Changes from plenary report to adopted text

23. Stresses that, within the framework of the European Semester, defence spending must be planned in a coordinated, efficient, transparent and European manner to maximise societal benefits; underlines that security-related investment should include societal resilience, including infrastructure with high civilian benefits, social protection, civic education, democratic resilience and protection against disinformation, recognising that social stability and democratic trust are important components of Europe’s security architecture and must be reflected in the Semester’s analysis of long-term reform and investment needs;

24. Underlines that the European Semester recommendations in 2026 will be crucial in shaping the next multiannual financial framework; believes that reforms and investments should be selected for their efficiency and effectiveness in addressing the relevant country-specific recommendations; warns that if EU funding is to be tied to Semester guidance, that guidance must be socially balanced in full alignment with the EPSR, and regional and local actors must play an important role in the disbursement of funds; notes with concern, in this regard, the Commission’s proposal for social spending, which risks diluting focus on employment and social objectives, and calls for a stand-alone and reinforced ESF+ with thematic concentrations;

25. Considers that the EU’s social model is an integral part of its competitiveness and that efforts to simplify administrative burdens for businesses must preserve and ensure social rights; emphasises that job quality and non-cost competitiveness, such as the quality of products and services, can also support productivity and wage growth; highlights the importance of providing greater clarity, proportionality and legal certainty, in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises and self-employed professionals, and emphasises that such approaches should respect the diversity of labour market models across Member States, while supporting sustainable economic activity and quality job creation;

26. Supports a more democratic European Semester process, with Parliament strongly involved in setting economic and social policy priorities and taking economic governance decisions; insists that the formulation, monitoring and follow-up of national reforms must systematically involve social partners, civil society organisations, and regional and local actors, with adequate time and transparency; urges the Commission and Member States to ensure their proper involvement at all stages of the analysis, including within the social convergence framework, in order to strengthen ownership and ensure that EU social rights are a reality on the ground; emphasises that respect for the principle of subsidiarity and national competence remains central to the European Semester; recalls the need for the Commission to ensure that the European Semester and the EU economic governance framework assess the impact of recommended reforms on gender equality and women’s integration into the labour market, and to promote investment in quality public services and care infrastructure;

27. Draws attention to the lack of a transparent methodology for the formulation of country-specific recommendations and of clarity on the criteria used for their selection; warns that this undermines accountability and risks unequal treatment of Member States; calls on the Commission to ensure full transparency on procedures and internal decision making, including the directorates-general involved, and to strengthen accountability and information-sharing with Parliament; is concerned that compliance with country-specific recommendations remains persistently low; calls on Member States to better address recommendations in the fields of employment and social policies; calls on the Commission to reinforce its dialogue with Member States on the implementation of existing recommendations and the Employment Guidelines, including follow-up on current and planned policy actions;

28. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.