Sittings · Document
Follow up to the European Parliament non-legislative resolution on the European Social Fund Plus post-2027
Rapporteur : Marit MAIJ (S&D / NL)
References: 2024/2077(INI) / A10-0014/2025 / P10_TA(2025)0027
Date of adoption of the resolution: 11 March 2025
Competent Parliamentary Committee: Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL)
Brief analysis/ assessment of the resolution and requests made in it:
The European Parliament calls on the Commission to propose a stand-alone European Social Fund (ESF) in next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). It opposes any split or merge with other funds, arguing that those could create serious risks for the implementation of its objectives and those of the European Pillar of Social Rights action plan and headline targets.
The European Parliament calls for a substantially increased budget for the next ESF. It emphasises the need to carry on current actions (i.e. for the ESF to continue to enhance employment opportunities, facilitate fair labour mobility, foster the creation of quality jobs, ensure decent working conditions and improve the employment participation rate to enhance social and economic resilience and help to adapt to industrial changes), but also to go beyond current objectives.
There is a clear call for earmarking to dedicated policies and actions, in particular fight against social exclusion.
The European Parliament also places emphasis on partnership including local stakeholders, as well as social partners.
The European Parliament is positive on the reform-investment link. Its adopted Resolution is non-committal on performance financing but is moving away from error rates, which is the element to focus on here.
Response to the requests in the resolution and overview of the action taken, or intended to be taken, by the Commission:
Paragraph 8
On 11 February 2025, the Commission adopted the Communication “Road to the next Multiannual Financial Framework” (COM/2025/46 final), which builds on the 2024-2029 Political Guidelines for the European Commission . This marks the beginning of a crucial debate on how we shape Europe’s future budget – one that must reflect our shared priorities, address emerging challenges, and, importantly, be designed with those who will implement it.
Cohesion – social, economic and territorial – is and will remain an essential part of this. As stated in the 2024-2029 Political Guidelines, Europe’s way of life depends on the protections and opportunities of our social model and our social market economy. Therefore, the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights must become a reality across our Union, respecting each country’s social model.
Paragraph 10
The Commission is preparing the proposals for the next MFF and remains open to exchanging with stakeholders. The 2024-2029 Political Guidelines as well as the MFF communication clearly signalled the need for a strengthened, modernised cohesion and growth policy. This new approach should present at its core a plan for each country with key reforms and investments, focusing on our joint priorities, including promoting economic, social and territorial cohesion, and designed and implemented in partnership with national, regional and local authorities.
The Commission’s proposal will address regional and social disparities and ensure all citizens have an effective right to stay and opportunities in the place where they are based. This will require mobilising reforms and investments to help build thriving communities, notably as regards support to public services, education and skills, transport and digital connectivity. The partnership principle and the involvement and support to civil society organisations and social partners will remain key for the future implementation of these policy priorities. Shared management is a strength and building on multi-level governance, place-based approach and partnership principle will be core aspects of the forthcoming proposals.
Paragraph 13
The Communication “Road to the next Multiannual Financial Framework”, which builds on the 2024-2029 Political Guidelines, calls for a “strengthened and reinforced EU budget”. It notes that current needs and challenges and a budget fit for our ambitions requires making choices. The possibilities to pursue priorities will depend on geo-political developments, political priority setting and the resources available.
The future EU budget needs to be more focused, on our policies and shared priorities, more streamlined, simpler and more accessible for Member States and beneficiaries, with fewer programmes and be more impactful, to support investments aligned with the Union’s strategic interests and boosting its competitiveness while ensuring social fairness for all. The Communication also notes that the future EU budget should balance predictability for long-term investments and flexibility to respond to crises. The Commission will continue pursuing the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and its principles.
Paragraphs 16 and 22
The Commission is committed to the aims and principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Europe’s way of life depends on the protection and opportunities provided by our social model and our social market economy, hence the need to support Member States and their labour market, social, and education and training systems. The new action plan on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights that the Commission will adopt towards the end of 2025 will emphasise the link between competitiveness and high social standards. Social inclusion pathways will remain important in this context.
The upcoming first EU Anti-poverty Strategy will reflect the multi-dimensionality of poverty, in order to ‘help people to get access to the essential social protection and services they need, along with addressing the root causes of poverty’. The Commission has launched a public consultation on the EU budget, open until 6 May 2025. It allows stakeholders and citizens to have their say on the future EU budget and the policies it should support. The Commission intends to present the next multiannual financial framework proposal in July 2025. The Commission proposal will ensure that the upcoming package constitutes a solid basis for a swift and timely agreement on the framework well ahead of its start as of January 2028.
Paragraphs 25, 26 and 30
The Commission intends to present the next financial framework proposal in July 2025. The Commission proposal will ensure that the upcoming package constitutes a solid basis for a swift and timely agreement on the next financial framework well ahead of its start as of January 2028. The package will address, among others, the objectives of related EU policy initiatives, such as the Union of Skills as stated the 2024-2029 Political Guidelines.
Paragraphs 32 and 37
The Commission is committed to enhancing social dialogue and the principles of collective bargaining. Social partners are a fundamental part of the partnership framework for Cohesion Policy programmes. Through the Pact for European Social Dialogue signed in March 2025 together with the European social partners, the Commission launched a renewed commitment to strengthening European social dialogue in a time of economic and social change.
Civil society is an essential partner within the domains supported by the European Social Fund. Many actions cannot be delivered upon without the commitments and role of civil society organisations. The 2024-2029 Political Guidelines state that the Commission will step up its engagement with civil society organisations that have expertise and an important role to play in defending specific societal issues and upholding human rights.
Paragraphs 44, 45 and 48
Good communication and predictability are essential framework conditions for delivering on cohesion. The Commission is committed to these principles and supports Member States in carrying out their obligations as regards providing information to ESF+ project beneficiaries.
The Commission remains committed to ensuring thorough evaluations on its funding programmes, supporting Member States’ evaluations, and avoiding excessive administrative burden. In this context, the Commission provides targeted support services to Member States that allows them to strengthen the quality of evaluations, for example a dedicated Evaluation Helpdesk, a Data Support Centre as well as joint learning and networking meetings on evaluation topics. A range of support materials is available on the ESF+ web site to guide the development evaluations at Member State level, including on counterfactual evaluations.
In order to thoroughly evaluate individual interventions, Member States can draw on specific evaluation capacity building measures and support, for example the JRC support on counterfactual impact evaluations. Furthermore, the Commission promotes the use of existing administrative data for evaluations and monitoring, which can significantly reduce data collection and reporting activities.
As regards simplification, Simplified Cost Options (SCOs) and Financing Not Linked to Cost (FNLC) are already key tools that make the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) more efficient and focused on achieving results. In future, the Commission will continue to promote mechanisms for simplified delivery of projects on the ground at national, regional and local levels. The Commission shares the European Parliament’s view that in future it will be essential to improve synergies between policies and EU budget programmes.