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DRAFT REPORT (2024/2084(INI))

On the European Semester for economic policy coordination: employment and social priorities for 2025

EMPL-PR-766649

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs · Rapporteur: Maravillas Abadía Jover

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

This draft report concerns the European Semester for economic policy coordination, focusing on employment and social priorities for 2025. It calls for implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights, addressing housing, mental health, work-life balance, demographic challenges, and reducing bureaucratic barriers for SMEs.

Committee position. The rapporteur proposes a resolution calling on the Commission and Council to take various actions on employment and social priorities, including implementing the Pillar of Social Rights and addressing housing, mental health, and demographic challenges.

Key points

  1. Calls on the Commission and Council to continue implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights, in line with the action plan of March 2021.
  2. Urges Member States to strengthen vocational and digital training and promote inclusion of persons with disabilities to address labour shortages.
  3. Calls for specific recommendations on housing affordability in the European Semester and for housing investment, including via European Investment Bank instruments.
  4. Calls for a European action plan for mental health and an EU strategy addressing undesired loneliness.
  5. Calls for policies promoting work-life balance, a legislative proposal for a European card for large families, and an action plan for single parents.
  6. Calls for demographic challenges to be prioritised in cohesion policy, a 'European Year of Demography', and increased funding for depopulated regions.
  7. Calls for reducing bureaucratic and fiscal barriers for SMEs and start-ups, completing the single market, and facilitating access to finance.
  8. Stresses the need for public-private partnerships to improve efficiency in essential social services.
  9. Calls for aligning fiscal responsibility with sustainable growth in medium-term fiscal plans, prioritising debt sustainability and strategic investment.
  10. Expresses concern about revisions to the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure Scoreboard reducing employment and social indicators.
  11. Calls for improvements to the Social Scoreboard with indicators on inequality, quality employment, wealth distribution, and mental health.

Who is affected

  • Member States: urged to strengthen training and implement fiscal plans; affected by calls for housing, mental health, and demographic policies.
  • SMEs and start-ups: benefit from calls to reduce bureaucratic and fiscal barriers and improve access to finance.
  • Persons with disabilities: targeted for inclusion in the workforce.
  • Families, including large families and single parents: targeted for support via proposed European card and action plan.
  • Regions with high depopulation: targeted for increased funding and support for local development.

Figures and deadlines

  • March 2021: action plan of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

Legal basis: Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union; Articles 9 and 149 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.