Name: Committee on Employment and Social Affairs Ordinary meeting
Uploaded: 2026-07-15T12:30:00+00:00
Duration: 4908 s

05:00 - 10:03

Speaker 3

All right, colleagues, it is time to start. Welcome everyone to the two last days of committee before the well-deserved summer break. So I hope you all feel energetic still for the issues we have in front of us for the last two days. And we start with the adoption of the agenda. If there are no objections, the agenda will be deemed adopted.

It is adopted. For chair's announcements, I will first inform you that you have been informed by the technical notes about the interpretation provided today. Please also, colleagues, be informed that speech-to-text automatic transcription and translation is available for accessibility purposes. So please scan the QR code on the posters and select the channel with the language being spoken. And for translation, you can choose your preferred language from the available options in the menu.

Also, and this is a reminder for all of the committees, not specifically us, but for everybody working in the house, that I would like to recall the European Parliament's agreed position on the multiannual financial framework process. So as endorsed by Parliament's governing bodies, Parliament will not enter into negotiations with the Council until the latter has adopted its full negotiating mandate. So I would ask members and rapporteurs not to engage in discussions or negotiations with the Council on MFF-related files at this stage. This also applies to technical-level contacts. We should not be used to advance negotiations before the Council has its full mandate.

So thank you for your cooperation in ensuring that this common institutional approach is respected. And as I said, this is a reminder that we have been asked also to say to all of committee members. Then, colleagues, I would like to very briefly report back on my participation in the informal EPSCO meeting organized by the Irish presidency, which took place in Ballina, Ireland, on the 5th and 6th of July. Following the cultural program on 5th of July, ministers held three policy debates focusing on addressing and preventing poverty throughout the life course, on ensuring effective enforcement in a changing world of work, and on tackling the disability employment gap. During these discussions, I had the opportunity to present the European Parliament's position and to highlight key priorities of our committee.

With Minister Calleary, we discussed the continuation of the legislative works under the Irish presidency, including ongoing negotiations on the MFF-related files. And with Vice Minister Pock, we exchanged views on the priorities of the upcoming Lithuanian presidency and on the planned EMPL committee visit to Lithuania. So that was all from Balino. Then, official notifications. I would like to inform you that as of 2nd July 2026, MEP Andrea Wechsler of EPP has left the EMPL committee as substitute member.

Subsequently, as of 3rd July, Mr. Norbert Herhammer from EPP has assumed the role as substitute member. Moreover, on 5th July, MEP Nicola Procaccini from the ECR left the EMPL committee as full member, but assumed as of 6th July the role as substitute member. And subsequently, as of 6th July, MEP Nicola Bartuček, ECR, assumed the role as full member in the EMPL committee. Regarding the appointment of rapporteurs, nothing else to say or inform, except the fact that I myself have been appointed rapporteur on the guidelines for the employment policies of the member states. That was all for the chair's announcements.

Then, to point number three on the adoption of the agenda, of the adoption of minutes. If there are no objections, the minutes of the EMPL meetings of 22nd and 23rd of June and of the joint EMPL-SANT meeting of 3rd of June are deemed adopted. And they are adopted. Then, we go to point number four. And we have the report back from the negotiations on the carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxic substances directive, the CMRD6.

On the 23rd of June, the second and final trilogue has been held. And I would therefore like to welcome our rapporteur, Mrs. Liesbeth Sommen, to let us know how this meeting went. So Liesbeth, please, the floor is yours for the next three minutes.

10:03 - 11:44

Speaker 5

Thank you, chair, and good afternoon everyone for this, I think for most of us, last committee before the summer. So I think everyone is in the good atmosphere. And fortunately, also on this file, the CMRD6, we are in a good atmosphere. I'm pleased to report that on the 23rd of June, Parliament and Council reached a provisional trilogue agreement on the sixth revision of the carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxic substances directive. And I would first sincerely like to thank the chair, the shadow rapporteurs, the Council presidency and the Commission for the constructive cooperation throughout these negotiations.

I must also like to express my sincere appreciation to the EMPL committee secretariat and to all the advisors for their professionalism, expertise and commitment throughout this process, because we must be honest, lots of the work happens on their level. This was a technically complex file and their support was invaluable in reaching, helping us a balanced outcome. The agreement introduces new occupational exposure limits and updates existing provisions based on the latest scientific evidence, contributing to better protection against occupational cancers and other work-related diseases. I'm particularly pleased that we managed to preserve many of Parliament's key priorities throughout these negotiations. And first, Parliament successfully secured a seven-year transition period for PAH.