Sittings · Document
Follow up to the European Parliament non-legislative resolution on the Second World Summit for Social Development
Resolution tabled pursuant to Rule 136 of the European Parliament's Rules of procedure
2. References: 2025/2654(RSP) / B10-0408/2025 / P10_TA(2025)0231
3. Date of adoption of the resolution: 9 October 2025
Competent Parliamentary Committee: Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL)
Brief analysis/ assessment of the resolution and requests made in it:
This European Parliament Resolution makes a wide-ranging appeal for the European Commission and Member States to strengthen the EU’s social dimension in line with the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), the La Hulpe Declaration of 2024, and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Against a backdrop of persistent social and regional inequalities, rising living costs, demographic challenges, and the social implications of the green and digital transitions, the Parliament urges renewed political commitment and robust EU-level action to achieve the EPSR and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The European Parliament calls on the European Commission to update and strengthen the EPSR Action Plan, including through the adoption of new headline targets and legislative proposals ensuring its full implementation. It urges cooperation with the Commission and Member States towards a new European Social Deal for the Future, combining poverty reduction, social inclusion, quality employment, and climate neutrality objectives. Furthermore, the resolution demands that the Commission urgently present an EU quality jobs package and ensure that the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) allocates sufficient resources for social dialogue, collective bargaining, and the fight against poverty, housing insecurity, and homelessness. The Parliament highlights the need for stronger measures on pay transparency, gender equality and application of gender mainstreaming across all policy areas, and the implementation of the Council Recommendation on adequate minimum income, as well as reinforced social protection systems to guarantee social resilience.
The resolution also stresses the importance of universal access to quality education, training, and care services, calling for the establishment of an EU-level individual right to training and upskilling for workers. It underscores that the social economy and the integration of third-country nationals are key drivers of inclusive growth and should be better supported at EU level. Externally, the Parliament insists that the EU integrate social development objectives into its development, trade, and foreign policies, particularly to promote decent work, fair labour standards, and the transition from informal to formal employment globally.
Response to the requests in the resolution and overview of the action taken, or intended to be taken, by the Commission:
Paragraphs 1 and 20
Regarding the call for the Commission to step up the efforts to implement the EPSR, to complement the current headline targets, and to put forward legislative initiatives for the full implementation of the EPSR, the Commission is currently analysing the results and feedback on the impact of the 75 actions successfully taken at EU and national level since the 2021 Action Plan. The 2021 Action Plan advanced progress in training, social protection, and equal opportunities. The assessment of the Action Plan looks at the progress towards the existing 2030 targets and considers, where appropriate, possible complementary indicators and objectives to capture new challenges, including those related to the green and digital transitions, demographic change and the cost of living.
With regards to the achievement of the 2030 headline targets, the Commission is examining the need for new legislative and policy initiatives to support the full implementation of the EPSR principles. The Commission notes that, despite the robust employment growth between 2023 and 2025, and the EU remaining on course to meet its headline employment rate target by 2030, progress remains uneven across Member States on the remaining two targets of the Action Plan on increasing adult participation in training and reducing the number of people in poverty and at risk of poverty that are still lagging behind. To guarantee that progress remains on track with regard to the latter, the Commission is preparing the first EU Anti-Poverty Strategy to propose EU-level measures addressing the root causes of poverty and to ensure essential protection to those in need. The Strategy is expected to be adopted in the second quarter of 2026, and will be complemented by a non-legislative initiative on strengthening the European Child Guarantee.
The key Commission’s initiative aimed at supporting the development of quality, inclusive and adaptable education is the Union of Skills. It was designed to support the development of quality, inclusive and adaptable education, training and skills systems to increase the EU’s competitiveness. The actions are grouped around four pillars:
Building skills for life through a solid educational foundation
Upskill and reskill to ensure future-oriented skills
Circulate and allocate skills to unlock the full potential of the single market
Attract and retain skills from third countries to address skills shortages and develop top talent in Europe
The adoption of the EU Platform Work Directive, the Pay Transparency Directive and the European Care Strategy also aim to deliver a more coherent and comprehensive social framework for the Union.
Paragraphs 2 and 7
With regard to developing a new European Social Deal for the Future, the Commission is already taking relevant actions that support the reduction of the risk of poverty and social exclusion in the EU, and the goal of achieving net-zero emissions in the EU by 2050. As mentioned above, the Commission will propose in 2026 the first-ever EU Anti-Poverty Strategy and a proposal to strengthen the Child Guarantee. Other related important initiatives are the recently adopted European Affordable Housing Plan and the upcoming Intergenerational Fairness Strategy. The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) (2021-2027) is the main tool used to support social inclusion. A substantial part of its budget (≥ 25 %) is dedicated to inclusion, helping people at risk of poverty and/or social exclusion and marginalised groups (including non-EU nationals, Roma), as well as improving access to essential services like housing and healthcare. The Commission will promote fair wages, good working conditions, and fair job-to-job transition for workers and the self-employed in line with the Quality Jobs Roadmap.
The Social Climate Fund (SCF) has been established to ensure a socially just climate transition. It aims to mobilise at least about EUR 86.7 billion (2026-2032) combining revenues from the new EU Emissions Trading System (ETS2) and co-financing from Member States, to support vulnerable households, transport users, and micro-enterprises affected by climate policies. In support of the cooperation with Member States, the Commission has published guidance to assist Member States in preparing their national Social Climate Plans.
Paragraph 8
The Commission is implementing the Global Gateway strategy, which aims to reduce poverty in partner countries by closing the investment gap for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Working through both public and private sector funds, the Global Gateway strengthens social development by directly promoting high-impact investments on inclusive social services across the Global Gateway five priority areas: in health, e.g. promoting equal access to vaccines and medicines; in education and skills, e.g. building human capital for decent work; in digitalisation, e.g. addressing digital divides, in transport – e.g. inclusive urban mobility; and in energy, e.g. emphasizing just energy transitions. The Global Gateway is implemented through a 360-degree approach that respects key European values. Along with Global Gateway investments, support to partner countries can include funding to create an enabling environment for social development, e.g. by ensuring decent job creation, promoting environmental, social and governance safeguards and strengthening social protection systems. To make EU development cooperation more socially inclusive, the Commission's external services are mainstreaming the use of three policy markers: the inequality marker (I-Marker); ii) the marker on gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls (G-marker), and iii) the disability marker (D-marker).
The EU continues to play its part as a top donor for education, a key driver of social development worldwide. The EU is committed to maintaining its education and skills investments at 13% of the EU’s budget for international partnerships which is estimated to amount to over EUR 6 billion in 2021-2027.
Paragraphs 4 and 10
The recent Commission initiative - the Quality Jobs Roadmap - will support creating and maintaining quality jobs, fair wages, good and safe working conditions, training and fair job transitions for workers and self-employed people. This will be followed by a legislative initiative in 2026, a Quality Jobs Act, to ensure that modern employment keeps pace with a modern economy.
Moreover, the Fair Labour Mobility Package, also planned for 2026, will include measures to simplify, digitalise and modernise the rules and procedures on social security coordination, labour mobility, skills portability and recognition of qualifications. This will also result in better enforcement and further securing workers’ rights in the context of cross-border labour mobility.
Paragraphs 5 and 13
Currently, the ESF+, the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Just Transition Fund (JTF) contribute to the objective of ensuring quality jobs and ensuring fairness in the transitions by investing in promoting the adaptation of workers, enterprises and entrepreneurs to change, with a substantial budget allocated for skills development. The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) and RRF also support up- and re-skilling measures, including for workers whose employment will be affected by restructuring. In its proposals for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the Commission has proposed that at least 14% of the financial envelope of the new National and Regional Partnership (NRP) Regulation will be dedicated to social objectives. The final amounts will be subject to negotiations.
Challenges such as the cost-of-living crisis, care burden disparities and unequal access to digital and green jobs have highlighted the need for sustained investment in gender equality. Gender mainstreaming is now embedded across major EU policies and funding programmes, including the European Social Fund+, the European Regional Development Fund, the Just Transition Fund, Horizon Europe, the Common Agricultural Policy, and the Neighbourhood Development and International Cooperation Instrument-Global Europe.
The Council Recommendation on ensuring fair transition towards climate neutrality (2022) gives guidance to Member States to implement fair green transition policies taking a whole-of-economy and whole-of society approach, including by fostering social dialogue, collective bargaining and improving working conditions. The Council Recommendation on learning for the green transition and sustainable development (2022) provides a clear roadmap to make sustainability a priority in education and training and redirect them towards the deep and transformative changes needed for the green transition.
The Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 and the Roadmap for Women’s Rights, adopted by the Commission in March 2025 and endorsed by the 27 Member States, the Parliament and other stakeholders in October 2025, confirm the principle of gender mainstreaming in all EU policies, next to policies to tackle gender gaps, including through the European Semester policies. The Roadmap highlights a principle for Equal pay and economic empowerment, reiterating the objective of tackling the undervaluation of jobs predominantly done by women and ensuring pay transparency. The Commission supports and monitor the timely implementation of Directive 2023/970 to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms.
Paragraph 6
The EU and its Member States played an active role in negotiating the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No 190) of the International Labour Organization. In March 2024, the Council of the EU adopted Council Decision 2024/2018 inviting Member States to ratify Convention No. 190. Furthermore, the Commission will monitor the implementation of the Directive 2024/1385 on combating violence against women and domestic violence, which includes specific provisions on sexual harassment at work.
Paragraph 9
The Commission works closely with Child Guarantee Coordinators and supports them in their efforts to implement their national action plans. As regards financing, in the current programming period, EUR 9.2 billion are programmed under Secondary Theme 6 (‘Addressing child poverty’). There is a thematic concentration of at least 5% of ESF+ resources to tackle child poverty in Member States where child poverty exceeded the EU average. Ten Member States are using ESF+ funds in combination with national funding and/or the RRF to support the implementation of the European Child Guarantee.
In 2026, the Commission will present an initiative to further strengthen the European Child Guarantee, complementing the upcoming Anti-Poverty Strategy.
Paragraph 11
The European Commission welcomes the European Parliament’s call to further ensure universal access to quality, inclusive, and free public education, as well as lifelong learning opportunities leading to quality employment and decent wages. The Commission fully shares the Parliament’s ambition to make education, training, and upskilling central to a fair, competitive, and future-ready Europe. Through the recently launched Union of Skills strategy, the Commission aims to empower everyone in Europe to acquire and continuously update their skills throughout life, in line with the European Pillar of Social Rights. The Union of Skills promotes education and training systems that are inclusive and adaptable, ensuring that all learners can access lifelong learning opportunities tailored to their needs and capabilities. The Action Plan on Basic Skills addresses the urgent need to improve literacy, numeracy, science, digital and citizenship skills for all, through targeted, early interventions. The 2026 education package will be a direct follow-up to this action plan, with an EU Teachers and Trainers Agenda, a Basic Skills Support Scheme and the first European School Alliances. The STEM Education Strategic Plan aims to strengthen Europe’s innovation capacity by improving STEM education and training across all levels, tackling teacher shortages, promoting gender equality, and building strong links between education and industry. The Commission will continue to support Individual Learning Accounts, micro-credentials, and the Pact for Skills, ensuring that upskilling and reskilling opportunities are accessible to all workers, including those in vulnerable situations. While respecting Member States’ primary competence in education and training, the Commission stands ready to work closely with national authorities, social partners, and stakeholders to promote lifelong learning as an individual right and shared responsibility. Together, these initiatives will help ensure that every person in the EU can access high-quality learning opportunities throughout life, leading to quality jobs, fair wages, and a more cohesive, innovative, and competitive Europe.
Paragraph 12
The European Care Strategy adopted by the Commission in September 2022, sets out a comprehensive framework to ensure that people who need care have access to high-quality and affordable care at all life stages. It also aims to support fair working conditions and work-life balance for care workers and recognise and reward care work in a way that reflects its high societal value and economic potential. It is accompanied by two Council Recommendations, on access to affordable high-quality long-term care and on early childhood education and care. The Commission continues to support Member States in implementing their national care reforms, using the European Semester, the ESF+, and the RRF to finance service provision, workforce training, and reforms improving access to care and support for carers. The Commission is also working to create a more coherent framework for addressing long-term care workforce challenges, including facilitating the recognition of skills and qualifications, supporting skilling and career progression and improving working conditions,
Paragraph 14
The upcoming European Climate Resilience and Risk Management framework will help Member States to better prevent and prepare for the growing impacts of climate change and strengthen societal resilience.
In the field of occupational safety and health (OSH), Framework Directive 89/391/EEC establishes a number of obligations on employers, which apply to all risks, including those arising from climate change, such as heat stress and other extreme weather conditions. Also, promoting effective application and enforcement is essential. In this respect, the EU-OSHA guide “Heat at work – Guidance for workplaces” can be of particular relevance for employers and workers.
Paragraph 17
The European Commission recognises the social economy as a key driver for the implementation of the EPSR principles and targets, supporting inclusive labour markets and social innovation. The Social Economy Action Plan adopted in 2021 aims to help mobilize the full potential of the social economy in the EU. The Plan provides a comprehensive framework to support social economy: cooperatives, mutual societies, associations, foundations and social enterprises to start, scale up, innovate, and create jobs. To strengthen the enabling environment for social economy actors, the Commission proposed a Council Recommendation on developing social economy framework conditions in 2023, which was then adopted (2023/C 395/01). The Recommendation specifically encourages Member States to create frameworks for cooperation between public authorities and social economy organisations, improve visibility and access to finance, and integrate the social economy in national strategies.
In support of public authorities and social economy organisations, the European Competence Centre for Social Innovation, supported by the ESF helps the social economy by funding projects to scale up innovative solutions, providing tools and methods for social innovation, facilitating mutual learning and networking and offering access to information and resources.
Paragraph 18
The Commission additionally highlights the importance of a conducive environment for sustainable and decent employment creation by the private sector with a view to boost economic growth to alleviate poverty.
Paragraph 21
The European Commission recognises that a multilateral instrument has the potential to enhance global protection against business-related human rights abuses. For this to happen, it should build on the consensual framework provided by the UN Guiding Principles on business and human rights, adopted unanimously by UN members and supported by both business and civil society. It should also be legally sound, effectively implementable, and ideally supported by all UN members, or at least a number of them across all regions, to enhance the protection of victims and create a global level playing field for all companies. The EU has contributed to the legally binding instrument (LBI) process in a constructive manner, notably by sharing information on the evolving EU policy and legislative framework. The EU legislation on corporate sustainability due diligence, currently undergoing revision, and the fight against forced labour notably provide an important basis for strengthened EU engagement. While the European Union does not have a formal negotiating mandate at this stage, the EU will continue contributing to the LBI process in a constructive manner.
Paragraph 22
The European Commission sees the creation of decent jobs for all - including for women and youth - as the most effective path towards an inclusive economy, an economy that works for people. Employment creation and decent jobs in the formal sector is a powerful tool to eradicate poverty, support sustainable livelihoods and inclusive growth. As part of the Global Gateway strategy, the Commission partners with the private sector to invest in high-quality infrastructure in partner countries, helping to create jobs, directly and indirectly. Some sectors are however marked by high levels of informality, and investments can be supported by a 360-degree approach that helps countries develop more inclusive legislation, easier processes and incentives for informal workers to register their businesses and to contribute to social security programmes.