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opinion parliamentary committee draft, 13 June 2025

On the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2026 - all sections

Document EMPL-PA-774291 · (2025/xxxx(BUD))

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs · Rapporteur: Romana Tomc

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AI:In short

This draft opinion for the 2026 EU budget calls for adequate funding for employment and social policies, stressing challenges like demographic change, poverty, and housing. It highlights the role of EU programmes and agencies, and supports the European Pillar of Social Rights targets.

Position. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs calls on the Committee on Budgets to incorporate these points into its motion for a resolution on the 2026 EU budget.

Key points

  1. Underscores persistent socio-economic challenges, including demographic change, poverty, housing affordability and accessibility, necessitating budgetary support for EU employment and social policies.
  2. Highlights the vital role of EU programmes, especially the European Social Fund+, European Globalisation Fund, Just Transition Fund, and Recovery and Resilience Facility, in supporting cohesion and resilience.
  3. Underscores the importance of implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan and achieving its 2030 targets.
  4. Highlights the necessity of supporting women, children, youth, families, and vulnerable groups, advocating targeted measures to combat youth unemployment and child poverty.
  5. Emphasises the lack of policy responses to demographic challenges with an ageing population, and underscores the importance of adequate funding for care and support services.
  6. Considers a proficient and prepared workforce essential for competitiveness and resilience, recognising the role of education, lifelong learning, skilling, reskilling, upskilling, vocational education and training, and traineeships.
  7. Recalls the essential work of the five EU agencies active in social and employment policy, and emphasises they must be properly staffed and adequately resourced to fulfil their mandates.

Who is affected

  • EU agencies active in social and employment policy areas, which need proper staffing and resources.
  • Women, children, youth, families, and vulnerable groups, who should benefit from targeted measures.

Written by AI from the full text · every figure comes from the text · ¶ opens the paragraph · 4 Sept 2026 · Report a problem

Full text

Opinion 8 paragraphs

The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs calls on the Committee on Budgets, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following into its motion for a resolution:

1.Underscores persistent socio-economic challenges, including demographic change, poverty, housing affordability and accessibility, necessitating budgetary support, and stresses the need for adequate resources for EU employment and social policies;

2.Highlights the vital role of EU programmes in the social fields, in particular the European Social Fund+, European Globalisation Fund, Just Transition Fund, and Recovery and Resilience Facility, in supporting the Union’s economic, social and territorial cohesion and fostering economic resilience;

3.Underscores the importance of implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan and achieving its 2030 targets;

4.Highlights the necessity of supporting especially women, children, youth, families, and vulnerable groups, advocating for targeted measures to combat youth unemployment and child poverty;

5.Emphasises the lack of policy responses to the impact of demographic challenges with an ageing population due to declining fertility rates and extended life expectancies; underscores the importance of adequate funding for care care and support services;

6.Considers that a proficient and prepared workforce is essential for enhancing the Union's competitiveness and resilience against external shocks; recognises the essential role of education, lifelong learning, skilling, reskilling and upskilling, vocational education and training and traineeships;

7.Recalls the essential work carried out by the five EU agencies active in the social and employment policy areas, and emphasises that these agencies must be properly staffed and adequately resourced, so that they can fulfil their mandate, achieve their objectives, and perform their evolving tasks.

Annex: entities or persons from whom the rapporteur has received input 1 paragraph

The rapporteur for the opinion declares under her exclusive responsibility that she did not receive input from any entity or person to be mentioned in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.