Debate contributions by Roxana MÎNZATU

Mr President, Members, I enjoyed listening to you. I wish you tomorrow a vote that is clear. Make no mistake that the vote that you are giving tomorrow is extremely important. It's a topic for which the world is looking towards Europe – a Europe that wants to become an AI continent, but the Europe that is the home of the European pillar of social rights. So these two need to go hand in hand. The Commission is clearly engaged to support more innovation, more productivity, and that is very relevant when we bring AI and algorithmic management in the workplace. But at the same time, it is Europe's way that must be continued in the sense that we have a European social model and that we need to make sure that there is trust to be able not only to take more AI resources into the workplace, but to diffuse it in a way that protects and empowers workers. Because – and this is my personal belief, of course – AI is able to empower humanity, but that can only happen in a trusted environment. Our work is not one to create burden, it is not one to create irrelevant rules; it's work that creates trust and that helps us diffuse AI to the benefit of both our economies and, of course, to the benefit of the workers and of the people. With this in mind, we will be watching your vote tomorrow and, of course, the Commission stands ready to respond accordingly to your vote on this Article 225 TFEU resolution.

Mr President, Members, I enjoyed listening to you. I wish you tomorrow a vote that is clear. Make no mistake that the vote that you are giving tomorrow is extremely important. It's a topic for which the world is looking towards Europe – a Europe that wants to become an AI continent, but the Europe that is the home of the European pillar of social rights. So these two need to go hand in hand. The Commission is clearly engaged to support more innovation, more productivity, and that is very relevant when we bring AI and algorithmic management in the workplace. But at the same time, it is Europe's way that must be continued in the sense that we have a European social model and that we need to make sure that there is trust to be able not only to take more AI resources into the workplace, but to diffuse it in a way that protects and empowers workers. Because – and this is my personal belief, of course – AI is able to empower humanity, but that can only happen in a trusted environment. Our work is not one to create burden, it is not one to create irrelevant rules; it's work that creates trust and that helps us diffuse AI to the benefit of both our economies and, of course, to the benefit of the workers and of the people. With this in mind, we will be watching your vote tomorrow and, of course, the Commission stands ready to respond accordingly to your vote on this Article 225 TFEU resolution.

Mr President, good evening, honourable Members, I would like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Buła, the shadows and you all for this important contribution to the debate on artificial intelligence and algorithmic management in the workplace. The Commission welcomes the draft resolution, which aims to improve working conditions and workers' data protection. It is in line with the commitments made by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission in the 2023 European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade. These principles include the right to fair, just, healthy and safe working conditions and appropriate protections. They emphasise the important role of trade unions and employers' organisations in guiding the digital transformation. They also call for protection against unlawful and unjustified surveillance, transparency on the use of AI in the workplace, and human oversight in important decisions affecting workers. On 4 December 2025, the European Commission adopted the Quality Jobs Roadmap, which addresses the impact of digitalisation on working conditions, among other important topics. The roadmap recognises that algorithmic management can increase efficiency and improve safety at work. However, it also points to concerns from excessive surveillance and data breaches to discrimination and also psychosocial risks. It proposes two goals that must be able to go hand in hand: first, to support the take‑up of AI tools at work; and second, to protect workers from the risks that algorithmic management may bring. We should recall that algorithmic management systems are already partially covered by the GDPR when they process personal data and by the AI Act, insofar as they fall under the definition of AI systems. Any EU action should focus thus on enforcing the protections that we already have and clarifying them where needed. But if gaps remain, new targeted complementary measures need to be considered and could be considered, always, of course, ensuring coherence and avoiding overlaps with existing laws. In parallel to the roadmap, the Commission has launched the first‑phase consultation of EU social partners on the possible direction of the Quality Jobs Act, including issues relating to AI and algorithmic management. We will wait for the outcome of the two‑stage consultation before moving forward, of course. I want you to be assured that, in line with the better regulation guidelines, we will systematically assess the impacts of competitiveness and SMEs with an impact assessment, including the proportionality of potential administrative and compliance burdens. This reflects the Commission's renewed focus on competitiveness and simpler EU rules. But I will also recall the commitment taken by the Commission President to respond to Article 225 resolutions with a legislative act in full respect of the proportionality, subsidiarity and better lawmaking principles and subject to the outcome of the social partner consultation. Should this report be adopted with the required majority, we will officially reply within the term of three months. I thank you and I look forward to hearing your views in this important debate.

Mr President, good evening, honourable Members, I would like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Buła, the shadows and you all for this important contribution to the debate on artificial intelligence and algorithmic management in the workplace. The Commission welcomes the draft resolution, which aims to improve working conditions and workers' data protection. It is in line with the commitments made by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission in the 2023 European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles for the Digital Decade. These principles include the right to fair, just, healthy and safe working conditions and appropriate protections. They emphasise the important role of trade unions and employers' organisations in guiding the digital transformation. They also call for protection against unlawful and unjustified surveillance, transparency on the use of AI in the workplace, and human oversight in important decisions affecting workers. On 4 December 2025, the European Commission adopted the Quality Jobs Roadmap, which addresses the impact of digitalisation on working conditions, among other important topics. The roadmap recognises that algorithmic management can increase efficiency and improve safety at work. However, it also points to concerns from excessive surveillance and data breaches to discrimination and also psychosocial risks. It proposes two goals that must be able to go hand in hand: first, to support the take‑up of AI tools at work; and second, to protect workers from the risks that algorithmic management may bring. We should recall that algorithmic management systems are already partially covered by the GDPR when they process personal data and by the AI Act, insofar as they fall under the definition of AI systems. Any EU action should focus thus on enforcing the protections that we already have and clarifying them where needed. But if gaps remain, new targeted complementary measures need to be considered and could be considered, always, of course, ensuring coherence and avoiding overlaps with existing laws. In parallel to the roadmap, the Commission has launched the first‑phase consultation of EU social partners on the possible direction of the Quality Jobs Act, including issues relating to AI and algorithmic management. We will wait for the outcome of the two‑stage consultation before moving forward, of course. I want you to be assured that, in line with the better regulation guidelines, we will systematically assess the impacts of competitiveness and SMEs with an impact assessment, including the proportionality of potential administrative and compliance burdens. This reflects the Commission's renewed focus on competitiveness and simpler EU rules. But I will also recall the commitment taken by the Commission President to respond to Article 225 resolutions with a legislative act in full respect of the proportionality, subsidiarity and better lawmaking principles and subject to the outcome of the social partner consultation. Should this report be adopted with the required majority, we will officially reply within the term of three months. I thank you and I look forward to hearing your views in this important debate.

Madam President, honourable Members, thank you for the debate, for keeping the protection of our democracy so high on our public agenda. An EU response to the commonly shared threat of third country interference is needed. A level playing field is necessary for economic players to carry out their activities in the internal market with a stable and predictable framework. Transparency should be ensured with common standards across the Union. This is essential to avoid forum shopping and loopholes which can be abused. Accountability is necessary for those who seek to influence public decision-making, and we should strive for a common EU approach that upholds EU values, fundamental rights and proportionality. With this proposal, the co-legislators have the opportunity to contribute to setting standards – not only in the European Union, but also on a global scale – on how to address covert foreign influence in a coherent, balanced and proportionate way, fully respecting fundamental rights and democratic values. I am convinced that the best way to protect democracy is through democratic means, transparency, accountability and informed and empowered citizens. The Commission is looking forward to continuing the common work to achieve these very important objectives.

Madam President, honourable Members, dear rapporteur, thank you for the opportunity to exchange with you about this very important proposal. Democracy and the rights and freedoms associated with it are at the core of our societies. There is no democracy without transparency and accountability. Instilling the transparency and openness in the way interests of third countries are represented in the European Union is essential to protect the integrity of our democratic space and to prevent foreign interference. We see Member States more and more legislating or adopting measures in this area in a fragmented manner. And outside the European Union, we see countries such as Canada and Australia that have put in place legislation on this matter and, similarly, the OECD is increasingly addressing the issue of foreign influence. In this context, the proposal for a directive on interest representation carried out on behalf of third countries has been a flagship initiative of the 2023 defence of democracy package. This proposal has two objectives. Firstly, to improve the functioning of the internal market of interest-representation activities carried out on behalf of third countries, creating a level playing field, reducing compliance costs for entities that seek to carry out interest-representation activities on behalf of third countries across borders, and preventing regular regulatory arbitrage. Secondly, to enhance the integrity of and public trust in the Union's and Member States' democratic institutions by ensuring the transparency of interest representation activities carried out on behalf of third countries and by improving the knowledge of the magnitude, trends and actors behind such activities. The proposed directive aims to regulate specific activities. These are interest-representation activities impacting decision-making processes in the EU carried out on behalf of third countries. It does so without distinctions on the type of entities, acknowledging that there is a wide variety of actors of interest-representation activities that are active on our internal market. The proposal does not ban or prohibit any conduct. It simply requires that activities affecting the core of our democratic processes are carried out transparently. This translates into targeted and proportionate requirements, including registration and record keeping. When doing so, the Commission paid particular attention to provide for strong safeguards to prevent potential negative impacts on the entities concerned, ensuring full respect for fundamental rights and democratic principles and values. As such, this proposal is radically different from any of the so-called foreign agent laws, aiming at stigmatising some entities and reducing their space to express their views. The proposal also minimises the administrative burden, including by relying on different instruments. It will rely on the Internal Market Information System, funded with the EU budget, which allows to connect the national authorities quickly and easily and supports efficient and easy exchanges. I am aware of the hard work and extensive discussions that the IMCO Committee has put into this proposal. I would like to warmly thank the rapporteur and the political groups for their relentless efforts in finding compromise solutions. Now it is the moment for this House to secure a robust negotiating position ahead of the interinstitutional negotiations once the Council has also reached its general approach. This directive is part of our instruments to ensure transparency and counteract interference. It is part of a broader agenda to strengthen democracy and to strengthen democratic resilience. And let me also stress in this context that the Commission has put forward last week the European Democracy Shield, which sets out a series of further measures to empower, to protect and to promote strong and resilient democracies across the European Union. These actions are aimed to boost our collective capacity to counter information manipulation and disinformation, and to strengthen the overall democratic resilience of our societies. I am looking forward to hearing your contributions to this debate.

Madam President, many thanks for your contributions. First of all, I was discussing with Mr Szekeres and I will say that, indeed, our debate – which was so important – should have been accessible online also to people with disabilities. We were discussing the situation of people that are deaf, or could not see subtitles or see a sign language – so we need to do small things first and foremost, so that we are integrating every citizen into our democracies. I will give you a positive spin to our debate, although I am the first to tell you that we have much more to do. Everything to do? Maybe not, but much more to do. The positive spin is the following: as a person that has worked her entire life with cohesion policy in an eastern European country that has huge emotional and social scars, also from the Communist times, for people with disabilities, for women who went through this ban on abortions. I don't want to go into that direction, because the suffering that women in Romania suffered is inexplicable. But the fact that the European Union has led and has financed with EU funds in a way that it took into consideration the specific needs of persons with disabilities, has changed many people's lives. The EU is perceived in many places of our continent as the leading voice and the leading source of financing that is, step by step, not solving everything, but is improving lives for the better. What I mentioned in my opening speech about accessibility is just one part of what is happening, but we do invest in social economy that many times means employment or entrepreneurship opportunities for people with disabilities. We are working on education, from infrastructure – EU funds supporting accessibility of schools or kindergartens – to teaching the teachers on the adapted curriculum. We did a lot of work with the Polish Presidency on the accessibility of education and on excellence, yes, because there is no there is no accessible education without putting the same level of excellence for all teachers and all students alike. I think that we are coming from a place where we show that we can improve the lives of our citizens. I am of the belief that maybe the optimum situation will be when we will no longer need a strategy for the rights of people with disabilities, but when everything is mainstreamed in all other policies. With my portfolio, I'm working on the Quality Jobs Roadmap, which will be published on 3 December, the very day we celebrate the rights of people with disabilities. We're looking at the affordable housing plan, so trying to mainstream, to integrate there initiatives that need to also serve women, people with disabilities, our citizens overall. But yes, we do still need a dedicated tool. Next year we will publish the enhanced strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities, and this is a good moment to collect your ideas and to assess where we are. We will have a report as well. We see the gaps: what we have done, what we have not done. Did we enforce the legislation as we should? Must we enforce it with a different rhythm and with a different commitment? With this in mind, I think that we can set our goals for the next years looking at what AI transformation means for people with disabilities, from assistive technologies to AI skills and literacy, and how we can significantly improve lives and health by looking at research. So you have in me – as Vice‑President also in charge of equality, supporting our Commissioner Hadja Lahbib and all our colleagues in the College – a partner, so that we can, with the tool that we launch in the spring next year with the enhanced strategy, a really strong and mainstream tool, because I am a believer that it is not by having a single silo that we can improve people's lives. We have to work across. Your strong messages today, the pain in many people's voices, the anger, the passion: they are very important for the battle for a social Europe in which I really believe. So I really thank you for that. And with honesty that we have much more to do ahead of us, let us also believe that it is in our common power to deliver for our citizens, including for citizens that experience disability but are in many ways stronger, more talented, and have much more potential to support Europe than many others who consider themselves advantaged. Thank you so much for the debate. I really was inspired by it.

Madam President, honourable Members, I want to thank the European Parliament for holding this plenary debate on the EU strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities post‑2024. I thank you also for your work on the report on the future of the strategy set to be adopted tomorrow. Our goal is to improve the lives of persons with disabilities in the European Union and beyond. This debate, then, is timely because we are halfway in the implementation of the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021‑2030. The strategy includes seven flagship initiatives, 57 Commission actions and 23 calls for action to Member States. It promotes disability mainstreaming in all areas and creates a strong framework for EU action in addition to Member States' policies. I will mention some key achievements during the first half of the strategy. First, I will refer to the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for persons with disabilities. This is a landmark directive to facilitate the free movement of persons with disabilities across the European Union, and to improve their access to services in other Member States. Second, I will mention the Disability Employment Package. This initiative has provided guidance for employers and other relevant actors to improve labour market outcomes of persons with disabilities. The package covers all stages of employment including reasonable accommodation, vocational rehabilitation, as well as alternative employment models and pathways to the open labour market. Third, we created AccessibleEU, a resource centre to support the implementation of the European Accessibility Act and other accessibility legislation. AccessibleEU is providing training to stakeholders and public authorities on accessibility issues. This will help enhance capacity and promote the application of accessibility rules across our European Union. Finally, in 2021, we established the Disability Platform. This platform brings together national authorities and civil society to enhance cooperation and to support the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Looking forward, the Commission is committed to continue upholding the rights of persons with disabilities, and we envisage new actions to reinforce the strategy. This will allow us to respond to calls for new actions coming from many, many stakeholders. In April this year, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has issued recommendations to the EU on the way it implements the UN Convention, asking to develop new actions under the strategy. The European Economic and Social Committee has adopted an opinion on the matter this June. Member States have recently discussed how to advance disability rights in the coming years at the EPSCO council meeting on 17 October. Commission services met last week with social partners and with civil society organisations who have expressed their views through several position papers, and we also launched a public consultation to gather input from all citizens. This consultation is open until 6 February, and I invite everyone to join and respond. We look forward to the report being adopted tomorrow by this House. The contribution of other EU institutions will also be crucial in terms of legislation and policy implementation, as well as setting the example as public administrations and employers. All of this input is feeding into the development of new actions from the Commission, which will be presented next spring, as outlined in the Commission work programme for 2026. The goal is to update and to enhance the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities up to 2030. Honourable Members, we are all united in our efforts to advance the rights of persons with disabilities across our Union. I look forward to hearing your views and engaging with you on this crucial area, which, as your draft reports rightly showed, touches every part of the life of persons with disabilities and their families, and it shapes our societies and our economies as a whole.

Madam President, Europe is beyond any doubt facing a sustained grey-zone campaign. We must scale up to deter, we must attribute, and we must act with unity. Our citizens expect us to ensure that every square centimetre of European territory remains protected and remains safe. Hybrid warfare is designed to stretch our systems and to test our unity. We must demonstrate that our resolve is stronger than the pressure that is applied against us. We welcome the European Parliament's clear stance that the EU's response to hybrid attacks must match the intensity and the severity of the attacks themselves. This principle of proportionality in deterrence is essential. The message is clear: Europe will not be intimidated. We will defend every part of our Union together – with unity, with capability and with determination.

Madam President, something new and dangerous is happening in our skies. In recent weeks, the airspace has been violated over Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, and again Romania yesterday. These incidents are a pattern, not an accident. These incidents are elements of a hybrid warfare, a deliberate grey zone campaign targeting Europe. They are testing our resolve, probing our systems and attempting to unsettle our citizens. They are designed to not be easily attributable, but we must not shy away from attribution. Investigations must continue, and when responsibility can be established, we should call it out. Hybrid actions thrive on ambiguity. Deterrence requires clarity. Our response must be collective and credible. Unity is our strongest asset. Air‑policing missions and shared situational awareness already demonstrate concrete solidarity across the Union, working hand in hand with NATO. But Europe must also deter. We cannot allow cheap drones to force costly reactions. We urgently need systems that are scalable, affordable and fit for purpose. This is why the proposed European defence drone initiative is central. It remains the prerogative of the Member States to define and decide on military capabilities. Such an initiative would strengthen detection, interception and response capabilities across the Union, drawing on the experience of Ukraine. Together with the capability coalition on drones and counter drones, as set up by Member States, the European defence drone initiative could form a major strand of our collective response. Our approach must be unequivocally 360 degrees. Air, land, sea, cyber and information domains are all targeted in this grey zone campaign. Our response must cover all of them, from counter drone systems to monitoring of all critical infrastructure and enhanced situational awareness across the entire Union. This is an important element of the Readiness Roadmap 2030. The Commission is ready to mobilise its instruments, such as the European Defence Industrial Programme, in support of this priority. The SAFE instrument provides a EUR 150 billion loans programme that supports Member States in urgent defence procurement, including on drones and counter drones solutions. Furthermore, our actions supporting internal security, such as the Integrated Border Management Fund and its cause – specifically, addressing the threat by drones – will provide funding towards building and enhancing Member States' capabilities, making it possible to address this whole‑of‑society threat, both from civil as well as military aspects. Cybersecurity measures and frameworks, such as the NIS 2, CERT and the Cyber Solidarity Act, can play a supporting role. Our priority is to strengthen Europe's real time ability to detect, to deter and to respond to hybrid threats in the physical and in the digital domains.

Madam President, honourable Members of the European Parliament, today's debate is important as it addresses an important issue that stands at the core of our values. The protection of freedom of religion or belief has remained high on the agenda of the EU's external human rights policy over the last years. In recent years, we have always unequivocally condemned all acts of discrimination, of hatred, of violence or persecution based on religion or belief, including acts committed in the name of religion. We have taken determined action in Nigeria and in the Middle East to promote interfaith dialogue and support populations affected by violence. For instance, we were very reactive after the Yelwata massacre, which took place last June in Nigeria. Fulani herders attacked the Yelwata community, burning many houses, leaving between 100 and 200 mostly Christian victims and displacing another 3 000. Our EU ambassador visited the victims a few days after the attack, together with the Federal Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction. We provided rapid support through ECHO humanitarian assistance and our INTPA-funded projects for social protection for durable solutions for internally displaced persons. The EU delegation in Nigeria has been, for instance, partnering with the National Human Rights Commission and the National Peace Committee and, in the next few days, EU-funded events organised by these widely respected Nigerian institutions will take place in Abuja to discuss issues such as indigene-settler conflicts and how to address violence, how to prevent conflicts in northern Nigeria, including the Middle Belt. Nigeria remains a like-minded and fundamental partner of the European Union, suffering from spill-over of insecurity from the Sahel, and we have to step up our support to help fight targeted violence. The EU attaches fundamental importance to freedom of religion or belief. Every individual should be free to practise, to change or to renounce their religion or belief without any fear.

Madam President, honourable Members, freedom of religion or belief is a strategic priority for the European Union. Wherever it is challenged, wherever religious minorities are under attack, we do not look away, we intervene – responding across all affected communities through powerful actions guided by neutrality and impartiality. The security situation, especially in northern Nigeria, is of great concern. The country faces systemic insecurity, affecting, among others, Christian individuals, communities and places of worship. It is important to bear in mind that violence in Nigeria cuts across ethno‑religious boundaries. Numerous well‑documented incidents show Christian communities, churches, schools and clergy being deliberately targeted in the country. Only last week, attacks took place against a church and a Catholic school, with several people killed and dozens abducted. We are relieved that some of the persons abducted last week have now been released, or managed to escape with the support of the authorities. We sympathise with all the victims and their families. We strongly condemn these vile and cruel attacks targeting minors and worshippers. These attacks blatantly violate children's basic rights as well as freedom of religion and belief. I want to express the EU support to the Nigerian Government's efforts to have all hostages safely released without delay and to prevent other similar attacks. Over the last years, we have we have taken action to address this dire situation. The EU and the Member States have funded many projects on prevention of violence, on peacebuilding and support to populations affected by violence. Both the Federal Government of Nigeria and the State Governor expressed deep appreciation to the EU. But this shows that we need to support the authorities even more. Let me stress that our support is of course not selective: the EU helps people in need in Nigeria and victims of violence regardless of their ethnic, religious or political affiliation. Our humanitarian aid in particular strictly observes this principle of neutrality. We also have an ongoing dialogue with religious leaders, including Christians, both in Abuja and in the framework of field visits. The Federal Government of Nigeria is multi‑ethnic and multi‑confessional. We see it as neutral towards the different ethnic and religious communities in the country. It is, of course, its sovereign responsibility to ensure the protection of all its citizens, including those forming part of Christian communities. The Middle East is one of the world's most diverse regions, home to a multiplicity of religious communities whose histories and identities are deeply intertwined. This includes Christian communities in all their traditions, Jewish communities, Yazidis, Copts, Bahá'ís, the Druze, the Zoroastrians and many others, alongside diverse Muslim communities. In this context the EU remains concerned about restrictions on religious practice and pressure on minority communities in the Middle East. The EU continues to support efforts that strengthen inclusive governance, uphold equal rights for all communities and protect those at risk. Egypt is a great example of this rich diversity – a partner with which we engage regularly on the topic, notably on the implementation of Egypt's national and international commitments in human rights and freedom of religion or belief. The EU is also closely following the situation of Christians in Syria. The EU welcomes the commitments and first steps of the new Syrian Government toward a peaceful and inclusive transition. The EU calls for all actors in Syria to uphold the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Syrians in their diversity, based on their equal rights as citizens. The transitional authorities bear the responsibility to ensure the protection of all Syrians without distinction. Another situation that the EU is looking at with great attention is that of the Christians in Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory, including in East Jerusalem, and in particular the Old City of Jerusalem. The EU has stressed the importance of de-escalation in the West Bank and called for an end to settler violence, including against Christian communities. The special status and character of Jerusalem and its Old City, sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the inviolability of its sacred spaces and the viability of all its communities must be preserved and respected by all. We have been consistently calling for safe access to the holy sites and for the status quo to be upheld.

Madam President, who are we, women? We are the people that work for one year and are paid for ten months. We are the people that need a 28-hour day, not a 24-hour day, so that we can balance our jobs and our care roles in the family. We are the people that occupy, in most countries, the lowest paid jobs of the available jobs. We are the people that you will not and do not see in parliaments, in ministries, in local councils, in mayor positions. But we are the people that you see that are beaten to death by their spouses, by their partners – and the recent example from Romania is quite relevant. We are those people that receive treatment and medical attention based on treatments that have been tested on men and that have been trialled on men. This is just a bit of the definition of our work. We cannot have democracy, we cannot have freedom if we are not treating those that are part of our societies in the same way – women and men alike need equal treatment, and this is a fight from which we must not take a step back. We cannot leave such a legacy to the next generations. So the Commission stands firm with the next gender equality strategy to not go back, not even a centimetre – not even a step – to work with Member States, with your Parliament towards the best, the most adequate route so that we are able to implement our ambitions. I count on our common efforts, on our joint efforts, because only together we can deliver on gender equality. Thank you.

Madam President, honourable Members, one in three women in Europe have suffered physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Women in the European Union earn 12 % less than men on average. In older age, they face a staggering 29 % gender pension gap. The employment rate for women is still ten percentage points below that of men. Women also spend twice as many hours each week as men caring for children or relatives with disabilities. More women than men still face severe material and social deprivation. Only one in three members of national parliaments and senior ministers across the European Union are women. One in three women in politics feel forced to leave social media because of hate and because of abuse. The Gender Equality Index of the European Institute for Gender Equality shows that at the current pace, it will take another 60 years to reach full gender equality in the EU. Now these figures speak for themselves, and they show that we must continue our fight for a gender-equal European Union. We have come a long way, as shown by the Commission's monitoring tool of the gender equality strategy 2020-2025, but much remains to be done. And I want to thank this House, especially the rapporteur of this own-initiative report, Mr Vešligaj, for his leadership and commitment. Your report is crucial input for shaping the next gender equality strategy, which will be launched around International Women's Day next year. So, what has the Commission done so far? And where do we stand with the next gender equality strategy? At the eve of International Women's Day this year, we presented the roadmap for women's rights, setting out our vision for a truly gender-equal society. This roadmap is built around a declaration of principles for a gender-equal society, and I really want to thank Parliament for endorsing it. The eight principles in it form the foundation for the next gender equality strategy, and we are now working to turn each of them into concrete measures, translating values into action for the next five years. I welcome Parliament's draft report and, of course, today's debate. It shows once again that the fight for gender equality cannot be led by one institution alone. It is a shared vision, one that requires all of us – EU institutions, bodies and agencies and every Member State, all acting together. That is why the broad endorsement of the roadmap is so important. Your support, together with other EU institutions, women's organisations, UN Women and all Member States sends a clear and united message that Europe stands together for women's rights. At a time when many women feel that their rights are under pressure and there is a fear of a backlash against our what our mothers, what our grandmothers fought for, this unity is a sign of hope and of inspiration. Over the past months, we have held extensive consultations to shape our next gender equality strategy. An open public consultation with a call for evidence and a non-public consultation questionnaire received almost 1 000 contributions. We also organised dedicated stakeholder consultations, giving space to voices from across society, social partners, equality bodies, international organisations, civil societies and EU agencies. Now we are analysing your inputs, but of course your report comes at the perfect moment; as we move from consultation to drafting, your ideas, your proposals will directly shape our work. The next strategy will have a strong focus on implementation, turning legislation into real change on the ground. This means delivering on key laws adopted in recent years – I refer to the directive on violence against women, to the directive on pay transparency and to the women on boards directive. But we will also need to go further. The strategy will propose new actions to advance gender equality in the European Union. Your draft report contains a wealth of ideas and proposals that we will closely assess and follow up on. It will strengthen gender mainstreaming across all policy areas, the EU budget and external action, because equality must be built into everything that we do. Honourable Members, our daughters and granddaughters, our sons and grandsons cannot wait 60 years for gender equality. By working together across our institutions, across our Member States, we can make it happen faster. How fast is up to us, to turn equality into reality for everyone in Europe.

Mr President, it is a moment where we really need to recommit, or to commit to a degree and to an intensity that has not been here before – but not just us, the European Commission, European Parliament, and Council. Member States, regions, communities, all stakeholders – fighting poverty is such a complex goal and we must fight like our lives depend on it. And it does depend on it, because every person that is affected by poverty – adult or child alike, whether it is part of our family, of our community or not – it does affect our lives, directly or indirectly. As I've said in my opening statement, I think our internal security is very closely connected with how well we are able to fight and, in the end, to eliminate poverty inside our societies. Now, this is not an easy task, and you've all hinted at that. It's a multi-policy effort, from good jobs, from eliminating in-work poverty, to fighting homelessness – and we can fight, and we can eradicate homelessness, it will be central in the anti-poverty strategy as well – to education, which is so important in our complex effort to eradicate multigenerational or cross-generational poverty, to energy poverty and the housing crisis that affects Europe, just to name some examples. We need to offer responses, to deliver policies, financing, to learn from each other and to commit to put this in the centre of our efforts and of our policymaking. It is important that we also support financially. The Commission has proposed a strong budget for the next multiannual framework, a EUR 2 trillion budget. We have a strong position inside the support that we give to Member States in the national plans, but it is important that we understand that beyond the support of our budgets, we need to look at the national budgets, at the effort of local communities, at international financial institutions – we need to work together. And this centrality of this topic needs to go beyond the debate that we have today, whether we will discuss quality jobs, we will discuss housing, we will discuss education. We need all the time to remember that what we put on the table for Europeans needs to not just offer opportunity, not just increase our strength economically, but to alleviate and to raise out of poverty the almost 100 million Europeans that are affected, or potentially affected, by this social illness. So I am very happy to hear your commitment as well. Together, we will work to deliver a strong anti-poverty strategy and beyond. It has to reverberate in our gender equality strategy, everywhere, in each policy, and this is our task. Here, today, in this Chamber, when we have the ambassadors, the pioneers, the apostles fighting on the realm of our social topics. But we need to get to everybody, so every type of policy that we deliver from this House, from the Commission, needs to have in mind that our goal by 2050 is to eradicate poverty. Thank you so much and looking forward to our work together on this extremely important, if not the most important topic, for Europeans.

Mr President, as the honourable Members of Parliament set into their activities, I would just like to say a deep thank you to you, Mr President, for mentioning Erasmus and paying tribute to Sofia Corradi, whose vision inspired Erasmus. We must keep that dream alive for all our young Europeans. Honourable Members, just days after the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, we gather here today to say that the time to act is now. Today, more than 93 million people in Europe – that is one out of five – are still at risk of poverty and at risk of social exclusion. And these are not just numbers. They are families who struggle to pay their bills, they are children growing up without access to the services that they need to develop their full potential. Yes, we have made some progress. Today, we can account some 2.5 million fewer people at risk of poverty compared to 2019, and this is a welcome trend. But the rhythm, the pace, is too slow. The persistence of child poverty is particularly alarming. And it comes at a huge cost to our society. Childhood socio-economic disadvantage translates badly later in the adult labour market and health outcomes. Moreover, one in ten workers in the European Union – approximately 20 million people – are still at risk of poverty, a situation of great concern as well that forces us to think and to act. Failing to make the fight against poverty a true priority for Europe is simply not justifiable. This Commission is committed to stepping up our efforts and building a new momentum. We are, as you know, preparing the first European anti-poverty strategy. Our goal is clear: not just reaching our 2030 target, the Porto target, which is about taking 15 million European people out of poverty, out of social exclusion, including at least 5 million children. But our goal is also to set a clear path to help eradicate poverty by 2050, as was committed by President von der Leyen in the State of the Union speech. Time and time again, this Parliament has reiterated its commitment to this goal and we thank you for that. We also look forward to reading the own-initiative report that you will present on the anti-poverty strategy. Fighting poverty is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. It builds trust in our institutions, it builds bonds in our societies, it makes us collectively more resilient and, I dare say, more secure. It supports our economic growth, bringing more people into the labour market, delivering stronger household incomes and offering, in the end, new and more opportunities for all of us. Our anti-poverty strategy will focus on what matters most: access to essential services and protections; tackling the roots of exclusion; breaking the cycle of poverty from one generation to the other; and, of course, delivering on a stronger European Child Guarantee, which will be, I repeat this, central to our efforts. In the past months, we have also listened, to local and national leaders, to social partners, to NGOs, and most importantly, we have listened to people who know poverty because they experience it. All these voices must be involved in preparing and delivering this tool, our new strategy. We want to look at this from all angles possible because poverty is multidimensional. It is not just about salaries or work, it is not just about money. It is about access to schools, to housing; it is about energy bills; it is about food. It is also about access to key services like healthcare or like childcare. So every policy must serve inclusion. Now, beyond Europe, in two weeks' time, the first Leaders' Meeting of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, as well as the Second World Summit for Social Development, after 30 years, will take place in Doha. The summit will focus on fighting poverty, on creating jobs and on promoting social justice. It is a key opportunity to place the eradication of poverty at the heart of the global agenda, with a strong commitment on the part of the European Union. Poverty, I think we can all understand that, is not destiny. It is not inevitable. It is the result of policy choices that we make. And together we can choose differently and better. I am happy to see that we share a common goal that is one to put Europe on a sustainable path of poverty reduction and over time, help eradicate poverty on our continent.

Mr President, I thank you for your observations and for your points. They were indeed listened to. Of course, I want to give some remarks. I do believe that the oldest of the funds, one of the traditional funds that supports the social fibre of the European Union, the European Social Fund Plus, is able to modernise and to invest in people while responding to the current challenges that we face. So, with this amendment, we are able to create jobs, to invest in skills in sectors that are extremely relevant for our present-day realities – starting from sectors that are strategic. I mentioned some of them: of course, defence is one of them, but it's not only defence; it's cybersecurity, it's cutting-edge technology. We need talent, and we need to create jobs in these sectors for Europe to be able to thrive and for people to be able to thrive. Continuing to the adjustments and amendments that are done to the ERDF Regulation and concern investment in infrastructure, it is important to show that this amendment brings the fund closer to the everyday realities, to the current challenges and problems that are faced by citizens, by communities and by our society. Regarding the concerns that have been re‑expressed here about the way we will apply the rule of law and the respect for our fundamental rights in the reallocation of funds by Member States, I will reaffirm what I have stated during the trilogues: there is a formal declaration that I have made on behalf of the Commission – and I stand by it – that the Conditionality Regulation, the Common Provision Regulation, the rule of law, the respect for the fundamental rights principles will be strictly observed and strictly applied by the Commission, as it is done normally for all the other funds and in all other situations. So, this is my commitment. It is already put in writing, but I can of course reiterate it from this microphone in this Hemicycle to you distinguished Members of Parliament again. We will work closely with Member States in the amendment of their ESF‑based programmes so that they really deliver quickly calls for proposals and projects that are really able to support citizens in concrete jobs and in skills deployment.

Mr President, honourable Members, I want to congratulate the European Parliament for having reached an agreement with the Council on this proposal. This agreement allows Member States and regions to address critical strategic challenges in light of the geopolitical and economic situation, and this is how we aim to show our citizens that Europe delivers. Investing in people is essential for advancing our strategic priorities and forms an integral part of the deal. We see major shortages in skills in crucial sectors like civil preparedness, defence, cybersecurity, new digital and green technologies, just to name a few sectors. Member States and regions should focus investments on the development of skills in these strategic areas for our own competitiveness and sovereignty. This amendment underlines the role of the European Social Fund Plus as the Union's main fund for supporting employment and skills development. It will encourage Member States to use the European Social Fund Plus to reinforce investment in people. It will equip workers with the skills our industries are looking for to support our strategic defence, preparedness and decarbonisation efforts. Member States and regions will benefit from an immediate financial injection to kickstart such investments and, in turn, this also helps to reduce social exclusion and prevents inequalities from growing further. This is how we aim to strengthen our competitiveness while remaining true to our social model. The Commission welcomes the compromise that strengthens the respect for the rule of law to protect the EU budget, where funding between and within programmes is reallocated. The Commission made a formal statement on the respect for rule of law and fundamental rights. The statement reiterates the Commission's firm commitment to ensure that these principles are upheld in the implementation of the funds, in line with the provisions in the Common Provisions Regulation, the Conditionality Regulation and the Mid-Term Review Regulation. This statement has been sent to the Parliament's services for inclusion in the verbatim record of this debate. I thank you, and I am, of course, looking forward to the debate on this topic.

Mr President, many thanks to each and every one of you that intervened tonight. I take the focus that you put on the causes and the solutions to the work that we will do on improving and modernising our legislation, our rules and our guidance on tackling mental health in the workplace. I take note especially of the gender dimension and I want to thank you for pinpointing this. The quality jobs roadmap that we want to present, which is a compass towards how we need to do more in terms of the standards of working conditions, will have a gender dimension. Therefore, the psychosocial risk dimension will have a gender dimension. It is true that we connect this with the work‑life balance, with the legislation, with the directives, with the work that we have there. I think our investments also need to focus a bit more on the gender dimension because this is extremely important. Looking at the needs of our societies, the most untapped talent pool is that of women that are not present in the labour market and whose professional careers cannot advance, partly also because of causes such as this. Of course, I also take note of what you've almost all said: let's tackle the root causes and have an integrated approach, an integrated health approach, not only to look at the symptoms. This is our intention as well. My role also as Executive Vice‑President tackles aspects of social policies, of social rights, of education, of skills, but also an oversight towards some aspects of our health policies. And the Commission helps that we deliver this integrated approach, not only investment, not only legislation, but also in the approach that we take with Member States on the guidance, on the capacity building of our labour inspectorates, on all the issues that are relevant for the way in which we might want to work to improve mental health in the workplace. That being said, I'm looking forward to your initiatives on the topic and to using them in the work that the Commission will put forward in the near future.

Mr President, honourable Members, I thank you for this important debate during the European Mental Health Week. I want to start by being very clear: mental health at work is not a footnote. It's not a side issue. It's one of the most urgent and serious challenges that we face in Europe's workplaces today. Almost 1 in 3 workers across the European Union say that their mental health has been harmed by their job, by their professional activity. That amounts to millions of Europeans that are exhausted by stress, overwhelmed by pressure and unsure how much longer they can keep going and keep working. Still, we must be honest, the stigma remains. Mental health is too often seen as a personal weakness, when in reality it is often the result of poor working conditions. We must change that. We must address that. Psychosocial risks – excessive workloads, this 'always on' culture, job insecurity, lack of support, harassment – these are real and preventable hazards. Just like physical risks, they must be taken seriously and systematically addressed. This is not just a health issue, it is also an economic issue. Mental health problems at work cost us billions of euros each year, if we take account of absenteeism, high turnover and early retirement, to name just a few of the problems. They drain talent. They drain our productivity and the potential from our society. But we are acting to improve these situations, and I would give some examples. First, of course, we are learning with and from our Member States through exercises like the peer review that we carried out last year. In this peer review, Member States agreed that they need to specifically address psychosocial risks at work in their national legislation, that they need to ensure effective enforcement of the rules, together with more support and more guidance, that they need to have tailored training for their inspectors, that they need to introduce guidance and counselling services on psychosocial risk at work, and that they need to have more thematic campaigns to raise awareness. To give another example of what we are doing already, we are bringing together workers, employers and governments, including through the Tripartite Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work, which has just launched a new working group on mental health and psychosocial risks. They will come with concrete suggestions by June of next year. We are also investing, with more than EUR 1.2 billion mobilised in the current EU budget for mental health issues in general. I would mention some examples of investment related to mental health at work. First, we are supporting awareness with the EU-OSHA 'healthy workplaces' campaign on mental health that is starting next year and is focusing on new and overlooked groups of workers and sectors. I would also mention a recent call for proposals from Horizon Europe – a call for proposals from the 2025 Work Programme – that will be dedicated to projects that support improving mental health outcomes in education, in training and at work. Importantly, we are also supporting our labour inspectors through guidelines to more effectively address how employers are managing psychosocial risks during their visits and controls. Yes, our health and safety laws at European level already cover psychosocial risks. They oblige employers to assess and manage such risks in a preventive manner, and to establish health and safety procedures to do so. But some parts, like the Workplace Directive, date back to the 1980s, and work has changed. Our jobs have changed and our laws must change with it. Digitalisation and telework do bring more flexibility and more opportunities, but they can also blur the boundaries between work and life. This 'always on' culture that we are mentioning is accentuating, with increased risks of stress, anxiety and burnout. This is the reason why we are looking at how to modernise our European legislation as part of the 'quality jobs roadmap' that I will present by the end of this year. Honourable Members, the Romans used to say 'mens sana in corpore sano' – a healthy mind in a healthy body. But the other way around is also very true. A healthy body needs a healthy mind. Mental well-being is not a luxury. It is the foundation of good, fair and modern conditions of work. A Europe that protects minds as well as bodies is a stronger, more humane, a truly social and competitive Europe. I want us to work together to building this type of Europe. I thank you and am looking forward to the debate.

Thank you, Madam President, for this important debate. I thank the rapporteur, Estelle Ceulemans, for bringing this topic to our attention, to your attention. I will start with an example in my conclusions, looking at one of the industries that is undergoing transformations: the automotive sector. We looked at what we need to do there to protect quality jobs, because indeed this is a sector where, in the quality of the working conditions of professionals, there have been investments – in their training, and their health and safety. So these are jobs that we really do not want to lose, and we want to protect the expertise and the knowledge of these people. So in the automotive action plan, we proposed several concrete measures. One that I would mention is to really adjust and to improve the power of the Global Adjustment Fund, so that it is a fund that can really support workers before they are laid off, so that we can really intervene with EU funding to support companies, to support those workers before they are exposed to being laid off. But beyond that, I would mention that there are several solutions that we need to look at. First, social dialogue and collective bargaining. We have just signed the pact for social dialogue last Wednesday, and it is an important step, it is an important process that creates trust between employers and trade unions. No transition – and there will be many types of transitions and we have to be prepared for this ever-changing landscape – can be done properly for the benefit of entrepreneurs and the equal benefit of workers without equality and strong social dialogue. Also, I would underline what I mentioned a bit earlier, the Skills Guarantee that we propose to the Union of Skills. We cannot protect workers better than by training, retraining, upskilling, reskilling them so that they are able to find a job in the same company, in the same industry, in similar industries, without losing their expertise, their knowledge, protecting them, giving them a secure access to better work. And third, of course, it's the quality jobs roadmap and the initiatives that will follow. Many of the things that you have mentioned here will be dealt with in this quality jobs roadmap, from working conditions to fair wages, to health and security in the workplace, to fair transition, anticipation and management of change, dealing with third-country nationals, for all industries. And let us not forget, while we are talking about restructuring and job loss, there are still industries where millions of jobs are still unoccupied, from ICT to construction, where we need to still fill the gaps. We need to work to match these deficits with the surplus, wherever this will be possible, and to use EU funding and our policies to do that in coordination with the Member States. I thank the Parliament for having this important conversation. We cannot end now. It is clearly an important part of our mandate, and I'm looking forward to your support in our work.

Madam President, it is not just about skills but equally about quality jobs – always remember my commitment to that. So dear President, honourable Members, I thank you for the opportunity to address you on a matter that lies at the heart of our Union's mission: to protect workers, especially in times of change. Restructuring in our industries is the reality of a dynamic, competitive economy, especially in a time of rapid transformations. It can drive innovation, productivity. It can secure Europe's place as a global leader. Yet we must never forget that in every restructuring there are lives, there are livelihoods at stake – workers, their families, their communities. The European Union was built on a promise – a promise of solidarity, of fairness, of opportunity for all. If restructuring comes at the cost of jobs, of workers' rights or dignity at work, then it can endanger that promise, it can endanger our social model. When workers are supported through transitions, when their skills are upgraded, when their voices are heard, we build resilience, not just for individuals, but for our economies and for our societies as a whole. If restructuring processes are poorly managed, we risk having more inequality, less trust, more discontent that threatens our democracies. Across the Union, we see industries undergoing profound change, in automotive, in steel, in energy, just to name a few. Thousands of manufacturing jobs are being impacted. We cannot simply react; we must anticipate. Allow me to outline a few areas for action. First, that we need stronger social protection mechanisms. Workers in transition should be able to negotiate short-time work arrangements or have access to adequate unemployment benefits. Restructuring processes should be managed and anticipated to guarantee a just transition. Reinforcing collective bargaining and social dialogue, as well as promoting employee involvement and workers' and their representatives' right to information, consultation and participation – these are key for an inclusive adaptation to the upcoming changes in the European labour market. Also, we must invest in skills as the backbone of resilience – it was mentioned before. The green and digital transition are not threats to jobs, they are – can be – opportunities, but only if we keep our workforce to really seize them. This is one of the pillars of the Union of Skills, and one of our proposals is to introduce a Skills Guarantee to support companies hiring or training people that are at risk of being laid off. Every worker facing redundancy should have a clear pathway to a quality and secure job. For all this and beyond, the Commission will engage with social partners to present a quality jobs roadmap by the end of this year. This roadmap will support fair wages, high standards for health and safety at work, good working conditions for men and women, training and fair job transitions for workers and the self-employed, notably by increasing collective bargaining coverage. Honourable Members, we all know it: the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of ambition. If we fail to act, we risk a two-speed Europe, one where some prosper and may change, while others are left to fend for themselves. That is not the Union I believe in, nor the one you have fought to build. This Parliament has a critical role to play. Together, we can turn restructuring from a moment of crisis into an opportunity for renewal. Let us send a clear message: in Europe, progress does not come at the expense of our workers, it comes with our workers and because of them.

Madam President, first of all, I'm so happy that we are joined by so many young people in the audience. Thank you for hearing this debate about skills. It's about your choices, your future. I hope you find it interesting. Thank you, honourable Members, for an important conversation today on the Union of Skills. There is so much I would want to comment on and join you on so many of the topics that you have mentioned here. First of all, I heard each and every one of you. When we say 'choose Europe', for example, what does 'Europe' mean? Does Europe exist outside our own Member States? Choosing Europe means choosing Spain, choosing Italy, choosing Romania, choosing Sweden, choosing the countries where we are born or the countries where we are working. It always means a right to stay, a right to return or a right to choose a different path inside our European Union. The entire strategy of the Union of Skills is about that: about freedom of choice and freedom of opportunity. Second of all, I would want you to know that we are addressing what many of you mentioned in the basic skill set. First of all, it's not just a strategy. We are proposing concrete actions. The Union of Skills was accompanied by the first two action plans, one on basic skills, the other on STEM. We will follow up soon with an action plan on vocational and education training and one that is very important about the career and working condition of teachers – the teachers' agenda. So these will be very concrete actions. Just to answer a few of your concerns, we propose a new set of basic skills. An extended set. The fifth basic skill is citizenship education, critical thinking, media literacy, respect and understanding each other, different values. This is very important for you to know. So beyond maths, reading, beyond digital literacy and science, citizenship education. So, so important. We propose a support scheme for basic skills in those schools where there is systemic underachievement. This is a concrete type of support that we want to offer. We are looking at using a 'skills guarantee' for workers to really empower them in the transformation of their industries. We want to strengthen Erasmus+. But let me tell you, it's not just about Erasmus. We are currently investing EUR 150 billion EU-wide from the Recovery and Resilience Facility, cohesion policy, Erasmus+, InvestEU. More than that. So we are really looking at how we can better spend the current funding and use the Union of Skills to look into the next budget post-2027 for a strong commitment to support our education and skills. Clearly, skills and education are the competence of Member States. Nobody is questioning that. But I ask you: if you need to develop a certain skill to work in an IT company or in the automotive sector or in the steel sector, are the skills so different according to different Member States? Are our challenges not common? Should we not work together to address these needs together so that we have quality training, a good skill set, and so that our young generation is really powerful in the skills that we provide? I think the answer is yes. There is no border to skills. There is no border to the quality that we want to provide. But, of course, decisions remain in the Member States and that is beyond questioning. Finally, I will just invite you to join us in implementing the Union of Skills. This is not just a strategy. It's a vision that empowers Europeans. It's about stronger workers, stronger citizens and it is about making our Europe not just more competitive, but a better place that we choose every day.

Mr President, I'm sorry to have to come so abruptly, but we talked today about a labour of love and the labour of passion for our European Union, the Union of Skills, it is about us, about the people. We talk a lot about competitiveness these days, but we all know that competitiveness starts with people, with giving girls and boys the best education, with giving workers the right skills that they need. Right now, we are not where we would want to be and where we know that we could be. Our European Union is home to a skilled workforce, cutting-edge companies, and great education and training institutions, but our education system and workers are still struggling to keep up with the pace of change. Young Europeans are lagging behind their peers in the United States, in Canada or Japan when it comes to basic skills. Skills gaps and labour shortages are at a record high in our European Union. Too many young Europeans leave to start their future elsewhere. We cannot keep the pace with the rhythm of transformation of our industries, and with the type of skills that they demand. We need to address these failures as a matter of urgency, and that is why we have launched the Union of Skills. It is first and foremost about stronger educational foundations, about better basic skills. And basic skills start with education. We are putting forward, in the Union of Skills, a series of targets to reverse the alarming decline in performance in basic skills like maths, reading or science. Today, 1 in 3 teenagers do not have basic math competencies – 1 in 3. We want to bring the level of underachievers, meaning children that are not able to perform such basic skills, to below 15 %, that is, to half the current rate. We have a separate target for vocational and educational training in scientific and engineering areas, where we want to get to at least 45 % of enrolments, and 1 in 4 to be girls. Equally, for tertiary education, we want to get to 32 % of enrolments in STEM education, 2 out of 5 to be women. We have an ambitious target on that on this dimension and I would emphasise it: we want to train 1 million girls in STEM by 2028. The second pillar of the Union of Skills is about the upskilling and reskilling of workers. Four in 5 businesses struggle to find the workers that they need with the right skill set. There are more than 40 occupations with EU-wide shortages, especially in important sectors like construction, trades, transport and some healthcare professions. Only 40 % of European adults do some form of training – far below the target of 60 % by 2030. We do have ongoing actions such as the Pact for Skills and the EU skills academies, and we will work to strengthen these tools. But we propose, in the Union of Skills, new tools. I will mention just one for this pillar: the Skills Guarantee. It is a Skills Guarantee for workers, and we want to pilot it starting this year. Similar with to Youth Guarantee, the idea is to support companies hiring or training people that are at risk of losing their employment, to support their training and to support their job for a number of months, to ensure that they have job security and good employment perspectives in a transforming industry or company. The pilot will start with a budget of EUR 10 million this year. If it works well, our intention is to scale it up in the next MFF. The third pillar, which is very important: allowing skills to circulate. And it is about our single market inside the European Union. We all know freedom of movement, of people, as being one of the four fundamental freedoms. And yet that freedom hits a wall when skills as such are not recognised across Member States. These are barriers to opportunity and growth that we must bring down. A real Union of Skills is one where skills can circulate freely, and that is why we will put forward a skills portability initiative next year, in 2026. This will be a win-win for workers and businesses alike. For workers, it will open new opportunities to find jobs that match their qualifications, and it will give businesses a much larger talent pool to fill their positions that they are looking for. The fourth pillar of the Union of Skills is indeed about attracting, developing and retaining talent. It is about making the European Union a global magnet for talent. We must encourage our own citizens and the world's brightest minds to choose Europe. 'Choose Europe' is indeed one of our flagship initiatives in this strand of the Union of Skills. We intend to pilot it, with a budget of some EUR 23 million, in order to develop the right tool that can be then scaled and through which we attract to Europe top researchers from all over the world, including countries such as the United States, India – that we visited in recently – and other parts of the world. Later this year, we will also present a visa strategy to support the arrival of top students, researchers and skilled workers. And, once adopted by the European Parliament and the Council, we will set up the EU talent pool. One horizontal aspect about the Union of Skills is extremely important for its success, and it shows that it's not business as usual in this policy field: it's the governance of the Union of Skills. Nothing will work if we don't change the governance, and this is the most innovative part of our Union of Skills. We need policymakers, companies, social partners, civil society and education and training institutions to come together and for their work together to matter. That is why we will set up a European Skills Board that will bring together CEOs, social partners, education providers, so that they look at where the skills gaps lie and how they can be tackled best. They will also rely on their experience on the ground but their work will be supported by the data provided by the Skills Intelligence Observatory, a tool that we intend to launch in order to look at current use of skills and to better anticipate future skills needs across the European Union. We will bring together policy decisions rooted in reality with a swift decision making process, with stronger links between that reality, policy action and investment. This can be a real game changer.

Mr President, thank you for the debate. I will comment on some aspects that were mentioned here, but the main one is that we need to explain clearly that the European Semester has a structure that puts fiscal sustainability and social convergence on an equal footing. This has to be stated again and I will say it again, because it is very important that we now have the social convergence framework in the Semester. It is exactly the kind of tool that is meant to make sure that all the reforms and measures that we are putting forward, all the procedural investments that we are designing, are not at the cost of people and are not bearing social costs. This is very important. Today I speak also on behalf of Commissioner Dombrovskis, but I am in charge with employment, social, and I am very much involved in the work of the European Semester, taking care exactly of the social dimension of the Semester. That is why I mentioned that I am so happy that many Member States – not enough, but some Member States – put forward social reforms and social investments in the fiscal adjustment plans that are meant to support the quality of life of the people. I would also emphasise that the Semester is a coordination tool that is very necessary to tackle challenges that are relevant for the entirety of the European Union. We have seen COVID. We have seen the energy crisis, the aggression war of Russia, we now see the geopolitical tensions that exist. They don't affect countries or regions or cities separately. They affect us as a Union. Of course, Member States have competences and are free to act according to those competences. But the European Union also needs to support and coordinate the efforts of Member States. We are putting forward European money. RRF is just one of the examples – EUR 650 billion still being invested in education, in infrastructure, in healthcare, in digital, in green transition. It is such an important tool, where we have shown that together we can support the quality of lives and the growth and the recovery of our economies. This is an important signal that should be well understood. I thank you for the debate. Of course, it is important that we continue to have a dialogue together on how we set our priorities. My message to you as again, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of social rights, employment and preparedness, is that what we put in our policies is always meant to protect, empower, benefit every European citizen, no matter the age, no matter the country, gender and so on.