MEPs adopted by a show of hands on Thursday 4 April the European Parliament's position at first reading of the regulation for which Verónica Lope Fontagné (EPP, Spain) is rapporteur and which aims to establish the future European Social Fund plus (ESF+) for the period 2021-2027, confirming the increase in its budget allocation to 120 billion euros at fixed prices.
Thus, MEPs endorse the increase to 27% in the share of funding earmarked for social inclusion and equal opportunities, the increased integration of Roma communities, the addition of a 3% share for the most deprived or the increase to 15% in the share of funding dedicated to unemployed young people without education or training (NEET), but also the creation of a child guarantee (see EUROPE 12173/10).
The amendments (161 and 162) of the Italian EFDD delegation, which aimed to exclude investments co-financed by the ESF+ from the calculation of the deficit and national debt, were rejected. Similarly, the amendments (163 and 164) tabled by the ENF, which aimed to exclude any political or economic conditionality on the use of the Structural Funds (and therefore the ESF+), and to prohibit the use of the ESF+ to "promote, directly or indirectly, new migratory flows into the Union", fell. The GUE/NGL amendments (amendments 169 and 170) to remove any link between budget monitoring in the framework of the 'European Semester' and the ESF+ were also rejected.
The next European Parliament should take up this position again to negotiate with the Council of the EU, which has not yet decided on its position.
The chances of Mrs Lope Fontagné taking over the file for the negotiations are minimal. Admittedly, it is running again, but is ranked 19th on the list of the Spanish Partido Popular (PP), a position considered by some to be ineligible. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)