Activities of Cristina MAESTRE MARTÍN DE ALMAGRO related to 2023/2044(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Harnessing talent in Europe’s regions (short presentation)
Reports (1)
REPORT on harnessing talent in Europe’s regions
Amendments (35)
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the EU’s population has grown steadily over the last 50 years; increasing by 92.3 million people from 354.5 million in 1960, to 446.8 million in 2022; whereas population growth has slowed in recent decades; haltering during the COVID-19 pandemic; whereas current predictions point to growth at a limited rate until 2029, from which date population growth will begin to slow down13 ; __________________ 13 See the Commission Staff Working Document entitled ‘The impact of demographic change – in a changing environment’ of 17 January 2023 (SWD(2023)0021).
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas demographic movements vary significantly between regions, with some Member States being projected to experience a decline in their population in the coming 7 years, and others projected to see population growth over the same period; whereas such demographic movements also take place between regions, generally translating into exodus between rural to urban areas within Member States;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas population loss is a sustained trend over time, particularly affecting rural areas with older populations on average than those found in cities and suburbs14 ; whereas young people are on average more likely to leave rural areas, actively contributing to the phenomenon of rural exodus; whereas the loss of population in rural areas is deeply linked to the lack of connectivity, public services and employment; whereas the posting of young workers poses significant challenges to demographic structures; whereas mountainous, isolated and outermost regions are particularly affected by these phenomena; __________________ 14 See the Commission Staff Working Document entitled ‘The impact of demographic change – in a changing environment’ of 17 January 2023 (SWD(2023)0021).
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas population loss is a sustained trend over time, particularly affecting rural areas with older populations on average than those found in cities and suburbs14 ; whereas young people are on average more likely to leave rural areas; whereas the loss of population in rural areas is deeply linked to the lack of connectivity, public services and quality employment; whereas the posting of young workers poses significant challenges to demographic structures; whereas mountainous, isolated and outermost regions are particularly affected by these phenomena; __________________ 14 See the Commission Staff Working Document entitled ‘The impact of demographic change – in a changing environment’ of 17 January 2023 (SWD(2023)0021).
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the EU labour market faces a shortage of workers with skills adapted to the new socio-economic realities, as well as the green and digital transitions; whereas the positive migration of workers with or without tertiary education is one of the solutions to address the challenges faced by Member States and their regions with the highest percentage of population loss;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the talent drain is closely related to the need to improve the working and living conditions of people living in regions with low incomes across sectors and positions, social gaps and other socio- economic disparities; whereas reducing such disparities is a commitment which has been reiterated through the European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas, considering their proximity to the citizens and their know- how, regional and local authorities are best placed to create the socio-economic conditions for attracting talent; whereas these administrations need economic reinforcement;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the regions in which the knowledge economy is better developed tend to be those that have a better technological infrastructure, high quality education systems, a dynamic cultural and artistic environment and a modern network of public healthcare, social services and conciliation services;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas it is demonstrated that the participatory governance model, in which co-governance is promoted through cooperative work with social partners, organised civil society and public entities, offers better responses adapted to the specific reality of the territories, generating synergies focused on the identified needs;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F c (new)
Recital F c (new)
Fc. whereas physical distance to education infrastructure poses a challenge for young and adult population who want to acquire the skills needed by the labour market in regions in a talent development trap; thus increasing the mismatch between education levels and vacant posts offered;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas talent retention does not refer exclusively to stopping the emigration of highly qualified persons from one country to another, or from one region to another, but also to attracting populations whose professional background is related to tourism, agriculture, art, crafts, sports and other jobs that are still in high demand in rural and sparsely populated areas; whereas 'brain waste' is defined as the phenomenon experimented by migrants with advanced degrees and professional qualifications who are either unemployed or employed in jobs that do not match their educational background and professional qualifications;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas there is a significant exodus of highly skilled young people, especially women, who are leaving rural areas and less developed areas in search of environments conducive to personal and personal growth; whereas recent data shows that highly skilled people were amongst the most mobile workers in the 2012-2019 period1a, proving that a knowledge-based economy is a key determinant for mobility within the EU, with "sending" regions showing a lower GDP (64%) than the EU average, in comparison with the 10% GDP of the EU's average1b; __________________ 1a https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools- databases/regprof/index.cfm 1b See Busetti et all; 2017 apud Cavallini y otros, 2018, p.9
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
Gb. whereas there is still a deep digital divide in the EU in terms of geography, gender, educational attainment, socio- economic status and income that prevents some individuals and businesses from reaping the benefits of the digital transformation; whereas this gap can deepen the isolation of certain regions;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas EU policies addressing the brain drain and the negative effects of demographic trends must respect the four freedoms, with particular reference to the free movement of persons, and in no case should they prohibit the migration of citizens of Member States from one EU country to another, or to third countries;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas the concept of rural proofing has become more prevalent after the publication of the "Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas" and should not only consist of a revision in general terms of all EU public policies through a "rural lens" in order to adapt them to such environments, but must also include demographic aspects, gender impact, consequences in work-life balance and job creation, as well as the possibility of attracting talent to sparsely populated areas, making sure that EU legislation includes these aspects when concluding impact assessments prior to the design of public policies for rural and sparsely populated areas;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)
Recital I b (new)
Ib. whereas current ERDF-CF pays specific attention to the development challenges at NUTS 3 and local administrative unit levels that are sparsely populated, and in particular those that have a population density of less than 12.5 inhabitants per square kilometre, or areas that have suffered from an average annual population decline of at least 1% over the 2007-2017 period; whereas according to ERDF-CF, Member States can, under Cohesion Policy, develop specific voluntary action plans at local level for such areas to counter such population challenges; whereas these areas tend to fall under the category of 'less developed' regions;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas Annex XXVI of the Common Provisions Regulation laying down the methodology on the allocation of global resources per Member State for the political objective of the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund (ERDF-CF)17 of investment in jobs and growth, and, in particular, for the regions classified as ‘less developed’, goes beyond GDP and the percentage of the unemployed; and now includes elements such as the education rate and net migration, therefore reflecting a more pluralistic reality than the related exclusively to income per country; __________________ 17 Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 of 24 June 2021on the European Regional Development Fund and on the Cohesion Fund, OJ L 231, 30.6.2021, p.60.
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. whereas amongst the lessons learned through the use of former ERDF in times of crisis, greater flexibility for the use of the remaining part of the previous programming period has been welcomed by regional and local authorities and stakeholders, ensuring that affected regions receive the necessary support and resources to mitigate the negative effects of such crisis, enabling a faster decision- making, paving the way for new flexibility elements to be included in the design of the future Cohesion Policy;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas the Commission communication entitled ‘Harnessing talent in Europe’s regions’ sets up the Talent Booster Mechanism with the objective of stimulating supply and demand for skills, taking into account the different economic contexts faced by each region; whereas this mechanism includes a new strategy on ‘Smart adaptation of regions to demographic transition’ and direct financial support under existing instruments, thus opening the door to innovative solutions for the different demographic realities not contemplated so far;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission communication on ‘Harnessing talent in Europe’s regions’ and its overall objective of promoting, retaining and attracting talent to transform all regions into dynamic places; appreciates the strategies presented as a mechanism to avoid economic, social and gender disparities between citizens affected by the green and digital transitions; considers it fundamental that the concept of ‘rural proofing’ include assessing the demographic impact, the issue of job creation, the impact on the educational framework and the gender impact on rural areas when designing EU policies;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls that policy objective four (PO 4) of ERDF-CF18 already envisages the achievement of a more social and inclusive Europe through the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights; is of the belief that improving equal access to inclusive and quality services in education, training and lifelong learning through the development of accessible infrastructure is crucial to achieving these objectives; considers it essential for PO 4 to go hand-in-hand with the premises contained in the Long- term vision for rural areas, as demographic challenges are a multidimensional phenomenon affecting regions differently across the EU; __________________ 18 Article 3(1)(d)
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the creation of the Talent Booster Mechanism and its eight specific pillars aimed at boosting talent in regions facing, or at risk of facing, what the Commission calls a talent development trap; calls for clear and objective criteria regarding the definition of regions in, or at risk of, a talent development trap; highlights the potential of the Technical Support Instrument and considers it essential for the Commission to develop tailor-made support for each region;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Encourages the financing of specific measures through the multiannual financial framework to address the demographic challenges, with a specific budget for regions with severe and permanent demographic difficulties; in this context, considers it necessary to reformulate the specific instruments of the cohesion policy by assigning greater weight to depopulation for the allocation of funds as well as providing greater flexibility within the thematic objectives framework;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Considers it necessary to promote a reformulation of the Cohesion Policy allocation method an d co-financing criteria, taking into account a greater number of indicators such as population developments, territorial dispersion and negative economic growth; calls for a greater weight of demographic variables in the allocation of cohesion funds;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers it essential to improve the executive and managerial capacity of local administrations and to reduce bureaucracy, as well as to promote closer cooperation between the different institutions with a view to increasing the development and competitiveness of research centres, universities and other knowledge and professional development institutions ;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls that it is essential that Member States, their regions and local authorities come up with innovative solutions tailored to each territory and stresses that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for all problematics; welcomes the Commission’s proposal that Member States set up thematic and regional working groups to address specific challenges under the Talent Booster Mechanism;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to finance and promote specific projects for the development of initiatives to ensure young people’s access to training, with a particular focus on deficit or high-demand occupations, to stimulate the creation of quality jobs and to guarantee paid traineeships and to encourage the participation of young people in their design;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Encourages the Member States to align their specific priorities with their demographic needs in future Partnership Agreements; recalls that it is key to take into account the demographic consequences when implementing ERDF- CF in specific projects;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make progress towards the digitalisation of public services, integrating schools, universities, research centres, public transport, efficient governance and digital administration into this transformation;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Acknowledges that direct financial support to regions in or at risk of a talent development trap will be provided under existing instruments, including the Interregional Innovation Investments instrument, that will now take into account such regions; regrets nonetheless that no specific and dedicated financial support has been established for this purpose; suggests that the new programming period should include the creation of a dedicated fund addressing the brain drain, education and job creation;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Agrees with the mid-term review of the 2021-2027 Cohesion Policy programmes, providing an opportunity to assess the situation of regions in a or at risk of being in a talent development trap, thus having the opportunity to align the programming of Cohesion Policy funds where appropriate;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Underlines that Member States and their regions and local authorities should undertake a thorough and comprehensive analysis in order to understand the status of the talent to be targeted; in this regard, believes it is key that mechanisms that provide the means for such talent to voice their requirements and needs are put in place in order for public policies to be as tailor-made as possible;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Recalls that the establishment of research institutes and networks of researchers can help to tackle the brain drain faced by territories with highly qualified scientific researchers; encourages Member States and their regions to set up networks of researchers and institutes to facility the mobility of such professionals, paying particular attention to sciences related to rural areas such as innovation in the agri-food sector and sustainable development, among others;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)
Paragraph 10 d (new)
10d. Considers the world of the arts and creative industries as key drivers for attracting population, with particular attention to medium-sized urban areas; suggests the further development of informal networks of cities with creative industries in order to assess and develop new policy instruments with the aim of strengthening territorial economies to address the common challenge of the brain drain of creative talent;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 e (new)
Paragraph 10 e (new)
10e. Believes that further expanding the concept of ‘smart cities’ as part of specialisation strategies in given regions or cities is key for developing R&D projects that can attract highly skilled workers to those areas;