Members of the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee were divided on Thursday 18 October on the issue of thematic concentrations of the future European Social Fund plus (ESF+).
As a reminder, the European Commission proposes that 25% of ESF+ resources should be directed towards social inclusion, 2% towards material deprivation, and 10% towards youth employment for Member States with high unemployment rates among 15 to 29 year olds (see EUROPE 12030). The rapporteur, Verónica Lope Fontagné (EPP, Spain), proposes to increase the share of aid for youth employment from 10% to 15% and to direct the priority dedicated to social inclusion towards extreme poverty and to redirect the fight against extreme poverty towards social inclusion.
The rapporteur acknowledged this in her opening remarks: Article 7 on thematic mergers will be one of the most difficult points in the negotiations. Members of Parliament are divided. Many of them propose an increase from 25% to 30% in the resources dedicated to social inclusion (the Italian delegation of the ELDD, the Greens/EFA, the S&D and the GUE/NGL).
On the contrary, some, such as the REC, or Eastern European delegations of ALDE (Martina Dlabajová, Czechia), ENL and Hungarian Ádám Kósa (EPP) agree on a 25% rate, but not to include third-country nationals or only those who are "legally" resident on European territory. Germany's Terry Reintke, who is the shadow rapporteur for the Greens/EFA, proposes, on the contrary, to set aside 2% specifically for third-country nationals.
Similarly, as regards resources for the fight against extreme poverty, MEPs vary between 2% and 4%, the latter being supported by the S&D, the Italian delegation of the ELDD or the GUE/NGL. As for the rate to promote youth employment, MEPs oscillate between maintaining 10%, 12% or even 15%, the latter proposal being put forward by Claude Rolin (EPP, Belgium).
Other difficult topics to come will also include the question of the link between the ESF+ and the 'European Semester' budget process as well as co-financing.
The pace of debate is high, with a weekly meeting of rapporteurs to reach a compromise between the political groups in view of the vote in committee scheduled for 26 or 27 November. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)