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European Parliament
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What is said in the sittings, update by update, the latest first. Each update opens the video at the second it was said.
The Chair hears ETUI’s Meyer‑Erdmann on the EU Inc proposal’s unlimited scope, risks of abuse and letterbox companies, and its treatment of labour and social security law, including concerns over employee participation rules, anti‑avoidance safeguards, ESOPs and the choice of Article 114 TFEU as legal basis.
In this chapter
The Chair closes the previous agenda item, organises the timetable and formally opens the EU Inc / 28th regime hearing, before academic experts detail legal weaknesses on preventive control, worker participation, and risks of labour law circumvention and forum shopping compared to existing EU company law rules.
In this chapter
MEPs question the ECA and Commission on defining and measuring sustainable integration, addressing structural labour market barriers, improving outreach to inactive NEETs and redesigning hiring incentives, while discussing indicators and subsidy design under the Youth Guarantee and ESF/MFF frameworks.
In this chapter
The Chair and ECA present the audit mandate, scope and key findings on EU youth employment measures, including data gaps, design flaws in hiring incentives and weak outreach to inactive NEETs, with initial recommendations for reform.
Rapporteur and group positions confront the Commission’s approach on skills, job quality, social dimension, subsidiarity, housing and anti-poverty tools, followed by the Commission’s detailed replies on the legal nature, use and practical impact of the guidelines before formal closure of the item.
In this chapter
From the Chair’s introduction to the Commission’s explanation of the 2026 employment guidelines, this block sets the legal and procedural context within the European Semester and clarifies the four guideline pillars, their link to CSRs, budget planning and anti-poverty measures.
The Chair reopens the EMPL meeting and introduces the 2026 employment guidelines within the European Semester, followed by the Commission’s detailed presentation of the overhauled guidelines 5–8 on labour demand, supply, matching and equal opportunities, and concludes with the rapporteur outlining Parliament’s political priorities, the link with CSRs and social convergence, and concerns about the Semester’s democratic legitimacy.
In this chapter
The committee concludes voting on the opinion regarding occupational retirement provision, including decisions on amendments and the final roll-call vote, and then adopts the opinion on the EU–Swiss bilateral agreements package before briefly pausing the meeting ahead of the next agenda item with the Commission.
In this chapter
The committee conducts the complete voting sequence on the Youth Guarantee report, first adopting a broad package of compromise amendments and then voting on numerous individual and split amendments, ending with a roll-call final vote adopting the report with a detailed breakdown of votes and abstentions.
In this chapter
The Chair introduces the sixth revision of the Carcinogens, Mutagens and Reprotoxic Substances Directive (CMRD6) and the rapporteur presents the provisional trilogue agreement, detailing new occupational exposure limits, transition periods, clarifications on PPE and hazardous medicinal products, recognition of specific worker groups, and upcoming Council and Parliament procedural steps.
In this chapter
The Chair opens the EMPL meeting, adopts the agenda, explains interpretation/speech-to-text arrangements, recalls Parliament’s mandate on MFF-related negotiations, and reports back from the informal EPSCO Council and recent changes in committee responsibilities and membership.
In this chapter
The Chair formally concludes the committee hearing on pensions, thanks participants and staff, notes an internal personnel change and adjourns the session. This marks the procedural end of the meeting with no further policy debate or decisions.
MEPs question experts and the Commission on pension adequacy, gaps, EU‑level instruments and reform options, followed by detailed replies on pension design, social protection in old age and upcoming EU initiatives. The segment concentrates stakeholder positions, requested measures and expert assessments relevant to pension policy choices and EU competences.
In this chapter
The Chair opens Panel 2 and introduces an expert framing pension adequacy as a life‑course social contract, then a Commission‑mandated expert presents findings on flexible and deferred retirement in the EU, outlining main policy tools, equity concerns and options to improve incentives and monitoring.
In this chapter
MEPs from different political groups question the experts on intergenerational fairness, gendered pension gaps, welfare state sustainability and the balance between public, occupational and private schemes, followed by expert replies highlighting life‑course design, care credits, gender equality and defence of strong collective and public pillars.
In this chapter
The Chair frames the EMPL Committee hearing on intergenerational solidarity and decent pensions, then Panel 1 experts present academic evidence on demographic and labour trends alongside the ETUC trade union position on safeguarding public pensions, complementary schemes and quality employment.
In this chapter
Political group spokespeople set out their positions on EU Inc, balancing support for startups and reduced bureaucracy with strong demands to preserve national labour competences, avoid social dumping and letterbox companies, clarify legal basis and necessity, and tighten scope, registration controls and worker rights protections.
In this chapter
The rapporteur presents the Commission’s EU Inc proposal as a new EU company form, then details EMPL’s draft opinion focusing on fraud and abuse risks, limits to scope, protection of national labour and worker participation rules, removal of the simplified insolvency regime and stronger safeguards against using EU Inc for wage and social security dumping.
The Commission details EU-level VET priorities, mobility and funding gaps, while the rapporteur responds to political groups’ amendments, stressing equal treatment of VET and academic paths and VET’s role in green and digital transitions.
In this chapter
Shadows and other MEPs set out their priorities on VET, covering dual systems, SMEs, quality jobs, social dialogue, gender gaps, NEETs, subsidiarity, and the status and dignity of vocational pathways and teachers.
In this chapter
The Chair opens the EMPL agenda point on boosting skills and vocational education and training (VET) and mandates the rapporteur to present the draft report, outlining its scope and legislative-political context.
In this chapter
The Chair closes the EMPL meeting, underlining the value of evidence-based social policy and informing members about the forthcoming joint ECON–EMPL economic dialogue on the European Semester Spring Package.
Introduction of the European Homelessness Count pilot within the EU Platform on Combating Homelessness, presentation of its ETHOS-based methodology and city-level results, debate on extending coverage to hidden homelessness, and a Q&A on subsidiarity, robust EU indicators and harmonised definitions.
In this chapter
Discussion of EMPL priorities for the 2027 EU budget as the last year of the MFF, with MEPs stressing social cohesion, support for farmers and workers, critique of militarisation, and the Commission detailing fiscal constraints, social funding envelopes and ESF+ implementation prospects.
In this chapter
Presentation of the PEPP revision context and social objectives, with MEPs from different groups debating PEPP’s role as a voluntary complement versus a driver of pension financialisation, and the Commission explaining its life-cycle design, cost logic and claimed complementarity with public systems.
In this chapter
Introduction of the EMPL opinion on revising the IORP directive, with rapporteur and shadow MEPs outlining divergent views on the role of funded occupational pensions, social partner governance, market liberalisation and the gender pension gap, followed by the Commission’s defence of diversified supplementary schemes as complementary to public pensions.
In this chapter
Procedural opening of the EMPL meeting followed by a detailed report on the joint EMPL–LIBE–PETI delegation to the UN CRPD Conference, including themes, side events and initial political reactions by MEPs on disability rights implementation.
In this chapter
At a later meeting the committee handles procedural items, reports on key trilogues and hears experts on the social impact of the green transition and the need for strong social protection and lifelong learning.
The rapporteur outlines priorities for ERDF and Cohesion Fund post‑2028, shadows set out divergent views on cohesion architecture and conditionality, and the Commission (DG REGIO) responds before the rapporteur closes with next steps on amendments.
In this chapter
Four Q&A rounds see political groups question the ambition, funding, governance and practical impact of the social package, while the Commission defends its approach on ESF+, labour activation, homelessness, housing, child poverty and disability rights and calls for budgetary support.
In this chapter
The search covers the sittings held more than two weeks ago. A Polyfact subscription searches every sitting as soon as it is transcribed.
European Parliament broadcasts the sittings of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL). Polyfact shows each one live, keeps it as a replay with its transcript and links its key moments to the second they were said.
71 sittings on Polyfact since 9 April 2025
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