Activities of Laura AGEA related to 2018/0206(COD)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) PDF (2 MB) DOC (511 KB)
Amendments (52)
Amendment 38 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) As the main EU instrument for investing in human capital and skills, the ESF+ plays a key role in promoting social and territorial cohesion. The ESF+ should provide support to improving the quality, effectiveness and labour market relevance of education and training systems in order to facilitate the acquisition of key competences notably as regards digital skills which all individuals need for personal fulfilment and development, employment, social inclusion and active citizenship. The ESF+ should help progression within education and training and transition to work, support lifelong learning and employability, and contribute to competitiveness and societal and economic innovation by supporting scalable and sustainable initiatives in these fields. This could be achieved for example through work-based learning and apprenticeships, lifelong guidance, skills anticipation in cooperation with industry, up-to-date training materials, forecasting and graduate tracking, training of educators, validation of learning outcomes and recognition of qualifications.
Amendment 52 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) The ESF+ should support Member States’ efforts to tackle poverty with a view to breaking the cycle of disadvantage across generations including through minimum income schemes in line with principle 14 of the Pillar of Social Rights and promote social inclusion by ensuring equal opportunities for all, tackling discrimination and addressing health inequalities. This implies mobilising a range of policies targeting the most disadvantaged people regardless of their age, including children, marginalised communities such as the Roma, and the working poor, the homeless and all other people facing multiple social challenges. The ESF+ should promote the active inclusion of people far from the labour market with a view to ensuring their socio- economic integration. The ESF+ should be also used to enhance timely and equal access to affordable, sustainable and high quality services such as healthcare and long-term care, in particular family and community-based care services. The ESF+ should contribute to the modernisation of social protection systems with a view in particular to promoting their accessibility and coverage, including for people in atypical situations.
Amendment 59 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 19
Recital 19
(19) The ESF+ should contribute to the reduction of poverty by supporting national schemes aiming to alleviate food and material deprivation and promote social integration of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion and the most deprived. With a view that at Union level at least 4% of the resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management supports the most deprived, Member States should allocate at least 24% of their national resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to address the forms of extreme poverty with the greatest social exclusion impact, such as homelessness, child poverty and food deprivation. Due to the nature of the operations and the type of end recipients, it is necessary that simpler rules apply to support which addresses material deprivation of the most deprived.
Amendment 70 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) The ESF+ should support policy and system reforms in the fields of employment, social inclusion, healthcare and long-term care, and education and training. In order to strengthen alignment with the European Semester, Member States should allocate an appropriate amount of their resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to implement relevantthose country-specific recommendations relating to structural challenges which it is appropriate to address through multiannual invewhich are consistments falling within the scoprationale of the ESF+. The Commission and the Member States should ensure coherence, coordination and complementarity between the shared- management and Health strands of ESF+ and the Reform Support Programme, including the Reform Delivery Tool and the Technical Support Instrument. In particular, the Commission and the Member State should ensure, in all stages of the process, effective coordination in order to safeguard the consistency, coherence, complementarity and synergy among sources of funding, including technical assistance thereof, always taking into account the objectives of economic, social and territorial cohesion set out in article 174 TFEU.
Amendment 75 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 22
Recital 22
(22) To ensure that the social dimension of Europe as set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights is duly put forward and that a minimum amount of resources is targeting those most in need Member States should allocate at least 2530% of their national ESF+ resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to fostering social inclusion.
Amendment 79 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23
Recital 23
(23) In the light of persistently high levels of youth unemployment and inactivity in a number of Member States and regions, in particular affecting young people who are neither in employment, nor in education or training, it is necessary that those Member States continue to invest sufficient resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management towards actions to promote youth employment including through the implementation of Youth Guarantee schemes. Building on the actions supported by the Youth Employment Initiative in the 2014-2020 programming period targeting individual persons, Member States should further promote employment and education reintegration pathways and outreach measures for young people by prioritising, where relevant, long-term unemployed, inactive and disadvantaged young people including through youth work. Member States should also invest in measures aimed at facilitating school-to-work transition as well as reforming and adapting employment services with a view to providing tailor-made support to young people. Member States concerned should therefore allocate at least 102% of their national resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to support youth employability.
Amendment 82 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) In accordance with Article 174 and 349 TFEU and Article 2 of Protocol No 6 to the 1994 Act of Accession, the outermost regions and the northern sparsely populated regions are entitled to specific measures under common policies and EU programmes. Due to the permanent constraints these regions require specific support.
Amendment 83 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) In accordance with Article 349 TFEU and Article 2 of Protocol No 6 to the 1994 Act of Accession, the outermost regions and the northern sparsely populated regions are entitled to specific measures under common policies and EU programmes. Due to the permanent constraints these regions require specific support.
Amendment 87 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) As the main EU instrument for investing in human capital and skills, the ESF+ plays a key role in promoting social and territorial cohesion. The ESF+ should provide support to improving the quality, effectiveness and labour market relevance of education and training systems in order to facilitate the acquisition of key competences notably as regards digital skills which all individuals need for personal fulfilment and development, employment, social inclusion and active citizenship. The ESF+ should help progression within education and training and transition to work, support lifelong learning and employability, and contribute to competitiveness and societal and economic innovation by supporting scalable and sustainable initiatives in these fields. This could be achieved for example through work-based learning and apprenticeships, lifelong guidance, skills anticipation in cooperation with industry, up-to-date training materials, forecasting and graduate tracking, training of educators, validation of learning outcomes and recognition of qualifications.
Amendment 105 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 50 a (new)
Recital 50 a (new)
(50a) Given the diversity of the level of development in the regions and different social realities across Europe, the degree of flexibility of the ESF+ should be sufficient to take the regional and territorial specificities into account.
Amendment 106 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 50 b (new)
Recital 50 b (new)
(50b) Investments co-financed by the ESF+, in particular if related to measures aimed at social inclusion, should be deemed exempt from deficit and debt calculations in order to improve the investment capacity of the Member States.
Amendment 108 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 3 a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 3 a (new)
(3a) "social inclusion measures" means a process by which efforts are made to combat poverty and social exclusion, to ensure equal opportunities, and to create conditions enabling full and active participation in the society;
Amendment 109 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 3 b (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 3 b (new)
(3b) "minimum income scheme" means a support scheme which provides a safety net for those who cannot work or access a decent job and are not eligible for social insurance;
Amendment 114 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) The ESF+ should support Member States’ efforts to tackle poverty with a view to breaking the cycle of disadvantage across generations including through minimum income schemes in line with principle 14 of the European Pillar of Social Rights and promote social inclusion by ensuring equal opportunities for all, tackling discrimination and addressing health inequalities. This implies mobilising a range of policies targeting the most disadvantaged people regardless of their age, including children, marginalised communities such as the Roma, and the working poor, the homeless and all other people facing multiple social challenges. The ESF+ should promote the active inclusion of people far from the labour market with a view to ensuring their socio- economic integration. The ESF+ should be also used to enhance timely and equal access to affordable, sustainable and high quality services such as healthcare and long-term care, in particular family and community-based care services. The ESF+ should contribute to the modernisation of social protection systems with a view in particular to promoting their accessibility and coverage, including for people in atypical situations.
Amendment 117 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2
Article 3 – paragraph 2
Amendment 127 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 19
Recital 19
(19) The ESF+ should contribute to the reduction of poverty by supporting national schemes aiming to alleviate food and material deprivation and promote social integration of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion and the most deprived. With a view that at Union level at least 4% of the resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management supports the most deprived, Member States should allocate at least 24% of their national resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to address the forms of extreme poverty with the greatest social exclusion impact, such as homelessness, child poverty and food deprivation. Due to the nature of the operations and the type of end recipients, it is necessary that simpler rules apply to support which addresses material deprivation of the most deprived.
Amendment 141 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) The ESF+ should support policy and system reforms in the fields of employment, social inclusion, healthcare and long-term care, and education and training. In order to strengthen alignment with the European Semester, Member States should allocate an appropriate amount of their resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to implementthose relevant country-specific recommendations relating to structural challenges which it is appropriate to address through multiannual invewhich are consistments falling within the scoprationale of the ESF+. The Commission and the Member States should ensure coherence, coordination and complementarity between the shared- management and Health strands of ESF+ and the Reform Support Programme, including the Reform Delivery Tool and the Technical Support Instrument. In particular, the Commission and the Member State should ensure, in all stages of the process, effective coordination in order to safeguard the consistency, coherence, complementarity and synergy among sources of funding, including technical assistance thereof, always taking into account the objectives of economic, social and territorial cohesion set out in article 174 TFEU.
Amendment 148 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point ix
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point ix
(ix) enhancing the equal and timely access to quality, sustainable and affordable services; modernising social protection and social inclusion systems, including promoting access to social protection and ensuring minimum income schemes; improving accessibility, effectiveness and resilience of healthcare systems and long-term care services;
Amendment 151 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 22
Recital 22
(22) To ensure that the social dimension of Europe as set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights is duly put forward and that a minimum amount of resources is targeting those most in need Member States should allocate at least 2530% of their national ESF+ resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to fostering social inclusion.
Amendment 159 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 4 a (new)
Article 5 – paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Investments co-financed by the ESF+, in particular if related to social inclusion, shall be qualified as eligible investments for the application of the flexibility clause and shall be excluded from the assessment of the Member States’ budgetary position under either Article 5 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1466/97 and Article 2 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1467/97.
Amendment 166 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Member States shall concentrate the ESF+ resources under shared management on interventions that address the challenges identified in their national reform programmes, in the European Semester as well as in the relevant country-specific recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) TFEU and Article 148(4) TFEU, and take into account and that comply with the principles and rights set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Amendment 167 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23
Recital 23
(23) In the light of persistently high levels of youth unemployment and inactivity in a number of Member States and regions, in particular affecting young people who are neither in employment, nor in education or training, it is necessary that those Member States continue to invest sufficient resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management towards actions to promote youth employment including through the implementation of Youth Guarantee schemes. Building on the actions supported by the Youth Employment Initiative in the 2014-2020 programming period targeting individual persons, Member States should further promote employment and education reintegration pathways and outreach measures for young people by prioritising, where relevant, long-term unemployed, inactive and disadvantaged young people including through youth work. Member States should also invest in measures aimed at facilitating school-to-work transition as well as reforming and adapting employment services with a view to providing tailor-made support to young people. Member States concerned should therefore allocate at least 102% of their national resources of the ESF+ strand under shared management to support youth employability.
Amendment 174 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
Member States and, where appropriate the Commission, shall foster synergies and ensure coordination, complementarity and coherence between the ESF+ and other Union funds, programmes and instruments such as Erasmus, the European Regional Development Fund, the Asylum and Migration Fund and the Reform Support Programme, including the Reform Delivery Tool and the Technical Support Instrument, both in the planning phase and during implementation. Member States and, where appropriate the Commission, shall optimise mechanisms for coordination to avoid duplication of effort and ensure close cooperation between those responsible for implementation to deliver coherent and streamlined support actions.
Amendment 178 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) In accordance with Article 174 and 349 TFEU and Article 2 of Protocol No 6 to the 1994 Act of Accession, the outermost regions and the northern sparsely populated regions are entitled to specific measures under common policies and EU programmes. Due to the permanent constraints these regions require specific support.
Amendment 182 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 3
Article 7 – paragraph 3
3. Member States shall allocate at least 2530% of their ESF+ resources under shared management to the specific objectives for the social inclusion policy area set out in points (vii) to (xi) of Article 4(1), including the promotion ofArticle 4(1), including modernising social protection systems also through minimum income schemes, promoting social integration of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, addressing material deprivation, fostering active inclusion and promoting the socio- economic integration of third country nationals.;
Amendment 187 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1
Member States shall allocate at least 24% of their ESF+ resources under shared management to the specific objective of addressing social inclusion of the most deprived and/or material deprivation set out in point (xi) of Article 4(1).
Amendment 195 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1
Member States having a rate of young people aged 15 to 29 not in employment, education or training above the Union average in 2019 on the basis of Eurostat data, shall allocate at least 102% of their ESF+ resources under shared management for the years 2021 to 2025 to targeted actions and structural reforms to support youth employment and school-to-work transition, pathways to reintegrate into education or training and second chance education, in particular in the context of implementing Youth Guarantee schemes.
Amendment 196 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2
Article 7 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2
When programming the ESF+ resources under shared management for 2026 and 2027 at mid-term in accordance with Article [14] of [the future CPR], Member States having a rate of young people aged 15 to 29 not in employment, education or training above the Union average in 2024 on the basis of Eurostat data, shall allocate at least 102% of their ESF+ resources under shared management for the years 2026 to 2027 to these actions.
Amendment 201 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 1
Article 8 – paragraph 1
1. Each Member State shall ensure adequate participation of regional and local authorities, social partners and civil society organisations in the delivery of employment, education and social inclusion policies supported by the ESF+ strand under shared management.
Amendment 228 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 50 a (new)
Recital 50 a (new)
Amendment 229 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 50 b (new)
Recital 50 b (new)
(50b) Investments co-financed by the ESF+, in particular if related to measures aimed at social inclusion, should be deemed exempt from deficit and debt calculations in order to improve the investment capacity of the Member States.
Amendment 230 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 17 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
Article 17 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
The food and/or basic material assistance may be provided directly to the most deprived persons or indirectly through electronic vouchers or cards, provided that they can only be redeemed against food and/or basic material assistance as set out in Article 2(3) and are not replacing any existing social benefits.
Amendment 232 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 17 – paragraph 4
Article 17 – paragraph 4
4. The delivery of food and/or material assistance mayshall be complemented with re-orientation towards competent services and other accompanying measures aiming at the social inclusion of the most deprived persons.
Amendment 236 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 21 – paragraph 1
Article 21 – paragraph 1
1. a) Priorities addressing material deprivation shall use common output and result indicators, as set out in Annex II to this Regulation to monitor progress in implementation. These programmes may also use programme-specific indicators. b) Priorities addressing social inclusion shall use common output and result indicators, as set out in Annex II (1) to this Regulation to monitor progress in implementation. These programmes may also use programme specific indicators.
Amendment 243 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 12 a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 12 a (new)
(12a) "minimum income scheme" means a support scheme which provides a safety net for those who cannot work or access a decent job and are not eligible for social insurance;
Amendment 251 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 40 – paragraph 3
Article 40 – paragraph 3
3. The ESF+ Committee shall include one representative from each of the organisations representing workers' organisations and, employers' organisations and civil society organizations' at Union level.
Amendment 257 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex II – subheading 1 a (new)
Annex II – subheading 1 a (new)
Output indicators on social inclusion assistance to the most deprived: 1. Total number of persons receiving social inclusion assistance; 2. Total number of persons met during outreach activities and street work; 3. Total number of consultations; 4. Total number of referrals to: a) other low threshold services (e.g. shelters, free medical aid, food distribution, debt counselling etc.) b) public administration services (e.g. public employment services, social benefit support, housing services etc.).
Amendment 259 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 15 a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 15 a (new)
(15a) "social inclusion measures" means a process by which efforts are made to combat poverty and social exclusion, to ensure equal opportunities, and to create conditions enabling full and active participation in the society;
Amendment 286 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2
Article 3 – paragraph 2
The ESF+ shall support, complement and add value to the policies of the Member States to ensure equal opportunities, access to the labour market, fair working conditions, social protection and inclusionin the spirit of the Pillar of Social Rights to ensure equal opportunities in line with principles 2 and 3, access to the labour market in line with principle 4, fair working conditions in line with principles 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, social protection and inclusion in line with principles 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19 and 20, and a high level of human health protection. in line with principle 16.
Amendment 366 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point ix
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point ix
(ix) enhancing the equal and timely access to quality, sustainable and affordable services; modernising social protection and social inclusion systems, including promoting access to social protection and ensuring minimum income schemes; improving accessibility, effectiveness and resilience of healthcare systems and long-term care services;
Amendment 393 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 4 a (new)
Article 5 – paragraph 4 a (new)
Amendment 425 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Member States shall concentrate the ESF+ resources under shared management on interventions that address the challenges identified in their national reform programmes, in the European Semester as well as in the relevant country-specific recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) TFEU and Article 148(4) TFEU, and take into account and that comply with the principles and rights set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Amendment 441 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 2
Member States and, where appropriate the Commission, shall foster synergies and ensure coordination, complementarity and coherence between the ESF+ and other Union funds, programmes and instruments such as Erasmus, the European Regional Development Fund, the Asylum and Migration Fund and the Reform Support Programme, including the Reform Delivery Tool and the Technical Support Instrument, both in the planning phase and during implementation. Member States and, where appropriate the Commission, shall optimise mechanisms for coordination to avoid duplication of effort and ensure close cooperation between those responsible for implementation to deliver coherent and streamlined support actions.
Amendment 456 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 3
Article 7 – paragraph 3
3. Member States shall allocate at least 2530% of their ESF+ resources under shared management to the specific objectives for the social inclusion policy area set out in points (vii) to (xi) of Article 4(1), including the promotion ofArticle 4(1), including modernising social protection systems also through minimum income schemes, promoting social integration of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, addressing material deprivation, fostering active inclusion and promoting the socio- economic integration of third country nationals.;
Amendment 470 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1
Member States shall allocate at least 24% of their ESF+ resources under shared management to the specific objective of addressing social inclusion of the most deprived and/or material deprivation set out in point (xi) of Article 4(1).
Amendment 480 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1
Member States having a rate of young people aged 15 to 29 not in employment, education or training above the Union average in 2019 on the basis of Eurostat data, shall allocate at least 102% of their ESF+ resources under shared management for the years 2021 to 2025 to targeted actions and structural reforms to support youth employment and school-to-work transition, pathways to reintegrate into education or training and second chance education, in particular in the context of implementing Youth Guarantee schemes.
Amendment 486 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2
Article 7 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2
When programming the ESF+ resources under shared management for 2026 and 2027 at mid-term in accordance with Article [14] of [the future CPR], Member States having a rate of young people aged 15 to 29 not in employment, education or training above the Union average in 2024 on the basis of Eurostat data, shall allocate at least 102% of their ESF+ resources under shared management for the years 2026 to 2027 to these actions.
Amendment 506 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 1
Article 8 – paragraph 1
1. Each Member State shall ensure adequate participation of regional and local authorities, social partners and civil society organisations in the delivery of employment, education and social inclusion policies supported by the ESF+ strand under shared management.
Amendment 591 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 17 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
Article 17 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
The food and/or basic material assistance may be provided directly to the most deprived persons or indirectly through electronic vouchers or cards, provided that they can only be redeemed against food and/or basic material assistance as set out in Article 2(3) and are not replacing any existing social benefits.
Amendment 596 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 17 – paragraph 4
Article 17 – paragraph 4
4. The delivery of food and/or material assistance mayshall be complemented with re-orientation towards competent services and other accompanying measures aiming at the social inclusion of the most deprived persons.
Amendment 610 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 21 – paragraph 1
Article 21 – paragraph 1
1. (a) Priorities addressing material deprivation shall use common output and result indicators, as set out in Annex II to this Regulation to monitor progress in implementation. These programmes may also use programme-specific indicators. (b) Priorities addressing social inclusion shall use common output and result indicators, as set out in Annex II (1) to this Regulation to monitor progress in implementation. These programmes may also use programme specific indicators.
Amendment 708 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 40 – paragraph 3
Article 40 – paragraph 3
3. The ESF+ Committee shall include one representative from each of the organisations representing workers' organisations and, employers' organisations and civil society organizations at Union level.