European Semester for economic policy coordination 2025

Amendments tabled for the plenary sitting on this text, in their own numbering series. This is a different set from the committee amendments tracked elsewhere on AmendEU, and is not counted in any of the site’s amendment totals.

1. Amendment 1The LeftMotion for a resolution · Recital F a (new)
   Amendment

   Fa. whereas the 3 % deficit-to-GDP and 60 % debt-to-GDP reference values are arbitrary numbers invented in the early 1980s without a sound economic rationale; whereas the prevailing economic conditions at that time were significantly different from those prevailing today;

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2. Amendment 2The LeftMotion for a resolution · Recital P a (new)
   Amendment

   Pa. whereas country-specific recommendations in the framework of the European Semester tend to incentivise cuts in social services and social protection instead of promoting an increase in public revenue; whereas from the introduction of the European Semester in 2011 to the year 2018, the Commission recommended 63 times that governments cut spending on healthcare or privatise healthcare services;

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3. Amendment 3The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 4
   Current text

   4. Highlights the fact that an integrated, coordinated, targeted and horizontal industrial policy is vital to increase investments in the EU’s innovation capacity, while bolstering competitiveness and the integrity of the single market;

   Amendment

   4. Highlights the fact that an integrated and coordinated industrial policy encompasses both targeted and horizontal measures; stresses its relevance for strategically boosting investments in the EU’s innovation capacity, while bolstering competitiveness and the EU’s strategic autonomy; welcomes the European Investment Bank to play a crucial role in guiding the investments;

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4. Amendment 4The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 4 a (new)
   Amendment

   4a. Welcomes SURE-like funds that are subject to social and environmental conditionalities as an effective tool to mitigate job losses in crisis-hit industries, particularly the automotive sector; recalls that saving manufacturing jobs also means preventing the dispersion of competencies and capabilities needed to build a competitive and dynamic industrial system; recalls that public funds should serve as a driver for improving working conditions;

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5. Amendment 5The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 5 a (new)
   Amendment

   5a. Recalls that failure to mitigate and adapt to climate change fast enough as a result of underinvestment or delayed investments will not only have catastrophic human consequences, but will also be much more costly in sheer economic terms, hence contradicting the very purpose of the fiscal rules, which is to support sound public finances;

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6. Amendment 6The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 9 a (new)
   Amendment

   9a. Recalls that the International Monetary Fund, a long-time supporter of austerity and structural adjustments, acknowledges that fiscal consolidation is not effective, on average, at lowering debt-to-GDP ratios;

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7. Amendment 7The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 21 a (new)
   Amendment

   21a. Regrets that the revised economic governance framework fails to enhance social progress and convergence and to foster the ecological transition; reiterates that instead of focusing on irrelevant economic indicators and pursuing endless debt and deficit reduction, EU economic governance should aim to eradicate poverty and inequalities, and provide a high level of social protection, qualitative public services and individual and collective well-being through fulfilling the essential needs of all citizens and ecological planification;

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8. Amendment 8The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 21 b (new)
   Amendment

   21b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to exclude future-oriented public investment, and in particular investment in social infrastructure such as non-profit housing, from the fiscal rules of the Stability and Growth Pact;

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9. Amendment 9The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 23 a (new)
   Amendment

   23a. Believes that instead of promoting harmful budgetary cuts and structural reforms in order to reach the debt and deficit targets prescribed by the Stability and Growth Pact, EU economic governance should favour and facilitate the collection, by Member States and at EU level, of additional resources through fair taxation, in particular taxes on the wealthiest and multinational companies, taxes on ecologically harmful products and services, the cancellation of ineffective and unfair tax and social contribution exemptions, and the fight against tax dodging and tax evasion by wealthy individuals and multinational companies;

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10. Amendment 10The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 23 b (new)
    Amendment

    23b. Highlights that, in general, budgetary cuts justified to comply with the economic governance rules correspond to the cost of tax breaks and tax allowances granted to wealthy individuals and multinational corporations; notes that, for instance, in the specific case of France, the EUR 60 billion in budgetary cuts proposed by the French Government for the 2025 budget equate exactly to the annual cost of tax breaks and tax allowances granted to wealthy individuals and multinational corporations by the French Government since 2017;

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11. Amendment 11The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 31 a (new)
    Amendment

    31a. Regrets that in order to comply with the revised economic governance rules, Member State governments, with France at the forefront, have committed in their national fiscal and budgetary plans to reducing public expenditure and to implementing structural reforms; deplores that these commitments have already, or will in the near future, translate into concrete measures deeply affecting the population, such as a reform of the pension system, a reform of the unemployment scheme, a decrease in healthcare reimbursements and job cuts in public administrations such as public education, leading to a general degradation of public services; warns that these economic policies aimed at complying wit…

    Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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12. Amendment 12The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 35 a (new)
    Amendment

    35a. Notes that the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, proposed a suspension of fiscal rules for defence investments; condemns the double standards that allow military spending to rise indefinitely while social and environmental expenditure continues to face budget cuts; calls for any modification of the fiscal framework to be democratically approved by Parliament; highlights the fact that fiscal rules were already suspended during the COVID-19 crisis and stresses that the need to amend this framework in every crisis demonstrates its long-term inadequacy;

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13. Amendment 13ECRMotion for a resolution · Recital K a (new)
    Amendment

    Ka. whereas, in the context of the anticipated ReArm Europe plan, the President of the Commission indicated the intention to activate the national escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact to allow Member States to increase defence-related investments; whereas this announcement was made in response to escalating geopolitical tensions, in particular the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine and the need to enhance Member States’ defence capabilities; whereas fiscal flexibility is essential to enable all Member States to contribute effectively to European security while safeguarding economic stability and competitiveness;

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14. Amendment 14ECRMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 35 a (new)
    Amendment

    35a. Encourages the swift activation of the national escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact in order to provide Member States with the necessary fiscal flexibility to scale up defence investments without triggering excessive deficit procedures; underlines that reinforcing the Union’s security requires a structured approach to defence expenditure, ensuring targeted investments that strengthen industrial capacity and strategic autonomy;

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15. Amendment 15PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 3
    Current text

    3. Notes the Commission’s commitment to ensure that the European Semester drives policy coordination for competitiveness, sustainability and social fairness, as well as the integration of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the European pillar of social rights; notes that the European Green Deal remains a core deliverable for the Commission;

    Amendment

    3. Recalls the original objective of the European Semester, which was the coordination of budgetary and economic policies across the Union; regrets, in this regard, the Commission’s commitment over the years to continuously expand the original scope of the European Semester in order to drive policy coordination for sustainability and social fairness as well as the integration of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the European Pillar of Social Rights; regrets that, despite its negative impact on the European economy, industry and competitiveness, the European Green Deal remains a core deliverable for the Commission;

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16. Amendment 16PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 5
    Current text

    5. Highlights that public and private investments are crucial for the EU’s ability to cope with existing challenges, including developing the EU’s innovation capacity and implementing the just green and digital transitions, and that they will increase the EU’s resilience, long-term competitiveness and open strategic autonomy; calls attention to the need for strategic investments in energy interconnections, low-carbon energies (such as renewables) and energy efficiency to, among other things, (i) make the EU independent from imported fossil fuels and prevent the possible inflationary effects of dependence on these, (ii) modernise production systems and (iii) promote social cohesion; recalls t…

    Amendment

    5. Highlights that public and private investments are crucial for the EU’s ability to cope with existing challenges, including developing the EU’s innovation capacity and implementing the just green and digital transitions, and that they will increase the EU’s resilience, long-term competitiveness and open strategic autonomy; calls attention to the need for strategic investments in energy interconnections, low-carbon energies (such as renewables) and energy efficiency to, among other things, (i) make the EU independent from imported fossil fuels and prevent the possible inflationary effects of dependence on these, (ii) modernise production systems and (iii) promote social cohesion; recalls t…

    Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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17. Amendment 17PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 15
    Current text

    15. Notes that eight Member States have excessive deficits; recalls that the Council has taken remedial action and calls on the Member States concerned to take steps to reduce excessive deficits while minimising the socio-economic impact; recalls the importance of consistency in applying the excessive deficit procedure to the Member States;

    Amendment

    15. Notes that eight Member States have excessive deficits; recalls that the Council has taken remedial action and calls on the Member States concerned to take steps to reduce excessive deficits while minimising the socio-economic impact; recalls the importance of the equal treatment of Member States regarding the excessive deficit procedure;

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18. Amendment 18PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 22
    Current text

    22. Highlights that the debt sustainability analysis (DSA) plays a key role in the reformed EU fiscal rules; is of the opinion that the discretionary role of the Commission in the DSA requires the relevant assessments to be fully transparent, predictable, replicable and stable; calls on the Commission to address possible methodological improvements, such as assessing spillover effects between Member States, and to duly inform Parliament in this regard;

    Amendment

    22. Highlights that the debt sustainability analysis (DSA) plays a key role in the reformed EU fiscal rules; is of the opinion that the discretionary role of the Commission in the DSA requires the relevant assessments to be fully transparent, predictable, replicable and stable; calls on the Commission to address, together with the Member States’ representatives, possible methodological improvements, such as assessing spillover effects between Member States, and to duly inform Parliament in this regard;

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19. Amendment 19PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 38
    Current text

    38. Notes that the share of ‘fully implemented’ CSRs has dropped from 18.1 % (in the period 2011-2018) to 13.9 % (in the period 2019-2023); recalls that implementing CSRs, including with regard to the efficiency of public spending, is a key part of ensuring fiscal sustainability and addressing macroeconomic imbalances; advocates a more efficient implementation of the CSRs and the relevant reforms; calls for ways of increasing the share of ‘fully implemented’ CSRs to be explored; calls on the Commission to link the CSRs more closely to the respective country reports; calls for the impact of reforms and the progress towards reducing identified investment gaps to be evaluated; calls for greater…

    Amendment

    38. Notes that the share of ‘fully implemented’ CSRs has dropped from 18.1 % (in the period 2011-2018) to 13.9 % (in the period 2019-2023); recalls that implementing CSRs, including with regard to the efficiency of public spending, is a key part of ensuring fiscal sustainability and addressing macroeconomic imbalances; notes that the RRF has not led to substantially higher CSR implementation rates so far; advocates a more efficient implementation of the CSRs and the relevant reforms; calls for ways of increasing the share of ‘fully implemented’ CSRs to be explored; calls on the Commission to increase Member States’ national ownership in order to ensure the full implementation of CSRs; calls…

    Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
    official amendment document ↗
20. Amendment 20PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 41 a (new)
    Amendment

    41a. Reiterates, in this regard, that CSRs must always remain within the remit of EU competences and should never use double standards;

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