Marit MAIJ

Policy topics Marit MAIJ is active on

What Marit MAIJ has said (42)

• 2026-03-12 “E-001036/2026 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission The EU condemned the atrocities perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, following the seizure of El Fasher. The EU Foreign Affairs Council adopted restrictive measures against the Deputy Commander of the RSF on 20 November 2025 and sanctioned another five RSF affiliated individuals on 29 January 2026 1 . Ensuring accountability is at the heart of the Council Conclusions on Sudan 2 . The EU supports the International Criminal Court (ICC), the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission and their investigations of crimes including those committed by the RSF in El Fasher. The ICC recognised that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been and are continuing to be committed in Darfur 3 . On 19 February 2026, the UN Fact Finding Mission published its report ‘Sudan Hallmarks of Genocide in El Fasher’ on the siege and fall of the city. On EU restrictive measures to combat terrorism, in accordance with Article 2(2) and (3) of Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/455 4 , the legal prerequisite for the listing of new entity is a competent authority decision for the involvement of that entity in terrorist acts, as defined by Article 1 of Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/455. Listing decisions are adopted by the Council, acting unanimously. The EU action should focus on those who suffered through El Fasher, to support their pursuit of justice and accountability, and to prevent perpetrators to repeat these crimes elsewhere in Sudan. This includes EU support to implementation of reparations orders issued by the ICC through support to the Trust Fund for Victims programmes. The EU is funding EUR 20 million, under the Individual Measures 2024, support in Sudan to strengthen the protection of human rights and improve living conditions for vulnerable groups affected or displaced by the armed conflict. 1 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2026/01/29/sudan-council-sanctions-sevenindividuals-in-view-of-the-dramatic-escalation-of-violence-in-the-country/. 2 https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-14231-2025-INIT/en/pdf. 3 https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-deputy-prosecutor-nazhat-shameem-khan-united-nations-securitycouncil-situation-1. 4 Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/455 of 26 February 2026 on restrictive measures to combat terrorism, repealing Articles 2, 3 and 3a of Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism and repealing Decision (CFSP) 2025/1577 and Decision (CFSP) 2026/421 (ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2026/455/oj).”
  EU policy on Sahel and Sudan
• 2026-01-27 “E-000313/2026 Answer given by Mr Síkela on behalf of the European Commission The Commission is in regular contact with the authorities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and the Government of the Netherlands, including in the framework of dialogue as established by the Decision on the Overseas Association, including Greenland 1 (DOAG: Article 14). In view of recent developments in the region, the Commission has engaged with Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and the Government of the Netherlands to assess and closely monitor the situation and is aware of the specific positions. In general, the Commission supports Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and the rest of the Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) 2 across different policy areas with a total package of more than EUR 80 million under the DOAG for the period 2021-2027. These areas of cooperation have been agreed with the OCTs and the Member States (France, the Netherlands), in line with the tri-lateral spirit of the DOAG. In addition, the OCTs are eligible for funding under other EU programmes, such as Erasmus+, Connecting Europe Facility, BESTLIFE2030 or Horizon Europe. The EU has crisis coordination mechanisms that can apply to OCTs but not a dedicated protocol for the OCTs close to conflict zones. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2021/1764/oj/eng. 2 Saba, Saint Barthélemy, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten.”
  Funding for OCTs and outermost regions
• 2025-11-25 “E-004685/2025 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission 1. The EU remains committed to promoting the full application of the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation 1 , which lays down supply chain due diligence obligations for EU importers of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold (3TG). These obligations are essential to help ensure that EU imports do not contribute to conflict and human rights abuses, while promoting sustainable development and preventing business disengagement. The EU also supports relevant initiatives in this area, such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative 2 . 2. The EU is committed to fighting gender inequalities and gender-based violence (GBV) in Africa. At the African Union – EU Summit 3 , both parties agreed to enhance efforts against all forms of discrimination, exclusion and violence particularly against girls and women. The EU's commitment to gender equality is anchored in the EU Gender Action Plan III 4 and the EU’s Roadmap for Women’s Rights 5 , where the first principle is a world free of GBV. The EU remains deeply concerned about the ongoing war in Sudan, including mass sexual and gender-based violence. The EU is working with international accountability mechanisms to break the persisting cycle of impunity. 3.The EU continues its active engagement with the international community, using diplomatic tools and instruments to support the work of the International Criminal Court and the UN, while maintaining political dialogue with the United Arab Emirates, including the negotiations for a free trade agreement. The EU exercises its trade policy, including with respect to negotiation and implementation of trade agreements, in consistency with other EU external policies. In addition, an enhanced political dialogue will be a key tenet of the future Strategic Partnership Agreement 6 . 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2017/821/oj/eng. 2 https://eiti.org/. 3 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/vtej1kjs/joint-declaration-of-the-7th-african-union-european-unionsummit-2025-24-25-november-2025.pdf. 4 https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-01/join-2020-17-final_en.pdf. 5 https://commission.europa.eu/document/0c3fe55d-9e4f-4377-9d14-93d03398b434_en. 6 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1874.”
  EU competences on human rights · EU relations with United Arab Emirates · EU policy on Sahel and Sudan
• 2025-09-23 “E-003691/2025 Answer given by Mr Síkela on behalf of the European Commission To further strengthen transparency, the Commission proposals for the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) include a horizontal Performance Regulation 1 applicable to all policy areas, including external action spending. It is proposed to constitute a framework for clear, coherent, and streamlined expenditure and performance tracking, harmonising reporting, monitoring, and evaluation of the entire MFF. In particular, the Performance Regulation proposal streamlines reporting requirements to a single report, the annual management and performance report. With this report, the Commission would inform the European Parliament and the Council on implementation of the programmes and progress towards the achievement of objectives. This would be complemented by a single gateway website, replacing 15 online dashboards, providing information on financial implementation, performance, recipients and operations. The Global Europe proposal 2 includes a target of at least 90% of the expenditure to fulfil the criteria for official development assistance (ODA). The EU’s ODA spending is confirmed by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, in accordance with the standards and criteria of DAC. In addition to existing legislative, budgetary and scrutiny mechanisms, the proposed annual steering mechanism provides for deeper coordination between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, informing the preparation of the annual budget, including on external action. Rules remain in place regarding the comitology process for the adoption of implementing decisions by the Commission where the European Parliament has a right of scrutiny. 1 COM(2025) 545 final, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025PC0545&qid=1753797488776. 2 COM(2025) 551 final, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52025PC0551.”
  EU Development & Humanitarian Aid
• 2025-06-19 “E-002481/2025 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission The Commission accords all importance to the rights and protection of vulnerable children. While the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child promotes and protects the rights of all children, the European Child Guarantee aims to break the cycle of poverty by guaranteeing access to a set of key services for children in need, including homeless children, recommending that they should receive adequate accommodation. The Commission supports the implementation of the European Child Guarantee, including through EU funding. Differences in statistical definitions of homelessness and the data collection approaches across Member States affect the quality and coverage of data. Currently available data do not systematically include children or hidden forms of homelessness. However, one of the strands of the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness is to improve data and evidence on homelessness, supporting the design of integrated, long-term strategies. In this context, the Commission has supported multiple projects aiming to strengthen the availability and quality of data on homelessness 1 , including among children. Developing a common operational definition and testing a uniform counting method is the aim of the European Homelessness Count project funded by the Commission 2 . The Commission has also organised and supported mutual learning and capacity-building activities 3 on data collection, design, and implementation of monitoring frameworks. 1 https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/social-protection-socialinclusion/addressing-poverty-and-supporting-social-inclusion/homelessness/strengthen-evidencehomelessness_en. 2 https://www.kuleuven.be/lucas/en/eu_homelessness_counts. 3 https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/social-protection-socialinclusion/addressing-poverty-and-supporting-social-inclusion/homelessness/mutual-learning-activitiesplatform_en.”
  EU housing policy · Support for families · Child poverty policy
• 2025-04-08 “E-001422/2025 Answer given by Mr Tzitzikostas on behalf of the European Commission 1. The Commission is aware of the strike of truck drivers in Venlo and will contact the Dutch authorities to enquire on the actions taken regarding the situation of the third-country drivers. If the alleged facts are confirmed, this could constitute a breach of the requirement of good repute for engaging in the occupation of road transport operator under Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 1 , which may lead to the suspension or withdrawal of the authorisation to pursue the occupation of road transport operator. 2. The Commission, in cooperation with the European Labour Authority, will continue supporting Member States and relevant stakeholders in their efforts to ensure that the rules are properly applied and enforced, for instance by providing guidance and information on the rights of road transport drivers. 3. The Commission would like to underline that under Article 19(4) of Regulation (EC) 561/2006 2 , Member States must ensure that a system of proportionate penalties is in force for infringements of this Regulation and Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 3 on the part of undertakings, or associated consignors, freight forwarders, tour operators, principal contractors, subcontractors and driver employment agencies. 1 Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing common rules concerning the conditions to be complied with to pursue the occupation of road transport operator and repealing Council Directive 96/26/EC (OJ L 300, 14.11.2009, p. 51). 2 Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on the harmonisation of certain social legislation relating to road transport and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 3820/85 and (EC) No 2135/98 and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 3820/85 (OJ L 102, 11.4.2006, p. 1). 3 Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 February 2014 on tachographs in road transport, repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 3821/85 on recording equipment in road transport and amending Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the harmonisation of certain social legislation relating to road transport (OJ L 60, 28.2.2014, p. 1).”
  EU Competition policy
• 2025-04-08 “E-001423/2025 Answer given by Mr Tzitzikostas on behalf of the European Commission 1. The Commission will continue supporting Member States and relevant stakeholders in their efforts to ensure that the EU social rules in the road transport sector, such as Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 1 and Regulation (EU) No 165/2014 2 , are properly enforced, for instance by providing guidance to inspectors to ensure a uniform and harmonised application of EU law across Member States, and information to road transport drivers on their rights. The European Labour Authority (ELA) is also assisting Member States in this regard, notably by supporting concerted and joint inspections for enforcement authorities of several Member States. 2. The EU social rules in the road transport sector do not allow for any discrimination or unequal treatment between EU drivers and non-EU drivers. As it follows, the mandate of the ELA covers road drivers regardless of their nationality. Furthermore, the recently published Single Market Strategy 3 refers to a future proposal for strengthening of the ELA including reviewing its mandate. 3. The Commission considers that no major new legislative measures are necessary within the framework of the road transport acquis. The implementation report on the Posting of Workers Directive 4 identifies several potential measures targeting third country nationals who are posted workers. On subcontracting, the report also indicates some good practices in case of posting of workers under the Posting of Workers Directive. On temporary agency work, the report states that ELA could address, in close cooperation with Member States, the concerns identified as regards the practical application of the provisions of the Directive to posted temporary agency workers. 1 OJ L 102, 11.4.2006, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2006/561/oj. 2 OJ L 60, 28.2.2014, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/165/oj. 3 https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/strategy_en. 4 Directive (EU) 2018/957 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 June 2018 amending Directive 96/71/EC concerning the posting of workers in the framework of the provision of services, OJ L 173, 9.7.2018, p. 16.”
  EU policy on employment subcontracting · EU regulation of cross-border and posted workers
• 2024-12-04 “E-002772/2024 Answer given by High Representative/Vice-President Kallas on behalf of the European Commission Promoting the Agenda 2030 and helping EU partner countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 have been and will remain at the core of the EU’s international partnerships based on values, and mainstreamed across EU external actions. Team Europe is the world’s largest development partner, with the EU and its Member States collectively providing EUR 95.5 billion in 2023, accounting for 41% of global official development assistance (ODA) and contributing over 30% of global humanitarian funding. Furthermore, the EU demonstrated its efforts to fulfil and scape up its ODA commitments in the negotiation and adoption of an ambitious Pact for the Future 2 in New York in September 2024. Decisions on national development budgets do not affect EU ODA, which comes from the Member States’ contributions to the general budget of the EU and is disbursed under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument 3 . However, while ODA has a key role in financing sustainable development, achieving the SDGs will require the mobilisation of public and private resources, taking into account the dimensions of debt, vulnerabilities, inequalities, sustainability, investment and partnerships. The EU is therefore actively working with its partners to help bridge this development financing gap, notably through the Global Gateway Strategy 4 , encouraging the scaling up of public sustainable finance within broader development processes, including non-ODA policies, to address the challenges of aid fragmentation. 1 https://www.undp.org/european-union/sustainable-development-goals 2 https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/sotf-pact_for_the_future_adopted.pdf 3 Regulation (EU) 2021/947 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 June 2021 establishing the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/947/oj/eng 4 https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/stronger-europe-world/globalgateway_en”
  EU Development & Humanitarian Aid · Global priorities for international development
• 2024-11-06 “E-002443/2024 Answer given by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu on behalf of the European Commission Following the Commission reply to Parliamentary question E-00152/2023, the Commission services are assessing the case. According to Article 7(2) of Regulation 492/2011 1 , a worker who is a national of a Member State is entitled to enjoy, in the territory of another Member State, the same social and tax advantages as national workers. As the Court has ruled, that provision equally benefits both migrant workers resident in a host Member State and frontier workers employed in that Member State while residing in another Member State 2 . According to the preliminary assessment the job bonus could be considered to be social advantage according to Article 7(2) of the Regulation. It should thus be granted to EU mobile workers regardless of their place of residence. An indirect discrimination to access to social advantages is permissible only if it is objectively justified. In order to be objectively justified, it must be appropriate for securing the attainment of a legitimate objective and must not go beyond what is necessary to attain that objective. It is for the national authorities, where they adopt a measure derogating from a principle enshrined in EU law, to show that that measure is appropriate for securing the attainment of the objective relied upon and does not go beyond what is necessary to attain it. The Commission services have reached out to the Belgian authorities for detailed information and explanations regarding the nature and conditions of eligibility for the job bonus. The response is expected in January 2025. Once the response is received, the Commission will assess it and will follow up, if appropriate. 1 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32011R0492 2 Judgment in case C-20/12 Giersch, para. 37, C-802/18 Caisse pour l’avenir des enfants, paragraph 56 and caselaw cited.”
  EU regulation of cross-border and posted workers
• “Yes. Thank you very much, chair. And I'd like to echo the words of Mr. Casa as they were pronounced by our colleague Ratko on the on his behalf. We want to thank all the all the colleagues for for their amendments. I think we counted almost 500. So we see that most of these amendments, they go into a direction that we also support. The most important element, I think that we that we have also stressed in our, in our previous discussion here is that we have a strong standalone ESF that we have an ESF with a good budget, but also with some clear targets. And I think we are able, on the basis of what we have seen from from the amendments to work on oops, to work on these targets. As, as it goes for the support of our colleagues. And also, I think on the basis of what we have seen from the, the civil society organisations, from all the other information that we've had, I think we, we see that we are going on a good path forward, that we are working on a strong ESF that can help us with the the fulfilment of the social targets of the European Social Fund. And I think it's also important to stress that on this Thursday, we will start with our first shadows meeting, where we can go a little bit further into depth, into the first directions that we will that we will have with each other. So I think so far, this was a very good first round of, amendments. Thank you very much.”
  EU expenditure on social policy
• “Yes. Thank you very much, chair. Thank you also for the colleagues for their interventions. I think it's clear, like my colleague also said, that what we want is a European social fund that works in a similar way as the current European Social Fund that helps people in vulnerable positions, that help that support people that have a distance to the labour market to get them back on that labour market. I think we also see that there is a need for clear objectives and clear targets within the ESF to ensure that Member States Dedicate funding to specific aims. We know that if we don't have those clear objectives, member states do not do that. They use that freedom. So here I think we have a different opinion than was stated also by by the Commission. And naturally, there will still be some space for, for member states to dedicate non earmarked funding for priorities that they that they want to have. But we need to make sure that the European Social Fund invests in people, that there's equal access to opportunities, no matter what your background is. And I think it's really good that we have so many amendments that help us to bring it closer in this direction. I think it's also, again, important to stress that we need a budget, which is a full budget, that we need to make sure that it's not just a standalone European social fund, but it's also a European social fund with substantial funding, and it's still very difficult to get good grip on what the commission is proposing on the funding. So we want to make sure that we have a clear funding on the European Social Fund. We're looking forward, I think, together with the with David, but also with the other colleagues and the and the shadows on the negotiations. And I think we can we can start working at the end of this week. Thank you so much.”
  EU expenditure on social policy
• “Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Madam Commissioner. And I would also like to thank all the colleagues for their valuable contributions in this important debate and also to to the negotiations and the whole process. Time and again, we've seen that ESF plus is indispensable in order to develop the EU in the direction we would like to see a European Union where physical security and social security go hand in hand. We can't give up on either one or the other. Without social cohesion, we are doomed. We will soon be voting on the mid-term review of the ESF. But for me, this marks the beginning of the new challenges we need to ensure that the future MFF and the next European Social Fund will be there in future for everyone so that people can be retrained. That to ensure that people who are not managing to integrate into society get a chance for integration, that we combat child poverty, homelessness, to ensure that the mantra of competitiveness must not lead to free money for big companies. We want to have a protected, earmarked budget for the ESF plus that can be taken seriously, and I think it's time we got to work on that because a strong Europe. Mr. president will be a social Europe. Thank you.”
  EU expenditure on social policy
• “Thank you. I'll speak Dutch. It's very good. The proposals that we're seeing from the commission, for example, to adapt the state support rules. This is a historical day today that we have this proposal for the housing plan. But I hear you saying. And I'm glad that you accepted this question. You're saying that the Plans Commission are a step in the right direction in terms of improving the role of the market, but are we not Romanticising the role of the market as a solution, because we see that we don't have support from the states. The prices just skyrocket. So how do you hope to stop that?”
  EU housing policy
• “But now we are looking at the implementation of this directive, and we see that the court case has given a number of member states the reason to stall, uphold and also be a little bit sloppy with the implementation and the transposition of of the legislation. The court case came out and as Mrs. Garbin has explained, it was overdue. It was not unexpected, but it was still relieving for us. The court case underlined what the European Parliament already said from the beginning. The minimum wage directive is a framework for improving working conditions. It leaves the wage determination to the member states and the social partners in the member states. And that is exactly what the European competence regarding working conditions should be. The EU does not set wages, of which we are very well aware, but we create the framework and the guidance and the steering for those minimum wages. The biggest implication of this ruling has that this ruling has, is that the member States cannot hide any more, and they still and they have to do right now, they have to work with the outcome.”
  Minimum wages harmonisation at EU level
• “Yes. Thank you. Chair. I have a number of questions and I hope to do it quickly and brief. Two general questions for all the agencies. One is we know that in the European Union there is a gender pay gap of approximately 12%. What is the gender pay gap in your own agency, and what measures are you taking to close that gender pay gap? A second issue that we are concerned of in with the S&D Group is the outsourcing of certain jobs, and especially when it comes to, for example, the cleaning services. What kind of contracts would you have for outsourcing of those cleaning services, and do you make sure that they are properly paid? And this is not now a challenge, a race to the bottom, which is often taking place when we outsource this kind of activities. I have one specific question for Frontex when it comes to collaboration with a number of regimes outside of the European Union, which are doing more and more, some of those regimes are being accused of human rights violations. You know that we give concern to the way in which this works together. For example, in the the agreement that we have with Tunisia. How can your agency make sure that you do not contribute to human rights violations in these countries with your operations on the ground? And two specific questions to Emma, if I may quickly.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion · Asylum & border control
• “Yes. Thank you very much, chair. And thank you very much for your, um, uh, for your information, for the report. I think many things have been said by the previous, uh, speakers and by my colleagues. Uh, first and foremost, uh, we have to look at what the situation is in the mining areas and in the, uh, with the mining for the local communities, for the people working in the mines, for the environment, around the mines, and for the the effect that it has on the local economy. And of course, in theory, all of this should be positive, and in theory it should be a positive effect for those working their positive effect on the local communities. And also there should be no exploitation of, uh, of workers and of the environment. Unfortunately, we see that this is happening and this is happening, uh, in practically, I think, uh, well, I wouldn't say all but many of the mining areas that we're looking at, you mentioned the mining areas in DRC. Of course, we have as a committee and also, um, as a parliament, have special interest in the EU, uh, Rwanda, uh, collaboration. And what is happening there.”
  EU development policy (gender conditionality)
• “And I would also like to draw the attention to the disabled as a whole. 12/4 thank you so much. Will the housing crisis is not an abstract problem. It's a question of lots of young people who still live at home, or the single mother who fears the increase in rents and the fact that people live without a roof over their head. People try to look for affordable housing and they can't find it. We need to deal with this shortage. People in Europe need to be able to live with the roof over their head. But this we have more market and more access on ownership. And it's the market that has actually caused this crisis because you look at homes as investments, whereas what people are looking for is a home. So if we really want to change something, we need to do things differently. Social housing, more social housing, affordable housing without any rules preventing this from being built, because it's not a question of investment. It's a question of living in a home.”
  EU housing policy
• “Thank you, chair, and thank you very much to the rapporteur and also to the speakers of the committees for the rapporteur for the draft, but also for organising the stakeholder meeting. I think that was very helpful and very useful. What we all see is that it's okay that we have an opportunity with the performance regulation to streamline monitoring, but we see that this is going to be difficult for external action. And this is what was also said by our partners in in the stakeholder meeting that when we have the way that we are that it's being presented right now, it's going maybe to simplify, but does it really show what we need to know in the external action? We see that there is a mismatch on the ground from what our partners are doing and how it's going to be, uh, um, in the performance regulation, how we, uh, we see what we, what we want to see, but we want to know that we actually have external action that performs in the way that we think it is important in our main priorities. So we need to align that much more, uh, in, in this performance regulation. So I think it's, it's a good idea that the rapporteur has a proposal for a separate annex for external action to make sure that external action is, uh, monitored and is evaluated in the way that it is external and different from, uh, from national action or sorry in European action.”
  EU foreign policy approach
• “Yes. Thank you very much, chair. I think here in the European Parliament We are not discouraged. We obviously have a feeling that we have the possibility of working on social legislation, on legislation for social elements, social affairs, including for workers, minimum wage and other elements that we still see that are necessary in the European Union. We see this as an encouragement. We also see listening to the colleagues here that there are, of course, differences in different member states, and we have to respect those differences. But still, at the same time, we also have to respect the rights of workers and respect the rights. As we all have said, I think quite a number of speakers here have said the rights of workers to have a fair minimum wage, to have a minimum wage, that they can live off a living wage, that makes sure that if you have a job that you can actually live off that job and you don't need a second or a third one to be able to survive for yourself and with your family. I think these are goals that all of us within the European Union support, and these are goals that we support also with the social policies that we have common in the European context, also supported by the European Parliament. There's a number of other social policies I think, that we have that we can start supporting and that we can support workers with to make sure that their position is improved. But this minimum wage directive is a very important one. It's an important one on the level of the wage, and it's an important one on the collective bargaining, also on the collective bargaining. It gives the right to the social partners in the respective countries, but it does give them the obligation to do the collective bargaining and to make sure that collective bargaining reaches the largest proportion of workers possible. More than 80%. So I think that we feel supported by by the ruling. Absolutely not discouraged, maybe even encouraged a little bit. And it's good to also have the academics on our side. Thank you very much.”
  Minimum wages harmonisation at EU level
• “There are no safeguards that member states will actually dedicate the 14% that you mentioned to the social policies, and not maybe to competitiveness. And I'm curious how you think that we can ensure that this money is really going to the social policy and is going to those people that actually need it. If we want to be a credible social Europe, we need a credible size of a budget. And the proposed budget right now is not enough to achieve all the goals that we think are necessary. We need to increase the size of the budget, and we need to be able to push the member states to agree on it and to also implement it. Of course, we understand that a little bit of more flexibility for member states can be good, but not if the consequences that we move away from the people that actually need a push in the right direction. And as a Parliament, I think we will not let that happen. We will fight much more to make sure that real social policy is there. The work has not been done. There's a lot of work to do still. Thank you.”
  EU expenditure on social policy · Size of EU budget
• “(15:27:19 – 15:29:26): and thank you, colleagues. I think what some of you have said is that we have to keep in mind who we do this for. We have to keep in mind who, the targets, of or the people that are being targeted by the European Social Fund are in the European Union, those that are have a distance to the labor markets, people that are excluded, and that we want to have them participate into our into our societies. They don't have tractors that can, come here in front of our European parliament and protest. They are people that are often much more silent, but we do need to, listen to them and include them in our, in our policies. So I think I share what, what our colleagues have said that it is, it is strange that we, can do this for the 1 part of the NFRP, but we cannot do it for the part that is less vocal and that we don't hear. But we do want to support them because they are part of the social fabric of our European societies. Our European competitiveness is not only based on economics. It's not only based on supporting companies or supporting farmers. It's also based on supporting, the people in our societies and especially those that are maybe in, more vulnerable positions than we are ourselves. So I think this is an aim that we have to support support the the budget, but also support the increase of the budget. Again, we have asked many, many, many, many, many times, to the commission if we can get some information on what the real numbers are and what the the the difference is between the current European social fund and, what is being calculated right now. With the 14%, we do not get the answer. I think this makes me believe that we are actually right in in what we have calculated. So I think this also supports, our goal in having, you know, not just the stand alone fund with the dedicated budget, but also with a strong budget, and with the targets that we need. We need to do this for, for the people that we cannot hear and that cannot protest here in front of our parliament. Thank you very much.”
  EU expenditure on social policy
• “They need the possibility to be able to work with the the funds that are being made available, but also the horizontal funds that are being made available. And Global Gateway brings in connectivity, energy transition, digital transition, climate changes. But these are all larger regional programmes. And how do these larger regional programmes also support local entrepreneurs and local companies? Because they will not be able to participate in these larger programmes from the mere perspective that they have? So we have to look at the regional programmes versus national envelopes. How do national envelopes and regional envelopes communicate, and what is the the the preference of these two? And last but not least, I think what I've learned there is that the Octs think it's really important that they have this forum, that they have this forum to communicate. I know the proposal is to have less forums to communicate amongst each other, and I think we should support them in having this forum annually, but also in having a parliamentary participation there annually to make sure that this also reflects on how we look at it. Thank you very much.”
  EU cohesion/structural-fund architecture: consolidation vs ring-fenced separate funds
• “Thank you very much, chair. And I think this is a this is a serious topic. So let's talk seriously. And I just want to reflect briefly. I was the director of NGO in the Netherlands. You cannot be an NGO individually in the Netherlands. There's really there's much more to it. And it's a it's a serious business. So let's talk serious when we talk about this topic. And I also think it's important, when I heard Mrs. Andrikiene say, we are not talking about transparency of civil society organizations here, we are talking about the way in which the Commission is funding these organizations. And I find this a very important sentence that she said, because here in this Parliament, we've had dramatized accusations of what civil society is doing. And this is not what this report is about. So I think we really should talk about what this report is about. And it's not about these NGOs that are not transparent. It's about the way in which the funding is taking place. And I also understand that there are things that should be improved. And I think we see that some of these recommendations, they can be followed and they're good. But it's important to underline that the EU can fund civil society organizations to do advocacy. This is something that we have all agreed upon. So if we do not agree with what the countervailing power is saying, it's simply because we don't agree with it. But we do have with all of our politicians, and all of our member States have said that there is a possibility for the Commission to fund this countervailing power, which can be civil society organizations, but it can also be businesses.”
  EU engagement with civil society
• “Yes. Thank you. Chair. Uh, dear Roxana, dear, uh, Commissioner, thank you for being here with us today to discuss the next MFF and the social aspects of it. Um, let me start by thanking you for your hard work. It is clear to me that you are fighting every day for the citizens in Europe, and you try to make their life better. We see, however, that in the past years it was easier to talk about social policy and work on a social Europe. Then we see now. Now we can see that with the new MFF proposals, times have changed. There is a focus on deregulation, there is a focus on companies, there's a focus on competitiveness, and it doesn't make a lot of room for social policies and to support those people that really need it. And I must say, I was quite disappointed and let me put forward why. Because there is no dedicated budget for social policy or for the ESF plus. The ESF plus regulation is no more than just a couple of articles. Social money. How can we make sure that it doesn't go to skilling workers in big companies? Or how can we make sure that it does go to social inclusion, to fighting poverty or to the child guarantee.”
  EU expenditure on social policy
• “Thank you. Chair. Madam Commissioner. Poverty is not inevitable. It is the result of political choices. And today we can choose differently. We will work with people who experience poverty. They must be involved from the start in shaping measures. No policy should be made without them. And let's get this straight. If we do not tackle poverty, no defence plan, no market reform and no competitiveness strategy will make people feel secure. Security means also to pay your rent and to be able to pay your groceries. A strong Europe starts with people who live, not survive from paycheck to paycheck. That is why I urge all of us to support the €20 billion for the Child guarantee. Children do not decide our budgets, but they live with the consequences. And finally, in the European Union, no woman or girl should miss school or work because she cannot afford basic hygiene products. We provide toilet paper as a standard in public places. Menstrual products should be just as normal. Again, poverty is not inevitable. It is a result of political choices. Let us choose differently. Thank you.”
  Child poverty policy
• “Okay. For one minute I have to go fast and I will not be very polite. Um, thank you very much, commissioners, for your explanations. Commissioner, you mentioned that you would restrict access to funding if it's not in our strategic interest. Um, can you explain us how this is done in what what governance structure? And how can the Parliament also have a control function on that? Because it's a very firm statement, but it's also a relatively vague statement. Then you also mentioned that you do not plan to have a gender equality as objectives, but you would, put this only into the gender action plan. This also refers to the horizontal. Sorry. To the horizontal principles in the performance framework. How can we control that? Especially when it comes to gender mainstreaming, as currently the focus is to have 90% of the external spending in the EU on gender equality objectives. How can we control on that? And lastly, in my report on gender budgeting, we mentioned that we would have a fund specifically dedicated 25% of the external action financing on promoting gender equality. Also, when it comes to sexual and reproductive health and rights, women led organization and decision making for women in participation in local authorities and also supporting women human rights defenders. What does the Commission think of this proposal? Thank you.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “Thank you, President and Commissioner. Cohesion policy is an essential part of the EU, and it has made sure that all regions can continue to develop in terms of the economy and society. And that is an advantage here for the EU. Internal market cohesion policy plays an important role when it comes to creating jobs and making sure social cohesion, and this is something that the cohesion policy must still be able to do in the future. To do that, we in the future need to make sure that we have a separate European social fund, one with its own budget, in the next in the EU. The next social fund needs to do more. It needs to be a fund that people can use. That could be to get new skills for a new job, or to be able to have a social network in the EU and in society, because we are losing these values. Commissioner.”
  EU cohesion/structural-fund architecture: consolidation vs ring-fenced separate funds · Cohesion and rural funding
• “Yes. Thank you very much, chair. And also thanks a lot to to the to the report that was written by the rapporteur and his team and also the other staff that have supported because it's I think it's a lot of work to to prepare this properly, even though this time we have the new format that was mentioned by you, chair, but also by by our colleagues. I think the format works well, but it brings us a little bit into a challenge, whether we want to have suggestions specifically for individual agencies or more horizontal suggestions as a whole. And for now, I would like to focus on a number of horizontal suggestions. And maybe later on in the written amendments, we will come with some specific suggestions for individual agencies. But when it comes to the horizontal suggestions, I think the first thing that was mentioned also by the colleague on the permanent contracts, if you look at the other side of the permanent contracts in the text, we see that there is a lot of burnout, that there is a lot of stress for, for people that work with a number of those agencies. So we would also like to emphasize the importance of mental health and of the right to disconnect also for the staff in the agencies and to make sure that there is mandatory mental health support in all the structures with all the agencies. Gender equality was mentioned by the rapporteur. It's there and it's there in a lot of the the agencies and also in the the policies of the agencies. But the success is still, let's say, relative in some of the agencies.”
  Discharge of EU institutions and agencies
• “Yes. Thank you. Chair. I have a number of questions and I hope to do it quickly and brief. Two general questions for all the agencies. One is we know that in the European Union there is a gender pay gap of approximately 12%. What is the gender pay gap in your own agency, and what measures are you taking to close that gender pay gap? A second issue that we are concerned of in with the S&D Group is the outsourcing of certain jobs, and especially when it comes to, for example, the cleaning services. What kind of contracts would you have for outsourcing of those cleaning services, and do you make sure that they are properly paid? And this is not now a challenge, a race to the bottom, which is often taking place when we outsource this kind of activities. I have one specific question for Frontex when it comes to collaboration with a number of regimes outside of the European Union, which are doing more and more, some of those regimes are being accused of human rights violations. You know that we give concern to the way in which this works together. For example, in the the agreement that we have with Tunisia. How can your agency make sure that you do not contribute to human rights violations in these countries with your operations on the ground? And two specific questions to Emma, if I may quickly.”
  Gender roles, equality and inclusion
• “Thank you chair. Thank you. Commissioner. Men and women in several African countries from regions suffering from severe unemployment. Social instability are targeted for work in Russia. But when they arrive, their passports are confiscated. And they actually have to participate in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Through social media and intermediaries, they are lured into Russia with false promises of employment and education. Once in Russia, they are coerced and threatened and transferred to military facilities. Men ending up at the front lines and women making made to work in factories under extremely dangerous circumstances. Testimonies show the inhumane treatment of African recruits, the racial abuse and discrimination forced to do the most dangerous duties on the front lines, many of them losing their lives or being seriously injured. This constitutes a serious violation of international human rights and possibly crimes against humanity with the European Union, the member states and the African states. We must increase the cooperation to protect these citizens and to make sure we can repatriate them. Thank you.”
  EU-Russia relations (from March 2022)
• “So there is definitely a need to to beef this up. Um, then there is a point on the transparency register. I think we see the transparency registers there. There's also it's also in the text of the rapporteur. But I think we can, um, improve that paragraph and make sure that the transparency is done in a similar way that we have here in the European Parliament by listing all lobbyists and all public affairs contexts that that are working with the agencies. We would also like to suggest a mandatory training on harassment prevention. A little bit similar to the training that we have here in the European Parliament, especially for those in in line management functions within the specific agencies. And I think we think we discussed previously also the requirement for energy efficient buildings to make sure that the costs will go down in in the energy performance and in the energy bills. And maybe last but not least, in our discussion on December 4th, we mentioned we asked about the way in which the cleaning personnel was recruited and if they were on, if they were on contracts through contract agencies and what their, um, their employment status was. And I think it was suggested then and it was also confirmed by the director of the EIT that there would be an EU wide survey on the employment contracts of the cleaning personnel. And we think this is important to make sure that also, if we have cleaning personnel, we make sure that they have a proper contract under proper circumstances. Um, so far, but I think we will continue the discussion later on. Thank you very much.”
  Discharge of EU institutions and agencies
• “Yes. Thank you. Chair. Um, dear colleagues, dear Executive Vice President, dear Roxana, today we are discussing the already so much discussed European Social Fund plus US. The ESF is the core fund for the European social agenda and is so important to achieve skills development, social inclusion and to end, for example, child poverty. Just before the summer, the Commission proposed a revision of the ESF to address today's strategic challenges. What we see happening everywhere when it comes to the commission agenda is what we also saw here. The revised. The revision paved the way to add the so-called competitiveness agenda by enlarging the possibilities for large companies to receive funds, especially in the defence sector. And this should happen in an urgent matter, something we still oppose as sad. We stand for a Europe that defends its external safety and at the same time ensures that we leave no one behind. Within our European common ground, the ESF does exactly. So make Europe more social as we promised our voters together with the colleagues during the negotiations with the Council and with the Commission, we achieved great successes in this matter. We ensured that money that will be allocated for the defence industry shall be for skills development in dual use, ensuring that people possess the right skills to have a place in our society. We also ensure that smaller beneficiaries should have a priority in access to the funding, ensuring that our civil society can still access the funding. And I want to thank the shadow rapporteurs, but also the Council in ensuring this good achievement. And then on the rule of law, as the Commissioner already mentioned, we ensured that all funding that could possibly be reprogrammed to the new programmes will be checked by the rule of law mechanism.”
  EU policy on social criteria in public funding
• “All member States are obliged to see if their legislation or collective bargaining is in place and is sufficient for a decent life for its workers. This can have enormous effect on thousands of people. And we see, for example, my own country, the Netherlands, is a little bit sloppy with the implementation of the minimum wage directive. We have an exemption for young people, people 18, 19, 20 who are adults in the minimum wage. They get a youth wage. But we also have an exemption to deduce housing costs from the minimum wage. And this essentially only touches migrants, labour migrants. So this is also something that needs to be changed on the basis of this minimum wage. Now we have the tools and we can clearly start pushing for it for the future. The court case is hopeful. It showed once again that the EU has competence to legislate in social policies, and we should not shy away from that. Of course, there are clear national competencies that we should avoid touching, but a lot can be done at the National. Sorry, a lot can be done at the European level. We will not give up to push for more legislation. For example, in the field of subcontracting, equal pay or the right to disconnect because working conditions, my friends, are also a European competence. Thank you. Thank you very much.”
  Minimum wages harmonisation at EU level · EU competences on social policies
• “Thank you. President. Commissioner. Imagine that you've been working for a fantastic big company for years with subsidies in the Netherlands, in Poland, in Spain, maybe, and several other countries besides. But unemployment is on the up. Nobody's listening to the people who are actually doing the work. Until the European Works Council stand up and say, listen, we have a voice as well, and we'd like to tell you what the workers are thinking. And then you get policies, maybe to deal with the extra pressure at work for schooling. There's space for mutual respect and discussion. That's what European works councils do. They bring democracy and co-determination onto the shop floor. They make sure that workers are not being overruled, that their concerns aren't swept under the carpet, but that workers are listened to. And that is becoming more and more important in companies that operate across borders. Because how can you have information consultation in the Netherlands if somebody is deciding in a different country? That's why we need strong European works councils. Thank you.”
  EU regulation on worker representation in company decisions
• “Thank you very much, chair. And thanks also to the rapporteur for his report, which, uh, which we welcome. I had the privilege to participate in the Oct forum a couple of weeks ago, and I think some of my comments will be based also on what I've learned there from our colleagues from the Octs. Um, the seats are important for the European Union in their strategic positioning, but also they are important for the citizens of the Octs themselves. And we see that the citizens of the Octs themselves, they are citizens of the European Union. Sometimes we tend to forget and we should make the. We should facilitate participation from them more in the way that it's being done right now, for example, in the way that they vote for us as as members of the European Parliament, because we also represent them. So it's important that we have input from the Octs also on this programming, but also on the programming during the seven years. Their priorities are on SDGs, on social and economic priorities and activities for young people in their in their countries. As was mentioned, capacity building technical assistance is important. Simplification cannot just be simplification.”
  EU cohesion/structural-fund architecture: consolidation vs ring-fenced separate funds
• “Protection of bees and other pollinators must be an EU priority. 78% of domestic plants and 84% of crops depend on pollinators, either partially or entirely. But if we continue with business as usual. Will be promoting a dramatic decline in pollinators. The public opinion is very clear. The successful citizens initiative. Save Bees and farmers was a brave citizens to. Promote bee friendly agriculture without toxic pesticides. Not just because of bees, but because of the future of farmers who depend on a functioning ecosystem. Climate change. Deterioration of habitats. A huge impact of pesticides on the environment and our health. All of these are phenomenon phenomena that cannot be tackled through conservative policies. We need a forward looking EU pact for pollinators, a common agricultural policy and cultural policy that works for farmers and clear regulation to reduce pesticides.”
  EU policy on pesticides
• “(15:09:19 – 15:12:22): Yes. Thank you so much, Lee, and thank you, David, for your introductory words. I think, I'm very happy here that we discussed the European Social Fund and our draft report in in the committee because as as David said, we see that we are aligned. And we are aligned because we see that from the moment that we saw the proposal of the commission, this was not what we wanted. This was an empty shell. This was a proposal that does not do, what we think the European Social Fund should do. All aspects that the European Social Fund has and that make the European Social Fund so unique are under pressure in the proposal from the commission. If we look at the the proposal that says 14% of social expenditure in as a target in the NRPPs, this actually means that a lot of social spending is at risk. We have calculated that for most of the member states, this means that there will be a decrease of around 50% in their in their social spending. So I'm happy that together with my co operator, David Casa, and also with the shadow operators, we are working on restoring the regulation. On an ESF with, as was said, a dedicated budget, its own objectives, and thematic concentrations. And that's the basis of our draft report. Because without clear objectives and without thematic concentrations, all of those good projects that we have right now and that are financed by the ESF are under risk. We see that all these measures can be under risk if we do it the way that the NRPP is proposing right now. The flexibility, as was mentioned, we have talked to our, to other stakeholders, to our shadow repertoires, and we see that with the flexibility, we might lose it because member states will have the opportunity also to use these this money for other targets. And we want the money to be used for the targets for those that are at risk in our societies. So people under long term employment that are finally supported to get an employment position, People that live in poverty that need food assistance from our food banks. Youth unemployment that is still in some areas in the European Union is prevailing too much. Supporting people with disability, homeless people, or migrant women to help them learn the language so they so they can participate. And last, but of course not least, the child guarantee, focusing on children living in poverty. We should make sure that we can do all of this together with, as we said, a European social fund that is a stand alone fund that has a dedicated budget with clear objectives and thematic concentrations. I look very much forward to cooperating with David on the next phases of our, of our endeavor for this stand alone European social fund, also with the political groups. We feel a lot of support already from discussions that we've had with our shadows. And I think together, we can make a difference, and I'm more than ready to make that difference. Thank you so much.”
  EU expenditure on social policy
• “Thank you. Chair. Um, I can be brief. We had these, uh, this trilogue, uh, just the last day, I think, before the summer break in this very room. A little bit late in the evening, but it was good. Uh, we managed to reach the provisional agreement with the council and with the Commission on the revision of the European Social Fund. I think there is a number of elements that we discussed here in the committee that are important that we together with the presidency, could reach that, that we have smaller beneficiaries as a priority for access to the funding. That funding goes to skills skills building, which is the core of the European Social Fund. Also before this mid-term review, so also skills building in the defence industry and dual use is being prioritized. And the core of the European Social Fund maintains what it is, which is to support people that need a push in our society. So I think we can be we can be positive. I would also like to thank all the shadow rapporteurs, uh, who were very constructive in the work that we had, and I think this is a good first step in our fight for the European Social Fund, not just in this mid-term review, but also, let's say beyond. Thank you.”
  Funding for vocational training
• “And I think this is one of the points of interest that we also have to talk about today, because here we're talking about transparency in the way in which civil society organizations, NGOs are functioning under the financing of, uh, of the commission. But what is happening with other, uh, entities from our society that are being funded? I would say that if we follow the recommendations and the safeguards and the new due diligence that the Commission is asking for, that the Court of Auditors is asking for, maybe rightly so, this should not only regulate one part of organizations that the that the commission is funding. Because these fundamental values should apply to all organizations that the Commission is funding also businesses also other beneficiaries from the from the EU funding. So I think it's important and I would like to also ask the the Court of Auditors what they think about this enhanced due diligence, not only applying to one group, but applying to all the groups. And I also would like to ask maybe more in in the procedural, um, matter in its preparation for its special report. Um, the European Court of Auditors did not take into account all of the other data that is available of the EU funds and the tender for a portal, but only the data from the financial transparency system. And I think with that, um, it seems as if we do not have all the information. And I would like to ask the Court of Auditors what their reasoning was behind it, and if they can also make this a broader picture on what is taking place there. Thank you very much.”
  Accounting and auditing of EU budget
• “Thank you very much, chair, and thank you also, Mrs. Garbin. And it's a pleasure to be here with colleagues from National Parliaments. Uh, in, uh, in our Interparliamentary committee. The minimum wage directive, I think, is by far the most important piece of legislation that we've had in the previous mandate. And the purpose was very simple. As was mentioned here already before, everyone has a right to a minimum wage and has a right to a minimum wage that they can actually live off a living wage. And besides that, the directive, which was also mentioned, uh, asks member states to take action on collective bargaining and to make sure that at least 80% of workers is reached by collective bargaining. Now, this is clear because Europe is not just an economic project or a peace project, it's Its cooperation, strongly rooted in the belief that when one member state progresses, the whole union progresses and benefits and quality working conditions and fair minimum wages are pivotal in that, something that the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament have already underlined a long time ago, and that we have this minimum wage directive is really great, and thanks to the great work of previous of colleagues, my previous colleague Agnes from the Netherlands, but also our colleague Dennis Rathke, who will speak in the next in the next panel with their devotion, we managed to include strong wording in the directive, and to have a minimum wage directive that really can help people in our member states.”
  Minimum wages harmonisation at EU level
• “Also, I think it's important that we see that the application of the OECD monitoring guidelines are only are guidelines for only financing EU external action. And that raises a concern when it comes to public private financing. How do we actually monitor public private financing in this way? Because there's also a lot of blended financing and public private financing in the EU external action. And we think, as was said by many, you know, the main aim of the EU development funding and the EU's one of the few that is still there when it comes to international cooperation is the eradication of poverty, but also based on the principles that we have from the EU, which is gender equality, but also fighting, uh, climate change, uh, protecting the environment, do no significant harm. All these elements are really important. So I think they should maintain in. And it's. Well, we're looking forward to collaboration with the with the rapporteur on, on the next step, but I think there's still when we really want to have this in the focus of the external action, there's still quite some steps that have to be taken. Thank you very much.”
  EU development policy (gender conditionality)
• “The Common Provisions Regulation and the horizontal enabling conditions we have in black and white from the whole College of Commissioners, that they will do so and will hold, and we will hold them accountable for this. The executive Vice-President and I take the responsibility. Because let me make one thing clear. When the rule of law is not respected. We cannot accept to show any flexibility. So far, we have managed to safeguard the ESF men's mission, supporting people and children in the most vulnerable situations. Small and supporting smaller beneficiaries and civil society. What we want for the future of the ESF is clear. It must be said that what we have seen for now is worrying. The ESF should be a separate self-standing fund with a dedicated budget. The aim of the fund should always be to help people, to help people find a place in the labour market and to to promote social inclusion. It should be a fund that has a clear objective and that ensures that no one is left behind. That earmarked that has earmarked funding for specific objectives like the Child Guarantee, like the Youth Guarantee and the most deprived. And of course, to support the much needed skills development. I am ready to fight for the ESF to be of meaning for the coming period in the future of Europe, because we cannot have a European Union without a strong social foundation. The social foundation is also the security that we have in Europe. Thank you very much.”
  EU expenditure on social policy