81 Amendments of Idoia MENDIA related to 2024/2084(INI)
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/1263 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2024 on the effective coordination of economic policies and on multilateral budgetary surveillance and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1466/97,
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 b (new)
Citation 13 b (new)
– having regard to the Council Decision on Employment Guidelines, adopted by the EPSCO Council on 2 December 2024, which establishes employment and social priorities aligned with the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights,
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 c (new)
Citation 13 c (new)
– having regard to the La Hulpe Declaration on the Future of the European Pillar of Social Rights2a, _________________ 2a https://wayback.archive- it.org/12710/20240718201828/https://belgi an- presidency.consilium.europa.eu/media/bj0 adazv/declaration-finale.pdf
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 d (new)
Citation 13 d (new)
– having regard to the tripartite Declaration for a thriving European Social Dialogue and having regard to the forthcoming Pact on Social Dialogue,
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 e (new)
Citation 13 e (new)
– having regard to 2020 European Skills Agenda,
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 f (new)
Citation 13 f (new)
– having regard to the Commission communication of 7 September 2022 on the European care strategy (COM(2022)440 final),
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 g (new)
Citation 13 g (new)
– having regard to the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), proclaimed by the Council, Parliament and the Commission in November 2017, and its accompanying Action Plan adopted in 2021,
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 h (new)
Citation 13 h (new)
– having regard to the Commission communication of 17 December 2024 on the 2025 European Semester - Autumn Package (COM(2024)700),
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 i (new)
Citation 13 i (new)
– having regard to the Commission proposal of 17 December 2025 for Joint Employment Report 2025 (COM(2024)701),
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 j (new)
Citation 13 j (new)
– having regard to Directive (EU) 2022/2041 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union,
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 k (new)
Citation 13 k (new)
– having regard to the European Social Charter (ESC), referred to in the preamble of the EPSR,
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 l (new)
Citation 13 l (new)
– having regard to the Council Recommendation on access to affordable, high-quality long-term care,
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 m (new)
Citation 13 m (new)
– having regard to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 n (new)
Citation 13 n (new)
– having regard to the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025,
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 o (new)
Citation 13 o (new)
– having regard to the EU Anti- racism Action Plan 2020-2025,
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 p (new)
Citation 13 p (new)
– having regard to he EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation for 2020-2030,
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 q (new)
Citation 13 q (new)
– having regard to the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025,
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 r (new)
Citation 13 r (new)
– having regard to the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030,
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 s (new)
Citation 13 s (new)
– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/1263 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2024 on the effective coordination of economic policies and on multilateral budgetary surveillance and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1466/97,
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas progress has been made towards achieving the EU’s employment target, according to the Commission’s 2025 autumn economic forecast, the EU employment rate has reached a rate of 75.3% ; whereas value must be placed in the economic return of social welfare investments that not only improve living standards but result in economic growth and higher employment rates; whereas some Member States are reaching unprecedented levels of employment , and experiencing growth in employment rates despite the uncertainty created by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the impacts of high inflation, and whereas growth in employment in the EU remained robust in 2023, although; however significant challenges remain prominent in the EU, including high unemployment rates, in particular youth unemployment rates, persist in some Member States, as do significant inequalities betweenyouth, women, older people, low- and medium-qualified, migrants and persons with disabilities, together with precarious working conditions, structural inequalities and gaps in social protection across sectors and, regions, and social groups which could negatively affect social cohesion and the well-being of European citizens in the long term;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas the European Semester combines different instruments in an integrated framework for multilateral coordination and surveillance of economic, employment, social and environmental policies within the EU and it must become a key tool for fostering upward social convergence, ensuring that economic and fiscal policies not only drive growth but also contribute to an social and sustainable EU; whereas, as part of the integrated analysis of employment and social developments in the context of the European Semester, the risks to upward social convergence in Member States should be assessed and the progress on the implementation of the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights should be monitored, on the basis of the Social Scoreboard and of the principles of the Social Convergence Framework;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPRS) must be the compass for leading EU social and economic policies, ensuring that the Union takes a leading role in promoting social progress; whereas the European Commission must assess risks to upward social convergence in Member States and monitor progress on the implementation of the EPRS using the Social Scoreboard and the Social Convergence Framework;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
A c. whereas the Social Convergence Framework offers a key tool for assessing social challenges and upward convergence within the European Semester and for monitoring social disparities across Member States;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
A d. whereas addressing the challenges identified in the Joint Employment Report (JER) will contribute to achieving upward social convergence, supporting fair green and digital transitions, tackling demographic change, and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
A e. Whereas the rate of self- employment is declining, including among young people, and poor quality jobs among the self-employed are disproportionally wide-spread;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas demographic challenges, including an ageing population, low birth ratesdevelopments , increased longetivity and rural depopulation, profoundly affect the sustainability of welfaresocial protection and social services systems and hence represent a structural challenge for the EU in terms of economy, and whereas, as underlined in the Draghi report, sustainable growth in Europe depends to a large extent on the inclusion of the active populateffective and fair inclusion in the labour market ands well as on a robust welfare system;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas, as highlighted in the Draghi report, migrant workers have been an important factor in reducing labour shortages and are more likely to work in occupations with persistent shortages than workers born in the EU;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
B b. whereas 70% of workers in Europe are in good quality jobs, 30% are in strained jobs where demands are more numerous than resources available to balance them leading to overall poor job quality. In many occupations suffering from persistent labour shortages the share of low quality jobs is higher than 30%;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the Letta report deplores the decline in the birth rate , noting the importance of creating a framework to improve gender equality and support all types of families and individuals, including single parents, as part of a strategy of inclusive growth and stressing the need to promote family and work-work-life balance policies ensuring accessible and professional care systems as well as public quality education, family-related leave and flexible working arrangements in lifne balance policieswith the European Care Strategy; whereas Eurostat stresses the increase of EU population due to migration and the necessity of dedicating more efforts to their integration;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas high inflation hasrates have increased the burden on households, and housing costs and energy poverty remain major problemscost of living and the burden on households, housing costs ,energy poverty and social exclusion remain critical challenges in the EU, particularly affecting women, young people, children, persons with disabilities, LGTBI, people with migrant background, and Roma, with significant disparities both between and within Member States and population groups; whereas housing is becoming unaffordable for many Europeans live in households where housing cost represent 40% of their total disposable income; whereas decent, good-quality and affordable housing, including through social housing, is a fundamental condition for ensuring equal opportunities and fighting poverty and/or social exclusion;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas despite a minimal reduction in the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU in 2023, approximately 1 in 5 still faces this challenge, with notable disparities for children, young and older people, persons with disabilities, LGTBI, non-EU born individuals, and Roma communities;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas labour and skills shortagck of attractiveness and investment into quality public services, bad working conditions and low salaries remain a problem at all levels, exacerbated by a lack of candidates to fill critical positions in keysome sectors such as education, health and construction, especially in areas affected by depopulationscience and technology , especially in areas affected by depopulation; whereas EU’s capacity to deal with future shocks, crises and polycrises while navigating the demographic, digital and green transitions will depend greatly on the conditions under which critical workers will be able to perform their work; whereas addressing the shortages and retaining all type of talents requires decent working conditions, access to social protection systems, and opportunities for skills development tailored to the needs; and whereas addressing skills shortages is crucial to achieve the digital and green transition, inclusive and sustainable growth and to boost the EU´s competitiveness;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas promoting mobility within the EU and consider attracting skilled third country national workers, in addition, ensure respect and enforcement of labour and social rights and channel third country nationals entering the EU through legal migration pathways towards occupations experiencing shortages, supported by an effective integration policy, in full complementarity to harnessing talents from within the Union;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
E b. whereas gender pay gaps remain considerable in most EU Members States and whereas care responsibilities are an important factor that continues to constrain women into part-time employment or leads to their exclusion from the labour market, resulting in a wider gender employment gap;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
E c. whereas the green and digital transitions must be socially just and inclusive for all, seizing the opportunity to create quality jobs, tackle discrimination at work, protect workers’ rights and raise labour standards; whereas it is essential to promote good-quality job creation, robust social protection, and targeted investments in skills that match emerging labour opportunities in the green and digital sectors combined with adult education allowances to ensure access to quality upskilling and reskilling for all;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E d (new)
Recital E d (new)
E d. whereas the Joint Employment Report (JER) highlights the right to disconnect in particular in the context of telework, acknowledging the critical role of this right in ensuring work-life balance in a context of increasing digitalization and remote work;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E e (new)
Recital E e (new)
E e. whereas challenges to several sectors such as automotive manufacturing and energy intensive industries became evident in 2024, and large-scale restructuring announcements were made by companies;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E f (new)
Recital E f (new)
E f. whereas currently there is no EU- wide regular data collection on social services investment and coverage. Collecting such data is key for an evidence-based analysis of national social policies in the EU Semester analysis. This should be addressed though jointly agreed criteria and data collection standards for social services investment and coverage in EU Member States. The European Social Network’s Social Services Index is an example of how such data collection can contribute to the EU Semester Analysis,
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E g (new)
Recital E g (new)
E g. whereas there are disparities in the coverage of social services, including long-term care, child protection, domestic violence support, and homelessness aid, that need to be addressed though the EU Semester,
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the crisis in generational renewal and poor access toeconomic and social inequalities, as well as limited access to funding and public services have led to an increased the risk of poverty and social exclusion, particularly affecting children and elderly people;, single parents households, young and older people and other vulnerable groups such as migrants, Roma, people living in depopulated areas and persons with disabilities,
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. wWhereas social progress in the EU must advance in a manner consistent with the stability objectives of the Maastricht criteria, ensuring that economic integration does not exacerbate inequalities between generations and regionsaccording to article 3 TEU, social progress in the EU is one of the aims of a highly competitive social market economy, together with full employment, a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment; whereas article 3 also states that the EU shall combat social exclusion and discrimination and shall promote social justice and protection, equality between women and men, solidarity between generations and protection of the rights of the child;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
G a. whereas structural reforms must prioritize social progress, ensuring access to adequate social protection, affordable and decent housing, and essential services for all type of families, including vulnerable groups such as single parent households and persons with disabilities;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
G b. whereas, EU policies such as NextGenerationEU and SURE have secured growth and economic resilience, reducing inequalities;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)
Recital G c (new)
G c. whereas social dialogue and collective bargaining are essential for the EU’s competitiveness, labour productivity and social cohesion;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G d (new)
Recital G d (new)
G d. whereas social partners are essential for designing and implementing policies that promote sustainable and inclusive growth, decent and quality work, and fair transitions and must be involved at all levels of governance in accordance with the TFEU;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G e (new)
Recital G e (new)
G e. whereas Member States should implement the Directive on adequate minimum wages without delay and prepare action plans that increase collective bargaining coverage in line with the directive, where applicable;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G f (new)
Recital G f (new)
G f. whereas, Eurofound research shows that suicide rates are creeping up since 2021, after decades of decline, more needs to be done to address causes of mental health problems in working and living conditions (importantly social inclusion), and access to support for people with bad mental health remains a problem;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the Commission and the Council should continueaccelerate the full implementingation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, in line with the action plan of March 2021; calls on the Comission to present a updated Plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights for the period 2025-2029, ensuring the integration of new priorities; Stresses the importance of using the Social Scoreboard and the Social Convergence Framework to identify risks and track progress in reducing inequalities, strengthening social protection systems, and promoting good working conditions;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the JER 2026 analysis the implementation of all the principles of the EPSR in line with Regulation 2024/1263 and to integrate in the JER the analysis of the social dimension of the national medium-term fiscal-structural plans related to social resilience, including the European Pillar of Social Rights;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Regrets the lack of data and analysis of wealth inequality and wealth concentration in the EU as this is one of the main determinants of poverty; points out that according to Distributional Wealth Accounts (DWA), a dataset developed by the European System of Central Banks (ESCB), the share of wealth held by the top 10 percent stood at 56 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023, while the bottom half held just 5 percent; calls on the Commission and the Member States to assess the socio economic impact of wealth inequalities and urgently propose measures that ensure a fairer distribution of wealth and resources in order to allow for progress towards the reduction of poverty by 15 million in 2030 as well as widening the middle class;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. Welcomes the inclusion of analysis on the positive contribution of the SDGs and the European equality strategies in the JER 2025 and calls on the Commission to ensure that the JER 2026 includes both a section analysing the progress towards de SDGs related to employment and social policy, and another on progress towards eliminating social and labour discrimination in line with the Gender Equality Strategy 2020- 2025, the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan 2020-2025, the EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation 2020-2030, the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy 2020-2025, and the Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1 d. Calls on Member States to implement the updated employment guidelines, with emphasis on education and training for all, new technologies such as artificial intelligence as well as recent policy initiatives on platform work, affordable and decent housing and tackling labour and skills shortages; with a view to strengthening democratic decision-making;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates the importance of supporting the development of skills in the workforceand high quality and occupation related training provided during working hours and financed by the employer to improve competitiveness and ensure inclusive and fair, quality employment; urges the Comission and the Member States to strengthen high quality and inclusive vocational and digital right to training for all while promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities and young and older workers in the workforce to address labour shortages and support equal opportunities in the labour marke; this must include ensuring access to paid, quality, and inclusive traineeships and apprenticeships for young people, enabling them to gain meaningful first work experiences and facilitating their transition from education to employment and creating working conditions that enable an ageing workforce to remain healthily and voluntarily in the labour market; stresses the need to increase the opportunities of lifelong skills development, considering that, although there is an improvement, persons with disabilities, especially women with disabilities still face significant obstacles in the labour market;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Stresses the need to pay attention to the social and environmental aspects of competitiveness, emphasising the need for investments in education and training for all to ensure universal access to high- quality public education and professional training programs, as well as sustainable practices to foster inclusive growth, underlines that social partners should play a key role in identifying and addressing skills needs across the EU;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission toand the Member States to make housing a cornerstone of European Policies; Stresses that the EU and its Member States have an obligation towards citizens to ensure their universal access to decent, affordable housing and in accordance with fundamental rights such as Articles 16, 30 and 31 of the European Social Charter and the European Pillar of Social Rights; highlights that investments in social and affordable housing are crucial in order to ensure and improve the living quality for all EU citizens; Calls on the Commission to build a social housing policy in the EU and include specific recommendations on housing affordability for all in the European Semester and to promote public housing investment, including through EU funding and European Investment Bank financial instruments; considers that the revision of the EU regulatory framework for the housing sector should facilitate the construction of accessiblepublic, good quality, decent and energy- efficient housing that meets the needs of young people, people with reduced mobility and families at risk, as well as protect homeowners from further diminishing suppldisabilities, older persons and families at risk: Calls on the Commission and Member States to take decisive actions to provide affordable housing for all by supporting a strong European Housing Strategy;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Considers that homelessness is a dramatic social problem in the EU and one of the most extreme forms of social exclusion, that denies individuals from a dignifying life and their participation in the labour market calls on the Commission to develop an action plan to end homelessness in the EU by promoting access to affordable and decent housing; Calls for a single definition of homelessness in the EU which would enable the systematic comparison and assessment of the extent of homelessness across different EU countries; and would allow homelessness rates to be systematically monitored at EU level via institutions such as Eurostat;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Considers that EU action is urgently needed to address the persistently high levels of poverty and social exclusion in the EU, particularly among children, young and older people, persons with disabilities, non-EU born individuals, LGTBI and Roma communities; access to quality social services should be prioritised, with binding targets to reduce homelessness and ensure energy security for vulnerable households; Calls on the Commission the adoption of the first-ever EU Anti-Poverty Strategy;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for the implementation of a European action plan for mental health, in line with the Commission’s recent recommendations2 ; calls for the European Semester to address the socio-economic impact of loneliness on productivity and well-being by promoting an EU strategy addressing undesired loneliness that, in turn, can foster intergenerational solidarity and strengthen emotional support programmes for young people and older adults;an EU level Directive on psychosocial risks to address the increased prevalence of some psychosocial risks in EU workplaces to ensure that the occupational health and safety principles enshrined in the Framework Directive are implemented effectively also regarding psychosocial risks, _________________ 2 Commission communication of 7 June 2023 on a comprehensive approach to mental health (COM(2023)0298).
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Calls for the European Semester to address the socio-economic challenges and opportunities of demographic change and ageing on loneliness on productivity, well-being and social cohesion by promoting a holistic EU strategy on ageing addressing undesired loneliness, the need for decent, accessible and adapted housing, access to professional and inclusive care and long-term care services and promoting active inclusion and equal opportunities for older workers in the labour market that, in turn, can foster intergenerational solidarity and strengthen emotional support programmes for young people and older persons ; calls for the implementation of the European Care Strategy, in particular regarding the accessibility to high-quality and affordable care services for early childhood and long-term care, and ensuring fair working conditions and training for care staff, including informal care;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Warns that according to ECB reports real wages are still below their pre-pandemic level, while productivity was roughly the same; agrees that this creates some room for a non-inflationary recovery in real wages and warns that if real wages do not recover, this would increase the risk of protracted economic weakness, which could cause scarring effects and it would further dent productivity in the euro area relative to other parts of the world; believes that increasing the bite of minimum wages and strengthening collective bargaining coverage can have a beneficial effect on levels of wage inequality, especially by helping more vulnerable workers at the bottom of the wage distribution who are increasingly left out;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4 c. Calls for the Member States to ensure decent working conditions, comprising among others decent wages, access to social protection, lifelong learning opportunities, occupational health and safety, a good work-life balance and the right to disconnect, reasonable working time, worker’s representation, democracy at work and collective agreements. Members States need to foster democracy at work, social dialogue and collective bargaining and protect workers´ rights, particularly in the context of green and digital transitions. They should also ensure equal pay for equal work between men and women, enhance pay transparency and address gender-based inequality to close the gender pay gap in the EU;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4 d. Stresses the role of social dialogue and social partners should be systematically integrated into the design and implementation of employment and social policies, ensuring the involvement of social partners at all levels;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 e (new)
Paragraph 4 e (new)
4 e. Highlights the importance of introducing specific measures to address regional inequalities in education and training, ensuring equal access to high- quality and affordable education for all;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 f (new)
Paragraph 4 f (new)
4 f. Member States´ social protection schemes should ensure adequate minimum income benefits for everyone lacking sufficient resources and promote social inclusion by supporting and encouraging people in working age to actively participate in the labour market and society, including through targeted provision of social services; Stresses the need for Member States to rapidly and effectively implement the EU Directive on Adequate Minimum Wages in this regard to achieve a decent standard of living, reduce in-work poverty, and promote social cohesion;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the implementation of policies that promote work-life balance and the right to disconnect , with a particular focus on working time policies and the reduction and increased flexibility of working time and measures encouraging a more equal sharing of paid and unpaid working time between men and women, with the aim of improving the quality of life for all familietypes of families and individuals; calls on the Commission to put forward a legislative proposal for the creation of a European card for all types or large families and a European action plan for single parents, offering tax, educational, childcare and social advantages; Highlight that in 2023, 24.8% of children under the age of 18 in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion which represents an increase according to the JER ; Stresses the importance of implementing the European Child Guarantee as a cornerstone to tackle the high levels of child poverty in all Member States, including measures to strengthen the Child Guarantee through an increase of its dedicated budget to at least EUR 20 billion;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for demographic challenges to be a top prioritisedy in the EU’s cohesion policy and for its importance to be equated with the Green Deal and the Digital Strategy; calls on the Commission to declare a ‘European Year of Demography’ and to step up funding for regions with a high rate of depopulation, supporting local development projects and basic infrastructure that favour the ‘right to stay’ of the populationthat this is combined with improving and strengthening policies dedicated to the successful integration of migrants in the labour market and society;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Highlights the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital platforms which will drive profound transformations in technologies in the labour market, affecting the job quality and working conditions, and as a result on workers’ quality of life as recognised in the JER; Calls on the Commission to urgently propose a directive on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) at the workplace that ensures workers rights are protected and respected;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Calls on the Commission to ensure the protection of workers in the digital workplace, presenting a legislative proposal to address the right to disconnect and teleworking;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6 c. Calls on the Member States to implement the Social Economy Action Plan to promote quality, decent and inclusive work, sustainability and the circular economy, and to support social economy organisations;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission and the Council to prioritise the reduction of bureaucratic and fiscal barriers affecting entrepreneurship, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups, which are essential for the EU’s economic growth and competitiveness, and thus for the financing of social policies; bBelieves that better support for entrepreneurs, especially for SMEs and start-ups, will improve the EU’s competitiveness, boost innovation and create quality jobs; calls urgently for the implementation of specific recommendations to complete the single market and to facilitate access to finance through public-private partnership platforms and the social economy to foster a dynamic business environment;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the need to foster public- private partnerships to improveimprove quality, coverage, affordability and efficiency in the provision of essential social services, such as education, health and social care, including childcare and long-term care;; urges Member States to continue implementing the Council recommendation on access to affordable, quality long-term care with a view of ensuring access to quality care while ensuring decent working conditions for workers in the care sector, as well as for informal carers;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Is concerned about many national policies that still create gaps in health coverage, increasing inequalities both within and between Member States, such as privatisation of public healthcare systems, co-payments and lack of coverage; highlights that these deepen poverty, erode health and well-being, and increase social inequalities within and across EU countries; warns that this also undermines the implementation of principle 16 of the Pillar and of SDG 3.8 on UHC, as well as the Pillar’s overall objective of promoting upward social convergence in the EU, leaving no one behind; believes that the indicators used in the Social Scoreboard do not provide a comprehensive understanding of healthcare affordability; calls on the Commission to include in the scoreboard the following indicators of financial hardship, such as impoverishing and catastrophic health spending, as well as qualitative analysis of the different dimensions of coverage policy (population coverage, the benefits package and user charges or co-payments) in Member States in order to identify changes needed to improve affordable access to healthcare; calls on the Commission to present an initiative in order to ensure adequate universal health coverage for all so that everyone can access quality healthcare without experiencing financial hardship;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for the Member States, in this year of transition, with the implementation of revised economic governance rules, to be offered an opportunity to align fiscal responsibility with sustainable growth, and notes thatand inclusive growth, notes that involvement of social partners should be enhanced at all levels to contribute to the goals of the new Economic Governance Framework 2024, specifically, prior consultation with social partners before submitting the medium-term fiscal structural plans should prioritisbe ensured; notes that medium- term fiscal plans should ensure debt sustainability while investing strategically in quality education, healthcare and housingquality training, quality public and social services, health and long term care and affordable housing and social services; recommends using comparative statistics such as the Social Services Index (SSI) findings to identify gaps in social service legislation, funding, and access and to guide strategic investments in areas like child protection, long-term care, and community-based support; stresses that collaboration between public and private entities is kesometimes a good way to optimising resources and ensuring the judicious use of public funds; considers that country- specific recommendations to promote sustainable public pension systems and healthcare should be effectively implemented and foster competitiveness and long-term prosperity for all citizenspromote pensions that ensure a life in dignity, wellbeing and quality affordable health, health promotion and prevention for all;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Calls on the Commission to monitor data on restructuring and its impact on employment, such as by using the European Restructuring Monitor, to facilitate measures in support of restructuring and labour market transitions, and to consider highlighting national measures supporting a socially responsible way of restructuring in the European Semester;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9 b. Calls on the European Commission to monitor the development of minimum wages in the Member States following the transposition of the Minimum wage Directive to determine whether the goal of ‘adequacy’ of minimum wages is achieved;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Is concerned about the Commission’s revisions to the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure Scoreboard, particularly the reduction in employment and social indicators, which are crucial for assessing the social situation in the Member States and guiding policy decisions; stresses that social resilience and the implementation of the principles of the EPSR shall be part of the MIP scoreboard. Calls on Member States to align fiscal policies with social investment priorities, in line with the new economic governance framework;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Considers that the EU Commission and Member States should ensure fiscal policies under the European Semester support investments aligned with the EPRS, particularly in areas such as decent and affordable housing, quality healthcare, education, and social protection systems, as these are critical for social cohesion and long-term economic sustainability and to address the challenges identified through social indicators;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses the need to address key challenges identified in the Social Scoreboard as ‘critical’ and ‘to be monitored’, including childcare and long term care, the disability employment gap, the impact of social transfers on reducing poverty, and basic digital skills3 ; , especially for vulnerable groups such as young and older persons, persons with disabilities and migrants5a, access to housing, child poverty, access to healthcare; _________________ 3 Proposal for a joint employment report from the Commission and the Council (COM(2023)0904). 5a Proposal for a joint employment report from the Commission and the Council (COM(2023)0904).
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls for improvements to be made to the Social Scoreboard with the introduction of relevant indicators reflecting trends and causes of inequality, such as indicators on equal opportunities, good quality employment, wealth distribution, access to public services, adequate pensions, mental health and unemploymentcoverage of social services, including energy, water and sanitation, care services, adequate pensions, the homelessness rate, mental health and unemployment , benefits as well as indicators measuring the social impact of environmental degradation and climate change; emphasises the need to include indicators on coverage of, and expenditure for social services; recalls that the at-risk-of-poverty-or-social-exclusion (AROPE) indicator fails to reveal the causes of complex inequality;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Calls on the European Commission and EU Member States to develop a robust European data collection framework on social services to monitor the investment in and coverage of social services;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12 b. Recommends that the European Semester incorporates data on social services regulation, expenditure and coverage to strengthen its reporting on EU Member States’ capability to ensure provision of social services, including their access and availability for the population;