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Ordinary legislative procedure First reading

Establishing the European Social Fund as part of the National and Regional Partnership Plan set out in Regulation (EU) […] [NRPPlan] establishing conditions for the implementation of the Union support to quality employment, skills and social inclusion for the period from 2028 to 2034

A proposed EU law. Parliament and the Council must agree on the same text: Parliament adopts its position, then negotiates with the Council.

Where it stands: In committee: EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs) is preparing the report (draft published 20 April 2026).

  1. ✓ Referred to committee 23 October 2025
  2. 2 Committee work EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs) preparing the report
  3. 3 Tabled for plenary
  4. 4 Plenary vote
  5. 5 Negotiations with the Council
  6. 6 Published as law
How a file moves through Parliament

A file is referred to one lead committee (others may give an opinion). Its rapporteur writes a draft report, committee members table amendments, and the committee votes to adopt the report. The report is then tabled for all MEPs; political groups can table further amendments, which are voted on before the final vote in plenary. For a law, Parliament’s adopted text is its first-reading position; Parliament and the Council then negotiate a common text (trilogues) which both must approve before it is published as law.

Who is working on it

Lead committee
EMPL — Employment and Social Affairs
Rapporteurs
David CASA PPEMarit MAIJ S&D
Shadow rapporteurs
Séverine WERBROUCK PfEGeorgiana TEODORESCU ECRBrigitte VAN DEN BERG RenewKira Marie PETER-HANSEN Verts/ALEEstrella GALÁN The Left
For opinion
FEMM — Women’s Rights and Gender Equality · rapporteur Alessandra MORETTI S&DCULT — Culture and Education · rapporteur Isilda GOMES S&DREGI — Regional Development · rapporteur Nora MEBAREK S&D

The rapporteur drafts and negotiates the text for the lead committee; each other political group names a shadow rapporteur to follow the file.

The text, version by version

Committee draft · latest Draft report (EMPL) 20 April 2026 ✦ The draft report sets out Parliament's position on the proposed regulation establishing the European Social Fund for 2028 to 2034. It keeps the ESF as a standalone fund with its own budget and rules, and adds ringfenced spending for social inclusion, child poverty, homelessness and youth employment.

Committee opinions: Draft opinion (FEMM),Opinion (CULT),Opinion (FEMM),Draft opinion (REGI),Draft opinion (BUDG),Opinion (BUDG),Draft opinion (CULT),Opinion (REGI)

Newest version first. Open a version to read it in full. “What changed” shows the differences paragraph by paragraph; ✦ lines are AI-written from the texts themselves.

Timeline

  1. Committee stage
  2. 15 July 2026 REGI (Regional Development) adopted its opinion

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 Opinion (REGI)
  3. 15 July 2026 BUDG (Budgets) adopted its opinion

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 Opinion (BUDG)
  4. 23 June 2026 FEMM (Women’s Rights and Gender Equality) adopted its opinion

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 Opinion (FEMM)
  5. 3 June 2026 CULT (Culture and Education) adopted its opinion

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 Opinion (CULT)
  6. 12 May 2026 Amendments tabled in committee (2 batches)

    Members of EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs) proposed changes to the draft.

    📄 Amendments in committee (EMPL)📄 Amendments in committee (EMPL)
  7. 20 April 2026 Draft report published

    The rapporteur’s first text in EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs). Members can table amendments before the committee votes.

    📄 Draft report (EMPL)
  8. 23 October 2025 Referred to the EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs) committee

    The lead committee prepares the report; FEMM (Women’s Rights and Gender Equality), CULT (Culture and Education), REGI (Regional Development) give an opinion.