Committee on Employment and Social Affairs Ordinary meeting ICM
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EMPL European Parliament
Follow its sittingsStefan Olsson
So national regional budgets, as you know very well, are are subject to to other cycles, while the seven-year budget puts a kind of a sustainable framework that on which you can build reforms and projects. So going in then to to the details, we have proposed an ambitious next budget amounting to almost 2 trillion euros or 1.26% of the gross gross national income. And within this framework, the national regional partnership plans will have a financial envelope of 165 billion. And these plans will then be a means for member states and regions to propose key investments, reforms across across all policy areas. And and that is a response that we we propose to give to because we have seen that the challenges that people that that the economy have do not arrive in neat sectoral boxes.
And we are seeing a fragmentation of the instruments that that really hamper the the real support for reforms. So the plans will bring together funding for, as the chair said, funding for cohesion policy, social policy, regional policy, agricultural policy, fisheries, maritime, migration, border management, international security in one overarching framework. And the implementation should be linked to the country-specific recommendations that we are preparing in the context of the European Semester.
And this is of course an extremely serious exercise that many of you I'm sure have been involved in. And the idea is to then support quality employment, skills, social inclusion, and to promote equal opportunities for all, depending on the various challenges of the different national systems. And at least 14% of the financial envelope of the of the NRPP regulation will as a minimum be dedicated to social objectives. And this corresponds to a minimum of of 100 billion. Again, this is the starting point.
And then and getting into a bit more detail there, but I know the rapporteurs are here and you will have a a detailed discussion. So we have an annex to the regulation that outlines then the obligatory social policy areas that all member states must invest in. And that covers social inclusion, child poverty, child guarantee, youth unemployment, youth guarantee, and importantly addressing material deprivation. And the actual amounts going to different areas will then be dependent on the negotiations with the member states, depending on their national context. And then we will have sector-specific rules that will complement the the plan architecture to cater for the specificities of each policy area.
And if we look at the ESF, we will have the ESF will still be there, the European Social Fund, to contribute and and again I will do a little list but but to support quality jobs, improve education, fighting poverty, very important as the chair underlined, promoting social inclusion, addressing material deprivation, and developing social infrastructure. And the regions, and which is a very important point, the regions will keep their central role in the preparation and implementation of the plans where regional managing authorities will continue to be directly involved. I was had the the privilege to participate to the informal meeting of the of the regional ministers in Dublin two weeks ago. And and this was strongly emphasized as well, the importance of this also by national ministers. The European Code of Conduct of Partnership remains in force and this is very important because it it focuses on the role of all actors in the process.
So that means that organized regional and local actors, but also social partners and civil society organization must be meaningfully involved in the process. So this is in this is as I said initially, it's a it it's a very complex process and proposal. I'm very pleased to to we're very pleased to see the a lot of experience in the European Parliament with the process, very experienced rapporteurs, and we're we're really looking forward to continuous work with with both institutions now when the negotiations will be ongoing on the budget to to support the process. So thank you very much, Chair.
Li Andersson
Thank you very much, Mr. Olsson. And let's now then start with the first session entitled how the future ESF+ can make a stronger and more tangible contribution to achieving the EU's employment and social objectives: quality jobs, adult learning, and poverty reduction. I would like to warmly thank the 32 members of the 20 parliamentary chambers representing 15 countries who have traveled from across the European Union to be with us here today.
Your participation reflects the importance of close cooperation between the European Parliament and the national parliaments in shaping the future of EU social policy and ensuring that European priorities also responds to the realities and the needs that we see across our member states. And this is exactly the purpose of the exchange today, to bring together the European and national perspectives at a time when important choices are being made about the future of the ESF and more broadly the place of social investment in the next EU budget. I therefore look forward to hearing your views and experiences and to a rich and constructive discussion. Before introducing our first speakers, I would like to outline the modalities for taking the floor. On your desk, you will find speaking cards.
Members of national parliaments can use those to indicate that you would like to take the floor. In that case, please fill in such a card and hand it to the ushers. And for MEPs, I already have a preliminary list based on a call for speakers. If there are other MEPs wishing to take the floor, please raise your hands as usual to me and the committee secretariat. As for the timing, I would kindly ask you to keep your interventions to one and a half minute as shown by the clock on the display to allow a maximum number of speakers to take the floor.
I will divide speaking time according to the formula two national parliamentarians followed by one MEP and so on, but we of course will adapt this formula if needed during the debate. At any rate, we will try to ensure that all participants wishing to express their views can do so and we can hold a meaningful debate. With these clarifications, I will pass on the floor to our distinguished speakers and we will start with our keynote speaker in this panel, Mrs. Lisa Schuler, head of the European politics contact point at the German Caritas Association in Brussels. So please Mrs. Schuler, the floor is yours for the next eight minutes.
Lisa Schüler
Thank you very much. So I have been asked to answer the question how to achieve the EU's social objectives with the ESF in eight minutes, so quite a challenge. You can see my presentation over there. So what I will do, I will very shortly introduce you to Caritas Germany and what we do with ESF funding, then dedicate some success factors, some challenges and at the end give you a couple of concrete recommendations for a successful ESF for the next funding period. So Caritas Germany is a integral part of the social security system, one of the pillars in Germany.
We run about 25,000 services, local services and 5,000 independent agencies and we have all together about 750,000 employees only in Germany, so really a part of the system. And we offer support in a range of different areas such as healthcare, child support, family support, care for the elderly. You can see a list, but it's not an exhaustive list. And in all of these areas, we also use ESF funding to improve our work and our help. So I will show you just two examples of what we do with this ESF money.
The first one is Caritas in Offenbach. That's a city in the middle of Germany next to Frankfurt where you find a lot of very vulnerable EU migrants. They have come to Germany to look for work or to work and finally find themselves in very precarious situations. They don't know anything about their rights.
They don't find acceptable housing or the housing is linked to the job and they really don't know anything about the system, about where they are finally. And then with ESF funding, our street workers, they go to these people, speak with them in their mother language and try to help them build a bridge into the social security system. The second example is Caritas in Hildesheim who runs an innovation hub, so totally different way of working with ESF money to find new solutions, improve their work and also to attract skilled workers and retain them. So they have over 70 participants who already worked on innovative ideas and implemented five solutions, five very new solutions on the ground. But as I said, these are just two examples out of many, many.
And based on all of our experiences, we can see three success factors and why and when ESF money is working. The first is innovation. ESF really works when it is used to improve the way of working, just not continue like we always did and have new and better ways. And what is very important there, ESF cannot replace national money but is always an addition to the social security system in the member state. And of course innovations can also fail, so there has to be a kind of risk management and a flexibility.
The second one is collaboration. So ESF is very successful when we work together with public authorities, business, enterprises, civil societies and the people who really have experience of poverty, of unemployment, of young people and they work in networks and that's when we find good solutions. And the last one is subsidiarity. So the funding really has to be adapted to the need of the people in on the ground. And that's also where the partnership principle comes and plays an important role.
So please always include those who have the experience in working with ESF and the experience of what it means to be in a certain situation in the development of your programs. But of course we also have a lot of challenges and in 2024 we asked about 800 local welfare organizations about their experiences with ESF money and you can see there are many, many different answers. But when we put them together, you can see two groups of challenges we experience. The first one is administration. So a lot of reporting standards, excessive long awarding procedures and a lot of problems with state aid and public procurement procedures, so European rules.
And the second one is always about financial capacity. So very often we see that European co-financing rates are transferred to beneficiaries but they just cannot pay in Germany then about 60% of a project, especially when they work on a not-for-profit status or with very vulnerable groups. And we still have very brief pre-financing periods which pose a huge problem.
So from this analysis I would like to give you five recommendations for the next funding period. The first is ensure a sufficient funding. That and I would like you to be more careful when you look at the figures we're speaking about because in you can see here in Germany the Commission's proposal would mean that we have an decrease of ESF funding of about 45% when you add inflation. And that's a lot. So reintroduce a standalone ESF with a sufficient budget or increase the social spending target to we would say 25%.
And also redefine the investment priorities. You cannot do more with less money. And also exceed the social spending target at the national level. It's a minimum spending target. The second one adapt the co-financing rates.
So reintroduce realistic requirements for own resources and higher co-financing rates for vulnerable groups and social innovation where the risk is quite high. And also use public money to pay these co-financing. Don't transfer it to your beneficiaries. The third one is trust in subsidiarity. So there has to be a balance between European priorities and flexibilities for the region to adapt to the needs on the ground.
So you can use ring-fencing for that but you can also use different co-financing rates to give incentives to invest in certain areas. Also highlight the partnership principle. I already talked about it. And please ensure that ESF does not replace national security systems or national funding. The fourth one is simplify simplify and simplify.
So the performance-based funding will be a problem for the social sector. So reintroduce or introduce exemptions especially for vulnerable groups and for innovative actions and also continue for simplified cost options which have proven to be successful. And then the last one is don't forget what you are working for. Don't forget all these wonderful and important projects which need your help to invest in the people in democracy and in societies. So keep your work on.
Thank you.
Thank you very much Mr. Schüller. Excellent very clear presentation. And we will now continue to delve into this topic with remarks from MEP David Casa our co-rapporteur on establishing the European Social Fund as part of the national and regional partnership plans followed by two interventions by members of national parliaments. But please Mr. Casa you have the floor for the next four minutes.
David Casa
Thank you Madam President. And also I would like to congratulate you on your to congratulate my friend from Caritas Germany on her presentation. Thank you colleagues for your interest in a file that I have to say is very close to to my heart. Let us first look at the reality on on the ground. The current ESF plus as we do know already works.
It is the EU main tool for investing in people. We have heard before feedback from from member states and we know that it is a positive feedback.
The fund, as we all know, delivers tangible results. It upskills workers, it supports the vulnerable, and it drives social cohesion across our communities because it works. Therefore, we have a duty to ensure that it continues. The European Parliament has taken a clear decision in favor of asking for the ESF allocation to continue at 124 billion euros over the next seven years. Therefore, this shows that Parliament is listening.
There is political will within this Parliament to preserve and build upon what has proven successful. That means protecting the participation of the regions. It means supporting the organizations that actually deliver support on the ground because local actors understand local needs best. And it means that we must make it easier for the ESF to function, to cut the red tape, simplify, simplify, simplify, as my colleague was saying earlier. We cannot allow our main social instrument to be diluted into a broader national spending plans.
It must remain robust, it must be independent and direct. Work on this file is progressing steadily in the European Parliament. I am working closely, of course, with my co-rapporteur, Marit Mai. We have also been supported by a highly dedicated team of shadow rapporteurs. We are united in our goals where it matters most, of course.
We are shaping a fund that we hope will be even more responsive to the labor market and delivers measurable benefits to citizens. Investing in people is the best guarantee of Europe's future. And why is that? The answer is simple: people are Europe's greatest resource. This is why the working draft of the Parliament's position places more focus on skills and training.
The labor market is shifting rapidly, as we very well know. We must ensure that our workforce can keep up with the times. Adult learning and continuous reskilling are not optional. They are the foundation of a competitive European economy. But we must also address poverty reduction.
For me, and I've been doing this for the 20 years that I've been a member of this Parliament, reduction poverty is a strict moral duty for all of us. It is very important. And I know that some prefer the economic argument. That argument is entirely valid. The truth is that the cost of not fighting poverty is far worse than the cost of fighting it.
Poverty drains our economies, it fractures our societies, it leaves children behind, and the poverty that affects children is a lifelong burden on them, but also on our societies. Poverty reduction is a core pillar of the ESF+. It works, it makes sense, and we want to keep it exactly where it belongs. The ESF+ is the social heartbeat of the European Union. We have the mandate and we have the political will.
We will ensure that the future ESF remains a strong, standalone pillar, one that delivers quality jobs, modern skills, and a fairer society for all citizens. Now, I'm very sorry that I cannot participate with you today throughout this conference because I need to travel, but I still wish you to have a good conference and rest assured that we will be listening carefully to your contributions today.
So thank you very much for your interest and thank you for being here.
Li Andersson
Thank you very much, Mr. Grosa. I will now give the floor to Mr. Marius Humelnicu, chair of the Committee on Labour, Family and Social Protection from the Romanian Senate. Mr. Humelnicu, the floor is yours for the next four minutes.
Marius Humelnicu
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's a pleasure and honor to be here again and to speak of these important topics for the future of Europe. Let me switch first, please, on my national language, so take your headphones, please, dear colleagues. Este o onoare și o bucurie să mă alătur dumneavoastră astăzi la Bruxelles, în cadrul acestei importante reuniuni interparlamentare dedicate unei teme fundamentale pentru viitorul Uniunii Europene, viitorul Fondului Social European Plus. În calitate de președinte al Comisiei pentru muncă, familie și protecție socială din Senatul României, privesc această dezbatere nu doar ca un exercițiu tehnic de bugetare, ci ca un test esențial al solidarității, al demnității și al angajamentului nostru față de cetățenii europeni.
România apreciază în mod deosebit rolul major pe care FSE-ul Plus îl joacă în sprijinirea investițiilor în oameni, în implementarea efectivă a Pilonului european al drepturilor sociale. Acest instrument s-a dovedit esențial în depășirea provocărilor structurale legate de participarea pe piața forței de muncă, modernizarea sistemelor educaționale, creșterea accesului la servicii de sănătate și combaterea inegalităților. Pentru noi, reformele în domeniul social și al pieței muncii rămân piloni de neînlocuit pentru asigurarea stabilității sociale a Europei. De aceea pledăm ferm pentru valorificarea deplină a oportunităților de sprijin disponibile, dorindu-ne ca România să fie un exemplu de bune practici în implementarea proiectelor sociale. Stimați colegi, ne aflăm într-un moment de răscruce pentru continentul nostru.
Trăim vremuri în care urgențele legate de securitate, competitivitate, agricultură, energie și apărare cer investiții masive pe care nu le putem amâna. Răspunsul nostru trebuie să fie categoric. Avem obligația să-i asigurăm și să explicăm de unde luăm acești bani. Din urgența reînarmării nu rezultă că un copil trebuie să piardă accesul la educație sau că sprijinirea îngrijirii unui vârstnic poate aștepta vremuri mai liniștite. Guvernele au datoria să decidă cum distribuie acest efort și să și-l asume, inclusiv în fața celor care au puterea economică de a contribui mai mult.
Avem nevoie de capacitate militară, dar nu putem ignora ce se întâmplă în societatea căreia îi cerem să susțină acest efort. Când reducem îngrijirea publică, munca ajunge să apese greu pe umerii familiilor. Când un tânăr pierde sprijinul pe care îl ținea în școală, consecințele negative se resimt mult după încheierea exercițiului bugetar. Protecția socială întărește capacitatea unei societăți de a trece prin crize, însă demnitatea oamenilor nu are nevoie de o justificare militară. Ca social-democrați, susținem pe deplin apărarea Europei, dar cerem ca efortul să fie distribuit echitabil.
Cei care depind de servicii publice nu pot rămâne mereu primii cărora li se cere să renunțe. Nu putem accepta ca urgențe militare să închidă dezbaterea despre distribuirea corectă a poverii, iar cetățenii cu venituri mici să afle din nou că sacrificiul începe cu ei. Privim spre cadrul financiar multianual 2028-2034, poziția României este clară și fermă. Pledăm pentru un buget al Uniunii Europene ambițios, în care dimensiunea socială să nu fie marginalizată. Prioritățile noastre strategice vizează menținerea unui rol central pentru politica de coeziune și politica agricolă comună, alături de garantarea unor condiții echitabile de acces pe baza competitivității.
Politica de coeziune post-2027 trebuie să rămână instrumentul fundamental pentru reducerea decalajelor economice și sociale între regiuni. În acest context, viitorul Fond Social European, inclus în anvelopele naționale ale planurilor de parteneriat național și regional, trebuie să se bazeze pe succesul incontestabil al actualului FSE+. România susține ferm propunerea Comisiei Europene privind menținerea unei condiționalități sociale de cel puțin 14% din anvelopa viitoarelor planuri de parteneriat național și regional pentru investiții dedicate educației, incluziunii sociale și formării profesionale. Această alocare minimă este garanția că tranzițiile verzi, digitale sau de securitate nu vor lăsa pe nimeni în urmă. Stimați colegi, viitorul Fond Social European reprezintă o promisiune reînnoită pentru o Europă socială puternică, bazată pe coeziune economică, socială și teritorială.
Parlamentul României va continua să fie un partener activ și exigent în acest parcurs, susținând reformele care pun cetățeanul, siguranța și demnitatea sa în centrul politicii europene. Vă mulțumesc pentru atenție. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Omelnicu, and I will now give the floor to Mr. Alberto Mayoral de Lamo, member of the Committee on Labour, Social Economy, Inclusion, Social Security and Migration of the Congress of Deputies of Spain. Please, the floor is yours for the next four minutes.
Alberto Mayoral
Thanks so much. I think that it's better that I speak in Spanish because my level of English is... Buenas tardes. Intentaré que esta conversación que tengamos se fije en el joven que termina sus estudios, encuentra un trabajo precario y no puede acceder a una vivienda, en la mujer con 50 años que pierde su empleo y que necesita de las instituciones, o en el autónomo que no puede seguir abriendo la persiana día a día y que necesita de Europa. Porque es para ellos para quien trabajamos realmente y para quien tiene que estar realmente el núcleo de la discusión.
Mirad, yo vengo de España, pero más concretamente vengo de Andalucía, del sur, del sur del sur de Europa, donde el Fondo Social Europeo ha transformado todo, donde una región que históricamente lo había pasado muy mal, gracias a Europa y gracias al impulso del Fondo Social Europeo encontró futuro. Por eso para mí hoy la discusión es muy importante. Lo es porque cuando hablamos de una Europa más fuerte, yo quisiera añadir también una Europa social más decidida. Está bien que hablemos de industria, de seguridad y de unidad, pero es imposible construir esa unidad si no la hacemos con más derechos y más oportunidades para los europeos y las europeas. Por eso para mí es importante que el Fondo Social Europeo tenga un presupuesto propio.
Lo tenga porque cuando hablamos de formación, hablamos de inclusión, hablamos de nuevas oportunidades para el empleo, pienso en ellos, en el joven, en la mujer, en el autónomo del que os hablaba, y tiene que ser Europa, esa unidad de Europa, la que también le dé respuesta desde el Fondo Social Europeo. Creo que la mejor manera de cohesionar, de proteger y de garantizar a los europeos que sientan que las instituciones están para guardarles es mirar a aquellos que más lo necesitan. Y me detengo en la formación porque lo decía un ponente anteriormente: el mundo que tenemos es un mundo nuevo, no lo vamos a descubrir. Pero las nuevas oportunidades que se abren también tienen que ver con hacer que los jóvenes, que los nuevos trabajadores que se incorporan al mercado laboral tengan la mejor formación, que los europeos seamos los más competitivos al hablar de nuevas competencias digitales, que cuando se hable de inteligencia artificial o de nuevos nichos de mercado, nuestros jóvenes, sea del sur del sur o del norte al norte de Europa, sean los mejor posicionados. Déjenme también que le hable de inclusión por esa visión que tengo de mi tierra.
No sería posible pensar en el Fondo Social Europeo si no lo hacemos con la mirada de la lucha contra la pobreza infantil. Creo que esa pobreza infantil esa lucha decidida para que los europeos y europeas independientemente de la cuna donde nazcan tengan las mismas oportunidades tiene que ser el espíritu que nos lleve a construir el nuevo Fondo Social Europeo. Y cómo no también lo decía la ponente anterior el territorio. No es lo mismo la realidad que se vive en un país o estado miembro que en otro pero la mirada social sí es la misma. Yo escuchaba al ponente de Rumanía y entendía perfectamente lo que estaba diciendo porque tenemos el mismo objetivo.
Y ese objetivo trasciende la ideología. Ese objetivo va más allá de cuestiones que tengan que ver con una posición puntual. Tiene el de hacer una Europa fuerte con derechos y con futuro bajo el Fondo Social Europeo o realmente no creer en Europa y dejarla apartada. Porque y termino si queremos en los próximos años construir un Fondo Social Europeo fuerte solo puede ser bajo la mirada de acordarnos de ese joven de esa mujer y de ese autónomo que nos necesitan más que nunca. Muchas gracias.
Li Andersson
Thank you very much. We then move on to the interventions from you and starting with Mrs. Barros from Portugal. One and a half minutes.
Ana Barros
Senhora Presidente senhoras e senhores deputados ao Parlamento Europeu e aos parlamentos nacionais. Falar do futuro do Fundo Social Europeu Mais é falar do que tem de ser feito para que este investimento seja sentido cada vez mais de forma direta na vida das pessoas. Para Portugal este investimento é particularmente relevante pelos objetivos que temos no emprego e na formação profissional mas também pelos objetivos que temos de retirarmos 765 mil pessoas da situação de pobreza ou exclusão social até 2030. O nosso trabalho está na linha de mais e melhor emprego melhores salários mais formação que responda às reais necessidades das empresas e dos trabalhadores na era da digitalização e da transição energética. Mais combate às desigualdades entre os territórios mais oportunidades para os jovens mais proteção social para os mais velhos com medidas de envelhecimento ativo.
Mais proteção social para todos e que a presença do Estado na vida destas pessoas também signifique mais autonomia para estas pessoas quebrarem ciclos de pobreza colocando-as a trabalhar inseridas na sociedade para quem reunir condições para isso. Foi por isso que decidimos a prestação social única uma grande decisão política para Portugal e por isso que contamos precisamente com o Fundo Social Europeu Mais para esta continuidade. Muito obrigada.
Thank you very much. Next speaker is Mrs. Ternullo from the Italian Senate.
Daniela Ternullo
Sì grazie Presidente buongiorno a tutti. Per me oggi è davvero un onore rappresentare l'Italia in questa sessione in un argomento così importante che riguarda direttamente i nostri cittadini.
Noi lo sappiamo bene che per nel ridisegnare veramente il fondo sociale europeo per il 2028-2034 abbiamo davanti una sfida molto chiara che è quella di semplificare e dare la più flessibilità agli Stati membri senza però cercare di perdere quella che sia la continuità, la visibilità e la prevedibilità degli investimenti sociali perché il tema di cui stiamo parlando è molto importante e quindi dobbiamo sapere come lo dobbiamo organizzare, quindi le risorse, quali saranno i risultati che noi vogliamo dare davvero ai nostri cittadini, cioè loro che risultati devono davvero raggiungere. Oggi il percorso verso gli obiettivi europei è ancora disomogeneo, l'ha detto lei poc'anzi, signora Presidente, sull'occupazione abbiamo fatto sicuramente un passo avanti, però restiamo indietro su due fronti che sono decisivi: uno riguarda la formazione degli adulti e l'altro ovviamente che è molto molto importante è il contrasto alla povertà. Dobbiamo quindi affiancare alla crescita dell'occupazione una maggiore attenzione verso la qualità del lavoro e soprattutto alla formazione lungo tutto l'arco della vita. È un impegno che in Italia ovviamente conosciamo bene perché già stiamo rafforzando quegli strumenti per l'occupazione e anche la formazione delle nuove generazioni. Il Fondo Sociale Europeo Plus può essere può accompagnare questo sforzo, quindi può valorizzare il potenziale dei giovani, delle donne e soprattutto di quei territori dove ancora oggi esiste un divario non indifferente.
Perché noi diciamocelo tranquillamente, lo sappiamo bene che la scelta investire nelle persone non è una scelta solo sociale, ma è una scelta per la competitività e soprattutto per la capacità industriale dell'Europa. Nonostante ci siano investimenti che sono necessari in sicurezza, in digitale per l'Europa, per la competitività, signora Presidente, non dobbiamo dimenticare e non devono essere indebolite quelle che siano le politiche tradizionali dell'Unione Europea. Concludo, il Fondo Sociale Europeo darà un contributo davvero tangibile se teniamo insieme la qualità del lavoro, della coesione e della competitività. Grazie.
Marit Maij
Thank you, Chair, and thanks to all the previous speakers also in the panel for your insight. I think it's really important that we share this with our European Parliament and with our national parliaments. As co-rapporteur on the file together with David Casa, of course, as he mentioned, for us the most important thing is that the ESF contributes to the principles of the European Pillar of the Social Fund, oh sorry, of Social Rights, which means social inclusion, which means fighting unemployment for people with a distance to the labour market. And it's important that we do this, but we can only do this if we have earmarkings in the system. Because if we don't have earmarkings, we look at a lot of flexibility and the flexibility will easily go to other parts of maybe social activities or other activities.
So for us, we think it is important that we do not have the ultimate flexibility that maybe Member States are looking for because funds might then go to companies or to competitiveness, whereas the European Social Fund is meant for people and it's meant to help achieving Europe's social objectives. So for us, that is the most important issue here in this part of the debate and I will go a little further into detail in the second part of the debate.
Thank you very much.
Evripidis Stylios
Ευχαριστώ κυρία πρόεδρε, κυρίες και κύριοι συνάδελφοι. Η συζήτηση δεν μπορεί να περιοριστεί στο ύψος των διαθέσιμων πόρων. Χρειάζεται σύνδεση των πόρων με κοινωνικές υπηρεσίες, εξατομικευμένη υποστήριξη, κατάρτιση και ενεργητικές πολιτικές απασχόλησης που να διατρέχουν όλη την ενήλικη ζωή. Ο πολίτης να περνά από την προστασία στην απόκτηση δεξιοτήτων και τελικά σε μία σταθερή, ποιοτική εργασία. Τα μετρήσιμα αποτελέσματα απαιτούν τεκμηριωμένη καταγραφή των κοινωνικών αναγκών και στοχευμένες πολιτικές.
Διαφορετικά πετάμε λεφτά από το παράθυρο. Οι τρεις στόχοι είναι αλληλένδετοι και καλύπτονται από κοινές δράσεις. Πρώτον, για την απασχόληση, οι δράσεις να συνδέουν την κατάρτιση και τις δεξιότητες με την πρόσληψη σε ποιοτικές και όσο το δυνατόν μόνιμες δουλειές. Δεύτερον, για την εκπαίδευση και τη διά βίου μάθηση, η πράσινη και ψηφιακή μετάβαση και η τεχνητή νοημοσύνη μεταβάλλουν τις ανάγκες της αγοράς εργασίας. Γι' αυτό απαιτούνται προγράμματα αναβάθμισης και επανειδίκευσης που θα συνδέονται με τις ανάγκες των επιχειρήσεων και θα αξιολογούνται με βάση την πορεία των ωφελουμένων.
Τρίτον, η καταπολέμηση της φτώχειας απαιτεί ισχυρές τοπικές δομές και ενίσχυση των ευάλωτων σε όλα τα επίπεδα, με προγράμματα επανένταξης και νέων ευκαιριών. Οι προκλήσεις είναι μεγάλες και είναι μπροστά μας. Καλούμαστε να κινηθούμε σε ένα περιβάλλον πολλαπλών κρίσεων και με λιγότερους πόρους. Γι' αυτό οι πολιτικές μας πρέπει να είναι άμεσες και να έχουν το μέγιστο δυνατό αποτέλεσμα. Εκεί που το αποτέλεσμα αργεί να έρθει, φουντώνει ο ευρωσκεπτικισμός και η κρίση των θεσμών.
Ευχαριστώ.
Sílvia Salgueiro
Senhora Presidente, senhoras e senhores deputados. Falar do futuro do FSE+ é falar acima de tudo de pessoas e de resultados. A Europa enfrenta profundas transformações no mercado de trabalho: a digitalização, a inteligência artificial, o envelhecimento demográfico e a necessidade crescente de novas qualificações. Perante estes desafios, o FSE+ deve continuar a ser um instrumento essencial, mas os recursos europeus têm de produzir resultados reais e mensuráveis. O investimento deve privilegiar a qualificação e requalificação dos trabalhadores, a integração dos jovens no mercado de trabalho, o apoio às pessoas em situação de maior vulnerabilidade e, sobretudo, a criação de condições para uma verdadeira autonomia através do emprego.
O FSE+ deve ser construído sobre um princípio simples: cada euro investido deve traduzir-se numa oportunidade efetiva para melhorar a vida das pessoas. É essa a Europa social responsável e orientada para resultados que devemos construir. Discutir o futuro do FSE+ é discutir que resposta queremos dar às profundas transformações que estão a ocorrer no mercado de trabalho europeu. A inteligência artificial, a digitalização, o envelhecimento demográfico, a escassez de trabalhadores em vários setores e a rápida alteração das competências exigidas colocam-nos perante desafios que não podem ser resolvidos apenas com mais financiamento. Precisamos sobretudo de garantir que o financiamento produz resultados.
O FSE+ deve estar cada vez mais orientado para a qualificação e requalificação dos trabalhadores, para a integração efetiva dos jovens no mercado de trabalho e para a inclusão das pessoas mais vulneráveis. Por isso, o futuro do FSE+ deve assentar em três princípios fundamentais: simplificação, fiscalização e avaliação de resultados. Simplificar para que os fundos cheguem mais rapidamente a quem deles necessita. Fiscalizar para garantir que cada euro é aplicado de forma responsável. E avaliar para sabermos se estamos verdadeiramente a criar emprego, qualificações e oportunidades.
Muito obrigada.
Thank you. And next speaker from European Parliament is Mr. Petrov from Renew.
Hristo Petrov
Thank you, Madam Chair. Dear colleagues, discussing the future of the ESF with you, members of national parliaments, is essential because we have first to ensure that there will be a ESF in the next European budget. I'm not talking about social objectives scattered across national plans. I'm talking about a dedicated budget line for the Union's social priorities. To achieve this, we must stand united and clearly state our red line.
The European Parliament will not accept the next MFF without the ESF. And we need you to carry the same message to your governments: no next MFF without a dedicated budget for the ESF. We must also ensure that this dedicated funding is channeled towards tackling poverty and in particular child poverty. We cannot adopt strategies or strengthen our instruments without giving them the resources to deliver results. The next ESF must therefore include thematic concentration on the European Child Guarantee.
This is our collective responsibility to provide predictability, continuity and support. We owe it to our children. Thank you.
Bettina Martin
Thank you very much, Madam Chair, dear members of parliament. It's a big honor for me to be talking here about the ESF because I'm speaking for a region in the very northeast of Germany, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which is structurally weak within Germany but also in comparison. And the ESF has a very high impact on our region, has had. It's East Germany. We wouldn't be where we are now if it wasn't for the ESF.
So I would like to express my worries in this committee about the future plans to make the cake smaller. We will have less funding money. But it seems that also the money that's there will be not as much be spent on social cohesion. And my dear colleague from Germany from the Caritas has very much shown how important it is in our structurally weak areas to have continuous funding through ESF. And I would like to give you two examples from our region.
As one, the whole civic democratic education we have in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is solely through ESF+ funding. And some of you might know we have a very strong right-wing extremist party that's growing. We desperately need those funds. And we won't be able to have them through our own force. So we do need the ESF funds and we do need also for social work at schools.
That's also solely financed through ESF. And the last sentence I have is I would like to stress what Marit Mai said, that we cannot afford an unlimited flexibility within the ESF+ because the competition will be too high and the social interests will not be the one that are the strongest. So please make clear that there will be enough money for social interest because we are fighting for democracy out there in the regions. We need that money.
Thank you, and next speaker is Mr. Majer from the Polish Senate.
Ryszard Majer
Dziękuję. Szanowna pani przewodnicząca, szanowni państwo, cieszę się, że jestem w tym gronie, cieszę się, że mogę słuchać osób zatroskanych o kwestie społeczne we współczesnej Europie. Szczególnie ciepło przyjąłem wystąpienie dotyczące Caritas, który ma doświadczenie i jest cennym wskaźnikiem dla nas wszystkich. W dyskusji o przyszłości Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego warto zapytać, czy fundusz przygotowuje Europę na zmiany, czy jest tylko reaktywny wobec tego, co dzieje się dzisiaj. Szanowni państwo, Europa dramatycznie się starzeje, zmniejsza się liczba osób w wieku produkcyjnym, rośnie zapotrzebowanie na opiekę długoterminową i usługi społeczne oraz zdrowotne.
Potrzebujemy rozwiązań wspierających osoby starsze, osoby z niepełnosprawnościami, rodziny i opiekunów rodzinnych. Dlatego przyszły fundusz powinien wspierać usługi środowiskowe, procesy deinstytucjonalizacji, opiekę dzienną, usługi świadczone blisko miejsca zamieszkania. Powinien także ułatwiać współpracę pomiędzy pomocą społeczną a ochroną zdrowia. Jest to szczególnie ważne na obszarach wiejskich i poza dużymi miastami, gdzie odległość od usługi może prowadzić do wykluczenia transportowego. Druga kwestia dotyczy finansowania.
Rozumiemy potrzebę skupienia się na rezultatach, jednak w polityce społecznej nie każdy rezultat pojawia się po kilku miesiącach. Trwałe zatrudnienie, większa samodzielność i lepsza jakość życia wymagają czasu. Zasady finansowania EFS-u muszą to uwzględniać. Uproszczenie funduszy nie powinno osłabiać ich społecznego charakteru. W nowych planach partnerstwa krajowego i regionalnego potrzebujemy jasnych gwarancji dla zatrudnienia, włączenia społecznego, walki z ubóstwem i usług społecznych.
Europejski fundusz nadal powinien inwestować w ludzi. Dla Polski powinien rozwijać centra usług społecznych, ekonomię społeczną, wspierać osoby z niepełnosprawnościami. Dziękuję.
Speaker 14
Thank you, and next speaker from the Parliament is Mrs. Funchion from the Left.
Kathleen Funchion
Go raibh maith agat a Chathaoirligh, thanks very much. I have to say it's really heartening listening to everybody speak about the European Social Fund and what seems like we're all on the one page. It's particularly heartening to listen to this in a parliament that seems to have a growing obsession with spending on military and defense. And I would just say to everybody speaking on this that it's important that we match our words with action and that when it comes to votes and important decisions in this parliament and in national parliaments that we ensure that we are doing basically what we're saying in this room. I'm someone who's seen firsthand the very positive impact.
I want to just mention one program in particular, which is the Youthreach program in Ireland. I know from my own hometown of Kilkenny the difference that has made, particularly to young school leavers, people who have potentially dropped out of school or at risk of dropping out of school, and they do really, really excellent work. And I would say that actually there's a higher demand for their service over the past number of years and potentially into the future. We know a lot of young people really suffer from anxiety and lots of different difficulties that might prevent them from staying in school otherwise. So I just think that that program should be commended.
And I think it's important when we are talking about budgets and one of the speakers at the start said this about we have to remember what's the actual what we're trying to achieve here. And when we are talking about budgets, it's important that we think of all those really good programs in our home countries and in our member states and that if we don't have a standalone ESF that is properly funded and sufficiently funded, we won't have all of these programs. So that's the one thing that I want to appeal to people. I'm very a big fan of working together, that's always been my approach. But I do think that it's important that we do match those words with action and that's the one message that I want to get across today.
Go raibh maith agat, Chair.
Thank you. And next speaker is Mr. Muhari from Hungary.
Zoltán Muhari
Dear Committee, I'm pleased to have the opportunity to speak here today. Please allow me to continue in Hungarian. Magyarországon a jelenlegi ESZA+ források jelentős része az emberek támogatását és humán tőke erősítését szolgálja. Pedagógusok bérrendezésétől a munkaerőpiaci programokon át egészen az esélyteremtésig. Engedjék meg, hogy néhány hazai példát említsek.
Köznevelés és felsőoktatás területén a pedagógus életpálya és béremelés, hátránykompenzáció, felsőoktatási mobilitás és mentorprogramok, valamint a hallgatói támogatások állnak középpontban. Társadalmi felzárkóztatás és esélyteremtés területén pedig a helyi humán fejlesztések, tanodák, biztos kezdet gyerekházak, valamint a célzott roma és reintegrációs programok. Jelenlegi ciklus egyik fontos tapasztalata, hogy az eredményorientált végrehajtás és a társadalmi célok erősítése egymást kiegészítő szempontok. Az Emberi Erőforrás Fejlesztési Operatív Program Pluszban alkalmazott költségfüggetlen finanszírozási modell jó példa arra, hogy az uniós forrásfelhasználás az előre meghatározott eredményekhez köthető. A jelenlegi tapasztalatok alapján ezért a kohéziós politikának a jövőben is meg kell őriznie erős humán fókuszát, miközben tovább kell erősíteni az eredményességét és a források hatékony felhasználását.
A humán tőke Európa egyik legfontosabb erőforrása. Az emberek jelentik a társadalmat, a közösségeket és egyben az európai gazdaság teljesítményének alapját is. Ezért az oktatásba, képzésbe, készségfejlesztésbe és az egész életen át tartó tanulásba történő beruházásnak a kohéziós politika meghatározó elemének kell maradnia. A jövő kohéziós politikájának egyszerre kell támogatnia a területi felzárkózást, gazdasági fejlődést és az emberekben rejlő lehetőségek kibontakoztatását. A sikeres kohézió azt jelenti, hogy minden régiónak megadjuk a lehetőséget arra, hogy saját adottságaira építve fejlődjön, és hogy az emberek lakóhelyüktől függetlenül esélyt kapjanak a boldogulásra.
Köszönöm szépen.
Thank you very much. And next speaker is Mr. Kokovmas from Cyprus.
Kostas Kokovmas
Κυρία Πρόεδρε, κυρίες και κύριοι συνάδελφοι, η συζήτησή μας δεν μπορεί να αποσπαστεί από τη συζήτηση για τον συνολικό προσανατολισμό του μακροπρόθεσμου προϋπολογισμού της Ένωσης. Και εκεί, πιο έντονα από ποτέ, είναι φανερό ότι οι στόχοι της Κομισιόν κινούνται στην αντίθετη κατεύθυνση από τις ανάγκες των λαών της Ευρώπης.
Δισεκατομμύρια ευρώ αφαιρούνται από τους κοινωνικούς τομείς και διοχετεύονται στην κούρσα των στρατιωτικών εξοπλισμών. Η οικονομία πολέμου σαρώνει τις πολιτικές κοινωνικής αλληλεγγύης που χρειάζονται οι ευρωπαϊκές κοινωνίες και η λεγόμενη ανταγωνιστικότητα αποδεικνύεται συχνά ως η εύηχη ετικέτα για την προστασία των κερδών και των υπερκερδών των πολυεθνικών. Αυτή είναι η μεγάλη εικόνα. Τι όμως μπορεί και πρέπει να γίνει για το Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινωνικό Ταμείο; Πρώτο, το ταμείο πρέπει να είναι ένα αυτοτελές, ισχυρό ταμείο και η χρηματοδότησή του όχι μόνο να μη συρρικνωθεί, αλλά να διπλασιαστεί και η όποια απλοποίηση των εργαλείων να μην οδηγήσει σε συρρίκνωση κοινωνικών δαπανών.
Δεύτερο, να δημιουργηθεί στο πλαίσιο του ταμείου ειδική γραμμή χρηματοδότησης της εξάλειψης της φτώχειας τουλάχιστον 50 δισεκατομμυρίων ευρώ, κάτι που είναι απαραίτητο δεδομένου ότι η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση μετρά πάνω από 90 εκατομμύρια ανθρώπους στον κίνδυνο φτώχειας και η καταπολέμηση δεν μπορεί να περιορίζεται στη λογική της ένταξης στην αγορά εργασίας, αφού στην Ευρώπη υπάρχει φτώχεια και μέσα στην εργασία. Περισσότερο από το 8% των εργαζομένων παραμένουν σε κίνδυνο φτώχειας. Τρίτο, σε σχέση με την κατάρτιση και τις θέσεις εργασίας, πρέπει να ξαναθέσουμε το ερώτημα. Το ερώτημα δεν μπορεί να είναι τι θυσίες κάνει ο εργαζόμενος για την οικονομία, αλλά τι κάνει, τι εγγυάται η οικονομία για τον εργαζόμενο και αυτό που πρέπει να εγγυάται είναι ποιοτικές θέσεις εργασίας, αξιοπρεπείς απολαβές, εργασιακά δικαιώματα, συλλογικές συμβάσεις, συνδικαλιστικές ελευθερίες. Και τέλος, τα εθνικά κοινοβούλια, οι περιφέρειες, τα συνδικάτα, οι κοινωνικές οργανώσεις δεν μπορεί να περιορίζονται σε συμβουλευτικό ρόλο, αλλά να συμμετέχουν ουσιαστικά στο σχεδιασμό, στην εφαρμογή και στον έλεγχο και να μην υποτάσσονται τα πάντα στις υπερεξουσίες της Κομισιόν με τη φιλοσοφία που αυτή έχει.
Ευχαριστώ πολύ.
Thank you, and next speaker is Mr. Tomilinas from Lithuania.
Tomilinas
Dear Chair, dear colleagues, you know, two-thirds of objectives of European Pillar of Social Rights are not met. We failed in poverty reduction, we failed in skill building. We all here call and believe that European Social Fund should remain the EU's main instrument for promoting social pillar. But it will not be the case. It will not be the European money that bring European social pillar into reality.
It is only social policy of all member states combined and chaired by European Commission semesters that can make difference. We generally support Commission's proposal. Lithuania supports allocating of at least 14% of each member state's national and regional partnership plan resources to social investments. Let me give me example, let me give my example of a small country in the east of EU that has managed to put 5% of GDP to defense, did not reduce social spending, it has promoted and proposed a huge family package like free school meals for tackling demography questions and so on, because we managed to tax the rich. And we did that followed, we followed the advices of European Union.
That's very simple. So instead of focusing on small pieces of reduced ESF and so on, I really call this chamber for joint positions on bold European social policy issues like own EU own resources, bigger budget, harmonization of progressive taxation. You know, we don't have to look for European social model in details of ESF. There is clear European model of capitalism, a socially sensitive capitalism, and it needs a clear leadership in Brussels. Thank you.
Thank you, and next speaker is Mrs. Miranda from Portugal.
Ana Miranda Paz
Muito obrigada, senhora presidente, senhoras e senhores deputados. O que temos hoje em cima da mesa é um pacote global onde o Fundo Social Europeu não está verdadeiramente autonomizado, nem dispõe de um envelope financeiro próprio e dedicado. Esta opção não responde à dimensão dos desafios que a Europa enfrenta. Por isso apelamos de forma clara e inequívoca a um Fundo Social Europeu reforçado, autónomo e separado, com financiamento próprio e dedicado aos objetivos sociais. Precisamos de garantir que os recursos destinados ao emprego, à educação, à formação, à inclusão social, ao combate à pobreza e à proteção das pessoas mais vulneráveis não fiquem sujeitos à concorrência com outras prioridades.
O Fundo Social Europeu deve ser um instrumento central para concretizar o pilar europeu dos direitos sociais, o seu plano de ação e as suas metas para 2030. Já ouvimos algumas exposições defensoras de um Fundo Social Europeu autónomo, reforçado e com envelope financeiro próprio. Por isso defendemos uma dotação de cerca de 125 mil milhões de euros, com envelope financeiro previsível e protegido. Assim como defendemos, ao mesmo tempo, o mesmo rigor e responsabilidade, com muito diálogo, mas também com mais flexibilidade e menos burocracia para que chegue a mais famílias, mais empresas e mais instituições. Muito obrigada.
Thank you very much, and next speaker is Mr. Gaggioni from Italy.
Gianfranco Gaggioni
Grazie presidente. Buongiorno a tutte e a tutti. Ringrazio in particolar modo lei, presidente della commissione, perché questa è un'occasione di confronto per parlare dell'FSE, acronimo del Fondo Sociale Europeo, per quanto riguarda il pacchetto dal 2028 al 2034. Parlando di FSE si parla di giovani, si parla di famiglie, si parla di lavoratori. I giovani sono la parte più importante, sono la nuova linfa, bisogna fare in modo e maniera che i giovani non si allontanino da quei luoghi dove attualmente vivono, anzi portino avanti il lavoro nel luogo dove sono dove sono nati.
E oltretutto, quando si parla di FSE si parla di famiglie, si parla di lavoratori. Valorizzare i lavoratori è la parte una delle parti più importanti, ma anche parlare di famiglie, fare in modo e maniera che ci sia quella serenità economica è fondamentale anche per portare avanti nuovi progetti all'interno delle famiglie, ma anche da parte degli stessi lavoratori. E poi ci sono territori, territori periferici. Io vivo in Sardegna, e la Sardegna paga già un dazio, quello legato all'insularità, alla discontinuità, e ci sono territori isole nell'isola, ci sono territori montani, collinari che sono lontani dai dai grandi centri che hanno indubbiamente un'economia molto più fiorente, un'economia molto più avanzata. E questo è un aspetto su cui bisogna tener conto.
Ma un aspetto molto importante è il tetto, quello che avete messo minimo del 14%, perché questo tetto minimo diventerà il tetto massimo, perché inseriti in un unico contenitore, cosa fa una regione, cosa fa un ente? Investe più sulle infrastrutture che sono carenti in gran parte dell'Europa, dell'Italia, investe sul digitale che è carente in molte zone che addirittura non hanno il segnale, investe sul green. Quindi toglie quello che dovrebbe essere dato alle famiglie, ai giovani, al lavoro.
Quindi la parte che evidenziamo è questa nostra, ma evidenziamo anche l'aspetto di valorizzare il lavoratore, fare in modo e maniera che il lavoratore esca anche da quella monotonia lavorativa, che il lavoratore abbia così la possibilità di poter anche salire di grado, di poter accedere anche a un altro lavoro. Questo è un aspetto importante, come investire sulle persone, come ha detto prima il dottor Olson. Si parla in Europa di un milione di lavoratori che si perderanno ogni anno. L'Italia invece ha un obiettivo chiaro, forse anche ambizioso. Nel 2030 portare il tasso di occupazione a 73%, fare in modo e maniera che il 60% degli adulti abbiano un'attività di formazione e ridurre di 3,2 milioni il numero delle persone a rischio di povertà.
Non dimentichiamo il ruolo delle regioni, soprattutto in merito al principio di sussidiarietà, che è fondamentale perché le regioni ci permettono di viaggiare su due binari. Uno, le regioni sono vicine ai cittadini, quindi il cittadino che si sente coccolato dalla politica ritorna alle urne. Il cittadino, la regione anche vicina a quelle difficoltà che probabilmente da questo parlamento, ma anche io che sono un parlamentare italiano, ho difficoltà ad arrivare negli angoli anche più nascosti dalla nostra terra, della nostra Europa, della nostra Italia. Quindi investire sulle persone è fondamentale, migliorare la specializzazione è fondamentale e con questo concludo. Grazie presidente.
Lidia Scholzen
Vielen Dank Frau Vorsitzende, ich möchte nicht wiederholen, was die allgemeinen Ziele von ESF sind. Ich glaube wir haben aber gesehen, dass die Bedarfe in den verschiedenen Regionen sehr unterschiedlich sind. Ich kann sagen, dass wir in der deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft Belgiens ein eigenes ESF-Programm verwalten und dieses Programm einen wirklich großen Beitrag geleistet hat zur Regionalentwicklung. Dadurch, dass der ESF nun kein eigenständiges Programm mehr sein soll und in die nationalen regionalen Partnerschaftspläne integriert werden soll, besteht aus unserer Sicht schon die Gefahr, dass eine maßgeschneiderte regionale Steuerung und auch regionale Akteure an sich geschwächt werden dürfen. Das darf aus unserer Sicht nicht passieren, entweder in diesem neuen Konstrukt oder falls das nicht möglich ist, würden wir definitiv auch für ein eigenes Programm plädieren.
Und ich möchte noch einen zweiten Punkt ansprechen und zwar betrifft das die leistungsbasierte Finanzierung. Gerade im Sozialbereich ist das wirklich eine große Herausforderung. Ich nehme das Beispiel Wiedereingliederung in den Arbeitsmarkt. Wir befürchten eine Art Creaming-Out-Effekt und zwar, dass man aus Angst vor einer nicht mehr sicheren Finanzierung nun noch Zielgruppen anvisiert, die relativ einfach zu integrieren sind und gerade Personen mit multiplen Vermittlungshemmnissen dann nicht mehr in den Genuss von ESF-Projekten kommen. Dabei sehen wir, dass gerade diese Personen zunehmen, psychosoziale Einschränkungen, soziale Herausforderungen.
Also ich möchte gerade an der Stelle noch mal dafür plädieren, dass man gerade diese Zielgruppe eben nicht aus den Augen verliert. Vielen Dank.
Marc Angel
Thank you very much and from the European Parliament, Mr. Angel from the S&D.
Thank you very much Chair and thank you colleagues from the national parliaments for being here. I've been a member of national parliament for 20 years. Since 2019 I'm here and I really appreciate it that you take the European dimension which the Lisbon Treaty gives you seriously, that you also have this European dimension in your national parliament and being here in this exchange is very useful. And I'm happy to hear that there is for those who I've heard really also the wish that we have a stand-alone ESF+.
And it's also interesting for us to hear the diversity of how the ESF+ money is used in the different areas. On islands it has another effect than on different areas, the German community in Belgium. So these are examples which are important and which highlight how important it is to invest in human capital. We are fighting very hard for this ESF+, but also for a very good MFF, a budget which we cannot do more with less. And therefore we also pushing from this committee, but also from political groups, and especially also my group, S&D, that we need more own resources.
This is important, otherwise we cannot finance what people expect from us. And I think me as an MEP, when I come to my member state, people ask where is Europe? They want answers from Europe. But we cannot deliver answers if we are, if we don't have enough money to do it. So this fight is very important.
But believe us here in this committee under the leadership of Li Andersson, we are fighting very hard to deepen the dimension, the social dimension of the European Union. In the last mandate, we had the pay transparency directive, the minimum wage directive, and the platform work directive. And I see in many member states it's not transposed yet. This is important that you push your governments to transpose it and make sure that we will work hard at the Quality Job Act, which will regulate the future of work, where we will try that human-centered AI and algorithm management will prevail. We will work hard on that and also the whole package which was presented last week, the fair mobility package, is also something where citizens see that Europe can deliver for them and make their life better.
Thank you very much. Sorry, Chair, for having been too long.
Speaker 29
Thank you. And next speaker is Mr. Szekeres from the Hungarian Parliament.
Pál Szekeres
Köszönöm szépen, elnök asszony. Ugyan a második blokknál jelentkeztem, de nagy örömmel beszélek az elsőben is. Semmi probléma. Amit el szeretnék mondani, az annyira összefügg mind a kettővel, hogy nagy örömmel teszem meg, és köszönöm, hogy megszerezték ezt a találkozót. Nagyon fontos, hogy az Európai Szociális Alap rendelkezésre álljon, és a Draghi-jelentés megállapításai nem csupán szakmai megállapítások, hanem valóban az emberek mindennapi életére is kihatással van.
Ezért nézzünk túl az ESZA+-on, mert én azt gondolom, hogy akkor lesz megfelelő szintű forrás, ha az Európai Unió gazdasága magára talál. Ki kell küszöbölni a hiányos döntéseket, vagy a hibás döntéseket, mert túl drága az energia, egyszerre van munkanélküliség és munkaerőhiány, migrációs válság mellett demográfiai válsággal is szembesülünk. Az Európai Unión kívüli versenytársak rendkívül erősek, és a háborús helyzet okozta bizonytalanság és infláció is nagyon komoly nehézséget okoz. Nem is beszélve arról, hogy a mesterséges intelligencia, mint új elem, és bejön a rendszerbe. Én azt gondolom, hogy ha ezeket a hibákat ki tudjuk küszöbölni, ha ezek a helyzetek megoldódnak, vagy részben megoldódnak, akkor lesz arra lehetőség, hogy legyen megfelelő forrás, hiszen több feladatra és több rászorulóra kell koncentrálni, valószínűleg kevesebb forrásból.
Ezért azt gondolom, hogy nagyon fontos a hatékonyság növelése, célirányos stratégia. Kimondottan kell koncentrálni a hatékony képzésekre, a foglalkoztatás növelésén belül különös tekintettel kell lenni a fiatalokra, és öt kiemelten támogatandó célcsoportra szeretném felhívni a figyelmet: a fogyatékosokra, az idősekre, a gyermeket nevelőkre, a nőkre és az őshonos kisebbségekre.
És nyilvánvaló, hogy amellett, hogy növeljük a foglalkoztatást, a szegénység csökkentése is kiemelt feladat kell legyen. Ezt azt gondolom, hogy akkor tudjuk elérni, hogyha nemcsak uniós szinten, hanem tagállami szinten és a civil szervezetek szintjén is jó az együttműködés. Úgyhogy én ehhez kívánok mindannyiunknak sok sikert, és nagyon örülök, hogy visszatérhettem, és most már a tagállami képviselőként is segíthetem ezt a munkát. Köszönöm szépen.
Thank you, and next speaker is from the European Parliament, Mr. Arimont from the EPP.
Pascal Arimont
Ja, vielen Dank, Frau Vorsitzende, vielen Dank auch für die wichtigen Interventionen. Ich möchte in meiner Eigenschaft als Verhandlungsführer des Parlaments des ERDF, des Cohesion Funds und von Interreg vielleicht ein Wort dazu sagen. Wir sind alle dabei oder damit beschäftigt, vielleicht das zu korrigieren, was die Europäische Kommission in meinen Augen nicht richtig gemacht hat. Und zwar hat sie einen diesen großen Plan gemacht, in den alles reinkommt und der dann von einer nationalen Regierung in dem Sinne definiert werden kann. Völlig vergessen hat sie dabei, dass die beste Sozial-, Regional- oder Wirtschaftspolitik tatsächlich dort gemacht wird, wo sie auch am ehesten gekannt ist.
Das heißt, in den Regionen, in den Kommunen, in den Gemeinschaften, dort ist sie am besten verankert. Sie hat 30 Jahre so funktioniert. Man hat Strukturen aufgebaut, damit sie funktioniert. Die Gelder werden absorbiert und sie werden gut investiert. Ich kann auf dieses meiner Heimatregion, dieses kleine ESF-Programm verweisen, in dem wirklich kluge Strukturen aufgebaut worden sind, wo man Menschen integriert, wo man sie wieder in Arbeit bringt, wo man die, die nicht arbeiten können, dennoch irgendwo in den Arbeitsmarkt wieder eingliedern kann.
All diese Dinge sind klug gemacht, weil sie vor Ort gedacht werden. Und wir kämpfen im Moment hier im Parlament tatsächlich darum, und das Parlament ist da sich ziemlich einig, dass wir diese, glaube ich, diese regionalen Strukturen in diesen Plänen stärken wollen, dass wir den Regionen auch ein Mitspracherecht geben wollen. Und dann bin ich auch beim ESF, dass das ESF nicht nur 14 % irgendwo in diesem großen nationalen Plan haben wird, sondern dass es ein eigenständiges Programm wird. Nur wir können das hier, können uns fusselig reden, ob wir das wollen. Wir werden es in unsere Position reinschreiben.
Aber jetzt kommt es wirklich darauf an im Trilog, dass die Menschen, die in nationalen Parlamenten sitzen, das ihren Regierungen auch mitteilen. Weil im Trilog sitze ich gegenüber dem Botschafter, der eine ganz andere Meinung vertreten wird. Und ich muss ihn überzeugen, und das kann ich nur, wenn ich von außen die Hilfe kriege, dass das auch von anderen Menschen so gesehen wird. Und darauf wird's ankommen. Das wird Anfang nächsten Jahres wahrscheinlich so sein.
Und deswegen der Aufruf an alle, die hier in nationalen Parlamenten, in regionalen Parlamenten sitzen: Gehen Sie zu Ihrer Regierung und schütteln Sie die mal, dass wir diese Strukturen, wie wir sie hatten, gerne auch weiterhin haben würden. Vielen Dank.
Thank you very much. We have reached the end of my speaker's list for this part. And so I will give the floor back to our initial speakers for a few minutes each, if you have some answers or some reflections to the comments that we have just heard during the debate, starting with Mrs. Schuler.
Lisa Schüler
Thank you very much. I think that was very important. I had a lot of notes I did. Maybe I start with what you said at the, Mr. Arimont, at the very end, that now it is super important that what we discuss here is transported to the national parliaments, to the national governments, because they still need to be convinced. I always have the impression here at the European Parliament we all want more or less the same thing.
And I also wanted to re-mention what you said with the creaming out effect, as well, also from Belgium, because that's something I'm very, very worried about from the perspective of the people on the ground. How do we ensure that this performance-based funding mechanism does not lead to a situation where the people who really need our help, that they are not targeted anymore?
Li Andersson
Thank you very much. And Mr. Casa is no longer here, so I'll give the floor to Mr. Humelnicu.
Marius Humelnicu
Thank you. Cred că cel mai important lucru este alocarea, finanțarea acestui program social european și cineva a spus mai devreme că într-adevăr dacă cu bani mai puțini nu poți investi mai mult și că ai nevoie de o prioritizare a investițiilor, bineînțeles respectând particularitățile fiecărui stat în parte. Sunt de acord cu ce a spus colegul din Parlamentul Spaniei, Alberto, și ceilalți colegi legat de programe prioritare pentru tineri, familia tânără, pentru calificare, recalificare, cât și pentru pensionari și să creăm într-adevăr locuri de muncă, eu aș spune bine plătite. Ceea ce cerem într-adevăr oamenilor să facă un efort, europenilor, da, și au dreptul să știe că Europa pentru care se sacrifică într-adevăr nu renunță la ei și că împreună, nu știu dacă trebuie să ne luptăm sau să ne batem, dar împreună cu siguranță vom obține o alocare suficientă pentru tot ce înseamnă Fondul European Social Plus. Mulțumesc încă o dată și vom fi de câte ori este nevoie, vom fi prezenți pentru a susține această parte atât de importantă pentru Europa, o Europă unită, o Europă socială.
Mulțumesc.
Li Andersson
Thank you very much, we greatly appreciate that. And next is Mr. Mayoral de la Amo.
Alberto Mayoral
Muchas gracias. Después de este debate tengo más preguntas casi que respuestas. ¿Qué Europa queremos construir? Porque si el futuro del Fondo Social Europeo deja a tantas familias sin llegar a fin de mes, habremos fracasado. Si no conseguimos combatir la precariedad de tantos jóvenes, habremos fracasado.
Si el código postal es el que marca la oportunidad de futuro en Europa, habremos fracasado. Pero yo me voy con un mensaje de esperanza de todos de sus señorías, de los parlamentarios de las diferentes asambleas nacionales. Todos hemos pedido más recursos para llegar a los objetivos. Y con eso me quedo, con un Fondo Social Europeo fuerte, con más recursos, podremos hacer que no tantas familias tengan dificultades, que aquellos que peor lo pasan sientan Europa más cerca y, en definitiva, que el código postal no marque la diferencia entre tener futuro o no tenerlo. Muchas gracias.
Li Andersson
Thank you very much to all of you, and we will now go straight ahead with the second session, which will deal with the implementation. And we will start with a keynote speech by Mr. Patrice Mahieu, who is the Vice-President of the French Food Bank Federation and Chair of the Northern Food Banks. And before you start, I would just like to remind all of you that you can ask for the floor at any point during the debate. So if you want to speak, just please fill out the form and hand it over to the ushers. And of course, members of Parliament, you can just signal your willingness to take the floor to us.
So please, Mr. Mahieu, the floor is yours for the next eight minutes.
Patrice Mahieu
Merci, Madame la Présidente. Chers membres de la commission Emploi et des Affaires sociales, chers députés européens. La Fédération française des banques alimentaires est honorée de faire entendre aujourd'hui dans cet hémicycle la voix des réseaux d'aide alimentaire de France. Le programme de soutien européen à l'aide alimentaire n'est pas un sujet nouveau. Il est profondément ancré dans notre système depuis 2014 avec la programmation du Fonds européen d'aide aux plus démunis, le FEAD.
Il a ensuite été renouvelé et abondé lors de la programmation 2021-2027 avec le Fonds social européen, le FSE+. Ce FSE+ représente chaque année pour les banques alimentaires 15 % de nos approvisionnements. Au global, pour le fonctionnement des quatre réseaux nationaux habilités à l'aide alimentaire, la Croix-Rouge française, les Restos du Cœur, le Secours populaire français et nous-mêmes, ce chiffre monte à un quart, soit 25 %. Le FSE+ n'a donc rien d'anodin pour l'aide alimentaire. Il assure un fond d'épicerie, comme nous aimons dire.
31 produits fixes, une base pour tous, achetés en marché public grâce à une étroite collaboration entre les têtes de réseau, l'autorité de gestion, la DGCS et FranceAgriMer. Ce fonds contribue à rapprocher, à renforcer la coordination entre les acteurs de l'aide alimentaire et l'administration publique. Il est vecteur de mobilisation, de planification, de conscientisation des besoins des populations les plus vulnérables. Au-delà des denrées alimentaires, ce fonds est constitué d'une seconde brique de solidarité incontournable. En 2025, pour les banques alimentaires, le FSE+ a consacré 2,3 millions d'euros au service de l'accompagnement social par l'alimentation.
Ce forfait nous permet de financer notre programme phare, Bon Geste et Bonne Assiette, dont l'objectif est de recréer du lien social et d'accompagner à l'amélioration de la santé des personnes accueillies à l'aide alimentaire. Composé de plusieurs ateliers, chaque cycle est co-construit main dans la main avec les personnes accueillies par notre réseau, spécialement en fonction de leurs besoins. L'année dernière, 1 700 ateliers se sont déroulés, permettant à 15 000 participants de bénéficier de ce programme. Ce sont des avancées significatives et certaines. Mais ne vous laissez pas éblouir, les difficultés sont toujours présentes et continuent de croître pour les populations les plus vulnérables.
L'Europe est traversée par des crises qui perdurent. D'autant plus, l'aide alimentaire n'est pas un coût, mais un investissement indispensable. Indispensable pour soutenir les acteurs de la solidarité sur le terrain. Indispensable pour assurer notre cohésion sociale. Le prochain budget européen ne peut laisser de côté les personnes les plus précaires.
Depuis 2020, la Fédération française des banques alimentaires assiste à un accroissement continu du recours à l'aide alimentaire au sein de nos structures. Nous avons enregistré une hausse de 30 % entre 2020 et 2025. À ce jour, nous accueillons désormais près de 2,4 millions de personnes par an. Ce phénomène concerne l'ensemble de la société française dont les visages de la précarité se multiplient. Les familles monoparentales, les personnes isolées, les étudiants et les enfants sont les premiers publics concernés.
Et les travailleurs pauvres, pour lesquels un salaire, un temps plein, un CDI n'est plus suffisant pour être à l'abri du besoin. Dans ce contexte, les ressources allouées aux personnes précaires ne peuvent constituer une variable d'ajustement. La Commission européenne a posé une première pierre en publiant le 6 mai dernier la stratégie européenne de lutte contre la pauvreté. Pour les associations d'aide alimentaire, cette stratégie n'est pas suffisante et ne va pas assez loin.
Le discours sur l'état de l'Union du 16 septembre prononcé par la présidente Madame de la Commission européenne, Madame Ursula von der Leyen, décrit une Europe plus forte, mais plus précaire que jamais. Rappelons-nous ces mots et que notre cohésion, notre tissu social et notre prospérité ne se consolideront qu'en assurant une politique antipauvreté forte et ambitieuse. Assurons des emplois de qualité, œuvrons pour des logements abordables, reconnaissons le droit à l'alimentation pour tous. Mais pour cela, il faut reconnaître que la sécurité alimentaire est partie prenante de notre résilience et de la compétitivité de notre Union sur le long terme. Nous suivons de très près les négociations en cours pour la prochaine programmation et nous ne pouvons aujourd'hui cacher notre inquiétude.
Notre inquiétude d'abord en ce qui concerne la refonte de l'architecture des fonds européens. La fusion du FSE+ au sein d'une enveloppe globale entraîne le risque d'une dilution des fonds dédiés aux objectifs sociaux de l'Union européenne. Les discussions en cours au Conseil et au Parlement européen sur cette nouvelle architecture nous préoccupent. Au Conseil, le mandat de négociation partielle sur le règlement des plans de partenariat nationaux et régionaux adopté en juin 2026 inscrit le seuil de 14 % du budget alloué au PNR aux objectifs sociaux de l'Union européenne. Qu'en est-il pour l'aide alimentaire et matérielle ?
Sans un engagement fort du Parlement européen et de la France au Conseil de l'Union européenne, le budget actuellement discuté risque de reléguer l'aide alimentaire au rang de véritable de variable, pardon, d'ajustement comptable. Nous ne pouvons vous laisser prendre sans alerter ce virage. Il existe un véritable risque que le seuil alloué aux objectifs sociaux soit inférieur au précédent budget pluriannuel 2021-2027. Il existe aussi un risque de voir l'engagement de l'Union européenne envers les missions soutenues par FSE+ fort et indépendant se perdre. À ce sujet, nous soutenons fortement la proposition du Parlement de porter le budget de la prochaine programmation à 125 milliards d'euros au moins.
Rappelons que la pérennité du FSE+ se joue aussi dans son indépendance vis-à-vis des futurs plans de partenariat nationaux et régionaux et qu'avant de devenir une variable nationale, ce fonds revêt définitivement une dimension européenne incontestable. Notre inquiétude ensuite, dans la préservation d'un seuil minimum alloué à l'aide alimentaire et matérielle. Là encore, les discussions sont floues, une fourchette vacille entre un 10 %, un 5 % voire moins. Qu'en est-il de la prise en compte de l'inflation qui a dûment sévi en France comme chez nos voisins européens ? Sommes-nous prêts à engager des volumes inférieurs pour répondre à des besoins en hausse ?
À notre regard, en évaluant les besoins et en programmant nos approvisionnements, l'ensemble des réseaux l'aide alimentaire français plaident d'une même voix pour une réhausse à 10 % du seuil minimum alloué à l'aide alimentaire en Europe. Notre inquiétude encore, sur les discussions en cours concernant le cofinancement de la future programmation 2028-2034. Les futurs plans de partenariat nationaux et régionaux ouvrent la voie vers une nationalisation de nos enjeux communs. L'augmentation du cofinancement finit de l'achever. Contre 90 % des fonds financés par l'Union européenne et 10 % par les États membres, nous passerions à 60 % de financement de l'Union pour 40 % laissés aux États membres.
de nos objectifs de réduction de pauvreté en Europe. Enfin ce que nous aimerions souligner d'autant plus aujourd'hui, c'est l'engagement des États membres pour le programme de soutien européen à l'aide alimentaire. En 2021 la France a fait le choix de dépasser l'allocation minimale de 3 % de l'enveloppe nationale du FSE+ au SEAH. La France a engagé 9,1 % de son enveloppe pour un budget total de 647 millions d'euros sur la dernière programmation. Cet engagement ne peut être oublié mais surtout il ne peut être abandonné.
Dans cet hémicycle avec vous, nous souhaitons formuler un appel. Celui de réaffirmer le rôle de l'Union dans la lutte contre l'exclusion et la précarité alimentaire et matérielle. Celui de prendre en compte les besoins des plus vulnérables et de donner les moyens nécessaires aux associations de poursuivre leur mission au quotidien. Enfin celui de reconsidérer la fonction de l'aide alimentaire dans le cohésion sociale de l'Union européenne. Ne laissons personne de côté et rappelons-nous que de défendre la solidarité et lutter contre la pauvreté doivent être des priorités non négligeables.
Je vous remercie pour votre écoute et vous souhaite une bonne session.
Thank you very much for this very important intervention and we will now go on to hear from members of this Parliament and of course the national parliaments. Let's first listen to MEP Marit Mai who is our co-rapporteur on establishing the European Social Fund as part of the national regional partnership plan. So please Marit the floor is yours for the next four minutes.
Marit Maij
Yes, thank you very much chair and also thank you very much Mr. Mahot for your introduction. The title of this session is what should be the main priorities of ESF+ during the period 2028-2034 to address emerging social and economic challenges. I think the main priority should be as was also mentioned in the previous discussion to have a stand-alone ESF+ with a dedicated budget. Because what we see right now in the proposal that is done by the Commission that 14% in this proposal is of the NRPP is dedicated for social spending targets. This is not a minimum but it's a suggestion.
And this 14% is for social spending targets but there's two problems with it. One is that it includes all types of social investment, so also for example a social investment in building a hospital or something else which is of course important but is not what was under and is under the aims of the European Social Fund. And the second problem with it is that actually if you and as I think some of you already mentioned it, if you translate it to what is real money and real funds for member states, we see that the vast majority of member states will have a really big reduction of the funds that are dedicated for from the European Social Fund to social activities in their member states. For some countries it's almost 50 or even 60%. The one that is worst off is Italy.
A 60% reduction from what is the European Social Fund right now. So I think the battle that we have dear colleagues is here in the European Parliament to make sure that we have this dedicated budget and that we have a European Social Fund which is aimed at the tasks and at the goals that we want it to have. But also that we have you on board in your negotiations and in your talks with your national governments. That when your national minister goes to the Council, because the Council is our co-legislator, they will tell them how important the European Social Fund is and how important it is for your social activities in your own country. This is I think the main really the main challenge that we have right now to make sure that it's stand-alone, dedicated budget and a serious budget.
Having said that I think there's some other elements that we of course when we look at the social fund itself are working on and that we are working on really good together with the co-rapporteur David Casa and also all the shadow rapporteurs in this Parliament in the EMPL committee.
We see that there is a lot of funds and also ideas going towards competitiveness and preparedness within the next multi-annual financial framework. This is important, but we should not forget that the European Union consists of people, so that we should also have funds that are dedicated to support these people, people that work here, that live here, that want to start families here, children that live here, people that maybe sometimes need a little bit of help to be able to participate in this big common market that we have. So we need earmarkings for specific goals, for example, the goals that you mentioned. We need to make sure that there is a clear partnership principle with civil society organizations, but also local governments in preparing, implementing and evaluating the plans that you have in the social, in the European Social Fund. And we must make sure that the NRPP includes a European Social Fund chapter that is dedicated, that explains in every member state what they want to do, what they want to do respective of the earmarkings, of the goals that we have and especially of those goals that are the goals of the European Social Fund, which we've said it before and some of you have mentioned it, it is social inclusion, it is helping people with a distance to the labour market, it is the child guarantee, it is fighting youth unemployment, it is helping homeless people.
All of these elements are important and these are the elements that we have to fight for. So I really think that within our EMPL committee we will work on the content and I think we can work on that content and we will come to a really good proposal from the side of the parliament. But we need you from your national parliaments to fight with us, especially for the dedication of this budget and to make sure that it is not fading away within the flexibility of the NRPP and that it's not, you know, the 14% it looks nice, but these are not the, sorry, I get really, really, you know. And that, well, that the target of the European Social Fund is the target for the people and it's not for the bricks. Thank you very much.
Li Andersson
Thank you very much. I will now give the floor to Mrs. Katharina Schenk, who is member of German Bundesrat and the Thuringian Minister of Social Health, Work and Family. So please you have the floor for the next four minutes.
Katharina SCHENK
Ja, danke. Ich fahre auf Deutsch fort. Sehr geehrte Frau Vorsitzende, der Europäische Sozialfonds, das ist heute sehr deutlich geworden, vor allen im Vortrag von Frau Schüller, der entscheidet ganz konkret darüber, wie wir in unseren Regionen Europa überhaupt erleben. Und deswegen ist er aus meiner Sicht auch genau das, eben nicht Bricks, nicht Steine, sondern das, was wir in Menschen investieren. Er macht Europa in unseren Regionen konkret erlebbar.
Meine Kollegin aus Mecklenburg-Vorpommern hat schon erwähnt, dass auch Deutschland aus verschiedenen divergierenden Teilen besteht. Ich spreche deswegen hier auch für Ostdeutschland, wo er von besonderer Bedeutung ist, aber am Ende sich auch verbunden fühlt zu all dem, was hier aus Griechenland oder Spanien ausgeführt wurde. Er entwickelt Regionen wirklich konkret weiter. Umso besorgniserregender ist es, wenn wir über eine Sozialquote von 14 % sprechen, die uns ja ganz deutlich macht, dass wir hier vor allen Dingen darüber sprechen müssen, was in diesen 14 % am Ende mitgemeint ist.
Und wenn hier Krankenhausinvestitionen, sozialer Wohnungsbau und ähnliches dazu genutzt werden, um darüber zu sprechen, was wir eigentlich in Menschen investieren, dann höhlen wir eigentlich das ursprüngliche Ziel des ESF+ aus. Sozialpolitik muss sich ja gerade daran messen lassen, ob diejenigen, die erreicht werden, und auch diejenigen, die vielleicht mehrere Probleme gleichzeitig haben, von Europa noch adressiert werden. Und deswegen betrachte ich die Diskussion über den ESF+ auch als...
Li Andersson
Sorry, the interpreters are asking to slow down a bit the pace. Yep. So they will have time for translation.
Katharina SCHENK
Deswegen betrachte ich den ESF+ auch als ein Problem hinsichtlich der Frage, wie wir dem Rechtsdruck begegnen können. Denn insbesondere dann, wenn Menschen sich verloren und vernachlässigt fühlen, nicht nachvollziehen können, wie ihnen konkrete finanzielle Zuwendungen am Ende helfen, ihr Leben zu gestalten, dann verlieren sie auch den Kontakt dazu, wie die Europäische Union am Ende bei ihnen vor Ort wirkt. Und deswegen ist aus meiner Sicht wichtig, hier deutlich zu machen, dass jeder, der gesprochen hat, eine konkrete Wirkung des ESF+ in seiner Region nennen konnte, und dass Europa damit ganz konkret deutlich macht, wie ich selbst meine Sicherheit im Leben in meiner Region erleben kann. Und am Ende führt deswegen diese Entscheidung, den ESF+ mit EFRE und ELER zusammenzuwerfen, vor allem dazu, dass Europa sich aus den Regionen zurückzieht. Ich finde es auch zentral deutlich zu machen, dass es hier eine Misskommunikation gibt, dass die Länder einerseits angehalten werden, ihre nationalen Chapters einzureichen, und auf der anderen Seite hier ja deutlich wird, dass noch gar nicht alles ausverhandelt ist, weder die Höhe noch die Art und Weise, wie am Ende das Geld verteilt wird.
Und das ist aus meiner Sicht auch nicht sinnvoll für die Vertrauensbildung innerhalb der Politik, wenn einerseits schon Tatsachen geschaffen werden, die hier aber eigentlich noch zur Debatte stehen. Deswegen ist für mich die zentrale Botschaft: 14 % werden unserem Anspruch nicht gerecht, Europa vor allem in den Menschen zu leben, die am Ende die Europäische Union auch durch ihre Werte und Gefühle tragen und den Anziehungswert für Europa ausmachen. Vielen Dank.
Li Andersson
Thank you very much, and I will now give the floor to Mrs. Irene Garrido Valenzuela, who is member of the Committee on Labour, Social Economy, Inclusion, Social Security and Migration of the Congress of Deputies of Spain. So please, the floor is yours for the next four minutes.
Irene GARRIDO VALENZUELA
Gracias, presidenta. Es un honor para mí participar en esta reunión interparlamentaria. Lo hago como diputada del Grupo Popular y portavoz de la Comisión de Trabajo, Economía Social, Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones del Congreso de los Diputados. Agradezco además a la Comisión de Empleo y Asuntos Sociales que haya querido escuchar a los parlamentos nacionales en este debate. El Fondo Social Europeo es el principal instrumento del pilar europeo de derechos sociales.
En España, garantizar esos derechos sociales es especialmente urgente. Porque según el informe del semestre europeo de 2026, la pobreza infantil alcanza el 34,6 % frente al 24,2 de media europea. El desempleo llega al 11,4, casi duplicando el de la Unión. La propuesta de la Comisión conserva una base jurídica propia para el fondo. Sin embargo, lo integra sin una asignación diferenciada en planes nacionales y regionales dotados con muchos millones de euros.
El objetivo social del 14 % es, como he oído anteriormente, un compromiso relevante, pero es que no permite saber cuánto va a llegar a la inclusión, a la infancia, a la privacidad de la privacidad de material. Además, en ese porcentaje pueden computarse también préstamos. Por eso respaldamos la exigencia de este Parlamento de una dotación reconocible y reservas temáticas protegidas. Esta seguridad es imprescindible. Nos preocupa el modelo de gestión, porque España sabemos en España sabemos bien qué ocurre cuando los fondos se gestionan desde un plano único y centralizado, porque lo hemos vivido con el MRR, el Mecanismo de Recuperación y Resiliencia.
El Gobierno ha reescrito su plan nueve veces, lo que ha servido para que el Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia se desnaturalice y se convierta en el plan mínimo que el Gobierno podía cumplir.
Se han simplificado hitos para asegurar desembolsos. Esa apariencia debería servir de advertencia al diseñar el futuro del Fondo Social. Por eso, los eurodiputados del Partido Popular apoyaron en abril la resolución de este Parlamento en defensa de la gestión compartida. La política social se ejecuta cerca de las personas. En España, las comunidades autónomas tienen la competencia en empleo y asistencia social.
A modo de ejemplo, mi tierra, Galicia, en el Fondo Social Plus 21-27 es el instrumento financiero de la Unión Europea para promover empleo, inclusión social, educación y lucha contra la pobreza. En el programa, el 60%, tal y como decía la señora Schuller, no hay que olvidar la aportación nacional tampoco a estas necesidades sociales. El 60% lo aporta la Unión Europea y el 40% de los fondos la Xunta de Galicia. Destacar recientemente el plan de salud mental para prevenir los comportamientos suicidas con especial atención a adolescentes y mayores, las medidas de capacitación en tecnologías estratégicas, medidas de apoyo a la accesibilidad a la vivienda. Nadie conoce estas necesidades mejor que quien las atiende cada día.
Tampoco podemos medir la inclusión con la lógica de los hitos. Para una persona en exclusión severa, recuperar hábitos o mantener una formación es ya un gran avance. Si solo pagamos resultados rápidos, se atenderá a quien más fácil lo tenga de colocar. Lo vemos en España con el ingreso mínimo vital, una prestación de la Seguridad Social no contributiva. La Autoridad Independiente de Responsabilidad Fiscal reclama reformular el incentivo al empleo de esta prestación porque no corrige su principal efecto negativo, que es la trampa de la pobreza.
Por último, pedimos transparencia. La ejecución debe publicarse de forma periódica y detallada, desglosada por territorios, programas e indicadores de inserción. Europa se distingue en el mundo por su pilar social y su principal instrumento, el Fondo Social Europeo, merece un lugar visible en el próximo presupuesto. Muchas gracias.
Thank you so much, and we will now move on to the members and the members of European Parliament. Okay, we're starting with Mr. Szekeres from Hungarian Parliament. Do you wish to take the floor again?
Pál Szekeres
Köszönöm elnök asszony, hogy az előző blokkban már elmondtam az álláspontomat, én csak akkor nagyon röviden azt szeretném megismételni, hogy ahhoz, hogy elegendő forrásunk legyen, ahhoz először az európai gazdaságot kell rendbe rakni, és minél előbb érjen véget az energiaválság, nagyon jó lenne, ha befejeződne a háború, nemcsak természetesen gazdasági, hanem abszolút humanitárius okokból is. És nagyon fontos azt leszögezni, hogy elegendő források állnak rendelkezésre, csak akkor tudjuk elvégezni közösen ezt a feladatot. De egyelőre úgy tűnik, hogy több feladat lesz, több rászoruló és kevesebb forrás, úgyhogy mindenképpen támasszuk föl az európai gazdaságot, és azokat a hibákat, amelyeket elkövettünk akár tagállami, akár uniós szinten, azokat ki kell küszöbölni. Tehát meg kell erősíteni az európai gazdaságot, és a több forrásból én azt gondolom, hogy egy sikeres programot lehet csinálni. Nagyon fontos a foglalkoztatás növelése, itt kiemelten koncentrálni kell a fiatalokra, és nagyon fontosnak tartom, hogy koncentráljunk a gyermeket nevelőkre, a nőkre, az őshonos kisebbségre, a fogyatékosokra és az idősekre is.
Ez nagyjából az, amit az előző blokkban is elmondtam, úgyhogy ez túlzottan sok dolgot már nem tudok hozzátenni.
Köszönöm, hogy megszervezték ezt a konferenciát, és köszönöm mind az EP, mind a tagállami, meg a Bizottság képviselőinek, hogy ilyen konstruktív ez a mai nap. Köszönöm szépen.
Thank you very much. And next speaker is Mr. Stylios from the Greek Parliament.
Evripidis Stylios
Ευχαριστώ, κυρία Πρόεδρε. Κυρίες και κύριοι συνάδελφοι, η συζήτηση αφορά το ποια Ευρώπη θέλουμε για τις επόμενες γενιές. Οι οικονομικές και κοινωνικές προκλήσεις των επόμενων ετών είναι ήδη εδώ και αφορούν την ενέργεια, το δημογραφικό, τη στέγη, τις κοινωνικές και γεωγραφικές ανισότητες, το μεταναστευτικό, την πράσινη και ψηφιακή μετάβαση, το αυξημένο κόστος διαβίωσης και την ταχύτατη ανάπτυξη της τεχνητής νοημοσύνης. Όλα τα παραπάνω απαιτούν ευρωπαϊκές πολιτικές σε σύνοδο κορυφής και σε επίπεδο Συμβουλίου Υπουργών και μάλιστα πολλών συναρμόδιων υπουργείων. Η επιτυχία των δράσεων του Ευρωπαϊκού Κοινωνικού Ταμείου είναι άμεσα συναρτώμενη με τις πολιτικές που θα αποφασιστούν σε ανώτερο επίπεδο.
Θα επισημάνω τρεις προτεραιότητες που αφορούν το στεγαστικό, την τρίτη ηλικία και τις απομακρυσμένες περιφέρειες. Για το στεγαστικό, οι πόροι και τα προγράμματα ανακατευθυνθούν προς τις επενδύσεις κοινωνικής και οικονομικά προσιτής κατοικίας. Ιδιαίτερη έμφαση απαιτείται στην πρόληψη της αστεγίας μέσω του έγκαιρου εντοπισμού των νοικοκυριών που κινδυνεύουν να χάσουν τη στέγη τους. Για την τρίτη ηλικία, όλο και περισσότεροι συμπολίτες μας χρειάζονται και θα χρειαστούν οργανωμένη φροντίδα. Για τις ευκαιρίες στους πολίτες απομακρυσμένων περιφερειών, υποστήριξη για να παραμείνουν και να προοδεύσουν στον τόπο τους με πρόσβαση σε ποιοτική εργασία, εκπαίδευση, κατάρτιση, φροντίδα, υγεία και κοινωνικές υπηρεσίες.
Για το σκοπό αυτό απαιτούνται εδαφικά στοχευμένες παρεμβάσεις, ιδίως στα νησιά, στις ορεινές και απομακρυσμένες περιοχές και στις περιφέρειες που αντιμετωπίζουν πληθυσμιακή συρρίκνωση. Ευχαριστώ.
Li Andersson
Thank you very much. And next speaker is from the European Parliament, Mrs. Kellemans from the S&D.
Estelle Ceulemans
Moins un milliard d'euros sur un budget actuel de 1,3 milliard d'euros. Et bien c'est la situation qui va se produire en Belgique, c'est-à-dire une réduction de 80 % des moyens du Fonds social européen. C'est alarmant pour un petit pays comme le mien, mais c'est pas le cas, un cas isolé. Moins 11 milliards pour l'Italie, moins 8 milliards pour l'Espagne, moins 5 milliards pour le Portugal ou la Roumanie, moins 4 milliards pour la France ou l'Allemagne. Les chiffres font mal, ils sont clairs et c'est ça qui risque d'arriver.
Alors bon, voilà, ça pourrait paraître cohérent si évidemment les États membres de l'Union européenne n'avaient plus besoin d'investir dans les besoins sociaux, dans la lutte contre la pauvreté et en particulier celle des enfants, dans l'accompagnement vers l'emploi ou dans les politiques de soutien aux personnes en situation de handicap. Alors c'est difficile à croire, surtout vu ce que je viens d'entendre aujourd'hui et surtout quand on sait qu'un Européen et un Européen sur cinq sont aujourd'hui confrontés à une situation de pauvreté. Alors voilà, ben comme ma collègue Marie Toussaint, je suis là pour vous interpeller en tant que membres des parlements nationaux pour que vous-mêmes vous vous adressiez à vos gouvernements respectifs pour vraiment arrêter cette situation et pour qu'on change de cap parce qu'on pourra pas dire qu'on ne le savait pas et que je vous incite en tout cas à suivre la position qui a été prise ici au sein de ce Parlement, c'est-à-dire sortir des 14 %, avoir un stand-alone Fonds social européen avec un budget d'au moins 125 milliards d'euros. Je vous remercie.
Li Andersson
Thank you very much.
And Mrs. next speaker is Mrs. Del Nilo from the Italian Senate.
Daniela Ternullo
Sì, grazie Presidente. Purtroppo abbiamo i tempi contingentati, ma adesso entriamo proprio in quelle che siano le priorità per quanto riguarda, appunto, il futuro dei Fondi Sociali Europei che devono si devono adeguare a quelle che sono oggi le trasformazioni che stanno, appunto, cambiando la nostra società. Ringrazio chi mi ha preceduto, ringrazio l'onorevole Maie che poco fa nel suo intervento ha ricordato che con l'attuale proposta fatta in Commissione ci potrebbe essere una riduzione del meno 60% sulla dotazione degli FSE per quanto riguarda l'Italia. Questo è un fatto davvero molto drammatico, per cui condivido la necessità che il fondo venga almeno ripartito all'attuale livello di dotazione finanziaria e quantomeno riusciamo ad avere anche un fondo separato per ogni ovviamente Stato membro e che sia, appunto, adeguato a quelle che sono oggi le esigenze dei territori perché i cittadini non possono pagare poi le conseguenze perché la ricaduta, lo sappiamo bene, va proprio diretta verso i cittadini. Una riduzione delle risorse europee delle politiche sociali, noi lo sappiamo benissimo, rischia di allontanare i cittadini italiani, per quanto mi riguarda l'Italia, ma anche gli europei da quello che è l'Europa e anche riduce la fiducia oggi verso noi che siamo istituzioni e che comunque dobbiamo garantire quantomeno i servizi alla nostra società.
Io, consentitemelo di dire, sono una siciliana, per cui anch'io vivo una realtà molto importante, ma soprattutto i cittadini e sappiamo quanto siano stati fondamentali questi fondi e quando lo sono perché sono funzionali per tutto il sud e per tutto il mezzogiorno d'Italia e sono delle risorse che hanno tenuto davvero insieme tanta coesione, sviluppo e hanno dato dignità del lavoro. Infine e chiudo, davvero cerchiamo di riuscire ad adeguare questi fondi per ogni Stato membro e non a ridurli. Grazie.
Speaker 9
Thank you very much. And next speaker is Mrs. Velasquez from the Danish Parliament.
Victoria Velasquez
Tusind tak for de gode oplæg og indlæg og tak til alle jer, som hver eneste dag arbejder med at bekæmpe ulighed og fattigdom og udsathed. I Danmark så er der netop kommet en ny afsavnsundersøgelse her fortæller blandt andet en pige i niende klasse, at hun ikke har råd til mad i skolen og derfor isolerer sig selv socialt. Og det viser også, at kampen mod fattigdom ikke alene handler om solidaritet og menneskelighed, det handler også om forebyggelse. Fattigdom i barndommen har konsekvenser for både uddannelse, for beskæftigelse og trivsel langt op i voksenlivet. Og det er derfor, vi deler bekymring om, at formålet med ESF'en bliver udvandet.
Vi støtter tydeligt Ukraine og behovet for større europæisk sikkerhed. Her skal vi også huske, at socialpolitik også er en del af samfundets robusthed. Og netop derfor så er det så vigtigt, at sociale midler ikke bliver udhulet som følge af nye sikkerheds- og forsvarspolitiske prioriteringer. Et samfund med mindre fattigdom, med større deltagelse på arbejdsmarkedet, stærkere social mobilitet står også stærkere i kriser. Det sikrer også en større opbakning i vores befolkning til de initiativer.
Og samtidig så vil vi også gerne sammen med andre gode indlæg, der har gjort det, tale vores lokale handlekraft op og understrege vigtigheden af, at vi i medlemslandene også tager ansvar, at vi arbejder for en mere retfærdig omfordeling, gode arbejdsforhold og forebyggelse, og at mennesker ikke bliver skubbet ud af arbejdsmarkedet eller at sociale kriser vokser sig større. Og endelig også at vi fortsætter det gode arbejde, der er blevet lavet med at mindske bureaukratiet.
Midlerne skal i højere grad bruges til kerneopgaven og mindre på administration. Så tak for det vigtige arbejde, lad os fortsætte det, og tak for ordet.
Li Andersson
Thank you very much. And next speaker is from the European Parliament, Mrs. De Vaut, from Renew.
Valérie Devaux
Oui, merci Madame la Présidente, chers collègues. Je tenais tout d'abord à remercier Monsieur Patrick Mayeux pour son témoignage et les différents intervenants pour nos échanges. Avec la hausse des prix dans l'alimentation, un nombre croissant de personnes dépendent du soutien des banques alimentaires. C'est pourquoi l'architecture proposée pour le prochain cadre financier pluriannuel est préoccupante, et nous sommes très nombreux à l'avoir souligné. Le FSE est dilué dans de vastes plans nationaux et aucun fléchage budgétaire n'est prévu précisément pour l'aide alimentaire.
La pauvreté ne peut pas être une priorité seulement lorsqu'il reste de l'argent disponible dans une enveloppe plus large. C'est pourquoi il importe de corriger la proposition initiale de la Commission avec trois impératifs. D'abord, faire en sorte que le Fonds social européen demeure un instrument autonome et identifié. Ensuite, qu'un fléchage budgétaire spécifique soit inscrit pour l'aide aux plus démunis. Il est important d'écouter les organisations telles que la Fédération des banques alimentaires pour calibrer le niveau de financement nécessaire, et je partage leur ambition de 10 % que j'avais d'ailleurs déposée dans mes amendements.
Enfin, il faut faire en sorte que les règles européennes soient plus simples et adaptées aux organisations qui les mettent en œuvre et au public qu'elles accompagnent. Cette troisième priorité est tout aussi importante. En effet, notre rôle de parlementaire est assez modeste en comparaison de l'incroyable engagement quotidien des bénévoles sur le terrain. Il faut leur faciliter la tâche. Je vous remercie encore de votre participation et de nos discussions.
Merci.
Speaker 9
Thank you very much. Next speaker is Mrs. Németh from the Hungarian Parliament.
Zsoltné Németh
Thank you very much, I would like to speak Hungarian. Magyarország társadalompolitikai céljai megjelennek a támogatható területek és prioritások között. Szűk keresztmetszetet nem tartalmi, hanem forrásoldalról várhatunk. Csökkenni fog várhatóan ezen a területen felhasználható források mértéke. Az új időszakban az ESZA humántőke-fejlesztés ösztönző jellege háttérbe szorulhat, mert sok esetben a fizikai infrastruktúra fejlesztése, ami látványosabb beruházásokat eredményez, elveheti a fókuszt a humántőkébe való beruházástól.
Jelenlegi tapasztalatok alapján a kohéziós politikának a jövőben is meg kell őriznie az erős humán fókuszát, miközben tovább kell erősíteni az eredményességet és a források hatékony felhasználását. Az ESZA+ 2028 és 2034 közötti fő prioritásai közül magyar szempontból kiemelt területek a munkaerő-kínálat bővítése, a munkaerőhiány kezelése, a munkaerő-kereslet és -kínálat illesztése. Nagyon fontos a foglalkoztatás ösztönzése, a minőségi munkahelyek ösztönzésére fókuszálva, hiszen ez a kiszámítható módja a munkaerő-termelékenységének javítására, valamint a munkavállalók egészségének és biztonságának erősítésére. Thank you.
Speaker 9
Thank you very much. And my next speaker is Mr. Nijenhuis from Netherlands.
Nijenhuis
Thank you, dear colleagues. I would like to reconfirm the words of Mrs. Schuler of Caritas Germany earlier, that the most effective European Social Fund works when it addresses the most pressing matters, which adds to the work of national governments instead of replacing it. In my opinion, that would be when we succeed in reducing administrative burdens and especially when the goals of social funds contribute to the common European economic goals which require common European action, such as productivity, competitiveness, and upward convergence in Europe to make sure future economic growth will take place here in Europe. The Draghi report and many other reports on our economic future lay down concrete choices we need to make in European and national policy for the competitiveness of Europe. We should very much involve these aspects in the choices we make concerning social funds, such as making sure economic sectors which drive our competitiveness and strategic autonomy will not be restricted by labour shortages by sufficient investing in adult learning and leading people to the labour market.
Furthermore, this is important because we know these policies also strengthen the labour market position of workers in Europe on the long term, and economic competitiveness is crucial in the geopolitical strength of Europe, making sure we can protect our interests and core values. In my opinion, the contribution to these goals will always be the most crucial key to success, regardless of the specific structure or size of the means. Furthermore, we should also take into account the correct lessons of the Recovery and Resilience Fund. Effective change for a more prosperous future is not only driven by public expenditure, but also by reforms on the national level and reciprocity. And of course, the lesson that involvement of local and regional governments is crucial in the effectiveness of these funds.
Thank you very much.
Estrella Galán
Thank you very much. And next speaker is from the European Parliament, Mrs. Galán, from the Left.
Gracias, presidenta. Voy a hablar en castellano. En Europa no podemos hablar de prosperidad mientras siga habiendo más de 93 millones de personas que no pueden llegar a fin de mes. No puede ser que haya todavía niños que viven en hogares sin recursos, personas que duermen en la calle o familias que tienen que elegir entre pagar el alquiler, que es otro de los graves problemas de la sociedad europea, o poder comer y llenar la nevera al día siguiente. Detrás de esos 93 millones de personas en riesgo de pobreza o exclusión, hay 93 millones de razones para aprobar un fondo social europeo que ponga a las personas en el centro.
Esa es, desde luego, nuestra mayor intención. Por eso, el próximo fondo social europeo que vamos a aprobar no puede diluirse en planes nacionales, ni tampoco quedar a la voluntad de otras prioridades sin garantías claras de cuánto dinero va a llegar a las personas que realmente lo necesitan. Necesitamos un fondo social fuerte, autónomo y con una financiación protegida para las personas más vulnerables. Necesitamos garantizar la inclusión social para combatir la pobreza infantil, el sinhogarismo y a quienes sufren la exclusión. Porque no podemos dejar a nadie atrás en la Europa del siglo XXI.
La excusa de la flexibilidad no puede servir para rebajar derechos y para que los Estados desvíen recursos para otras prioridades. El próximo fondo social europeo debe centrarse en la inversión en las personas, en la inversión de los más vulnerables y en combatir la pobreza porque no es un gasto secundario, sino una prioridad. Una prioridad, pero sobre todo también una obligación política y moral que tenemos en estos momentos.
Thank you. And next speaker is Mrs. Scholzen from the Belgian Senate.
Lidia Scholzen
Ja, vielen Dank Frau Vorsitzende. Ich kann mich eigentlich meinen Vorrednern nur anschließen. Ich denke, dass wir uns hier ziemlich einig sind, was die Wichtigkeit des ESF betrifft, dass es eigentlich ein eigenes Programm bleiben muss und auch finanziell eher gestärkt als geschwächt werden sollte. Darum möchte ich noch einen anderen Punkt anbringen, und zwar hat das mit dem Timing der Verabschiedung definitiver Verordnungstexte zu tun. Wir müssen aufpassen, dass wir keine Lücke verursachen zwischen der alten Förderperiode und der neuen Förderperiode.
Wir sehen das in unserer Region, gewisse Zeiträume können noch überbrückt werden, aber auch da werden wir an unsere Grenzen stoßen. Und es ist wichtig, dass die Projektträger eben keine Förderlücken erleben, weil sonst riskieren wir, dass das ganze Angebot komplett wegbrechen und das wäre für einzelne Regionen, glaube ich, nicht hinnehmbar. Außerdem riskieren wir eine Verzögerung der Zielerreichungen und auch haben wir das Risiko geringerer Mittelbindungen, sollte es soweit kommen. Also da müsste unbedingt drauf geachtet werden und auch, dass es eine vernünftige Vorlaufphase gibt, um sich eventuell neuen Strukturen anzupassen. Sollte nämlich tatsächlich ein zentralistischer Ansatz durchgesetzt werden, dann werden sich ja die Abläufe komplett verändern.
Es braucht vielleicht neue administrative Programme und so weiter. Also das geht auch nicht von einem Tag auf den anderen. Also um das zu gewährleisten, was heute hier gesagt worden ist, möchte ich auch darum bitten, dass man darauf achtet. Vielen Dank.
Speaker 9
Thank you very much. And next speaker is Mr. Keulemans from the Netherlands.
Keulemans
Dank u wel voorzitter en ik zal mijn woordje in het Nederlands doen. Nederland is een grote nettobetaler die zeer beperkte schaal middelen ontvangt uit het ESF+ fonds. En voor veel sprekers vandaag moet dit alles groter en meer. Wat ons betreft niet. Waar ik op dit moment even op wil ingaan is dat verschillende sprekers hebben aangegeven dat het tegengaan van de opkomst van rechtse partijen een belangrijke doelstelling is bij het vormgeven van dit Europees Sociaal Fonds Plus.
De opkomst van dergelijke partijen is het gevolg van beleidskeuzes op nationaal en Europees niveau, met name met betrekking tot immigratie. En mijn oproep vandaag hier zou zijn om daarover bij uzelf te rade te gaan in plaats van het democratische electorale gevolg daarvan te willen bestrijden met gemeenschapsgeld. Dank u wel.
And we have now reached the end of my speakers' list, which means that I will give the floor back to our initial expert speakers for a few minutes to answer questions and also to reflect on the comments raised, starting with Mr. Mathieu. Please, the floor is yours.
Patrice Mahieu
Pour nous, associations d'aide alimentaire, il est important de vous avoir entendu sur la défense d'un FSE+ autonome, solide et abondé. Nous portons aussi cette position vis-à-vis de l'État français et nous continuerons de le faire dans les prochains mois. Nous vous remercions pour cette invitation.
Marit Maij
Yes, thank you very much, Chair, and also thank you for all your interventions. I feel tempted to make this a debate about things that are happening in my own country. One thing that is, I think, important in the Netherlands is that we see that most people do not know what the European Social Fund does in the Netherlands. We see that it's often used in municipalities for their social policies, which are paid maybe for 70 or 80 percent by local taxes and by local income, but then the other 20 or 30 percent is covered by the European Social Fund.
And this is an important part for what is used. Unfortunately, this information is not very well dispersed in my home country, and often I see when I visit these projects and when I talk to local municipalities, people in the local municipality, they're often not aware of the importance of these funds and also of these funds for projects that are working on inclusion, that are working also on upskilling and reskilling and all the tasks that we see that people share. So I think it's a little bit too easy to say that this fund does not come back to the Netherlands. It does, actually, and it comes back to many of our member states. And what we see is that it focuses especially on those people that are not included in competitiveness, that are not included in all the other tasks that rightfully the European Union has.
We're not against competitiveness, we're not against strengthening the market in the European Union, we're not against strengthening companies, but we should definitely not forget that the European Union is made of people. And that there is a large number of people, some of you have mentioned it in your own national context, but also in the European context, that unfortunately cannot participate. And we should make sure that they can also participate, that they are not excluded in this big project that we have to make sure that everyone in the European Union prospers from the collaboration that we have between our member states. Thank you.
Thank you very much, and then Mrs. Schenk.
Katharina SCHENK
Ja, ich denke, es ist relevant bei der europäischen Sozialpolitik nicht zu fragen, welche anderen negativen Effekte es gibt, und ich glaube, es ist verfehlt zu sagen, Migration und der Umgang mit Migration führt dazu, dass Menschen rechtsradikal wählen. Rechtstendenzen gibt's deswegen, weil man keine Selbstwirksamkeit mehr spürt, und die Selbstwirksamkeit zeigt sich darin, ob ich eine Arbeit finden kann, ob ich inkludiert werde in eine Gesellschaft, ob ich soziale Sicherheit spüre. Wenn mir Rawil mit acht Jahren Medizinstudium aus Syrien den Job wegschnappt, dann schnappt er mir deswegen weg, weil er besser ausgebildet ist. Und dass er besser ausgebildet ist, liegt im Wesentlichen daran, dass wir es ja in der Vergangenheit noch nicht geschafft haben, den eigenen Menschen, vor allen den jungen Menschen eine Zukunft zu geben. Und man sieht das ja insbesondere an dem Konflikt zwischen überalterten Ländern.
Ich komme aus Ostdeutschland, aus der Region, in der viele Menschen keine Zukunft mehr haben, weil sie nur noch Menschen über 46 um sich haben. Das ist der Altersdurchschnitt in Thüringen, während in anderen Regionen viele junge Menschen verzweifelt nach einer Perspektive suchen. Und ich glaube, der ESF, der es uns ermöglicht, die unterschiedlichen Ausbildungschancen, die unterschiedlichen Integrationschancen tatsächlich dazu zu bringen, dass einzelne Personen wieder erleben, was europäische Integration bedeutet, wird uns zu einem stärkeren gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt tragen. Und nur der ist am Ende auch die Basis für wirtschaftlichen Erfolg. Man darf sich nämlich keine Illusionen machen: Jedes gute Unternehmen braucht am Ende Fach- und Arbeitskräfte.
Und deswegen beginnt alle gute Politik bei den Menschen, die in einer Region eine Zukunft sehen. Und ich finde, am Ende ist Regionalpolitik die stärkste Europapolitik, und die führt uns überhaupt erst dazu, als wichtiger wirtschaftlicher Partner gegenüber anderen größeren Staaten wahrgenommen zu werden. Und deswegen finde ich, ist hier sehr eindrücklich geworden, wie in allen Ländern die Bedeutung des ESF gesehen wird und wie konkret er das Leben der Menschen verbessert. Und das kann nur gelingen, wenn er erstens regionalisiert gedacht wird und zweitens eben auch nicht als in anderen Töpfen verschwinden, sondern mit entweder einer starken Sozialquote oder einem eigenständigen Budget. Vielen Dank.
Irene GARRIDO VALENZUELA
Gracias.
Esta sesión nos pregunta cuáles deben ser los retos principales y principales prioridades del Fondo Social Europeo durante el periodo 28-34 para abordar los actuales retos sociales y económicos. Creo que después de escuchar a todos los intervinientes tenemos claros los retos existentes y unidos como también se ha mostrado en alguna de las intervenciones a los que actualmente están surgiendo además de los estructurales como es la desigualdad, la vulnerabilidad y que quiero no quiero dejar pasar la ocasión de felicitar al señor Meleu por su por su intervención porque como decía nadie conoce mejor las necesidades de los vulnerables que quienes quienes los atienden todos los días. Por lo tanto muchísimas felicidades y y enhorabuena por su por su trabajo. Habría que incluir también en dentro de esta desigualdad que existe el aumento del coste de la vida que es una cosa que tiene que si afecta a alguien es a los más vulnerables de nuevo por eso tienen esa calificación. Me voy con la idea de que el Fondo Social debe ser una debe tener una dotación reconocible, una gobernanza regional real, unas reservas para inclusión, infancia, juventud y privación material y sobre todo también una evaluación que mida progresos duraderos.
Gracias.
Li Andersson
Thank you very much so, dear ladies and gentlemen and colleagues, I really want to thank you all for this very interesting debate today and also for sharing examples from your different countries and regions about what is being done and financed with the ESF funding at the moment. And I think this discussion really has underlined importance of ensuring that the ESF+ remains a strong and effective tool for quality jobs, for skills, social inclusion and poverty reduction all over the European Union and that its resources are clearly targeted towards these objectives. And I also hope this has increased kind of understanding about the position of European Parliament, so why it's not enough for us to have a 14% target in the NRPP plans, but really we are pushing to ensure we will have a ring-fenced ESF as a separate instrument under the NRPPs. So, thank you all again and I will also want to remind you that you are all invited in the to the networking lunch which will take place from 1 to 2:30 at Antall 2Q catering area so that's two floors down. Thank you very much and have a nice stay in Brussels.
Speaker 44
Je voudrais souhaiter la bienvenue aux députés des parlements nationaux qui sont venus de toute l'Europe pour participer à cette réunion. Je voudrais également souhaiter la bienvenue aux députés européens qui sont présents aujourd'hui. Cette réunion est une occasion importante pour nous de discuter de la manière dont nous pouvons améliorer la participation des personnes en situation de handicap au processus électoral. Nous savons que les personnes en situation de handicap sont confrontées à de nombreux obstacles lorsqu'elles tentent de voter ou de se présenter aux élections. Ces obstacles peuvent étre physiques, comme le manque d'accessibilité des bureaux de vote, ou ils peuvent étre liés à l'information, comme le manque de matériel électoral accessible.
Nous devons travailler ensemble pour éliminer ces obstacles et veiller à ce que toutes les personnes en situation de handicap puissent exercer leur droit de vote et participer pleinement à la vie démocratique. Aujourd'hui, nous allons entendre des experts et des représentants d'organisations de personnes en situation de handicap. Nous allons également avoir l'occasion de discuter de nos propres expériences et de partager les meilleures pratiques. Je suis convaincu que cette réunion sera très productive et qu'elle nous aidera à faire des progrès importants dans ce domaine. Je voudrais maintenant donner la parole à notre premier orateur.
Merci beaucoup.
Speaker 45
Tu as un magasin, tu travailles beaucoup. Tu as un magasin, tu travailles beaucoup. Tu as un magasin, tu travailles beaucoup. Tu as un magasin, tu travailles beaucoup. Et tu n'as pas de contrat.
Mais il y a quelque chose d'un peu bizarre, tu ne trouves pas ? Moi, j'ai étudié, je me dis très sincère. Pour le bon et pour le mauvais. Tu as un contrat, tu travailles beaucoup. J'ai un contrat, je travaille beaucoup, mais moi je n'ai pas de contrat.
Je ne comprends pas. Tu as un magasin, tu as un contrat, tu travailles beaucoup, mais moi je n'ai pas de contrat. Je ne sais pas quoi dire. Il n'avait pas de contrat. Il n'est pas venu.
Ah oui, par hasard. Il veut travailler dans un magasin. Il veut travailler dans un magasin, mais il n'a pas de contrat. Je vais descendre, je vais descendre deux minutes. Je vais parler avec les gens, je vais descendre.
Voilà, tout de suite. On commence, on commence par ici. Maintenant, on va par là. Il y a un petit silence. Non, non, mais je dois partir.
Je dois partir demain, il faut que je mange, je n'ai pas de temps. Je dois partir demain matin. Voilà, on ne peut pas attendre. J'ai bien écouté par ici, il n'y a pas de contrat. Et toi, tu as un contrat.
Et toi, tu as un contrat, mais lui il n'a pas de contrat. Il y a des gens, ils savent déjà des gens qui n'ont pas... Ouais, ils ferment la porte quoi. C'est un peu bizarre. Oui, on est ici, on est ici.
On commence par ici, on commence par là. On commence par ici. On travaille beaucoup, on travaille beaucoup. On travaille avec un contrat, on travaille avec un contrat. On ne peut pas travailler sans contrat.
Allez, s'il vous plaît. On va travailler. Allez, s'il vous plaît. On est ici. Allez, s'il vous plaît.
On a un magasin. On est à la banque, on est à la banque. On est à la banque. On est ici. On est ici.
On est ici. On est ici. Oh, comment ça va ? Tu es ici. On est ici.
On va passer, on va passer. On va passer par là. On va passer avec moi. Non. Oui, on me l'a dit.
Il est marié. Oui, pourquoi ? Parce qu'elle est la route de mariée. Non, moi je ne vais plus me marier. Je me marie.
Oui, mais maintenant aussi, il y a... Pourquoi tu dis ça ? J'ai trouvé une plus jeune. Ah, d'accord. Plus que...
Boubou. C'est comme ça. Ouais. On est plus jeune, on est plus jeune. Ouais.
Plus jeune. Plus jeune. On est plus jeune, on a plus d'argent. Il a raison. Il a raison.