100 Amendments of Hristo PETROV
Amendment 20 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas the transition to a green, digital and competitive European economy is necessary to maintain the European social model, but can itself only be achieved if citizens are sufficiently protected from the potential adverse social consequences of major economic changes; whereas protecting the environment and climate are imperative for long-term prosperity and well-being;
Amendment 26 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas social partners play a key role in shaping working conditions; whereas collective bargaining and strong trade union involvementworkers’ representation are essential for ensuring that workers’ voices are heard during restructuring negotiations; whereas workers’ involvement through information, consultation and participation in company decision-making processes is more important than ever to consolidate the fair and just transition of companies and to protect jobs and collective interests; whereas the just transition is about supporting social justice and ensuring fair burden- sharing while fighting climate change;
Amendment 51 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas companies oftenshould prioritise short-term profits overensuring economic sustainability and, long-term employment stability, underscoring the need forand corporate social responsibility in restructuring plans; whereas SME’s in particular should be supported in this;
Amendment 57 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas shortages of skilled workers, including vocationally trained experts, in key sectors are a significant obstacle to the competitiveness of the EU economy and its ability to accomplish the green and digital transitions;
Amendment 60 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the automotive industry is amanufacturing industry, including the automotive sector, is one of the vital economic pillars in Europe;
Amendment 61 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the automotive industry is a vital economic pillar in Europe;manufacturing industry, including the automative sector, is one of the vital economic pillars in Europe; whereas the automative sector provides direct and indirect jobs to 13.8 millions Europeans, representing 6.1% of total EU employment1a; whereas the value chain of the automative sector extends to almost all Member States, encompassing not only direct manufacturing operations, but also indirect manufacturing and automobile use; __________________ 1a The future of European competitiveness – In-depth analysis and recommendations, page 140, Mario Draghi, September 2024.
Amendment 83 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas social partners should be closely involved in the transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles is imperative, but it must be achieved in a way thatto ensure good employment conditions and avoidsing job losses in traditional automotive manufacturing;
Amendment 85 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the accelerating pace of technological developments will require that workers expand and adapt their skillsets more often throughout their working lives in order for them to have the possibility to participate fully in the economy of the future; whereas the responsibility for this should be shared equitably between workers, employers and society at large;
Amendment 110 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses the urgent need for an ambitious European industrial policy that promotes significant public and private investment in public goods, innovation and skills, while delivering quality jobs and social progress and meeting climate targets;
Amendment 111 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Underlines that the competitiveness of the EU is inextricably linked to its unique social model based on strong public services, social protection, housing, transport and childcare; supports strong public services and public administration;
Amendment 117 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates its call for a permanentn investment tool at EU level to ensure that the necessary resources are available in all strategic and growth sectors for developing an industrial policy and for policies that help reach the social and green targets, based on the positive experiences of NextGenerationEU and the strong labour focus of the s; calls on the Commission to explore reinforcing the European instrument for temporary Support to mitigate uUnemployment rRisks in an eEmergency instrument (SURE)(SURE) to support short- time work schemes, workers’ income and workers who would be temporarily laid off in the context of the green transition, also taking into account the outcome of the final evaluation report and considering that SURE saved 40 million jobs;
Amendment 151 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Urges the Commission to revise the European Public Procurement Directive6 in order to establish preferential treatment for companies complying with collective bargaining agreements; calls on the Commission to strengthen the social clause and exclude from tenders companies that have engaged in criminal activities or union busting or that have refused to participate in collective bargainingfrom tenders; urges that public procurement be leveraged to promote Corporate Social Responsibility; hHighlights the importance of ensuring that public money is used to invest in those engaged in just transitions with the aim of promoting collective agreements and increasing trade union densities; considers, furthermore, that all EU financial support to undertakings should be made conditional on their compliance with the applicable working and employment conditions and/or employer obligations resulting from the relevant collective agreements; believes that this support should also be conditional on their commitment to investing in European industries and maintaining jobs in the EU;; __________________ 6 Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on public procurement and repealing Directive 2004/18/EC, OJ L 94, 28.3.2014, p. 65, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/24/oj.
Amendment 160 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Considers that all EU financial support to undertakings should be made conditional on their compliance with the applicable working and employment conditions and/or employer obligations resulting from the relevant collective agreements; believes that this support should also be conditional on their commitment to investing in European industries and maintaining jobs in the EU;
Amendment 171 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Reiterates its cCalls for EU funding, including State aid, to be conditional on public policy objectives and State aid by Member States to be aligned with a European industrial policy, especially in strategic sectors, and to be conditional on social requirements, in order to offer high- quality jobs, promote collective bargaining, respect EU labour rights and standards, and ensure improved working conditions;
Amendment 179 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Supports investments in sectors such as electric vehicle battery production, charging infrastructure, renewable energy, clean tech and digital technologies, including artificial intelligence; insists that these investments must prioritiserespect workers’ rights and community development;
Amendment 199 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that restructuring processes are essential in achieving the digital and green transition objectives and are an imperative for a net-zero economy that sustains its social and environmental standards; warns that restructuring processes must never come at the cost of workers’ rightsEmphasises that workers should be beneficiaries of restructuring, either as they transfer to a new, minimally equivalent job within their current firm or sector, or as they reskill to transfer to a job in a future-proof sector, all while being adequately assisted and compensated; calls on the Commission to take action to reinforce and promote collective bargaining, ensuring an increase in collective bargaining coverage to at least 80 % in all Member States, and guaranteeing full respect of the right to collective bargaining;
Amendment 209 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Emphasises that restructuring processes should start as early as possible to prevent insolvency and mitigate job losses; calls on the Commission and the Member States to support companies work ing closely with trade unions and workers’ representative cooperation with social partners to identify warning signs early and develop comprehensive plans to address employment needs;
Amendment 216 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Stresses that restructuring processes also have an impact on the supply chain and can pose a considerable risk to indirect employment across the European Union; calls on the Commission and the Member States to support companies undergoing restructuring processes in order to integrate into their plans the impacts on other European companies of their supply chain; further calls on the Commission and the Member States to support companies indirectly impacted by these restructuring processes to mitigate the consequences on employment;
Amendment 217 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Recognises that the EU needs to reform its economy in order to maintain its competitiveness and achieve the green and digital transitions, including through a European industrial policy; emphasizes that such a major reform is only possible if citizens, regardless of the sector they work in or the region they inhabit, are assured that this transition will be to their benefit;
Amendment 218 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Stresses that the EU must address shortages of skilled workers in strategic sectors in order to enhance its competitiveness; points out that addressing skills shortages and supporting workers who need to transition to a new job following a restructuring process are complementary objectives; emphasises the fact that sufficient access to reskilling and upskilling is a precondition for a successful transition to a new job in another sector; urges the Commission to take account of this in its proposals for a Clean industrial deal and the Union of skills, including by expanding the role of Centres of Vocational Excellence; calls on the Commission to improve the recognition of skills across Member States and to ensure that its programmes better address the needs of vocationally trained experts;
Amendment 248 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Considers that ian order to prevent the loss of jobs, and in the absence of an industrial plan agreed with the social partners, a moratorium onindustrial plan agreed with the social partners is essential to promote the economic viability of European industrial companies and, in the worst case, prevent closures and forced redundancies should be possible; calls on the Commission and the Member States to urgently agree on a moratorium onsupport companies, in particular SMEs, to prevent forced redundancies with; highlights that a temporary support programme is needed to protect employment during transitions, creating space for the clean industrial deal and avoiding the loss of strategic industrial capacity; demrecognises that such industrial plans should be devised ands stronger protections against unfair dismissals andupported at an early stage, when a company can gradually restructure without risking forced redundancies; calls for workers affected by restructuring to be guaranteed adequate compensation, retraining opportunities and support in securfinding new employment; reaffirms that the dignity of workers must always takbe precedence over corporate profitsspected;
Amendment 250 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Emphasises that substantial restructuring operations may affect regional economies and require a regional approach; calls on the Commission to establish a framework for developing regional economic strategies to establish new sources of quality jobs in future-proof sectors, such as clean tech and digital, in response to major restructuring processes in the region; invites the Commission to explore how such strategies may be supported through public funding, building on the experiences from the Just Transition Fund; Highlights that such regional approaches should involve all participants of local economic ecosystems, including local and regional governments, affected firms and workers, and social partners;
Amendment 274 #
2024/2829(RSP)
Draft motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for green collective bargaining in the form of negotiable clauses between the social partners of collective agreements that have a direct and indirect effect on the environment; highlights that green collective agreements can cover the impact of companies’ activities on the environment, the protection of workers from the effects of climate change and the impact of the green transformation on employment and work organisation; notes that two main forms of green collective agreements can be identified; insists on the integration of green clauses and agreements to manage green restructuron the social partners to consider the use of green collective bargaining;
Amendment 3 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
– having regard to the Council recommendation of 12 March 2021 on Roma equality, inclusion and participation1a, _________________ 1a [1] OJ C 93, 19.3.2021, p. 1–14
Amendment 4 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 b (new)
Citation 6 b (new)
– having regard to the EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation for 2020-2030 of 7 October 2020,
Amendment 9 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
– having regard of the report by Mario Draghi on the future of European competitiveness,
Amendment 10 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 b (new)
Citation 16 b (new)
– having regard of the report by Enrico Letta on the Single Market,
Amendment 48 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the European Child Guarantee aims to prevent and combat the social exclusion of children in need by guaranteeing effective and free access to high-quality early childhood education and care, education, school-based activities, at least one healthy meal each school day and healthcare, and effective access to healthy nutrition and adequate housing; whereas the Executive Vice-President- designate for People, Skills and Preparedness is responsible for strengthening the Child Guarantee;
Amendment 50 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas one child in four is still at risk of poverty and social exclusion in the European Union1a, and whereas the current trend will not meet the target of reducing the number of children in poverty by at least 5 million by 2030; whereas ESF+ resources alone are in no way sufficient for addressing the challenge of child poverty in the EU and, therefore, a significant increase in funding for the European Child Guarantee as well as synergies with other European and national funds are of utmost importance; _________________ 1a https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/product s-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20240719-1
Amendment 57 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas the Commission has proposed minimum targets for 2030 to ensure progress towards Roma equality, inclusion and participation under the 10- year plan to support Roma in the EU; whereas these targets include, among others, reducing the gap in housing deprivation by at least one third, cutting the proportion of Roma children who attend segregated primary schools by at least half in Member States with a significant Roma population, and reducing the poverty gap between Roma and general population by at least half; whereas the ESF+ will remain the main financial tool for reaching the 2030 Roma targets;
Amendment 61 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Ec. whereas the report on the Future of European Competitiveness by Mario Draghi warns of the significant skills gap the EU is facing with 77% of EU companies reporting that even newly recruited employees do not have the required skills, 42% of Europeans lacking digital basic skills; whereas the report deplores the insufficient number of workers benefiting from training and the lack of progress in this area with more than 50 million workers requiring training to meet the headline target of adults participating in training every year; whereas this report justifies a massive investment from the ESF+ in skills and training; whereas investments in skills from EU funds have been insufficient in terms of size and have lacked strategic focus;
Amendment 63 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E d (new)
Recital E d (new)
Ed. whereas timely investments in the reskilling and upskilling of workers that are at risk of losing their jobs can prevent them from becoming trapped in poverty;
Amendment 64 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E e (new)
Recital E e (new)
Ee. whereas demographic changes will lead to a smaller workforce; whereas this necessitates upskilling, expanding the workforce and reskilling those whose skills have become obsolete;
Amendment 65 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Recital E f (new)
Recital E f (new)
Ef. whereas vocationally trained professionals and people with practical skills are essential to European societies, yet are underrepresented in policy-making and undervalued; whereas labour market participation is lower among this group;
Amendment 82 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Insists that the objectives of the ESF+ should be to achieve high employment levels with adequate wages, decent working conditions, healthy working environments and social security coverage, in order to develop a skilled, competitive and resilient workforce, ready for the twin transition and the future world of work, and to build fair social protections and inclusive and cohesive societies, with the aims of eradicating poverty and delivering on the principles and the headline targets set out in the EPSR;
Amendment 84 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Highlights the need for the deployment of the ESF+ to be aligned with the employment guidelines that provide the basis, together with the guidelines for the economic policies, for the country-specific recommendations developed in the European Semester;
Amendment 86 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for a strong, reinforced, stand-alone ESF+ with significantly increased public support for existing instruments aimed at providing for the poorest in our socieinvesting in skills, helping lifting people out of poverty and social exclusion, boosting social investment and entrepreneurship, and investing in people’s capabilities; insists, therefore, on doublincreasing the funding for the ESF+ post- 2027;
Amendment 92 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Expresses strong concerns over attempts to split or merge the existing ESF+ with other funds, since that would create serious risks for the implementation of its objectivesCalls on the Commission to provide increased and dedicated funding for attaining the objectives of the ESF+ and those of the EPSR and its action plan, and the reaching of the ESPR’s headline targets; warns that unifying or simplifying funds may not improve their effectiveness;
Amendment 100 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Believes that a different ESF+ governance wouldmay not lead to the loss of priority given to social aspects, including employment, skills and social inclusion projects, and to the funding not reaching local levels and those most in need, whileor increasing the risk of reallocation of funds for other purposes;
Amendment 103 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Expresses that the partnership principle is essential to the success of the ESF+ and must be maintained under the next MFF; highlights the need for the ESF+ governance model to allow for national, regional and local specificities and challenges to be well-reflected in operational programmes, not least by taking due account of the expertise of national and regional stakeholders, including civil society, and by ensuring that the funding goes to organisations and activities that target people in need;
Amendment 110 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the participation of social partners, local and regional governments, educational institutions, civil society organisations (CSOs) and representatives of the target groups in all design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation stages of the ESF+, to allocate adequate funding for this purpose and to prevent the exclusion of smaller actors;
Amendment 122 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines that the ESF+ post-2027 should invest in people’s capabilities and in tackling enduring and new social challenges and stay close to the general and specific objectives set out in the current ESF+; emphasises the importance of the fund’s principles of shared management, clear objectives and thematic concentrations, and that most of the fund should be spent as close as possible to those using the fund;
Amendment 132 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that the ESF+ should not be used to respond to emergencies or crises; insists that a social rescue facility capable of reacting to socialprimarily address structural social and economic challenges and be used when necessary to respond to emergencies andor crisis situations should supplement the ESF+; calls on the Commission to build on the success of the temporary EU instrument launched in 2020, entitled ‘Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE)’, in fighting temporary unemployment, and to put forward an EU unemployment reinsurance scheme without further delayes; calls therefore on the Commission to come up with proposals to provide the multi-annual financial framework with a financial reserve instrument that enables the EU to respond rapidly and in a flexible manner to social emergencies and crisis situations in order to supplement the ESF+ and other cohesion funds;
Amendment 140 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Underlines the need for the ESF+ to be based on a social investment strategy and life-long approach, thus supporting measures that can provide medium to long term solutions to people, by lifting them out of poverty and social exclusion, boosting entrepreneurship and social innovation, investing in children and early childhood facilities and investing in strategic skills, thus helping people to find a job, or to re-and upskill in view of job transitions;
Amendment 142 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Insists that parts of the ESF+ should target the most disadvantaged people in our societies, regardless of their sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief, or racial or ethnic origin – in particular marginalised communities such as Roma people, people with disabilities or chronic diseases, homeless people, vulnerable children and elderly people; underlines that the ESF+ must be inclusive, with special attention given to all kinds of families, including single-parent families, families with more than two parents and rainbow families as well as children deprived of parental care; further stresses that the ESF+ should encourage the adoption of measures that prevent family separation for families in precarious situations including parenting education programs, family-focused therapy, and employment training;
Amendment 158 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Commission, in the light of current challenges, to include in the specific objectives of the ESF+ the promotion of the just transition, the socio- economic integration of migrants, including labour migrants, and of people with disabilities, the social inclusion of women who are victims of gender-based violence and the integration of older people;
Amendment 166 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that Member States base the distribution of their share of ESF+ funding across regions and objectives on measurable indicators, results of various EU reports and recommendations, and anticipated economic displacements;
Amendment 172 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses that reaching the EPSR’s targets on poverty becomes challenging, unless specific support is dedicated to alleviating the pressure ondeveloping medium to long term solutions to lift people out of poverty and making them more resilient to upcoming challenges, addressing current gaps in our social protection systems and mitigating the social impact of crises in a targeted manner; insists on dedicating support to ensure decent living conditions for all, with access to high- quality essential services; calls for the EU anti-poverty strategy, outlined in Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s political guidelines for the 2024- 2029 term, to be implemensupported via the ESF+, with its binding poverty- reduction targets, national living wage indices and reference budgets used as benchmarks, as well as adequate policies at both the EU and national levels, applying a multidimensional approach;
Amendment 181 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses that addressing child poverty requires appropriately funded, comprehensive and integrated measures, together with the implementation of the European Child Guarantee at national level, and insists that it constitute a central pillar of the EU anti-poverty strategy; repeats its previous demands for the ESF+ post-2027 to include a dedicated budget of at least EUR 20 billion for the European Child Guarantee; insists that all the Member States should allocate at least 5 % of their ESF+ resources to the European Child Guarantee and at least 10 % for those Member States with a higher portionrate of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion above the EU average;
Amendment 198 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Shares the ambition to prioritise the tackling of the housing crises, and insists that the ESF+ post-2027 should enhance timely and equal access to affordable, decent, sustainable and high-quality services promoting access to housing; believes that all the Member States must invest at least 5 % of their ESF+ resources into tackling homelessness;
Amendment 214 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Insists that measures aiming to improve access to the labour market and promote skills formation should be designed in a way that promotes and recognises the autonomy of individuals, avoiding blanket prescriptions; calls for the promotion of measures that stimulate the demand for such measures, not least via instruments like the individual learning accounts, micro-credentials and skills vouchers;
Amendment 215 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Calls for upskilling and reskilling to be implemented in close collaboration with key actors in local economies, including governments, educational institutions and employers, especially SMEs, in order to ensure that skills investments match local labour market needs; urges that such measures focus on future-proof jobs, like those in strategic sectors;
Amendment 216 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Urges the Commission to require from Member States that their plans anticipate long-term demographic developments; notes the importance of addressing low labour market participation rates among specific groups, such as women, people with low educational attainment, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups;
Amendment 217 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)
Paragraph 17 d (new)
17d. Calls on the Commission to explore interventions that help SMEs anticipate future skills needs and reskill and upskill employees at risk of future job-loss accordingly;
Amendment 218 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 e (new)
Paragraph 17 e (new)
17e. Recalls the wide range of skills- enhancing initiatives undertaken at the EU level, such as the Pact for Skills or the net-zero industry academies, that can provide useful guidance to the development of education and training programmes at the national and regional level; calls on Member States to make a better use of such initiatives and calls on the Commission to make concrete proposals on how to integrate them into the skills component of the operational programmes developed under the ESF+;
Amendment 219 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 f (new)
Paragraph 17 f (new)
17f. Emphasises the need to invest in strategic skills to address the current competitive gap of the EU and to develop a strong, competitive and sustainable industrial base in the EU; highlights that the ESF + should play a key role in providing workers with the right skills and should support the deployment of strategic skills programmes based on existing and future-oriented industrial ecosystems and their anticipation of skills needs; encourages therefore the European Commission and the Member States to develop the skills component of their operational programmes in alignment with such anticipation strategies;
Amendment 251 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls for the ESF+ to boost the implementation of the European care strategy by investing in quality early childhood education and care through community-based, person-centred, high- quality, affordable and accessible care systems; Calls on the Member States to make full use of the ESF+ funds as well as other relevant European and national funds in order to finalise the deinstitutionalisation process so as to ensure that every child can grow up in a family or community environment;
Amendment 265 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses that the implementation of the EPSR and the reforms needed to comply with the country-specific recommendations in the European Semester are also dependant on the strong support of the ESF+ for certain policy measures, especially those related to strengthening social welfare systems, ensuring inclusive and high-quality public education and training, reducing child poverty and eradicating homelessness;
Amendment 266 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Recalls that EU policies can deliver the biggest impact when they are coordinated with funding instruments and other strategic frameworks, such as the European Semester and its country- specific recommendations; highlights the need for Member States to develop their ESF+ operational programmes in close coordination with their structural plans foreseen in their national programmes and the policy measures addressing their country-specific recommendations; notes that the effectiveness of interventions funded by ESF+ depends on the successful implementation of reforms; calls for a stronger link between the European Semester and the ESF+;
Amendment 273 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on the Commission to allocate consistent financial resources to capacity- building, not only for public authorities but also for social partners, education and training providers and civil society organisations with the aims of empowering social partnersthem to play a relevant role in areas of their competence, of strengthening their capacity to engage in social dialogue both at EU and national level and/or of enhancing social partners’ actdelivering on their core missions – and include technical assistance for these three purposes – with an adequate minimum percentage investment obligation from the Member States; further insists that social partners and CSOs should be guaranteed access to funding for social policy objectives in all the Member States on an equal basis;
Amendment 276 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Underlines that it is of the utmost importance that small social enterprises and CSOorganisations have access to all aspects of the ESF+; calls for an increased co-financing rate of at least 90 % for measuron the Commission to provide co-financing rates that can allow small entities with limited capacity to have access targeting the most deprived implemented by CSOs, and at least 70 % for those implemented by social enterpriso funding while retaining a minimum number of different co-financing rates in order to move towards a simplification of the rules;
Amendment 287 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the Member States to ensure that regional and local authorities and organisations have a say in projects financed from national budgets and insists on the need to maintain the partnership approach of the current ESF+, which is key to strengthen the quality of the programmes financed under the ESF+;
Amendment 293 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Insists that the rules governing the use of the ESF+ must ensure and enhance compliance with the rule of law, the EU acquis, the highest EU social standards, social rights and democratic principles, and be aligned with the EPSR, the UN’s sustainable development goals and fundamental human and workers’ rights included in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU;
Amendment 301 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls for strong and more effective social conditionalitiesy in rules on public procurement and concessions, with effective sanctionsgoverning EU cohesion funds, including the ESF+; encourages the Commission to create a comprehensive database, supplementing the Eurostat data, to allow for timely and reliable monitoring of the developments in employment, living conditions and industrial relations;
Amendment 304 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls for the reduction of the administrative burden, notably by simplifying the application processes for accessing funds and the reporting procedures for organisations, in particular for those of a smaller size; warns that simplification must not compromise the fundamental principles of shared management; calls for the differentiation of reporting procedures depending on the size of a beneficiary and the amount of resources involved; warns that improving access to funds through simplification must not disproportionally affect the principles of partnership, transparency and accountability, ensuring the proper administration of public funds;
Amendment 307 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Recognises that excessive reliance on metrics such as the error rate may lead to more administrative burden, compromising the effectiveness of the fund; notes that different metrics, including measuring inputs, outputs, performance or qualitative measures, may fit different objectives and interventions; urges the Commission to explore the use of performance-based metrics for some interventions to reduce administrative burden and improve effectiveness of the fund; warns that incorrect use of performance-based budgeting can provide perverse incentives, especially in cases where performance is difficult to measure, for instance with social work; encourages the Commission to trust professionals on the ground and strike a better balance between monitoring and autonomy;
Amendment 309 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 b (new)
Paragraph 28 b (new)
28b. Calls on the Commission to ensure more thorough evaluation of the effectiveness of individual interventions without imposing major new burdens on providers, for instance by forming evaluation desks at both the EU and national levels;
Amendment 317 #
2024/2077(INI)
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Points out the success of reaching out target groups by developing low- threshold information points embedded in society, such as walk-in job counselling offices at places that citizens visit in their daily lives;
Amendment 3 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Expresses its satisfaction that the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has declared the transactionsrevenue underlying the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP), the European Training Foundation (ETF), and the European Labour Authority (ELA) annual accounts for the financial year 2023 to be overall legal and regular, and that their financial position as at 31 December 2023 is fairly represented;
Amendment 14 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to ensure better use of the Agencies’ expertise in relevant policy areas regarding employment and social affairs, which can allow for more efficient utilisation of existing Union budget resources compared to alternative solutions;
Amendment 16 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Notes the Court’s observations for agencies concern shortcomings in public procurement procedures, management and control systems and budgetary management and that weaknesses in public procurement procedures remain the main source of irregular payments;
Amendment 32 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Appreciates the Foundation’s continued high-quality work on enhancing and disseminating knowledge, and providing evidence-based expertise to support the development of better informed social, employment and work-related policies in Europe, to analyse policy options to improve working conditions, industrial relations, employment and living, and to produce expertise on inter alia inequality, inclusive labour markets, housing, right to disconnect, telework, hybrid work, the shift to a carbon-neutral economy and related impacts on work– life balance and quality of working conditions;
Amendment 36 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Commends the Agency for the achievement of 95 % of its annual work programme, with 36 out of 38 outputs delivered in 2023;
Amendment 39 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Expresses its satisfaction for the positive ECA’s opinion on the Foundation’s accounts, including on the legality and regularity of payments, and invites the Foundation to address the ECA’s remarks;
Amendment 42 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes the 16,87 % of carryover rate, above the 15 % benchmark, and the Foundation’s reply making a distinction between planned and unplanned carry- overs, the latest being assessed at 4 % by the Foundation;
Amendment 45 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Appreciates the Agency’s activities to develop, gather and provide reliable and relevant information, analysis and tools on national and EU priorities in the field of occupational safety and healthto advance knowledge, raise awareness and exchange occupational safety and health (OSH) information and good practice in order to promote healthy and safe workplaces in Europe in particular their work on the health and social care sector and psychosocial risks at the workplace;
Amendment 49 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Expresses its satisfaction for the positive ECA’s opinion on the Agency’s accounts, including on the legality and regularity of payments, and invites the Agency to address the ECA’s remarks;
Amendment 52 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes with satisfaction the cost- cutting actions performed by the Agency for allocating resources to the Agency’s core tasks; welcomes the Agency’s implementation of the AGM system (Advanced Gateway to Meetings), which will help provide an electronic and automated system for reimbursements of experts which was a significant factor in non-compliance with the payment time limits;
Amendment 57 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Expresses its satisfaction for the positive ECA’s opinion on the Agency’s accounts and invites the Agency to address the ECA’s observation, including on the legality and regularity of payments, and that the Court has no observations for 2023; invites the Agency to address the ECA’s outstanding observations from previous years;
Amendment 59 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Commends Cedefop for its exemplary commitment (100%) and payment (98%) appropriations rates successfully demonstrating the optimal use of resources entrusted to Cedefop;
Amendment 60 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16 b. Welcomes Cedefop’s cooperation with other agencies in the EMPL remit particularly with ELA with the connection of EURES vacancies data with Cedefop Skills-OVATE;
Amendment 66 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Expresses its satisfaction for the positive ECA’s opinion on the Agency’s accounts and, including on the legality and regularity of payments, and that the Court has no new observations for 2023; invites the Agency to address the ECA’s remarks, especially concerning open procurement procedure from 2022;
Amendment 72 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Appreciates the Authority’s work to assist Member States and the Commission in ensuring a fair and effective enforcement of Union rules on labour mobility and coordination of social security systems, in facilitating effective labour mobility in Europe through European Employment Services (EURES) activities, and to raising awareness, through training and information campaigns, about the rights and obligations of workers and employers, making it easier for citizens and businesses to reap the benefits of the internal market;
Amendment 73 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23 a. Welcomes in particular the Authority’s #EU4FairConstruction information campaign, aimed at raising awareness about the rights and obligations of workers and employers in the construction sector with a dedicated focus on posting of workers and actions on digital tools to support labour mobility, including training on the IMI, EESSI, and ERRU systems as well as its support and coordination to 76 concerted and joint inspections in 2023, more than doubling the number from 2022;
Amendment 77 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Expresses its satisfaction for the overall positive ECA’s opinion on the legality and regularity of underlying revenue and reliability of the Authority’s accounts; notes, however, the ECA’s remarks on a basis for qualified opinion on the legality and regularity of payments underlying the accounts due to irregular expenditure exceeding the materiality threshold;
Amendment 80 #
2024/2030(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. In this regards, notes the ECA’s opinion on an irregular contract awarding and the Authority’s reply that the concerned contract was not renewed and ran until the end to avoid disruption in the Authority’s activities; welcomes that ELA has revised its tender documents, including financial offer templates, to clarify that tenders exceeding the contracting authority's maximum budget will be rejected;
Amendment 8 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. ObservesIs concerned that the total outstanding commitments reached a record high of EUR 543 billion by the end of 2023, mainly due to an increased commitment of shared management funds, as well as NextGenerationEU (NGEU), but notices that the total outstanding commitments are expected to decrease in the 2024-2026 period;
Amendment 10 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes with concerns that the Court of Auditors estimates that the level of error for MFF heading 2 ‘Cohesion, resilience and values’ in 2023 reached 9,3 %, compared with 6,4 % in 2022, significantly above the already high rates of previous years, resulting in the Court issuing an adverse opinion on the legality and regularity of budget expenditure; recognises that the majority of spending in this area is deemed high-risk expenditure as mainly reimbursement-based and often subject to complex rules; calls for urgent action to decrease the errnotes the main types of error quantified were ineligible projects and costs, non-compliance with public procurement or rstate in the futureaid rules, and absence of essential documents;
Amendment 11 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Calls for urgent action to decrease the error rate in the future especially for the new funding period, and notes the Court’s observation that the complexity of the way funds are disbursed has an impact on the risk of error; further calls on the Commission to assist the agencies to improve their internal procedures in order to ensure compliance with applicable public procurement and state aid rules;
Amendment 13 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Notes however that the Court recognises several factors which put additional pressure on Member State administrations and increased the risk regarding their capacity to ensure spending was regular and in line with the principles of sound financial management; recalls these factors include the significant additional REACT-EU resources being made available, and the end date of 31 December 2023 for the 2014-2020 cohesion eligibility period, which for the last few years overlaps with the eligibility period of the RRF;
Amendment 15 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Expresses concerns that the Commission forecast decommitments for cohesion policy funds, including the European Social Fund Plus, at EUR 2,2 billion for the 2024-2027 period, five times higher its 2022 forecast, mainly due to persistent low absorption; stresses the Commission should identify ways to help Member States accelerate the use of EU funds, in particular shared management funds under the Common Provisions Regulation to improve absorption, while respecting sound financial management;
Amendment 16 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Recalls the importance of the ESF+ which aims to achieve high employment, fair social protection, a skilled and resilient workforce, and inclusive/cohesive societies as key in eradicating poverty; underlines the importance of closely involving regional actors, in particular civil society organisations and social partners working on the ground in the implementation of ESF+ funded activities;
Amendment 18 #
2024/2019(DEC)
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Notes the Court issued a qualified opinion on the legality and regularity of RRF expenditure due to weaknesses in the design of measures and cases of vaguely defined milestones/targets contributing to a more discretionary assessment and persistent weaknesses in the Member States’ reporting and control systems;
Amendment 3 #
2024/0599(NLE)
Recital 1
(1) Member States and the Union are to work towards developing a coordinated strategy for employment and in particular for the promotion of a skilled, trained and adaptable workforce, as well as labour markets that are future-oriented, resilient, inclusive and responsive to economic change, with a view to achieving the objectives of full employment and social progress, balanced growth, a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment laid down in Article 3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). Member States are to regard promoting quality employment as a matter of common concern and are to coordinate their action in that respect within the Council, taking into account national practices related to the responsibilities of management and labour.
Amendment 17 #
2024/0599(NLE)
Recital 6
(6) The European Semester combines different instruments in an overarching framework for integrated multilateral coordination and surveillance of economic and employment policies within the Union. While pursuing environmental sustainability, productivity, fairness and macroeconomic stability, the European Semester integrates the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights and its monitoring tool, the Social Scoreboard, also allowing an analysis of socio- economic risks and challenges to upward social convergence in the Union, and provides for strong engagement with social partners, civil society and other stakeholders. It also supports the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals. The economic and employment policies of the Union and the Member States should go hand in hand with the Union’s fair transition to a climate-neutral, environmentally sustainable and digital economy, improve competitiveness, ensure adequate working conditions, foster innovation, promote social justice, equal opportunities and upward socio-economic convergence, and tackle inequalities and regional disparities.
Amendment 27 #
2024/0599(NLE)
Recital 11
(11) Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Council, in its conclusions of 24 February 2022, condemned Russia’s actions, which seek to undermine European and global security and stability, and expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people, underlining Russia’s violation of international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter. In the current context, temporary protection, as granted by Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/382 and extended by the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/2409 (37 ), offers quick and effective assistance in Union countries to displaced people fleeing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and allows such displaced people to enjoy minimum rights across the Union that offer an adequate level of protection. It should be noted that this assistance needs to be extended to all displaced persons fleeing Ukraine, regardless of their nationality. By participating in the Union’s labour markets, persons displaced from Ukraine can continue to contribute to strengthening the Union’s economy and help support their country and people at home. In the future, the experience and skills acquired can contribute to rebuilding Ukraine. For unaccompanied children and teenagers, temporary protection confers the right to legal guardianship and access to childhood education and care. Member States should ensure that the implementation of the European Child Guarantee ensures access to free services for children fleeing Ukraine on an equal footing with their national peers in the hosting countries. Member States should continue to involve social partners in the design, implementation and evaluation of policy measures that aim to address the employment and skills challenges, including the recognition of qualifications of people displaced from Ukraine. Social partners play a key role in mitigating the impact of that the war in terms of preserving employment and production. __________________ 37 Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/382 of 4 March 2022 establishing the existence of a mass influx of displaced persons from Ukraine within the meaning of Article 5 of Directive 2001/55/EC, and having the effect of introducing temporary protection (OJ L 71, 4.3.2022, p. 1) and the Council Implementing Decision (EU 2023/2409) of 19 October 2023 extending temporary protection as introduced by Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/382.
Amendment 35 #
2024/0599(NLE)
Recital 12 – paragraph 3
A coherent set of active labour market policies, consisting of temporary and targeted hiring and transition incentives, skills policies including learning for the green transition and sustainable development and targeted, effective and adaptable employment services, is needed to support labour market transitions and make full use of untapped labour market potential, also in line with the active inclusion approach and in light of the green and digital transformationsas highlighted inter alia in the La Hulpe Declaration on the Future of the European Pillar of Social Rights (38 ). Adequate working conditions, including occupational health and safety, and both the physical and mental health of workers should be ensured. , through, amongst others, an enforceable right to disconnect and a better prevention of psychosocial risks at work. __________________ 38 La Hulpe Declaration on the Future of the European Pillar of Social Rights. La Hulpe, Belgium, 16 April 2024.
Amendment 43 #
2024/0599(NLE)
Recital 13 – paragraph 1
Discrimination in all its forms should be tackleliminated, gender equality ensured and employment of young people supported. Equal access and opportunities for all should be ensured and poverty and social exclusion, in particular that of children, persons with disabilities, national and linguistic minorities, and the Roma people, should be reduceradicated, in particular by ensuring an effective functioning of labour markets and adequate and inclusive social protection systems, as set out in the Council Recommendation of 8 November 2019 and the Council Recommendation of 30 January 2023 (39 ). In addition, barriers to inclusive and future-oriented education, training, lifelong learning and labour- market participation should be removed and Member States should invest in early childhood education and care, in line with the European Child Guarantee and the Council Recommendation on early childhood education and care (the ‘Barcelona targets for 2030’), in making vocational education and training more attractive and inclusive in line with the Council Recommendation on vocational education and training, and in digital and green skills, in line with the Digital Education Action Plan and the Council Recommendation on learning for the green transition and sustainable development and the Council Recommendation on Pathways for School Success. Access to affordable housing, including through social housing, is a necessary condition for ensuring equal opportunities. Timely and equal access to affordable high-quality long-term care, in line with the Council Recommendation on access to affordable high-quality long-term care, and healthcare services, including prevention and healthcare promotion, are particularly relevant, in light of potential future health risks and in a context of ageing societies. __________________ 39 Council Recommendation of 30 January 2023 on adequate minimum income ensuring active inclusion (OJ C 41, 3.2.2023, p.1).
Amendment 59 #
2024/0599(NLE)
Annex I – paragraph 3
Taxation should be shifted away from labour, by ensuring that tax systems are progressive and shifted to other sources more supportive of employment and inclusive growth and in line with climate and environmental objectives, taking account of the redistributive effect of the tax system, while protecting revenue for adequate social protection and growth- enhancing expenditure.
Amendment 121 #
2024/0599(NLE)
Annex I – paragraph 20
Member States should develop and integrate the three strands of active inclusion: adequate income support, inclusive labour markets and access to quality enabling services, to meet individual needs. Social protection systems should ensure adequate minimum income benefits for everyone lacking sufficient resources and promote social inclusion by supporting and encouraging people to actively participate in the labour market and society, including through targeted provision of social services. The availability of affordable, accessible and quality services such as early childhood education and care, out-of-school care, education, training, housing, and health and long-term care is a necessary condition for ensuring equal opportunities. Particular attention should be given to fighting poverty and social exclusion, including in- work poverty, in line with the Union headline and national targets for 2030 on poverty reduction. Child poverty and social exclusion should be especially addressed by comprehensive and integrated measures, including through the full implementation of the European Child Guarantee. Member States should ensure that everyone, including children, has access to essential services of good quality. For those in need or in a vulnerable situation, they should also ensure access to adequate affordable and social housing or housing assistance. They should ensure a clean and fair energy transition and urgently address energy poverty as an increasingly significant form of poverty, including, where appropriate, via targeted support measures aimed at households in vulnerable situations. Member States should make effective use of EU funding and technical support to invest in social housing, housing renovation and accompanying services and address the urgent need for affordable and decent housing. The specific needs of persons with disabilities, including accessibility, should be taken into account in relation to those services. Homelessness should be tackled specifically by promoting access to permanent housing and the provision of enabling support services.