The European Parliament wants to counterbalance the demographic effects of the internal market and free movement of workers by building on the national plans of the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Cohesion Policy, but also the ‘Green Deal’, in an own-initiative report adopted (633 votes to 16 with 45 abstentions) on Thursday 20 May.
Alarmed at the declining demographic trends, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, the text’s rapporteur, Daniel Buda (EPP, Romania), during his speech to the plenary session, asked the European Commission to tackle the demographic issue head-on and integrate it into the implementation of major European policies, drawing a parallel with European action in the context of the ‘Green Deal’.
Thus, the parliamentarians insist in their report that the national plans of the Recovery and Resilience Facility should pay particular attention to the demographic issue, especially for the most vulnerable regions. They insist that the regions should be taken into account in drawing up national plans and above all that the Member States should ensure that real synergies are created with cohesion policy - the subject of the last informal ‘cohesion’ meeting (see EUROPE 12721/19).
Among the instruments available under cohesion policy, MEPs believe that the national plans of the Just Transition Fund (see EUROPE 12721/10) should help to combat the depopulation of mining regions undergoing conversion. In addition, they call on Member States to use the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) to counteract declining demographic trends.
The report also highlights the working conditions of seasonal workers and calls for a rural agenda. The report also highlights the risks associated with over-concentration of population in certain urban areas. Finally, it pays particular attention to the issue of migration and ethnic minorities in relation to the demographic issue.
To read the report: https://bit.ly/3f4gk0u (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)