Sittings · Document

DRAFT OPINION (2024/2108(INI)) 2025-05-08

On the implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs · Rapporteur: Idoia Mendia

AMENDMENTS

The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs submits the following to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on International Trade, as the committees responsible:

Amendment 1

Motion for a resolution

Citation 18 a (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	– having regard to Decision No 1/2023 of the Specialised Committee on Social Security Coordination established by Article 8(1)(p) of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the UK, of the other part, of 10 March 2023 as regards the use of the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information for the transmission of data between institutions or liaison bodies1a, ______________ 1a OJ L 91, 29.3.2023, p. 89, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2023/698/oj.

Or. en

Amendment 2

Motion for a resolution

Citation 18 b (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	– having regard to Decision No 2/2023 of the Specialised Committee on Social Security Coordination established by Article 8(1)(p) of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the UK, of the other part, of 28 June 2023 as regards the designation of the financial institution to serve as reference to determine the interest rate for late payments and the exchange rate for currency conversions, as well as the date to be taken into consideration for determining the rates of currency conversion1a, ______________ 1a OJ L 179, 14.7.2023, p. 147, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2023/1460/oj.

Or. en

Amendment 3

Motion for a resolution

Recital A

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
A. whereas the EU and the UK, as part of the same continent and bound by shared values, are facing a serious volatile global security situation marked by rising geopolitical tensions; whereas they have demonstrated the political determination to work together and continue to be strong partners in addressing global challenges and security threats, most visibly in supporting Ukraine to defend itself against Russia’s aggression;	A. whereas the EU and the UK, as part of the same continent and bound by shared values, are facing a serious volatile global security situation marked by rising geopolitical tensions; whereas they have demonstrated the political determination to work together and continue to be strong partners in addressing global challenges and security threats, most visibly in supporting Ukraine to defend itself against Russia’s aggression; whereas closer EU-UK cooperation based on the predictability and structure provided by the TCA is more essential than ever to safeguard mutual interests and enhance resilience;

Or. en

Amendment 4

Motion for a resolution

Recital R a (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	Ra. whereas the TCA provides for social security coordination to protect the social security rights of people moving between the EU and the UK; whereas it also provides for a level playing field to ensure fair competition by maintaining high levels of protection in a number of areas, including social and labour rights, with binding enforcement and dispute settlement mechanisms to ensure compliance;

Or. en

Amendment 5

Motion for a resolution

Recital R b (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	Rb. whereas the fundamental rights to organise, to collectively bargain and to take collective action are enshrined in international law and inherent to ensuring sustainable development and a level playing field as set out in the TCA;

Or. en

Amendment 6

Motion for a resolution

Recital R c (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	Rc. whereas the UK’s Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act received royal assent on 29 June 2023; whereas this act revoked certain retained EU laws by the end of 2023 and removed the special status of all retained EU law in the UK’s legal order; whereas the act delegated significant powers to the UK authorities to revoke, amend or modify retained EU laws;

Or. en

Amendment 7

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 7

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
7. Underlines the specific situation of Northern Ireland, due to its unique position with access to both the EU and UK internal markets, as a result of the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland, which was concluded in order to safeguard the Good Friday Agreement despite the UK’s withdrawal from the EU; calls for the full, timely and faithful implementation of all the elements of the Windsor Framework in order to ensure lasting benefits as well as certainty and predictability for businesses and people in Northern Ireland, protect the all-island economy, safeguard the Good Friday Agreement in all its dimensions, and ensure smooth trade and cooperation, as well as protecting the integrity of the single market and the Customs Union; recalls that the EU has reacted quickly to implement the Windsor Framework and now expects the UK to promptly fully and faithfully implement its part thereof;	7. Underlines the specific situation of Northern Ireland, due to its unique position with access to both the EU and UK internal markets, as a result of the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland, which was concluded in order to safeguard the Good Friday Agreement despite the UK’s withdrawal from the EU; calls for the full, timely and faithful implementation of all the elements of the Windsor Framework, upholding the obligations enshrined in Article 2 of the Windsor Framework concerning the non-diminution of rights, safeguards and equality provisions, in order to ensure lasting benefits as well as certainty and predictability for businesses and people in Northern Ireland, protect the all-island economy, safeguard the Good Friday Agreement in all its dimensions, and ensure smooth trade and cooperation, as well as protecting the integrity of the single market and the Customs Union; recalls that the EU has reacted quickly to implement the Windsor Framework and now expects the UK to promptly fully and faithfully implement its part thereof;

Or. en

Amendment 8

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 11 a (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	11a. Calls for the possibility of supporting an extension of the transition period if required, in order to find the best deal for people, workers and companies on both sides;

Or. en

Amendment 9

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 20 a (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	20a. Regrets the UK’s continued requirement of visa sponsorship for foreign service providers who work in the UK only temporarily, including those whose services fall under free trade agreements such as the TCA; notes the Commission’s assessment of this system as prohibitively complex and a hindrance to the implementation of the TCA;

Or. en

Amendment 10

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 22 a (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	22a. Recalls that the protection of workers’ rights is essential to maintaining a level playing field and sustainable development as set out in, inter alia, Articles 355, 386, 387, 399 and 524 of the TCA; welcomes, in this regard, the proposals set out in the UK’s Employment Rights Bill to expand collective bargaining rights, provide guaranteed hours for workers and repeal the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act; calls on the Commission and the PPA to continue monitoring non-regression in labour standards;

Or. en

Amendment 11

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 22 b (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	22b. Recalls that social partners play a genuine role in both monitoring and enforcing the Withdrawal Agreement, including through the power to submit official complaints;

Or. en

Amendment 12

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 22 c (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	22c. Notes that, regarding the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act, in their official reply to the Commission and in a series of technical meetings, the UK authorities informed the Commission that the objective of the act is not to lower the levels of protection in, among other areas, labour matters under the TCA; agrees with the Commission that further monitoring will be necessary to ensure compliance in view of the wide-ranging empowerment granted to the UK authorities to modify retained EU law and the role of its courts in interpreting retained EU legislation;

Or. en

Amendment 13

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 22 d (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	22d. Notes that in October 2024, the UK Government announced its intention to establish a new fair work agency within the Department for Business and Trade to replace existing state enforcement bodies for labour protection; calls on the Commission to continue to closely monitor the enforcement of relevant labour and social standards, as required by the TCA, and any developments in this regard, and to continue its efforts with the UK Government to ensure full compliance with the TCA;

Or. en

Amendment 14

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 22 e (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	22e. Calls on the Commission to closely monitor developments in workers’ rights in the UK and to use all available means to address any concerns that could necessitate the application of Chapter 6 of Title XI, including through dialogue in the PPA and Specialised Committees, consultation of the EU DAG and, where necessary, the dispute settlement mechanisms provided for under Article 389 of the TCA;

Or. en

Amendment 15

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 22 f (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	22f. Calls for the EU and the UK to explore avenues for further cooperation and exchange of best practices in the areas of employment and social protection; recognises the potential for mutual collaboration to improve the implementation and enforcement of employment policies, ensuring fair competition, sustainable growth for companies and fair working conditions for workers in both the EU and the UK;

Or. en

Amendment 16

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 22 g (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	22g. Highlights the need for a comprehensive EU-UK mobility agreement that ensures the protection of workers’ rights and the cross-border movement of workers; stresses the importance of the UK rejoining the Erasmus+ programme in order to expand educational and cultural opportunities for young people;

Or. en

Amendment 17

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 29 a (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	29a. Recalls the importance of maintaining high environmental and labour standards in energy projects; highlights the need for regulatory cooperation to ensure that energy initiatives promote upward convergence in workers’ rights, health and safety and environmental protection;

Or. en

Amendment 18

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 32 a (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	32a. Welcomes the Commission’s assessment that cooperation in the area of social security coordination has been constructive, with both parties committed to solving any issues that may emerge in the implementation of the Protocol on Social Security Coordination to the TCA; notes that the Specialised Committee on Social Security Coordination has adopted two decisions regarding detached workers and self-employed persons, first of all in order to clarify certain financial aspects;

Or. en

Amendment 19

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 32 b (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	32b. Notes that the Specialised Committee on Social Security Coordination has carried out technical work on topics such as additional minimum changes to structured electronic documents and potential minimal changes to portable documents, procedures to be followed for the reimbursement of the cost of sickness benefits, and the transposition of relevant decisions of the Administrative Commission for the Coordination of Social Security Systems;

Or. en

Amendment 20

Motion for a resolution

Paragraph 32 c (new)

Motion for a resolution	Amendment
	32c. Takes note of the importance and value of the European social model and calls on the UK Government to extend the non-regression clause to the entire EU social acquis;

Or. en