On 11 March, the European Parliament called for more resources for the European Social Fund Plus post-2027 to better support the EU’s social dimension.
The report adopted calls for a reinforcement of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) to support people in vulnerable situations, invest in people and skills, help combat poverty, in addition to boosting social investment and entrepreneurship.
The text outlines Parliament’s input for the upcoming discussion on the budget ESF+, stressing it should remain the key tool to help member states, regions and local communities to strengthen the EU’s social dimension. The fund should tackle social challenges such as digitalisation, the consequences of climate change, decent working conditions, and the rising cost of living, with sufficient funding for education, training, and skills development.
Members of European Parliament are concerned about attempts to split or merge the ESF+ with other funds, as they believe this could seriously hamper its ability to reach its own objectives and the objectives of the European Pillar of Social Rights. They believe the ESF+ should remain an independent fund, and that any remodelling must not detract from its main purpose. Its governance model should remain a shared management model.
The report has a strong families dimension, highlighting single parent and large families. It underlines that the ESF+ “must be inclusive, with special attention given to all kinds of families, people and families in depopulated areas where access to services and opportunities can be more limited, and to children deprived of parental care; further stresses that the ESF+ should encourage the adoption of measures that prevent family separation for families in precarious situations, including parenting education programmes, family-focused therapy and employment training.”
The report also calls for use of the ESF+ to boost the effective implementation of the European care strategy in all Member States by investing in quality community-based and home care services and infrastructure, long-term care and support for persons with disabilities and older persons with support needs, and quality early childhood education and care through community-based, child and person-centred, high-quality, affordable and accessible public care systems that promote the autonomy of persons in need of care as well as their dignity and that of carers. It highlights specifically the need for “further investment in support for carers, formal and informal, while at the same time ensuring decent working conditions for workers in the care sector, including adequate salaries, via a Care Deal; calls on the Member States to make full use of ESF+ funds to reinforce and finalise the deinstitutionalisation process so as to ensure that every person can live in a family or community environment.”
However, as member of the Alliance for Investing in Children (see our joint statement here), COFACE deplores the fact the European Parliament has failed to include a dedicated budget of at least €20 billion for the European Child Guarantee. This decision undermines the ambition needed to ensure every child has access to basic rights and essential services.
Parliament adopted the own-initiative report with 432 votes in favour, 155 against, and 82 abstentions.
