energy efficiency and building renovation, play a key role in reducing poverty, including energy poverty, and improving affordability;

Or. en

Amendment 83

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Recital E

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households, yet housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations;

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households, yet housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations; whereas labour market flexibility, supportive entrepreneurship conditions and reduced administrative burdens are essential to address persistent labour shortages and to transform skills investment into job creation;

Or. en

Amendment 84

Séverine Werbrouck, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Recital E

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households, yet housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations;

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households, yet housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations; whereas sticking to the Green Deal exacerbates these burdens, particularly energy prices, weakening the economic situation of both households and businesses, and therefore the quality of jobs;

Or. fr

Amendment 85

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Recital E

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households, yet housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations;

E. whereas the persistent cost of living, housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households; whereas access to affordable housing is increasingly restricted due to speculation and unregulated short-term rentals; whereas housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations;

Or. en

Amendment 86

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Recital E

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households, yet housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations;

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households, yet housing policy has often been underrepresented in country-specific recommendations, despite its central role in income security, social inclusion and cost-of-living resilience;

Or. en

Amendment 87

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Recital E

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households, yet housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations;

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households;

Or. en

Amendment 88

Emmanouil Fragkos, Galato Alexandraki

Motion for a resolution

Recital Ε

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices impose significant burdens on households, yet housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations;

E. whereas housing cost pressures and high energy prices, resulting partly from geopolitical choices, impose significant burdens on households, yet housing policy has often been under-represented in country-specific recommendations;

Or. el

Amendment 89

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital E a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E a. whereas there are still at least 1.4 million persons with disabilities residing in institutions in the EU; whereas there are at least 292,848 children living in institutions in the EU, which remains a significant part of alternative care for children in most Member States; whereas residents of institutions are isolated from the broader community and do not have sufficient control over their lives and the decisions that affect them; whereas despite the fact that the European Union has long been committed to the process of deinstitutionalisation, efforts are still needed at both European and national level to enable vulnerable groups to live independently in a family or community environment;

Or. en

Amendment 90

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital E a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E a. whereas the EU and the Member States have an obligation towards their citizens to ensure universal access to decent and affordable housing in accordance with fundamental rights, including Articles 16, 30 and 31 of the European Social Charter and Principle 19 of the European Pillar of Social Rights; whereas the European Semester should therefore systematically assess housing affordability, homelessness and energy poverty and translate these assessments into concrete country-specific recommendations and investment priorities; whereas housing policy has significant macroeconomic relevance and should be adequately reflected in the EU economic governance framework;

Or. en

Amendment 91

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Recital E a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E a. Whereas demographic challenges such as population ageing, low birth rates and rural depopulation, in particular the exodus of workers to urban areas, have a negative impact on territorial cohesion, the functioning of labour markets and the sustainability of social protection systems, thereby exacerbating regional disparities within the Union; whereas, as highlighted in the Draghi report, sustainable growth and European competitiveness depend on adapting education and training systems to changing skills needs, strengthening vocational training to increase the inclusion of the working population in the labour market.

Or. en

Amendment 92

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Recital E a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E a. whereas energy poverty remains a significant issue in the EU, with around 10.6 % of the population in 2023 reporting that they were unable to keep their homes adequately warm, indicating a 1.3% increase compared to 2022; whereas broader indicators suggest that between 8 % and 16 % of Europeans face challenges in affording essential energy services, highlighting persistent and structural affordability problems;2a

_________________

2a https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20250123-2 https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/whos-energy-poor-eu-its-more-complex-it-seems-2024-09-25_en

Or. en

Amendment 93

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Recital E a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E a. whereas the country-specific reports should take into account how keeping household energy prices low helps prevent families from falling into the poverty trap

Or. en

Amendment 94

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Recital E b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E b. whereas the new digital economy has the potential to generate benefits for society as a whole by improving quality of life and working conditions and creating new employment opportunities; whereas digitalisation, robotization, automation and artificial intelligence are expected to benefit citizens and society by improving quality of life and creating new employment opportunities, while also posing a number of risks and challenges that need to be addressed; whereas there are significant advantages of workplace social dialogue on the adoption and deployment of AI and associated employee training;3a

_________________

3a Eurofound (2026, forthcoming) European Working Conditions Survey 2024: Overview report | Eurofound

Or. en

Amendment 95

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Recital E b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E b. Whereas the Letta report warns of the decline in birth rates and stresses the need to establish a framework to support families as part of an inclusive growth strategy in line with the European pillar of social rights; whereas it also highlights that the free movement of persons remains the least developed freedom and calls for reducing barriers to professional mobility, while addressing territorial imbalances and safeguarding the right of residence through policies that promote the right to stay.

Or. en

Amendment 96

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital E b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

E b. whereas more than 40 million people in the Union, corresponding to around 9.2% of the population, experience energy poverty in 2024, measured as the share of people unable to keep their home adequately warm, and it remains significantly higher among people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, meaning that many low-income households still have to choose between paying energy bills, rent, healthcare or food;

Or. en

Amendment 97

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital F

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including poor job quality;

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills in some sectors such as science and technology; whereas shortages are linked to a number of factors, including poor job quality, lack of attractiveness and investment into quality public services, bad working conditions and low salaries, discrimination, limited access to quality upskilling and reskilling opportunities; ; whereas addressing shortages and retaining all type of talents requires improving quality workers’ rights and collective bargaining, access to social protection systems, improving job quality , opportunities for skills development tailored to the needs;;and decent working conditions, rather than relying on labour market deregulation whereas EU’s capacity to deal with future shocks, crises and polycrises while navigating the demographic, digital and green transitions will depend greatly on the conditions under which critical workers will be able to perform their work;

Or. en

Amendment 98

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Recital F

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including poor job quality;

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including poor job quality; whereas, according to the European Working Conditions Survey 2024, 18% of the EU workforce score below the EU average in all job quality dimensions, meaning that they find themselves in poor quality jobs;4a whereas labour shortages in several sectors cannot be sustainably addressed through the expansion of precarious employment or unequal working conditions for migrant workers; whereas equal treatment, access to social protection and decent working conditions for all, including migrant workers, is essential for addressing labour shortages and ensuring social cohesion;

_________________

4a European Working Conditions Survey 2024: Overview report | Eurofound

Or. en

Amendment 99

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Recital F

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including poor job quality;

F. Whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, resulting from a number of factors including job quality, poor working conditions, unattractive salaries, demand for new skills sets and a shortage of relevant training, barriers to access to education and lack or recognition of skills; whereas the proposal for a Joint Employment Report highlights that Europe needs to address structural weaknesses in its labour market by improving the quality of jobs and shows that quality jobs help achieve higher productivity growth, better economic performance, and more social fairness and social cohesion;

Or. en

Amendment 100

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Recital F

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including poor job quality;

F. Whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, driven primarily by structural skills mismatches, rapid technological change and insufficient adaptation of national education and training systems to labour market needs; whereas shortages are particularly acute in new and emerging technologies; whereas limited career prospects and stagnant opportunities for young people in parts of the Union increasingly incentivise them to seek employment in third countries, further exacerbating labour and skills shortages within the EU.

Or. en

Amendment 101

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital F

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including poor job quality;

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including skills mismatch, demographic change and poor job quality which has been identified as a key barrier for EU growth and competitiveness; whereas by 2050, the EU working population is expected to shrink by up to 18.8 million3a, indicating that in addition to and complementing activation and training measures, legal labour migration will be necessary to supplement the EU workforce;

_________________

3a Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) 2025, European Commission, September 2025.

Or. en

Amendment 102

Séverine Werbrouck, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Recital F

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including poor job quality;

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including poor job quality and a lack of confidence in the future linked to degressive political decisions and an accumulation of constraints, particularly of an administrative nature;

Or. fr

Amendment 103

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Recital F

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including poor job quality;

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including poor job quality and especially from the demographic crisis, including the birth gap and a rapidly aging society ;

Or. en

Amendment 104

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Recital F

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including poor job quality;

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including demographic development, green and digital transitions and job quality;

Or. en

Amendment 105

Miriam Lexmann

Motion for a resolution

Recital F

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including poor job quality;

F. whereas the EU faces a persistent shortage of workers and skills, owing to a number of factors, including poor job quality or low pay in certain sectors including care sector;

Or. en

Amendment 106

Pál Szekeres

Motion for a resolution

Recital F a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F a. whereas the EU faces a persistent labour and skills shortages and rising unemployment, with the number of unemployed people in the EU increasing by 517 000 between October 2024 and October 2025, due to a number of factors, including demographic decline, mismatches between education and labour market needs, low labour mobility and the rapid growth of the economy driven by digitalisation, artificial intelligence-based and expanding services, increasingly less human-provided, and green technologies

Or. en

Amendment 107

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital F a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F a. whereas there are 51 million European residents aged between 20 and 64 who are outside the workforce, primarily women, older people, Roma, persons with disabilities and migrants; whereas targeted support and activation measures would increase the participation of these groups in the labour market and thus improve the competitiveness and inclusiveness of the workforce;

Or. en

Amendment 108

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital F a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F a. whereas public spending alone may not meet the scale of upskilling and reskilling needs given the transformational challenges the EU is facing; whereas lifelong learning and upskilling and reskilling are essential for individuals to keep pace with a rapidly changing market;

Or. en

Amendment 109

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Recital F a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F a. whereas climate change risks are associated with increased exposure to hazards, for example high temperatures, leading to lower standards of job quality, productivity loss and greater job insecurity;5a

_________________

5a Job quality side of climate change | Eurofound Eurofound 2025 : European Working Conditions Survey 2024: First findings | Eurofound

Or. en

Amendment 110

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital F b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F b. whereas in several Member States, net migration has been the major contributor to employment growth since 2021 and whereas strengthening the labour market integration of migrants is essential to address labour and skills shortages, respond to demographic change and foster social cohesion; whereas migrants make up around 11.2 % of the EU labour force but accounted for 76 % of employment growth between 2023 and 2024, with employment growth for non-EU born workers particularly strong in sectors facing significant labour shortages, including construction and accommodation and food services; whereas, despite this contribution, labour force participation and employment rates of migrants remain lower than those of domestic-born people, with particularly large gaps for migrant women, and around 7.4 million migrants remain outside the EU labour force due to multiple barriers to labour market and social integration, including low educational attainment and language proficiency, discrimination, poor health, low job quality prospects and difficulties in the recognition of qualifications acquired outside the EU;

Or. en

Amendment 111

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital F b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

F b. whereas in 2024, one in five Europeans were at least partially working from home and according to a Eurofound survey, half of workers would like to work from home several days a week and a quarter of workers would like to work exclusively from home4a;

_________________

4a COM(2025) 944 final.

Or. en

Amendment 112

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Recital G

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 113

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Recital G

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

G. whereas data indicates that more effort is needed across most Member States to reach the target of 60 % of adults participating in education and training by 2030; whereas the integrated approach to policy coordination within the European Semester provides the framework to guide the necessary investment in human capital development, education and training systems; whereas restrictive fiscal policies within the European Semester have, in several Member States, led to cuts or underinvestment in education and research, weakening long-term growth prospects; whereas the Commission is therefore called upon to examine options, including targeted escape clauses or a ‘golden rule’ for education-related expenditure, to ensure that investments in education and research are not constrained by short-term budgetary limits;

Or. en

Amendment 114

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital G

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

G. whereas in 2022, the rate of adult participation in learning was at 39.5%, indicating that more effort is needed across most Member States to reach the target of 60 % of adults participating in education and training by 2030; whereas the majority of Member States lag behind in the pursuit of their national targets in this regard; whereas the integrated approach to policy coordination within the European Semester provides the framework to guide the necessary investment in human capital development, education and training systems; whereas further substantial efforts are needed to ensure provision of, and access to, quality training policies, notably for workers in lower-skilled occupations, that promote lifelong learning and strengthen EU competitiveness, resilience and inclusiveness of the EU workforce;

Or. en

Amendment 115

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital G

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

G. whereas data indicates that more effort is needed across most Member States to reach the target of 60 % of adults participating in education and training by 2030, especially in the context of the demographic transition and structural changes in labour markets; whereas the integrated approach to policy coordination within the European Semester provides the framework to guide the necessary investment in human capital development, as part of a broader social agenda ,including high quality and accessible education and training systems for all;

Or. en

Amendment 116

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Recital G

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

G. whereas data indicates that some Member States have already reached the target of 60 % of adults participating in education and training and some are already above 55%, and these could serve as a good example for those Member States lagging behind; whereas the integrated approach to policy coordination within the European Semester provides the framework to guide the necessary investment in human capital development, education and training systems;

Or. en

Amendment 117

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital G a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

G a. whereas skilled workers, and access to quality education, VET as well as lifelong learning are crucial to ensure a just twin transition of the EU economy; whereas there is a need to optimise the deployment of talents and human capital within the Union, given that only 44% of workers report having enough opportunities to use their skills and knowledge in their work5a; whereas at the same time upskilling, reskilling and training programmes must be available for all workers, including those with disabilities, and should also be adapted to the needs and capacities of workers;

_________________

5a Eurofound (2025): European Working Conditions Survey 2024: First findings.

Or. en

Amendment 118

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital G b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

G b. whereas in 2022, the average PISA score for basic skills (reading, mathematics, and science) among 15-year-olds fell by 10 points compared to 2018, with underachievement more prevalent among disadvantaged learners; whereas this worrying deterioration in skills and educational inequalities requires reforms and investment in education and training to ensure the development of future generations and their transition from education to work;

Or. en

Amendment 119

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital H

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H. whereas additional investment needs in social infrastructure have been estimated at EUR 192 billion per year, including in affordable housing, health and long-term care, education and lifelong training1 ; whereas further work is needed to measure the social investment gap in the EU as well as the economic returns on social investment;

H. whereas additional investment needs in social infrastructure have been estimated at EUR 192 billion per year, including in affordable and decent housing, quality health and long-term care, quality education and lifelong training; whereas further work is needed to measure the social investment gap in the EU as well as the economic returns on social investment; whereas private investment in the EU has been stagnating for decades and the share of income accruing to capital has increased without being fully reinvested in the real economy, with a large part distributed as dividends and share buybacks; whereas this structural investment gap undermines innovation, decarbonisation, social cohesion and quality job creation and increases the importance of public investment;

_________________

1 Commission staff working document of 27 May 2020 entitled ‘Identifying Europe’s recovery needs’ (SWD(20200098) accompanying the Commission communication entitled ‘Europe’s moment: Repair and Prepare for the Next Generation’ (COM(2020)0456).

Or. en

Amendment 120

Miriam Lexmann

Motion for a resolution

Recital H

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H. whereas additional investment needs in social infrastructure have been estimated at EUR 192 billion per year, including in affordable housing, health and care infrastructure including long-term care, education, continuous and lifelong training1 ; whereas further work is needed to measure the social investment gap in the EU as well as the economic returns on social investment;

_________________

Or. en

Amendment 121

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Recital H

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H. whereas substantial additional investment is needed in social infrastructure, including in affordable housing, health and long-term care, education and lifelong training1 ; whereas further work is needed to measure the social investment gap in the EU as well as the economic returns on social investment;

_________________

Or. en

Amendment 122

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Recital H

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

_________________

Or. en

Amendment 123

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital H

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H. whereas additional investment needs in social infrastructure have been estimated at EUR 192 billion per year, including in affordable housing, health and long-term care, education and lifelong training1 ; whereas further work is needed to measure the social investment gap post-recovery in the EU as well as the economic returns on social investment;

_________________

Or. en

Amendment 124

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Recital H a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H a. Whereas the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), as a temporary and exceptional instrument of NextGenerationEU, will end in December 2026, requiring Member States to significantly accelerate the implementation of committed investments and the effective implementation of associated structural reforms; Whereas the RRF remains a key driver of public investment and social spending in many Member States, with a significant impact on employment, social cohesion, competitiveness and economic resilience; whereas, despite this, some of the main beneficiary Member States have made insufficient or unambitious use of the instrument, delaying implementation and limiting its transformative effect; whereas making full use of the RRF requires not only the absorption of funds, but also the adoption of deep and lasting reforms, designed and implemented with the involvement of the regions in order to ensure sustainable, inclusive and long-term growth across the Union

Or. en

Amendment 125

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital H a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H a. whereas public spending on children and youth should not be seen only as social expenditure but as an investment in the future; whereas for children, social investments lead to better education and job prospects, which in turn boost economic indicators; whereas according to the European Commission, the EU needs to invest more than €11 billion per year additionally, to meet the 2030 Barcelona targets for ECEC6a; whereas children who can benefit most from attending ECEC, such as those from disadvantaged backgrounds, tend to participate least and continue to face barriers to access;

_________________

6a Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) 2024, European Commission, September 2024.

Or. en

Amendment 126

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Recital H a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H a. whereas the EU is facing profound demographic change characterised by low birth rates, population ageing and shrinking workforces; whereas these trends increase pressure on labour markets, productivity, pension and care systems and call for forward-looking reforms to strengthen labour force participation, support active ageing and ensure the long-term sustainability of social protection systems;

Or. en

Amendment 127

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital H a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H a. whereas the EU gender pay gap currently stands at 12%, due, among other factors, to the disproportionate share of household and childcare responsibilities borne by women and the persistent undervaluation of women-dominated professions; whereas women face a higher risk of poverty, particularly in older age, with the gender pension gap currently reaching 24.5%;

Or. en

Amendment 128

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Recital H a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H a. whereas there is currently no regular EU-wide collection of data on social services investment and coverage; whereas collecting such data is key for an evidence-based analysis of national social policies in the European Semester;

Or. en

Amendment 129

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Recital H b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H b. Whereas the Annual Report of the European Court of Auditors 2025 highlights the need to improve the implementation of EU cohesion funds in order to maximise their impact on final beneficiaries; whereas, given that the Union is now at the mid-point of the 2021–2027 programming period, it is essential to strengthen coordination between the planning of high value-added projects and their effective implementation by Member States; whereas such improvements must be accompanied by robust and systematic auditing systems at national level, ensuring transparency, efficiency and accountability; whereas the limited transparency observed in the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, including shortcomings related to the publication and accessibility of information on final beneficiaries, such as the identification of the largest recipients of funding, underlines the need for clearer and more consistent transparency standards across all EU funding instruments, without compromising the strategic orientation of the funds towards the Union’s cohesion, competitiveness and social inclusion objectives.

Or. en

Amendment 130

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital H b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H b. whereas the labour share of national income in the EU has declined structurally over recent decades and stabilised at a lower level than in previous periods, while the share of value added accruing to capital has increased; whereas, since the mid-1990s, labour productivity per hour has increased by around 34 %, while real compensation per hour has risen by only about 25 %, labour productivity has grown significantly faster than real compensation per hour, resulting in a persistent gap between productivity and wages and a structural underpayment of workers relative to the value they create; whereas this gap cannot be explained by technology alone but reflects institutional and policy choices, including weakened collective bargaining, wage restraint policies and offshoring strategies that have reduced workers’ bargaining power;

Or. en

Amendment 131

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Recital H b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H b. whereas the social economy plays a unique role in developing inclusive and innovative solutions at local level to complement traditional economic models; whereas public support for the social economy is high, with 88% of Eurobarometer respondents supporting strategies and legislation to support the social economy7a;

_________________

7a Special Eurobarometer 567: Social Econonomy in the life of Europans, October 2025.

Or. en

Amendment 132

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital H c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H c. whereas the social economy is a key component of the EU social market economy, prioritising social and environmental goals over profit and reinvesting most of its surplus for the collective interest; whereas, according to the Commission, around 6.3 % of the EU employed population worked in the social economy; whereas the EU should fully develop the potential for quality job creation, social innovation and provision of proximity and social services, in particular in regions with high unemployment, depopulation or limited access to essential services;

Or. en

Amendment 133

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Recital H d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

H d. whereas social dialogue and collective bargaining are essential for the Union’s competitiveness, labour productivity and social cohesion; whereas deregulation and a narrow focus on cutting administrative burdens risk undermining quality jobs, good working conditions and widening inequalities, thereby threatening fair and sustainable growth;

Or. en

Amendment 134

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Stresses the competitive advantage of investing in the EU’s social model; calls for the recommendations of the High-Level Group on the future of social protection and of the welfare state, as well as the recommendations of the Letta and Draghi reports, to be integrated into the European Semester process in a balanced manner, ensuring that measures to boost competitiveness do not undermine social rights, public services or collective bargaining structures; welcomes the integration of the EPSR into the economic governance framework and calls on the Member States to take advantage of the possibility of extending the adjustment period for investing in the EPSR priorities; stresses the importance of using the Social Scoreboard and the Social Convergence Framework to identify risks and track progress in reducing inequalities, strengthening social protection systems, and promoting good working conditions; calls for the integrated governance framework to be reflected in the internal processes of the EU institutions, with their economic and social bodies involved to equal extents;

Or. en

Amendment 135

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Stresses that, due to the deep demographic crisis, the EU is facing the risk of the collapse of its pension systems and the welfare state model; emphasises that the demographic crisis is also one of the main causes of economic stagnation and the loss of competitiveness of the EU;

Or. en

Amendment 136

Galato Alexandraki, Emmanouil Fragkos

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Stresses the competitive advantage of investing in the EU’s social model; calls for the recommendations of the High-Level Group on the future of social protection and of the welfare state, as well as the recommendations of the Letta and Draghi reports, to be integrated into the European Semester process; welcomes the integration of the EPSR into the economic governance framework and calls on the Member States to take advantage of the possibility of extending the adjustment period for investing in the EPSR priorities; calls for the integrated governance framework to be reflected in the internal processes of the EU institutions, with their economic and social bodies involved to equal extents; stresses that, given the increased cost of living and the erosion of purchasing power, the increase in employment does not automatically translate into an improved standard of living; calls for the European Semester to take into account net earnings indicators, in order for recommendations to reflect the real economic situation of workers;

Or. el

Amendment 137

Séverine Werbrouck, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Emphasises the fact that external recommendations must not infringe upon Member States' freedom to establish national budgets in accordance with their constitutional procedures; that respect for the role of national parliaments is the only democratic guarantee in choosing social policy directions and defining political priorities; considers that this role should not be hindered or limited by an integrated governance framework or the involvmement to an equal extent of economic and social bodies;

Or. fr

Amendment 138

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Stresses the need to ensure competitive advantage when investing in the EU’s social model; calls for the recommendations of the High-Level Group on the future of social protection and of the welfare state, as well as the recommendations of the Letta and Draghi reports, to be integrated into the European Semester process; welcomes the integration of the EPSR into the economic governance framework and calls on the Member States to take advantage of the possibility of extending the adjustment period for investing in the EPSR priorities; calls for the integrated governance framework to be reflected in the internal processes of the EU institutions, with their economic and social bodies involved to equal extents; underlining that social investment must be designed in a fiscally sustainable manner and based on robust cost-benefit analyses at national level;

Or. en

Amendment 139

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Stresses the potential benefits of investing in the EU’s social model; encourages the Member States to consider the recommendations of the High-Level Group on the future of social protection and of the welfare state, as well as the recommendations of the Letta and Draghi reports, when implementing the European Semester process; expresses concern over the integration of the EPSR into the economic governance framework and invites Member States to make use of the possibility of extending the adjustment period for investing in EPSR priorities;

Or. en

Amendment 140

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Stresses the competitive advantage of investing in the EU’s social model; calls for the recommendations of the High-Level Group on the future of social protection and of the welfare state, as well as the recommendations of the Letta and Draghi reports, as long as they consolidate the EPSR targets, to be integrated into the European Semester process; welcomes the integration of the EPSR into the economic governance framework and calls on the Member States to take advantage of the possibility of extending the adjustment period for investing in the EPSR priorities and working towards social justice and upward convergence; calls for the integrated governance framework to be reflected in the internal processes of the EU institutions, with their economic and social bodies involved to equal extents;

Or. en

Amendment 141

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1. Stresses the competitive advantage of investing in the EU’s social model; calls for the recommendations of the High-Level Group on the future of social protection and of the welfare state, as well as the recommendations of the Letta and Draghi reports, to be integrated into the European Semester process in order to protect and reinforce the EU’s social market economy; welcomes the integration of the EPSR into the economic governance framework and calls on the Member States to take advantage of the possibility of extending the adjustment period for investing in the EPSR priorities; calls for the integrated governance framework to be reflected in the internal processes of the EU institutions, with their economic and social bodies involved to equal extents;

Or. en

Amendment 142

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 a. Considers that the Commission and the Member States should ensure that fiscal policies within the European Semester support investments aligned with the European Pillar of Social Rights; stresses that such social investment is essential for social cohesion, upward convergence, long-term economic sustainability and for addressing the challenges identified through the Social Scoreboard and the Social Convergence Framework;

Or. en

Amendment 143

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 a. suggests that the integrated governance framework be reflected in the internal processes of EU institutions, involving their economic and social bodies to a balanced extent without using double and political standards in terms of economic decisions helping competitiveness, productivity, full access of all EU citizens to higher education (Erasmus) and transitions of Member States’ economies

Or. en

Amendment 144

Galato Alexandraki, Emmanouil Fragkos

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1a. Stresses that boosting jobs and skills requires a business environment that allows small and medium-sized enterprises to grow; Warns that the excessive regulatory burden falls disproportionately on small and medium-sized enterprises and limits their ability to offer quality jobs;

Or. el

Amendment 145

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 1 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

1 b. Regrets the lack of data and analysis of wealth inequality and wealth concentration in the EU as this is one of the main determinants of poverty;calls on the Commission and the Member States to assess the socio economic impact of wealth inequalities and urgently propose measures that ensure a fairer distribution of wealth and resources in order to allow for progress towards the reduction of poverty by 15 million in 2030 as well as widening the middle class;

Or. en

Amendment 146

Séverine Werbrouck, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2. Considers that the Commission and the Council should strengthen their efforts to implement the EPSR; calls for the EPSR action plan targets to be embedded at the core of the European Semester by making them benchmarks in the European Semester assessments;

deleted

Or. fr

Amendment 147

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 148

Pál Szekeres, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 149

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 150

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2. Urges the Commission and the Council to accelerate the full implementation of the EPSR; calls for the EPSR action plan targets to be embedded at the core of the European Semester by making them benchmarks in the European Semester assessments; notes that the 2026 Joint Employment Report focuses to a large extent on skills and labour shortages and does not sufficiently provide a comprehensive assessment of the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR); stresses that this risk of an overly narrow focus is not fully in line with Regulation (EU) 2024/1263, which requires a systematic monitoring of all 20 principles of the EPSR, including poverty reduction, housing, healthcare, and social protection; calls on the Commission to rectify this imbalance in future cycles to ensure an accurate and complete picture of the social situation in the EU;

Or. en

Amendment 151

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2. Considers that the Commission and the Member States should strengthen their efforts to implement the EPSR; welcomes in this regard the announcement of a new Action Plan on the implementation of the EPSR in order to give a new impetus to social progress; stresses the need for the updated Action Plan to contain ambitious proposals to address poverty and social exclusion and supportive measures for workers to manage the green and digital transitions in particular regarding skills, VET and lifelong learning; calls for the EPSR action plan targets to be embedded at the core of the European Semester by making them benchmarks in the European Semester assessments;

Or. en

Amendment 152

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2. Considers that the Commission and the Council should strengthen their efforts to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR); calls for the EPSR action plan targets to be embedded at the core of the European Semester by making them benchmarks in the European Semester assessments; stresses that the follow-up to the European Pillar of Social Rights action plan must translate political commitments into concrete measures, through clear, measurable targets and robust monitoring indicators;

Or. en

Amendment 153

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2 a. Is concerned that, in 2024, 93.3 million people in the EU were still at risk of poverty or social exclusion; stresses that without a paradigm shift in the approach to combating poverty, the European Union and its Member States will not achieve their poverty reduction objectives; believes that the announcement of the first-ever EU Anti-Poverty Strategy is a step in the right direction towards reversing the trend, but must provide a comprehensive approach to tackling the multidimensional aspects of poverty and social exclusion with concrete actions, a robust budgetary allocation, strong implementation and monitoring; further stresses that this Strategy should place the fight against child poverty at its core in order to break the cycle of poverty;

Or. en

Amendment 154

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2 a. Considers that EPSR targets should inform the European Semester assessments as non-binding orientation benchmarks, while allowing Member States discretion in how to meet these targets consistent with national competences and budgetary constraints;

Or. en

Amendment 155

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2 b. Stresses that implementation of the Directive on adequate minimum wages is key for fighting in-work poverty and incentivising work; welcomes the positive effects of this directive in reducing the gap between minimum and average wages in Member States and on wage convergence across Europe; urges the Member States to fully implement the Council Recommendation on adequate minimum income and recalls that an EU directive on adequate minimum income and active social inclusion, in compliance with the subsidiarity principle, would address gaps in the EU social acquis by contributing to the goals of reducing poverty while fostering the active integration of people absent from the labour market;

Or. en

Amendment 156

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2 b. Calls on the Commission to implement EPSR action plan targets in a phased and proportionate manner, allowing Member States sufficient adjustment periods and transitional arrangements;

Or. en

Amendment 157

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2 c. Welcomes the fact that an analysis of the implementation of the Child Guarantee is included in all the country reports in the Spring 2025 package, and calls for this practice to be pursued in future cycles of the European Semester; regrets, however, the lack of follow-up to these findings, with only two country-specific recommendations in 2025 calling for action to address child poverty; reiterates in this regard its call for an increase in the funding of the European Child Guarantee with a dedicated budget of at least 20 billion euro and for Member States to allocate 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;

Or. en

Amendment 158

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 2 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

2 d. Considers that the country-specific recommendations should reflect Member States' budgetary compliance with the minimum allocation requirements for tackling child poverty set out in the ESF+ regulation; stresses the importance of the forthcoming negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework in order to provide an ambitious budget for the Child Guarantee and respond to the growing challenge of child poverty and social exclusion;

Or. en

Amendment 159

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3. Welcomes the Commission’s ambition to eradicate poverty by 2050 and its intention to propose a quality jobs act; emphasises the need for coherence between the European Semester, the follow-up to the EPSR action plan and these upcoming instruments, with measurable targets and corresponding country-specific recommendations;

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 160

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3. Welcomes the Commission’s ambition to eradicate poverty by 2050 and its intention to propose a quality jobs act and the first EU Anti-Poverty Strategy; emphasises the need for coherence between the European Semester, the follow-up to the EPSR action plan and these upcoming instruments, with measurable targets and corresponding country-specific recommendations; Considers that EU action is urgently needed to address persistently high levels of poverty and social exclusion in the EU, particularly among children, young and older people, persons with disabilities, non-EU-born individuals, LGBTI people and Roma communities; stresses that access to high-quality social services should be prioritised, including through measurable and time-bound targets to reduce homelessness and ensure energy security for vulnerable households;

Or. en

Amendment 161

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3. Welcomes the Commission’s ambition to eradicate poverty by 2050 and its intention to propose a Quality jobs act; stresses the need for such act to address algorithmic management in the workplace, just transition, psychosocial risks and the right to disconnect and telework, in order to ensure a real safe modern work-environment for all; emphasizes the need for coherence between the European Semester, the follow-up to the EPSR Action Plan, and these upcoming instruments, with measurable targets and corresponding country-specific recommendations;

Or. en

Amendment 162

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3. Welcomes the Commission’s ambition to eradicate poverty by 2050 and its intention to propose a Quality Jobs Act, a European Affordable Housing Plan as well as a strengthening of the European Child Guarantee; emphasises the need for coherence between the European Semester, the follow-up to the EPSR action plan and these upcoming instruments, with measurable targets and corresponding country-specific recommendations;

Or. en

Amendment 163

Séverine Werbrouck, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3. Takes note of the Commission’s ambition to eradicate poverty by 2050 and its intention to propose a quality jobs act; points out that in order to contribute to these noble targets, a return to economic prosperity is necessary; encourages, therefore, the Commission to use the powers conferred on it by the Treaties and to contribute to these targets by improving competitiveness in Europe, rather than mitigating the consequences in disregard of the principle of subsidiarity;

Or. fr

Amendment 164

Galato Alexandraki, Emmanouil Fragkos

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3. Welcomes the Commission’s ambition to eradicate poverty by 2050 and its intention to propose a quality jobs act; stresses that the meaning of the term 'quality job' must be linked to increased productivity, upskilling and the technological reinforcement of businesses; underlines that if these factors are absent, pay and working conditions cannot improve in a sustainable and meaningful way;

Or. el

Amendment 165

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3. Welcomes the Commission’s ambition to eradicate poverty by 2050; stresses that progress in this field can only be made at national level and that the role of the Commission and other EU bodies in this respect is to support the efforts of the Member States;

Or. en

Amendment 166

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 a. 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 HR policy and untapped job design opportunities;6a 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 work6b are essential for a healthy and resilient Europe and must be assessed through a comprehensive monitoring framework (such as of Eurofound and ILO) that goes beyond wages and employment security to include physical and social work environment, working time, work intensity, skills and autonomy, career prospects, and access to training and reskilling;6c

_________________

6a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0079_EN.html

6b https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@europe/@ro-geneva/@ilo-lisbon/documents/event/wcms_667247.pdf

6c European Working Conditions Survey 2024: Overview report | Eurofound

Or. en

Amendment 167

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 a. Underlines that the eradication of poverty has proven to be one of the most complex challenges within the current economic framework of Western societies, clearly visible by the fact that poverty has not decreased over time, despite GDP growth and unemployment reduction; highlights that building a fair society that leaves no room for poverty requires a governance framework to reduce multidimensional inequalities and that eradicating poverty by 2050 will only be achieved by addressing the root causes of poverty and inequalities through a comprehensive set of mandatory objectives, milestones and structural measures; calls in this context for a European Anti-Poverty Law, establishing the EU’s mandatory target for the eradication of poverty by 2050, with binding intermediate targets and national plans, serving as a core legal framework aiming to build a European Union of well-being, opportunities and prosperity for all;

Or. en

Amendment 168

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 a. Welcomes the priority given to job quality with the publication of the Quality Jobs Roadmap; recognises that job quality covers various criteria combining remuneration, working conditions, job security, opportunities for development, safety at work, work-life balance and access to social protection; stresses that access to quality services, such as early childhood education and care and healthcare, are also part of this Roadmap, as they enable workers to participate and integrate sustainably into the labour market;

Or. en

Amendment 169

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 a. Acknowledges the Commission’s ambition to eradicate poverty by 2050 and its intention to propose a quality jobs act; stresses that any initiatives, including the European Semester and the follow-up to the EPSR action plan, should respect the Member States’ competences and be implemented in line with national priorities without double standards, with measurable targets and, where appropriate, country-specific guidance

Or. en

Amendment 170

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 a. Welcomes the Commission’s intention to propose a quality jobs act; emphasises that any initiative should preserve labour market diversity across Member States and avoid disproportionate regulatory burden on SMEs;

Or. en

Amendment 171

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 b. Stresses that lifting children out of poverty and social exclusion is essential to break the intergenerational transmission; calls on the Commission and the Member States to fully and swiftly implement the European Child Guarantee in all Member States, including measures to strengthen the Child Guarantee through an increase of its dedicated budget to at least EUR 20 billion and strong monitoring, and to reflect this in the European Semester through ambitious country-specific recommendations and regular reporting on progress; calls furthermore for a revision of the Social Scoreboard to include indicators that fully reflect the causes and trends of poverty and inequality and the establishment of a Social Progress Index to measure the reduction of inequalities, access to opportunities and improvement of well-being, grounded in disaggregated data reflecting diverse population groups, and the inclusion of the EIGE’s Gender Equality Index in the social scoreboard;

Or. en

Amendment 172

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 b. Underlines the need for CSRs issued under the European Semester to include measures that ensure the equal treatment and access of persons with disabilities to social protection, essential social services such as health and care, education and housing, and the labour market, aligned with the European Parliament resolution on the EU strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities post-2024;7a

_________________

7a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-10-2025-0308_EN.html

Or. en

Amendment 173

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 b. Points out that digitalisation and artificial intelligence have the potential to improve the efficiency and quality of work, thereby boosting productivity; stresses, however, the need to develop clear and binding rules on the use of AI and algorithmic management in the world of work, including safeguards against discrimination and psychosocial risks;

Or. en

Amendment 174

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 b. Requests the Commission to include in country reports an assessment of the proportionality and administrative costs of proposed reforms and to consider less burdensome alternatives where available;

Or. en

Amendment 175

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 c. Highlights that poverty is not only an issue of resource scarcity but also a problem of inequalities and the concentration of wealth and resources in a few hands; underlines the need to invest in people and protecting the most vulnerable, which must be the guiding principles of any EU policy that intends to eradicate poverty by 2050; calls in this context for a European Directive on a framework for minimum income schemes, with the purpose of safeguarding the right to a decent life, ensuring that every person in need in Europe is covered by a minimum income scheme;

Or. en

Amendment 176

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 c. Calls on the Commission to include in the upcoming Quality Jobs Act measures to regulate teleworking conditions and the right to disconnect throughout the EU as an essential measure to ensure the mental well-being of EU workers and complement the Work-life balance directive; further calls on this Quality Jobs Act to tackle psychosocial risks and well-being at work;

Or. en

Amendment 177

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 d. Reiterates that decent wages and strong collective bargaining systems are key to reducing in-work poverty and ensuring domestic demand; notes that, according to the Joint Employment Report 2026, recent increases in statutory minimum wages, often above 20 % between 2022 and 2025 and above 40 % in several Member States, have helped to protect low-paid workers’ purchasing power and have supported wage growth in low-paid sectors, but that in-work poverty still affected 8.2 % of workers in 2024 and real wages in many countries have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels; notes that, over the last decades, labour productivity per hour has grown faster than real compensation per hour, opening a persistent gap between productivity and wages and contributing to a structural loss of workers’ purchasing power and living standards; stresses that productivity gains must translate into fair pay so that workers can share in the economic value they create and the labour share can be stabilised;calls on the Commission to monitor the implementation of the Minimum Wage Directive also within the European Semester framework, ensuring that Member States promote collective bargaining coverage;

Or. en

Amendment 178

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 d. Recalls with concern the persistent disability employment gap of 24%; calls on the Commission to update the EU Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities with new flagship initiatives and actions from 2026 onwards which ensure the EU and Member States’ compliance with the UNCRPD and in particular address people with disabilities’ social inclusion and independent living, remaining obstacles to their free movement and ensure their access to quality education, training and employment through establishing a European Disability Employment and Skills Guarantee;

Or. en

Amendment 179

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 e (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 e. Expresses concern that the Roma continue to face significant barriers to employment, with persistent biases limiting their prospects; stresses that combating all forms of discrimination and stereotypes is crucial to ensure an inclusive labour market; emphasises the EU Roma Strategic Framework’s goal to halve the employment gap between Roma and the general population and ensure at least 60% of Roma are in paid work by 2030 but regrets the lack of progress in their employment access and the growing share of Roma NEETs;

Or. en

Amendment 180

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 e (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 e. Calls on the Commission to systematically assess and make transparent the respective contributions of profits, mark-ups, wages and taxes to inflation and to the distribution of value added between capital and labour, and to reflect this analysis in its policy guidance and country-specific recommendations;

Or. en

Amendment 181

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 f (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 f. Regrets that the objectives of the EU Roma Strategic Framework are not being more actively pursued in Member States and given more sustained attention in the European Semester process, particularly in the country-specific recommendations; urges Member States to adopt an integrated, equality-focused approach and ensure public policies and services effectively reach all Roma, including those in remote and rural areas; further urges Member States to fully implement the Equality Bodies Directives and ensure that major breaches of anti-discrimination obligations are monitored and reported within the European Semester; calls for stronger links between the European Semester and existing EU frameworks as well as National Roma Strategic Frameworks and National Action Plans Against Racism;

Or. en

Amendment 182

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 g (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 g. Stresses that the response to labour shortages in the European Union must also involve improving and facilitating labour mobility within the Union; calls in this regard on the Commission to analyse the effectiveness of the EURES platform with a view to a potential revision of its operation; calls on the Commission to ensure the forthcoming Skills portability initiative addresses current obstacles to skills recognition including expanding the scope of Directive 2005/36/EC; further calls on the Commission, in this context, to strengthen and facilitate the recognition of skills and qualifications in the Union, in particular by strengthening the procedures for the validation of non-formal and informal learning and promoting these procedures in a targeted manner to groups furthest from the labour market;

Or. en

Amendment 183

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 h (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 h. Highlights the growing skills shortages in technical fields and the importance of a VET Strategy that addresses issues of fragmentation, investment, attractiveness and modernisation in the context of the twin transitions; reiterates the pivotal role VET and work-based learning play in providing knowledge, skills and competencies necessary for young people entering the labour market;

Or. en

Amendment 184

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 i (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 i. Recalls the importance of improving the self-employeds' access to social protection and calls on the Commission to use the European Semester process to monitor national implementation of the Council Recommendation on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed, including within the country-specific recommendations; recalls, as the rate of self-employed professionals in the cultural and creative sectors is more than double than in the general population, the need for targeted measures for the sector; welcomes, in this context, the announcement of an EU Artists Charter aimed at highlighting the main fundamentals and commitments for fair working conditions in this sector but urges the Commission to advance its publication to 2026 as these represent long standing issues;

Or. en

Amendment 185

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 j (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 j. Welcomes the Commission's objective to use the European Semester to deliver on the Competitiveness Compass, which is essential for improving productivity and the functioning of labour markets, but stresses the need to strike a balance with the promotion of upward social convergence and the European Pillar of Social Rights; emphasises that non-cost competitiveness, such as the quality of products and services, can also support productivity and adequate wages; considers that the EU’s social model is an integral part of its competitiveness and that necessary simplification of administrative burden for businesses must preserve and ensure social rights;

Or. en

Amendment 186

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 3 k (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

3 k. Notes with concern the increasing number of company restructurings in Europe and their impact on workers and subcontractors; regrets, in this context, the discontinuation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and the Just Transition Fund in the next MFF; stresses the importance of EU policy and legislation, supported with funding, aimed at supporting workers in transitions and adapting their skills to future-oriented industries;

Or. en

Amendment 187

Séverine Werbrouck, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. fr

Amendment 188

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 189

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Welcomes the permanent inclusion of the social convergence framework in the European Semester; stresses its importance, together with the social scoreboard, for identifying risks and tracking progress on upward social convergence; welcomes that the proposal for a Joint Employment Report (JER) delivers country-specific analysis based on the principles of the Social Convergence Framework; calls on the Commission to further develop innovative quantitative and qualitative analysis tools under this new Framework in order to make optimal use of it in future cycles of the European Semester;

Or. en

Amendment 190

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Welcomes the permanent inclusion of the social convergence framework in the European Semester; stresses its importance, together with the social scoreboard, for identifying risks and tracking progress on upward social convergence; calls on the Commission to make full use of the Social Convergence Framework and to translate its findings into concrete, country-specific recommendations and policy guidance;

Or. en

Amendment 191

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Welcomes the permanent inclusion of the social convergence framework in the European Semester; stresses its importance, together with the social scoreboard, for identifying risks and tracking progress on upward social convergence; calls on the Commission to ensure that the social scoreboard is complemented by indicators measuring administrative burden and competitiveness impacts of social measures;

Or. en

Amendment 192

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Welcomes the permanent inclusion of the Social Convergence Framework in the European Semester; stresses its importance, together with the social scoreboard, for identifying risks and tracking progress on upward social convergence, reducing inequalities, strengthening social protection systems and promoting decent working conditions and supportive measures to ensure fairness in the transitions;

Or. en

Amendment 193

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Welcomes the permanent inclusion of the social convergence framework in the European Semester; stresses its importance, together with the social scoreboard, for identifying risks and tracking progress on upward social convergence; notes that challenges in areas like the reduction of overall poverty and housing cost burdens persist;8a

_________________

8a Eurofound (2026) the role of trade unions and employers’ organisations in the European Semester in 2024-2025, Ch.4

Or. en

Amendment 194

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Expresses concern over the permanent inclusion of the social convergence framework in the European Semester and stresses that any monitoring of social progress should fully respect the Member States’ competences and national priorities

Or. en

Amendment 195

Galato Alexandraki, Emmanouil Fragkos

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4. Stresses the need for methodological transparency concerning the social scoreboard; calls on the Commission to publish the cases and limitations of every indicator, so that the evaluations accurately reflect the socioeconomic conditions of the Member States;

Or. el

Amendment 196

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4 a. Calls on the Commission to systematically integrate the Social Scoreboard and the indicators of the European Pillar of Social Rights into the European Semester, ensuring that country specific recommendations aim to eradicate poverty and inequalities, that they do not undermine access to quality employment, social protection, collective bargaining, adequate wages, public services, including digitalized public services, education, healthcare and housing, and that corrective action is triggered whenever social inequalities such as poverty or in-work poverty increase;

Or. en

Amendment 197

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4 a. Takes note of the risks to social convergence highlighted in the proposal for a JER, such as employment outcomes of under-represented groups, early school leaving and adult learning, as well as poverty; calls on the Commission to further analyse these risks to upward social convergence in the second stage of the analysis and to discuss with the concerned Member States the measures undertaken or foreseen to address these risks;

Or. en

Amendment 198

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4 a. Notes that according to a Eurofound research, there is a lack of awareness of the opportunities offered by the social convergence framework among social partner organisations; emphasises that the opportunities offered by the social convergence framework need to be promoted more actively to social partners as well as civil society organisations;

Or. en

Amendment 199

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4 a. Requests that the social scoreboard include comparable indicators on labour market participation of prime-age workers, productivity per hour and the impact of social transfers on work incentives;

Or. en

Amendment 200

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4 b. Calls on the Commission for improvements to be made to the Social Scoreboard with the introduction of new relevant indicators reflecting trends and causes of inequality, such as indicators on equal opportunities, good quality employment, wealth distribution, access to public services, including energy, water and sanitation, care services , adequate pensions, the homelessness rate, mental health, benefits as well as indicators measuring the social impact of environmental degradations and climate change ; recalls that the at-risk-of-poverty-or-social-exclusion (AROPE) indicator fails to reveal the causes of complex inequality;

Or. en

Amendment 201

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4 b. Underlines that rising in-work poverty constitutes a failure of labour market outcomes even in contexts of increasing employment rates; calls on the Commission to treat increases in in-work poverty as a warning signal within the Social Scoreboard and to propose comprehensive corrective country-specific recommendations where such trends persist;

Or. en

Amendment 202

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4 b. Stresses the need to address key challenges identified in the Social Scoreboard as ‘critical’ and ‘to watch’, including early leavers from education and training, housing cost overburden, the impact of social transfers on poverty reduction, the disability employment gap and children at risk of poverty and social exclusion;

Or. en

Amendment 203

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4 c. Stresses the need to address the key challenges flagged in the Social Scoreboard as “critical” and “to be monitored”, including access to childcare and long-term care, the disability employment gap, the effectiveness of social transfers in reducing poverty, and basic digital skills—particularly for vulnerable groups such as young and older people, persons with disabilities and migrants—as well as access to housing, child poverty and access to healthcare.

Or. en

Amendment 204

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4 c. Notes that inclusive growth has not reached all socio-demographic groups, with vulnerable groups experiencing widening relative disparities; emphasises that divergence is evident in areas such as basic digital skills and household disposable income, indicating widening disparities; highlights that indicators in fundamental areas such as the disability employment gap and self-reported unmet needs for medical care show a concerning downward trend;9a

_________________

9a Eurofound (2026) the role of trade unions and employers’ organisations in the European Semester in 2024-2025, Ch.4

Or. en

Amendment 205

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4 d. Recalls the Council Recommendation of 30 January 2023 on adequate minimum income ensuring active inclusion, which aims to combat poverty and social exclusion by promoting adequate income support, access to essential enabling services and effective labour market integration for persons lacking sufficient resources; highlights that well-designed minimum income schemes (MIS) are an essential element of social protection and contribute to upward social convergence inclusive growth; notes, however, that many Member States still have minimum income benefits below poverty thresholds and therefore calls for minimum income-related CSRs within the framework of the European Semester;10b encourages Member States to reform their tax and fiscal systems to ensure sustainable funding for adequate MIS;

_________________

10b https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/social-protection-social-inclusion/addressing-poverty-and-supporting-social-inclusion/active-inclusion/minimum-income_en?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Or. en

Amendment 206

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 4 e (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

4 e. 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 due to lower productivity, and causing 11.1 million years of life lost or lived with disability;10a

_________________

10a Eurofound (2025), Mental health: Risk groups, trends, services and policies, Publications Office of the European Union

Or. en

Amendment 207

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5. Recalls that targeted social investment can have a positive impact on economic growth, productivity and competitiveness, thereby also supporting fiscal sustainability while promoting upward social convergence; calls on the Commission and the Member States to treat social investment as foundational to sustainable growth and focus on investments that have proven their effectiveness in terms of growth, productivity, job quality and increased labour market participation; recalls that the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) can be mobilised by Member States until 31 December 2026 and calls on them to make full and targeted use of these funds in order to address the challenges identified in country-specific recommendations under the European Semester and set up policies for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and the next generation, children and youth;

Or. en

Amendment 208

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5. Recalls that social investment can have a positive impact on economic growth, productivity and competitiveness, thereby also supporting fiscal sustainability while promoting upward social convergence; calls on the Commission and the Council to treat social investment in education, training, health, care, housing, transport, social inclusion as foundational to sustainable growth; welcomes the launch of a Social Investment Knowledge Hub to enhance mutual learning and technical assistance, continue improving the timeliness and availability of social indicators, to reduce lags in assessing poverty and inequality trends; and enhance member states’ access to data for policy evaluation and impact assessment;

Or. en

Amendment 209

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5. Recalls that social investment, including support for the social economy, can have a positive impact on economic growth, productivity, competitiveness, and fiscal sustainability, while promoting social cohesion and the inclusion of vulnerable groups; calls on the Commission and the Council to treat social investment, and the development of social economy enterprises, as foundational to sustainable growth, facilitating access to financing, promoting visibility, and fostering quality, inclusive employment in line with the EU’s new Competitiveness Roadmap.

Or. en

Amendment 210

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. en

Amendment 211

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5. Recalls that social investment can have a positive impact on living and working conditions, social cohesion, sustainable and inclusive economic growth, productivity and competitiveness, while contributing to fiscal sustainability and promoting upward social convergence; calls on the Commission and the Council to treat social investment as foundational to sustainable growth and ensure appropriate fiscal space to finance them;

Or. en

Amendment 212

Galato Alexandraki, Emmanouil Fragkos

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5. Stresses the need for greater transparency and methodological trustworthiness concerning social convergence and the social scoreboard; calls for the indicators to include an explanation of cases, limitations and the discrepancies between Member States so that surveillance reflects real socioeconomic conditions;

Or. el

Amendment 213

Séverine Werbrouck, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. fr

Amendment 214

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. en

Amendment 215

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. en

Amendment 216

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5 a. Stresses that access to affordable and high-quality healthcare is a fundamental right and a core component of the European social model; warns against the progressive privatisation,commercialisation, co-payments and lack of coverage of healthcare systems, which risks deepening health inequalities and undermining universal access and inequalities within and across EU countries; warns that this also undermines the implementation of principle 16 of the Pillar and of SDG 3.8 on UHC, as well as the Pillar’s overall objective of promoting upward social convergence in the EU, leaving no one behind; believes that the indicators used in the Social Scoreboard do not provide a comprehensive understanding of healthcare affordability ; calls on the Commission to include in the scoreboard the following indicators of financial hardship, such as impoverishing and catastrophic health spending, as well as qualitative analysis of the different dimensions of coverage policy (population coverage, the benefits package and user charges or copayments) in Member States in order to improve the accessibility of affordable healthcare; calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen public health systems, including through adequate and sustainable public funding, and to reflect this priority in the European Semester and in national medium-term fiscal-structural plans; calls on the Commission to present an initiative in order to ensure adequate universal health coverage for all so that everyone can access quality healthcare without experiencing financial hardship;

Or. en

Amendment 217

Galato Alexandraki, Emmanouil Fragkos

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5a. Underlines that social investments must be assessed based on their impact on employment in sectors with a high productive contribution, such as processing and the primary sector, which are crucial for economic and social cohesion in many regions; points out that transitional policies that are implemented without sufficient risk analysis may lead to the loss of stable jobs and the shrinking of local production; thereby calls for systematic impact assessments before major strategic transformations are implemented;

Or. el

Amendment 218

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5 a. Recalls that Member States must swiftly and effectively implement the Directive on adequate minimum wages, especially with regards to collective bargaining coverage, and underlines that higher minimum wages would stimulate domestic demand through increased household consumption within the Union, which is essential at a time when trade tariffs and growing geopolitical uncertainties are undermining the export-led growth models in several European economies;

Or. en

Amendment 219

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5 a. Emphasises the need to strengthen work incentives and tackle inactivity traps through well-designed tax-benefit structures;

Or. en

Amendment 220

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5 b. Calls on the Commission to systematically assess collective bargaining coverage within the European Semester framework and to strengthen collective bargaining coverage by revising the European Public Procurement directive and establishing conditionality for companies to comply with collective bargaining agreements; urges that country-specific recommendations be issued where coverage remains structurally low, in line with the objectives of Directive (EU) 2022/2041 on adequate minimum wages, and stresses that strong collective bargaining systems are essential for fair wages, productivity growth and social cohesion;

Or. en

Amendment 221

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 5 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

5 c. Stresses that well-funded public services are pillars of democracy and social cohesion and that universal access to quality essential services, including housing, energy, transport, water, healthcare, social services and digital connectivity, must be guaranteed; calls on Member states and local authorities to explore bringing into public hands essential public services, such as housing, energy, transport, water and healthcare, where these services have been privatized or outsourced;

Or. en

Amendment 222

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Emphasises that the Commission’s affordable housing plan should be integrated better into the European Semester, with a stronger focus on affordable, sustainable and decent housing in country-specific recommendations; reminds the signatories to the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness about the goal to eradicate homelessness by 2030;

6. Emphasises that the Commission’s affordable housing plan should be integrated better into the European Semester, with a stronger focus on affordable, sustainable and decent housing in country-specific recommendations; calls on the Commission to ensure that the plan includes measures that adequately incentivise private property owners to invest their savings in the housing market, with the ultimate goal of enabling young people and vulnerable families in particular, to access secure and affordable housing and to form their own households and families; stresses the need to address labour shortages in the construction and housing sector by supporting targeted education, upskilling and reskilling programmes to ensure the workforce can meet growing housing demands.

Or. en

Amendment 223

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Emphasises that the Commission’s affordable housing plan should be integrated better into the European Semester, with a stronger focus on affordable, sustainable and decent housing in country-specific recommendations; reminds the signatories to the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness about the goal to eradicate homelessness by 2030;

6. Emphasises that the Commission’s affordable housing plan should be integrated better into the European Semester, with a stronger focus on affordable, sustainable, decent and adapted housing in country-specific recommendations in line with Principle 19 of the European Pillar of Social Rights and the relevant provisions of the European Social Charter and taking into consideration the needs of persons with disabilities and older persons; reminds the signatories to the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness about the goal to eradicate homelessness by 2030; calls for measures to combat speculation and regulate short-term rentals where necessary; stresses that housing is a fundamental right and not merely a tradable asset;

Or. en

Amendment 224

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Emphasises that the Commission’s affordable housing plan should be integrated better into the European Semester, with a stronger focus on affordable, sustainable and decent housing in country-specific recommendations; reminds the signatories to the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness about the goal to eradicate homelessness by 2030;

6. Emphasises that the Commission’s affordable housing plan should be integrated better into the European Semester, with a stronger focus on affordable, sustainable and decent housing in country-specific recommendations; calls on Member States to promote a mix of tenure models (rental, social-rented and owner-occupied) and to prioritise incentives for private investment in affordable housing, alongside targeted public support; reminds the signatories to the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness about the goal to eradicate homelessness by 2030; asks the Commission to prioritise measures that increase supply and lower building costs rather than measures that merely subsidise demand;

Or. en

Amendment 225

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Emphasises that the Commission’s affordable housing plan should be integrated better into the European Semester, with a stronger focus on affordable, sustainable and decent housing in country-specific recommendations; reminds the signatories to the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness about the goal to eradicate homelessness by 2030;

6. Emphasises that the Commission’s affordable housing plan should be integrated better into the European Semester, with a stronger focus on affordable, sustainable and decent housing in country-specific recommendations, in alignment with the resolutions of the European Parliament on tackling homelessness rates in the EU11a and on access to decent and affordable housing for all11b; reminds the signatories to the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness about the goal to eradicate homelessness by 2030; stresses the need to support energy-efficiency renovations as a key tool to reduce energy poverty and improve housing conditions;

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11a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2020-0314_EN.html

11b https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2021-0020_EN.html

Or. en

Amendment 226

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Emphasises that the Commission’s affordable housing plan should be integrated better into the European Semester, with a stronger focus on affordable, sustainable and decent housing in country-specific recommendations; reminds the signatories to the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness about the goal to eradicate homelessness by 2030;

6. Emphasises that the Commission’s affordable housing plan should be integrated better into the European Semester, with a stronger focus on social and affordable, sustainable and decent housing, in particular for low and middle income groups, in country-specific recommendations; reminds the signatories to the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness about the goal to eradicate homelessness by 2030; calls for strengthened monitoring of Member States’ progress on access to adequate, safe, and non-segregated housing for Roma communities experiencing extreme poverty, including the use of EU funds to prevent forced evictions and address energy poverty;

Or. en

Amendment 227

Miriam Lexmann

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Emphasises that the Commission’s affordable housing plan should be integrated better into the European Semester, with a stronger focus on affordable, sustainable and decent housing in country-specific recommendations; reminds the signatories to the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness about the goal to eradicate homelessness by 2030;

6. Takes note of limited EU competences in the area of housing; emphasises that the Commission’s affordable housing plan should be integrated better into the European Semester, with a stronger focus on affordable, sustainable and decent housing in country-specific recommendations; reminds the signatories to the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness about the goal to eradicate homelessness by 2030;

Or. en

Amendment 228

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6. Emphasises that the Commission’s affordable housing plan should be integrated better into the European Semester, with a stronger focus on affordable, sustainable and decent housing in country-specific recommendations; reminds the signatories to the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness about the goal to eradicate homelessness by 2030;

6. Stresses that solving the housing crisis requires the use of many different measures, depending on the specific circumstances and conditions of a given country; reminds the signatories to the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness about the goal to eradicate homelessness by 2030;

Or. en

Amendment 229

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 a. Recalls that the Social Climate Fund will provide financial aid to Member States from 2026 to support vulnerable households and micro-enterprises with temporary direct income support, measures and investments to make the green transition fair and inclusive; stresses that once operational it will be important to monitor the use of this fund during this cycle of the European Semester; stresses that Member States shall take into consideration in the implementation of their Social Climate Plans the situation of “stateless” Roma and calls on both the Commission and Member States to foresee solutions including simplified procedures, proactive outreach, and cooperation with civil society to prevent their exclusion; calls on Member States to prioritise in their national Social Climate Plans measures to support the most vulnerable groups, in particular households with one or more children;

Or. en

Amendment 230

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 a. Stresses that national medium-term fiscal-structural plans and investment strategies should prioritise social and affordable housing, the prevention and reduction of homelessness, and deep energy renovation targeting low-income households, in order to promote upward social convergence, combat poverty and strengthen the European social model;

Or. en

Amendment 231

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 a. Notes that high energy prices affect competitiveness and households; calls for targeted support that protects vulnerable groups without creating long-term market distortions;

Or. en

Amendment 232

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 b. Underlines that closing the gender gaps is an issue of social justice but could also have a positive impact on the GDP growth; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure non-discrimination, promote gender equality, improve equality mainstreaming and strengthen the labour market participation of women and disadvantaged groups, by fostering equal opportunities and career progression, ensuring equal pay for equal work, enhance pay transparency and address gender-based inequality to close the gender pay gap in the EU;

Or. en

Amendment 233

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 6 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

6 c. Stresses that the social economy can play a crucial role in creating quality jobs, providing affordable and accessible social and proximity services and also in supporting the green and digital transitions at local level; calls on the Commission and the Member States to fully implement and strengthen the Social Economy Action Plan and to reflect its objectives in the European Semester, including through country-specific recommendations and targeted use of EU funds; l; calls for improved framework conditions, access to finance, technical assistance and capacity building for social economy entities, in particular in Member States and regions where their share in employment remains low;

Or. en

Amendment 234

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Emphasises that investment in education, upskilling and reskilling is a strategic social investment with long-term returns for competitiveness and cohesion;

7. Emphasises that investment in high quality and accessible education, upskilling and reskilling through a life-long learning approach is not only a strategic social investment with long-term returns for competitiveness and for cohesion, but also essential for preventing exclusion and inequality as well as adaptation to technological transformation; emphasises that the impact of education goes beyond economic effects, as educated citizens are more likely to actively participate in the social and civic life, contributing to the functioning of democratic institutions; stresses that such investment is vital for upward social convergence, cohesion as well as ensuring a just transition in the context of technological transformation; Highlights the importance of ensuring workers access to cost-free high-quality and job-related training, including vocational and digital training, during working hours and without loss of income, financed by employers to improve competitiveness and ensure inclusive and fair, quality employment; calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote and implement a Right to Training guaranteeing these conditions for all workers.

Or. en

Amendment 235

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Emphasises that investment in education, upskilling and reskilling is a strategic social investment with long-term returns for competitiveness and cohesion;

7. Emphasizes that investment in education, upskilling and reskilling is a strategic social investment with long-term returns for competitiveness and cohesion; points out the cost of non-action on education, with the annual social costs of early school leavers globally equalling to 6 trillion US dollars by 2030; is concerned that adult participation in training remains significantly below the 60% target in most Member States, with 39.5% in 2022, and that low-skilled adults participate significantly less (11.3%); insists on the importance of ensuring an individual right to training during working hours, and promoting shared responsibility between public authorities, employers and workers for lifelong learning; calls on the Commission and Member States to link public procurement and state aid to training commitments to encourage companies to take a greater responsibility for developing the skills of their workers; is concerned about the shortage of qualified teachers across many Member States, also due to low earnings;

Or. en

Amendment 236

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Emphasises that investment in education, upskilling and reskilling is a strategic social investment with long-term returns for competitiveness and cohesion;

7. Emphasises that investment in high quality and accessible education, upskilling and reskilling through a life-long learning approach is not only a strategic social investment with long-term returns for competitiveness and for cohesion, but also essential for preventing exclusion and inequality as well as adaptation to technological transformation; emphasises that the impact of education goes beyond economic effects, as educated citizens are more likely to actively participate in the social and civic arenas, contributing to the functioning of democratic institutions; stresses that such investment is vital for upward social convergence, cohesion as well as ensuring a just transition in the face of technological transformation; calls for a Right to Training that guarantees all workers access to cost-free and high quality training during working hours and without loss of income;

Or. en

Amendment 237

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Emphasises that investment in education, upskilling and reskilling is a strategic social investment with long-term returns for competitiveness and cohesion;

7. Emphasises that investment in education, upskilling and reskilling is a strategic social investment with long-term returns for competitiveness and cohesion; emphasises that the impact of education goes beyond economic effects, as educated citizens are more likely to actively participate in the social and civic activities, contributing to the functioning of democratic institutions;12a stresses that access to learning opportunities must be universal, affordable and barrier-free for all, including for persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups; calls, therefore, for in-work training, lifelong learning and skills development opportunities to be made available at no additional cost to employees and jobseekers;

_________________

12a Eurofound (2024), Role of human capital inequalities in social cohesion and convergence

Or. en

Amendment 238

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Emphasises that investment in education, upskilling and reskilling is a strategic social investment with long-term returns for competitiveness and cohesion;

7. Emphasises that investment in education, upskilling and reskilling is a strategic social investment with long-term returns for competitiveness and cohesion; calls on the Commission to use the upcoming Quality Jobs Act to ensure an individual right to training to support lifelong learning; calls on the Member States to strengthen training, upskilling and reskilling measures, in collaboration with local stakeholders, including educational and training bodies and the social partners, in order to reinforce the link between the education and training systems and the labour market as well as to anticipate labour market needs;

Or. en

Amendment 239

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Emphasises that investment in education, upskilling and reskilling is a strategic social investment with long-term returns for competitiveness and cohesion;

7. Emphasises that investment in education, upskilling and reskilling is a strategic social investment with long-term returns for competitiveness and cohesion; highlights that such investments should be aligned with the Commission’s mid-term priorities, including strategic sectors such as STEP technologies, defence-related capacities, and green and digital transitions, to ensure that the workforce is prepared for emerging challenges and opportunities across the Union.

Or. en

Amendment 240

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7. Emphasises that investment in education, upskilling and reskilling is a strategic social investment with long-term returns for competitiveness and cohesion;

7. Emphasises that investment in education, upskilling and reskilling - including vocational education and training and apprenticeship schemes in close cooperation with employers - is a strategic social investment with long-term returns for competitiveness and cohesion as laid out in the Commission recommendation for a Council recommendation on human capital in the European Union2a;

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2a https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/document/download/cb0ffdb5-1f80-4e20-a535-b2237b31f29f_en?filename=COM_2025_959_1_EN.pdf

Or. en

Amendment 241

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Urges the Commission and the Council to continue focussing on reducing administrative burdens through simplification, so called Omnibus proposals, while fully respecting labour standards; stresses that stronger support for SMEs and entrepreneurs is key to long-term competitiveness, innovation and quality job creation; highlights the essential role of small businesses and self-employed professionals in driving economic growth and funding social policies, and calls for targeted measures to enhance the functioning of the single market.

Or. en

Amendment 242

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 a. Recalls with deep concern that rising gender-based violence in several Member States coincides with a deterioration of women’s economic security, including increasingly precarious work, cuts to social protection and the erosion of essential public services; stresses that austerity policies which reduce women’s access to quality employment and public care services push them into more unpaid care work, limit their financial independence and make it harder to escape violent situations; calls on the Commission to ensure that the European Semester and the EU economic governance framework systematically assess the gender impact of recommended reforms, to promote investment in quality public services and care infrastructure, and to develop, together with Member States, binding measures to prevent and combat gender-based violence, including by strengthening women’s economic autonomy;

Or. en

Amendment 243

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 a. Notes that adult participation in learning remains significantly below the EU 2030 target of 60 %, with persistent gaps affecting low-skilled workers, older workers, migrants and persons with disabilities; stresses that adult participation in learning can only be achievable through a wider participation of adults in employment in skilling and reskilling activities, and that collective agreements are crucial to ensure equal opportunities to adults in employment to have access to vocational training ; underlines that the Union of Skills initiative and the Council Recommendation on human capital must lead to stronger support for comprehensive skills strategies and investments in high-quality, inclusive and accessible education and training systems for all;

Or. en

Amendment 244

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 a. Highlights the need to continue EU initiatives to tackle the skills shortages such as the European Skills Agenda, the Union of Skills, the Pact for Skills, ALMA and the Net-Zero Academies; calls in particular to strengthen active labour market policies, individual learning accounts and micro-credentials, targeting the inactive labour force and groups with low participation in the labour market; further calls on the Commission to put forward concrete solutions to skills shortage in the upcoming Fair Labour Mobility Package;

Or. en

Amendment 245

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 a. Emphasises that investment in inclusive and accessible education from early childhood is a prerequisite for developing a skilled workforce, fostering social mobility, reducing poverty, and ensuring that all individuals have the opportunities to participate fully in the labour market and society

Or. en

Amendment 246

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 a. Recognises that legal migration and streamlined recognition of foreign qualifications are effective tools to address labour and skills shortages and calls for their inclusion in national reform options;

Or. en

Amendment 247

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 a. Welcomes the proposal for a Council recommendation on human capital in the EU; emphasizes the need for Member States to increase public spending on education and skills;

Or. en

Amendment 248

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 b. Highlights that young people are disproportionately working in non-standard forms of employment, part-time work, seasonal and precarious contracts, and undeclared labour; stresses that with a combination of tools, the EU must reinforce and adopt stricter policies to end precariousness, concretely by preventing employers to use abusive practices and bogus internships, zero-hour contracts, or fixed-term contracts for roles that are essentially permanent; calls in this context for strengthened efforts to implement the Youth Guarantee, ensuring sufficient resources to targeted actions and structural reforms supporting quality youth employment, vocational education and training, particularly through paid, high quality traineeships and apprenticeships, and facilitating transitions from school to work, reintegration into education or training, and second-chance education;

Or. en

Amendment 249

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 b. Welcomes the proposal for a Council recommendation on human capital in the European Union and its focus on addressing the skills shortages, the use of skills intelligence for the design of skills strategies and the development of a wide set of basic skills, including digital, citizenship, and AI literacy, on preparing for modern life; recognises that the lack of investment in human capital is holding back innovation, competitiveness in the Union, and the realisation of everyone's full potential; considers that this recommendation should support the territorial dimension of human capital development in Member States in order to ensure a fair distribution of the attractiveness of regions for talents;

Or. en

Amendment 250

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 b. Highlights the importance of improving labour mobility within the Single Market by reducing administrative barriers and simplifying the coordination of social security rights for mobile workers;

Or. en

Amendment 251

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 c. Is concerned about the declining educational performance of young people, particularly in basic skills and the number of early leavers from education and training which remains high in several Member States; recalls that early dropout disproportionately affects Roma and persons with disabilities and emphasises that difficulties in childhood impact opportunities in later life; welcomes the announcement of an Action Plan on Basic Skills and a STEM Education Strategic Plan; calls on the Member States to invest in programmes to equip learners with the basic, digital and transversal skills and to address early school dropout through early warning systems and personalised solutions; believes that digital and transversal skills must include a critical thinking and media literacy component to enable everyone to counter the threat of misinformation;

Or. en

Amendment 252

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7 d (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

7 d. Is concerned by the level of youth unemployment, which remains more than twice as high as the overall EU unemployment rate; recalls the commitment made to young people by the Member States in establishing the Youth Guarantee; takes the view that more synergies are needed between the Child and Youth Guarantees in order to ensure adequate and targeted support for young people throughout their personal and professional development; urges Member States to reinforce the Youth Guarantee as a tool to support care leavers and prevent the “care cliff”8a, including through access to career guidance; stresses that for this group it is essential to complement employment activation measures with sustained support, including access to integrated social services, including housing and mental health support to ensure retainment in education or employment; emphasises the need to invest in the reinforced Youth Guarantee in order to ensure quality and timely support for all NEETs under the age of 30;

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8a Field, A, Sen, R, Johnston, C & Ellis, K 2021, 'Turning 18 in Specialised Residential Therapeutic Care: Independence or a Cliff Edge?', Children & Society, vol. 35, no. 5, pp. 784-798. https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12450.

Or. en

Amendment 253

Pál Szekeres, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness must become a structural component of the European Semester; calls on the Commission, as part of its intergenerational fairness strategy, to integrate indicators on youth well-being, access to quality jobs, housing affordability, education and skills into the European Semester’s assessment framework, and to systematically evaluate long-term impacts of fiscal and reform recommendations;

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 254

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness must become a structural component of the European Semester; calls on the Commission, as part of its intergenerational fairness strategy, to integrate indicators on youth well-being, access to quality jobs, housing affordability, education and skills into the European Semester’s assessment framework, and to systematically evaluate long-term impacts of fiscal and reform recommendations;

8. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness, in the context of the digital, green and demographic transitions, must become a structural component of the European Semester; calls on the Commission, as part of its intergenerational fairness strategy, to integrate indicators on youth well-being, access to quality jobs, housing access, adequacy and affordability, education and skills into the European Semester’s assessment framework, and to systematically evaluate long-term impacts of fiscal and reform recommendations; calls on the Member States to ensure access to paid, quality and inclusive traineeships and apprenticeships not only for young people, but also for older workers and jobseekers in order to facilitate their upskilling and reskilling; stresses that intergenerational fairness and policies on active ageing should in no way lead to the raise of retirement age;

Or. en

Amendment 255

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness must become a structural component of the European Semester; calls on the Commission, as part of its intergenerational fairness strategy, to integrate indicators on youth well-being, access to quality jobs, housing affordability, education and skills into the European Semester’s assessment framework, and to systematically evaluate long-term impacts of fiscal and reform recommendations;

8. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness must become a structural component of the European Semester; calls on the Commission, as part of its intergenerational fairness strategy, to integrate indicators on youth and old-age well-being, including poverty rates, access to quality jobs for all ages, housing affordability and physical accessibility, adequacy of minimum income and pensions, access to mental health quality services, high quality education and skills into the European Semester’s assessment framework; underlines the importance of promoting lifelong and intergenerational learning and ensuring access to quality, affordable and accessible social and care services, including adequate pensions; calls for systematically evaluate long-term impacts of fiscal and reform recommendations;

Or. en

Amendment 256

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness must become a structural component of the European Semester; calls on the Commission, as part of its intergenerational fairness strategy, to integrate indicators on youth well-being, access to quality jobs, housing affordability, education and skills into the European Semester’s assessment framework, and to systematically evaluate long-term impacts of fiscal and reform recommendations;

8. Emphasizes that intergenerational fairness must become a structural component of the European Semester, ensuring that today’s policy choices and underinvestment do not shift disproportionate economic, social or environmental burdens onto younger and future generations; calls on the Commission, as part of its Intergenerational Fairness Strategy, to integrate indicators on youth well-being, access to quality jobs, housing affordability, education and skills into the European Semester’s assessment framework, and to systematically evaluate long-term impacts of fiscal and reform recommendations;

Or. en

Amendment 257

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness must become a structural component of the European Semester; calls on the Commission, as part of its intergenerational fairness strategy, to integrate indicators on youth well-being, access to quality jobs, housing affordability, education and skills into the European Semester’s assessment framework, and to systematically evaluate long-term impacts of fiscal and reform recommendations;

8. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness must become a structural component of the European Semester; calls on the Commission, as part of its intergenerational fairness strategy, to integrate indicators on youth well-being, access to the labor market, housing affordability, education and skills into the European Semester’s assessment framework, and to systematically evaluate long-term impacts of fiscal and reform recommendations; calls on the Commission to present a standard methodology for assessing long-term fiscal and economic impacts of policy recommendations on future generations;

Or. en

Amendment 258

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness must become a structural component of the European Semester; calls on the Commission, as part of its intergenerational fairness strategy, to integrate indicators on youth well-being, access to quality jobs, housing affordability, education and skills into the European Semester’s assessment framework, and to systematically evaluate long-term impacts of fiscal and reform recommendations;

8. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness is one of the most important social challenges facing EU countries, and that issues related to youth well-being, access to quality jobs, housing affordability, education and skills young people's access to high-quality jobs, availability of housing, education and skills are indicators that must be particularly closely monitored;

Or. en

Amendment 259

Miriam Lexmann

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness must become a structural component of the European Semester; calls on the Commission, as part of its intergenerational fairness strategy, to integrate indicators on youth well-being, access to quality jobs, housing affordability, education and skills into the European Semester’s assessment framework, and to systematically evaluate long-term impacts of fiscal and reform recommendations;

8. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness must become a structural component of the European Semester; calls on the Commission, as part of its intergenerational fairness strategy, to closely follow youth well-being, well-being of families, access to quality jobs, housing affordability, education and skills into the European Semester’s assessment framework, and to systematically evaluate long-term impacts of fiscal and reform recommendations;

Or. en

Amendment 260

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness must become a structural component of the European Semester; calls on the Commission, as part of its intergenerational fairness strategy, to integrate indicators on youth well-being, access to quality jobs, housing affordability, education and skills into the European Semester’s assessment framework, and to systematically evaluate long-term impacts of fiscal and reform recommendations;

8. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness must become a structural component of the European Semester; calls on the Commission, as part of its intergenerational fairness strategy, to integrate indicators on youth well-being, access to quality jobs, housing affordability, education and skills into the European Semester’s assessment framework, and to evaluate long-term and distributional impacts of fiscal and reform recommendations;

Or. en

Amendment 261

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8 a. Stresses the need to better integrate demographic transformation and increased longevity into the European Semester; calls on the Commission, as part of its Intergenerational Fairness Strategy and future actions, to respond to this shift by promoting and protecting the rights of older persons through a human-rights-based approach, ensuring protection from age discrimination, supporting their active participation in all areas of life, fostering positive employment policies and access to vocational training regardless of age, guaranteeing adequate income and pensions with special attention to women, and improving the quality and accessibility of health and care services; considers that country-specific recommendations should promote pensions that ensure a life in dignity, wellbeing and quality affordable health, health promotion and prevention for all;

Or. en

Amendment 262

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8 a. Regrets the continued gender pay, pension and employment gaps which entrench gender inequalities as well as hamper the EU’s growth and competitiveness; stresses the need for Member States to better support gender equality and women’s integration into the labour market through ensuring equal pay for equal work and targeted policies such as skilling in strategic and developing sectors, improved provision of affordable care services and targeted economic reforms;

Or. en

Amendment 263

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8 a. Emphasises that intergenerational fairness should be promoted as a key structural principle; underlines the importance of ensuring the well-being of youth and the elderly, access to and retention in quality jobs, housing and energy affordability, and inclusive education for all, including people with disabilities, while fully respecting the competences and priorities of the Member States

Or. en

Amendment 264

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8 a. Stresses that the demographic transition requires reforms to increase labour force participation, support active ageing and ensure the long-term sustainability of pension and care systems;

Or. en

Amendment 265

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8 b. Highlights the need for stronger implementation of the Work–Life Balance Directive to ensure that young people can start families and that those in need receive quality, human-centred care; stresses the importance of strengthening care systems across the EU in the context of demographic change by ensuring well-paid, well-trained and professional care workers; underlines that this is essential to support families, increase women’s participation in the labour market and advance gender equality; calls on Member States to invest in high-quality, affordable and accessible care services, as set out in the European Care Strategy, and calls on the Commission to better monitor such investments;

Or. en

Amendment 266

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 8 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

8 b. Recalls the Union objective of transition from institutional to community or family-based care; reiterates its call on the Commission to put forward an Action Plan on deinstitutionalisation; stresses that this Action Plan should cover all groups still living in institutions including children, persons with disabilities, people suffering from mental health issues or homelessness; calls on the Member States to make full use of the ESF+ funds as well as other relevant EU and national funds in order to finalise the deinstitutionalisation process, develop care and services in a family or community environment and invest in preventive measures to avoid unnecessary family separation;

Or. en

Amendment 267

Séverine Werbrouck, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. fr

Amendment 268

Pál Szekeres

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 269

Petar Volgin

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 270

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 271

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9. Acknowledges that Member States have committed to investing 5% of GDP annually in core defence requirements and related security spending by 2035, including through the activation of the national escape clause; stresses that, within the framework of the European Semester, such expenditure must be planned in a coordinated, efficient, and European manner; calls on Member States to minimize fragmented national spending, prioritize joint development, procurement and equipment programs; emphasizes that defence investment should maximize growth-enhancing, dual-use technologies while avoiding dependencies on unreliable partners, to minimize the negative effects on debt sustainability and intergenerational fairness; underlines that the agreed 1.5% of security-related investment should focus on societal resilience, including infrastructure with high civilian benefits, social protection, civic education, democratic resilience and protection against disinformation, recognizing that social stability and democratic trust are integral to Europe’s security architecture and must be reflected in the Semester’s analysis of long-term reform and investment needs.

Or. en

Amendment 272

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9. Regrets that Member States have committed to investing 5 % of GDP annually in core defence requirements and related security spending by 2035, including through the activation of the national escape clause; stresses that, within the framework of the European Semester, such expenditure must be planned in a coordinated manner; stresses that increased defence and security expenditure must not come at the expense of social investment, public services or social protection systems; calls on the Commission and the Council to assess the social and employment impacts of such expenditure within the European Semester;

Or. en

Amendment 273

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9. Acknowledges that some Member States have committed to investing 5 % of GDP annually in core defence requirements and related security spending by 2035, including through the activation of the national escape clause; stresses that, within the framework of the European Semester, such expenditure must be planned in a coordinated and transparent manner and must not be implemented to the detriment of necessary investments in public services, the green and digital transitions or social protection systems and the welfare state;

Or. en

Amendment 274

Séverine Werbrouck, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9. Acknowledges that Member States have committed to investing 5 % of GDP annually in core defence requirements and related security spending by 2035, including through the activation of the national escape clause; stresses that this spending is an essential competence1 a of the Member States; and, consequently, cannot be planned within the framework of the European Semester;

_________________

1 a pursuant to Article 4(2) TFEU

Or. fr

Amendment 275

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9. Acknowledges that Member States have committed to investing 5 % of GDP annually in core defence requirements and related security spending by 2035, including through the activation of the national escape clause; stresses that such expenditure must be closely tailored to the individual defence needs of individual Member States;

Or. en

Amendment 276

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9 a. Emphasises that despite upward trends of nominal wages, real wages remain below the pre-Covid period in many Member States and that this comes on top of a long-term pattern in which real wages have lagged behind productivity gains; stresses that EU workers have therefore experienced a structural loss of purchasing power and living standards compared with the economic value they generate; invites the European Commission and the Council to recommend strengthening the conditions that support sustainable wage growth, in particular by promoting collective bargaining, and valuing the effective involvement of social partners in policymaking in strengthening social dialogue;

Or. en

Amendment 277

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9 a. Calls on the Commission to make greater use of the European Semester and the Country-Specific Recommendations to support Member States in improving the coverage and accessibility of social services; notes that the European Social Services Index shows wide disparities between Member States in access to essential services, including long-term care, child protection, support for victims of violence, and housing and homelessness services; calls on the Commission to support the development of common data indicators on social services expenditure and coverage in order to strengthen evidence-based recommendations and effective monitoring of their implementation;

Or. en

Amendment 278

Pál Szekeres

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9 a. Notes that Member States that invest around 2 % of GDP annually in core defence requirements are already making substantial efforts, while other countries have yet to reach this level, and therefore considers the 5 % target to be excessive; stresses that any defence spending should remain fully within the competence of the Member States and be planned and executed according to national priorities and voluntary commitment.

Or. en

Amendment 279

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 9 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

9 a. Stresses that national decisions on defence and security spending should be coordinated with fiscal rules and long-term budgetary planning, and that temporary clauses must not undermine medium-term fiscal sustainability;

Or. en

Amendment 280

Pál Szekeres

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 281

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10. Recognises that, given the new priorities set by the Commission, the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework focuses mainly on competitiveness; stresses that the fundamental pillars of the EU budget, Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy, must not be weakened or merged in a way that undermines social cohesion, quality employment, opportunities for persons with disabilities, or the social economy; notes with concern that linking fund disbursement more closely to Country-Specific Recommendations risks centralising decision-making and limiting the role of regions and local actors; underlines that the 2026 European Semester recommendations will be crucial in shaping national and regional partnership plans, and that reforms and investments should be selected for their efficiency and effectiveness in addressing these recommendations.

Or. en

Amendment 282

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10. Notes that the European Semester recommendations in 2026 will play an essential role in the drawing up of the national and regional partnership plans; warns that if EU funding is to be tied to Semester guidance, that guidance must be socially balanced; insists that these plans must not solely pursue cost-competitiveness but must prioritize upward social convergence, the creation of quality jobs, and the reduction of inequalities, in full alignment with the EPSR; believes that reforms and investments should be selected on the basis of the efficiency and effectiveness with which they address the relevant country-specific recommendations;

Or. en

Amendment 283

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10. Notes that the European Semester recommendations in 2026 will play an essential role in the drawing up of the national and regional partnership plans; believes that reforms and investments should be selected on the basis of the efficiency and effectiveness with which they address the relevant country-specific recommendations; underlines that national and regional partnership plans must prioritise reforms that improve business environment, reduce red tape and maximise the multiplier effect of public investment;

Or. en

Amendment 284

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10. Notes with concern the Commission’s proposal for the next MFF which dilutes focus on and support to employment and social objectives; calls on the Commission, in this context, to revise its proposal and present a stand-alone and reinforced ESF+ fund, with a dedicated financial envelope and clear mechanisms guaranteeing that thematic concentrations apply to national programmes, capable of delivering the objectives of the European Pillar of Social Rights;

Or. en

Amendment 285

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

Or. en

Amendment 286

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the European Semester analyses and recommendations address the need for fair, progressive and effective tax systems capable of securing sufficient public revenue to finance high-quality public services and services of general interest, including social and essential services, universal access to healthcare and care, and a fair digital and green transition, while supporting quality job creation and reducing inequalities; notes that, in the light of recent episodes of profit-driven inflation and rising corporate profit margins in some sectors, Member States should consider targeted measures to tax windfall and excess profits, notably in the energy and financial sectors and other sectors that have benefited disproportionately from recent crises, while safeguarding quality employment and SMEs;

Or. en

Amendment 287

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 a. Recalls that the Maastricht fiscal criteria are defined as ratios in which the denominator is gross domestic product (GDP), notably the deficit-to-GDP and debt-to-GDP ratios; notes that when external demand for EU exports weakens and domestic demand is restrained by fiscal consolidation measures, GDP growth is held back, which in turn hampers the reduction of these ratios; calls on the Commission and the Council to take this interaction into account when assessing fiscal positions and to design a framework that does not mechanically penalise Member States in periods of subdued demand and low growth; stresses that fiscal frameworks which mechanically prioritise deficit and debt ratios without due consideration of their impact on growth, employment and domestic demand risk becoming economically counterproductive;

Or. en

Amendment 288

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 a. Notes that the European Semester recommendations in 2026 may provide guidance for the drawing up of national and regional partnership plans; underlines that reforms and investments should be determined by the Member States themselves, taking into account their national priorities, and with the possibility of considering, where appropriate, the country-specific recommendations.

Or. en

Amendment 289

Maravillas Abadía Jover

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 a. Calls on Member States to make full use of the available Union instruments, including the ESF+, in the core areas of this instrument; urges them to improve the monitoring and reporting of implementation data to ensure that these resources effectively provide opportunities, foster skills development, and enhance social inclusion across all regions.

Or. en

Amendment 290

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 a. Calls on the Commission to provide country-specific estimates of the fiscal cost and macroeconomic effects of recommended social investments prior to issuing binding country-specific recommendations;

Or. en

Amendment 291

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 b. 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

Amendment 292

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to advance common principles and minimum good practices for progressive and fair taxation, including the balanced taxation of high incomes, capital gains, wealth and large profits, and the use of environmentally related taxes designed in a socially fair manner, avoiding regressive tax shifts that undermine social rights; underlines that tax systems should support quality employment especially for low-wage workers without creating disincentives for transitions into better-paid jobs, and should contribute to reducing income inequality and in-work poverty;

Or. en

Amendment 293

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 10 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

10 b. Requests the Commission to include in country reports an assessment of the proportionality and administrative costs of proposed reforms and to consider less burdensome alternatives where available;

Or. en

Amendment 294

Séverine Werbrouck, Nikola Bartůšek, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Supports a more democratic European Semester process, with Parliament strongly involved in setting economic policy priorities and taking economic governance decisions; insists on the systematic involvement of social partners, civil society organisations, and regional and local actors in the European Semester process;

deleted

Or. fr

Amendment 295

Marlena Maląg

on behalf of the ECR Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Supports a more democratic European Semester process, with Parliament strongly involved in setting economic policy priorities and taking economic governance decisions; insists on the systematic involvement of social partners, civil society organisations, and regional and local actors in the European Semester process;

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 296

Pál Szekeres, Margarita de la Pisa Carrión

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Supports a more democratic European Semester process, with Parliament strongly involved in setting economic policy priorities and taking economic governance decisions; insists on the systematic involvement of social partners, civil society organisations, and regional and local actors in the European Semester process;

deleted

Or. en

Amendment 297

Konstantinos Arvanitis

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Supports a more democratic European Semester process, with Parliament strongly involved in setting economic policy priorities and taking economic governance decisions; insists on the systematic involvement of social partners, civil society organisations, and regional and local actors in the European Semester process;

11. Supports a more democratic European Semester process, with Parliament strongly involved in setting economic policy priorities and taking economic governance decisions; insists that the European Parliament must be meaningfully involved prior to the adoption of country-specific recommendations, in order to strengthen democratic accountability and transparency in EU economic governance; insists on the systematic involvement of social partners, civil society organisations, and regional and local actors in the European Semester process;

Or. en

Amendment 298

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Supports a more democratic European Semester process, with Parliament strongly involved in setting economic policy priorities and taking economic governance decisions; insists on the systematic involvement of social partners, civil society organisations, and regional and local actors in the European Semester process;

Or. en

Amendment 299

Nela Riehl

on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Supports a more democratic European Semester process, with Parliament strongly involved in setting economic policy priorities and taking economic governance decisions; insists on the systematic involvement of social partners, civil society organisations, and regional and local actors in the European Semester process;

11. Supports a more democratic European semester process, with Parliament strongly involved in setting economic policy priorities and taking economic governance decisions; insists that the drafting, negotiation, monitoring and follow-up of national reform must systematically involve of social partners, civil society organizations, regional and local actors in the Semester process, with adequate time, transparency and institutionalized roles;

Or. en

Amendment 300

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Supports a more democratic European Semester process, with Parliament strongly involved in setting economic policy priorities and taking economic governance decisions; insists on the systematic involvement of social partners, civil society organisations, and regional and local actors in the European Semester process;

Or. en

Amendment 301

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Supports a more democratic European Semester process, with Parliament strongly involved in setting economic policy priorities and taking economic governance decisions; insists on the systematic involvement of social partners, civil society organisations, and regional and local actors in the European Semester process;

11. Supports a more inclusive European Semester process, encouraging the Parliament to provide input on economic policy priorities and economic governance, while fully respecting the decision-making competence of the Member States; underlines the value of involving social partners, civil society organisations, and regional and local actors where appropriate, taking into account national structures and practices.

Or. en

Amendment 302

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11. Supports a more democratic European Semester process, with Parliament strongly involved in setting economic policy priorities and taking economic governance decisions; insists on the systematic involvement of social partners, civil society organisations, and regional and local actors in the European Semester process;

11. Supports a more democratic European Semester process, with Parliament strongly involved in setting economic and social policy priorities; insists on the systematic involvement of social partners, civil society organisations, and regional and local actors in the European Semester process, not least to strengthen its ownership and to ensure that EU social rights are a reality on the ground;

Or. en

Amendment 303

Idoia Mendia, Estelle Ceulemans, Marit Maij, Vilija Blinkevičiūtė, Alicia Homs Ginel, Gabriele Bischoff, Isilda Gomes

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11 a. Draws attention to the absence of a transparent and traceable methodology for the formulation and selection of country-specific recommendations (CSRs), as well as to the lack of clarity regarding the criteria used to determine which recommendations are proposed; expresses concern that this situation undermines accountability and may jeopardise the equal treatment of Member States; calls on the Commission to provide full transparency on the underlying procedures and selection criteria, to set out the internal decision-making process, including to indicate the Directorates-General involved, and to transmit this information to the Parliament; underlines that any increase in the Commission’s discretionary powers must be accompanied by strengthened accountability mechanisms and a significant improvement in the flow of information to the European Parliament;

Or. en

Amendment 304

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11 a. Is concerned that compliance with the country-specific recommendations remains persistently low; calls on the Member States, under the new economic governance framework and its objective of enhancing national ownership, to better address the country-specific recommendations in the area of employment and social policies within the European Semester; calls on the Commission to reinforce its dialogues with Member States on the implementation of existing recommendations and of the Employment Guidelines as well as on current or future policy actions to address the identified challenges;

Or. en

Amendment 305

Pál Szekeres, Nikola Bartůšek

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11 a. Supports a more inclusive approach to economic policy and governance, encouraging the use of balanced and evidence-based inputs while fully respecting the decision-making competence of the Member States; underlines the value of involving social partners, civil society organisations, and regional and local actors where appropriate, taking into account national structures and practices.

Or. en

Amendment 306

Angelika Winzig

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11 a (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11 a. Emphasises that respect for the principle of subsidiarity and national competence remains central to the European Semester; calls on the Commission to avoid prescriptive measures that unduly restrict national policy choices;

Or. en

Amendment 307

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11 b (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11 b. Stresses the need for timely and harmonised data on social policies to improve evidence-based policy-making and targeted social investments; calls for improvements to be made to the Social Scoreboard in order to cover the 20 EPSR principles with the introduction of indicators such as quality employment, access to public services, coverage of social services, adequate pensions, mental health and discrimination;

Or. en

Amendment 308

Hristo Petrov, Irena Joveva, Jana Toom

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11 c (new)

Motion for a resolution

Amendment

11 c. Recalls that the at-risk-of-poverty-or-social-exclusion (AROPE) indicator fails to encompass the root causes of poverty, notably the inclusion of persons living outside of private households, qualitative aspects of poverty and lived experiences of marginalisation; underlines that poverty extends beyond insufficient income or material deprivation; calls on the Social Protection Committee to work with relevant stakeholders on renewing the AROPE statistical measure in order to expand it towards a stronger, disaggregated and more multidimensional vision of poverty and social exclusion;

Or. en