European Semester for economic policy coordination 2026

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 · Paragraph 14 a (new)
   Amendment

   14a. Takes the view that Member State budgetary and economic policies are being controlled and conditioned by the package of instruments, rules and mechanisms set out in the ‘Economic Governance’ legislation and the European Semester process; points outs that those instruments and mechanisms have been a key factor in eroding labour and other social rights, deepening social inequalities, diminishing public investment, undermining public services and social benefits provided by the state and weakening productive sectors and have contributed to the deregulation and privatisation of strategic sectors, with a consequent increase in structural deficits; notes that those instruments and mechanisms…

   Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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2. Amendment 2The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 14 b (new)
   Amendment

   14b. Considers it necessary, therefore, to repeal all EU economic governance instruments and mechanisms; calls for those instruments and mechanisms to be replaced by a Social Progress and Employment Pact, the goals of which would be: – respecting each nation’s sovereignty, safeguarding conditions for each country to advance its economic and social development, overcome structural deficits and improve its productive capacity; – tackling unemployment and promoting full employment, upholding and strengthening labour and other social rights, safeguarding and promoting collective bargaining and eradicating precariousness and poverty; – defending and strengthening public services and social benefi…

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3. Amendment 3The LeftMotion for a resolution · Recital A a (new)
   Amendment

   Aa. 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 revenues; whereas in the period from the introduction of the European Semester in 2011 up to 2018, the Commission recommended on 63 occasions that governments cut spending on healthcare or privatise health services1a; whereas from 2016 to 2022, the Commission recommended reforms to pension systems 122 times, including 30 calls to increase the retirement age1b; _________________ 1a https://www.dielinke-europa.eu/wp-content/uploads/kontext-import/documents/9/3/d70fc8.pdf. 1b https://www.econstor.eu/bi…

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

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

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5. Amendment 5The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 11 a (new)
   Amendment

   11a. Stresses, moreover, that surging housing costs have significant social consequences, including worsening inequalities, increasing housing insecurity and limiting access to adequate and affordable housing for large segments of the population; considers, therefore, that country-specific recommendations under the European Semester should take full account of these challenges and encourage Member States to financially support city authorities in stepping up investment in public, social and affordable housing and in large-scale thermal renovation programmes in order to reduce energy poverty and improve the resilience of housing stock; calls on the Commission to make EU co-financing of these…

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6. Amendment 6The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 15 a (new)
   Amendment

   15a. 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, the EU economic governance framework should aim at eradicating poverty and inequalities and providing a high level of social protection, high-quality public services, individual and collective well-being through the fulfilment of the essential needs of all citizens, and ecological planning;

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7. Amendment 7The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 15 b (new)
   Amendment

   15b. Regrets that in order to comply with the revised economic governance rules, Member State governments, France being at the forefront, have committed in their national fiscal and budgetary plans to reducing public expenditure and implementing structural reforms; deplores the fact that these commitments have already or will in the near future translate into concrete measures deeply affecting the population, such as the reform of the pension system, the 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 aiming at co…

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8. Amendment 8The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 16 a (new)
   Amendment

   16a. Stresses that the use of escape clauses should not be limited to defence spending; considers that external and temporary shocks can occur in a variety of policy areas and sees no justification for limiting the use of escape clauses to a single domain; highlights that this could apply, in particular, to major public health crises, ecological disasters or other systemic emergencies requiring exceptional and rapid public investment;

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9. Amendment 9The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 22 a (new)
   Amendment

   22a. Regrets that, in the context of a general reduction in public spending, multinational companies have for years benefited from significant public subsidies without conditions attached; calls, therefore, for such subsidies to be made conditional on clear social, economic and environmental commitments, including the preservation of local jobs and production, the achievement of ecological objectives, and limits on shareholder payouts and executive remuneration;

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10. Amendment 10The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 22 b (new)
    Amendment

    22b. Recalls that the IMF, a long-time supporter of austerity and structural adjustments, acknowledges that fiscal consolidation is generally ineffective in lowering debt-to-GDP ratios;

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11. Amendment 11The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 22 c (new)
    Amendment

    22c. Highlights the fact, for example, that the EUR 24 billion in budgetary cuts imposed by the French Government for the 2026 budget is far less than the annual cost of tax breaks granted to wealthy individuals and multinational corporations since 2017;

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12. Amendment 12The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 30 a (new)
    Amendment

    30a. Recalls that failure to mitigate and adapt to climate change in good time 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 running counter to the very purpose of the fiscal rules, which is to support sound public finances; notes that, according to the European Environment Agency, delivering the objectives of the European Green Deal requires additional investments at EU level of at least EUR 520 billion per year; considers that the bulk of these additional investments should come from public sources in order to support a fair and democratic transition;

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13. Amendment 13The LeftMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 30 b (new)
    Amendment

    30b. 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, the EU economic governance framework should favour and facilitate the collection at both Member State and EU level of additional resources through fair taxation, in particular taxes on the wealthiest and on multinational companies, taxes on ecologically harmful products and services, the removal of ineffective and unfair tax and social contribution exemptions, and the fight against tax dodging and tax evasion on the part of wealthy individuals and multinational companies;

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14. Amendment 14PPEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 12
    Current text

    12. Highlights that a consistent and comprehensive industrial policy is vital for supporting the EU’s technological transformation and secure, resilient supply chains, while preserving competitive and undistorted markets;

    Amendment

    12. Highlights that a consistent and targeted industrial policy is vital for supporting the EU’s technological transformation and secure, resilient supply chains, while preserving competitive and undistorted markets;

    official amendment document ↗
15. Amendment 15PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 24 a (new)
    Amendment

    24a. Emphasises that CSRs should be better focused, by preserving their macroeconomic character, and should always remain within the remit of EU competences and should never use double standards;

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16. Amendment 16PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 28
    Current text

    28. Stresses the growing importance of CSRs linked to the national and regional partnership plans; draws attention to the fact that there is currently no transparent or traceable methodology for developing and selecting CSRs, nor clarity on why some are proposed and others are not, which raises concerns regarding accountability and equal treatment of Member States; calls on the Commission to clarify the underlying procedures and selection criteria; underlines that any overall increase in the Commission’s discretionary power must be accompanied by corresponding ex post accountability mechanisms and a substantial improvement in the flow of information towards Parliament;

    Amendment

    28. Stresses that the growing importance and potentially more binding character of CSRs, when linked to the NRPPs, constitute a significant increase in the Commission’s discretionary power; draws attention to the fact that there is currently no transparent or traceable methodology for developing and selecting CSRs, nor clarity on why some are proposed and others are not, which raises concerns regarding accountability and equal treatment of Member States; calls on the Commission to clarify the underlying procedures and selection criteria; underlines that any overall increase in the Commission’s discretionary power must be accompanied by corresponding ex post accountability mechanisms and a su…

    Excerpt — full text in the official PDF.
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17. Amendment 17PfEMotion for a resolution · Paragraph 28 a (new)
    Amendment

    28a. Expresses strong concern about the Commission’s proposal to make access to significant funding under the NRPPs and the European Competitiveness Fund conditional on the fulfilment of CSRs; recalls that similar conditionality in the context of the RRF has demonstrated serious shortcomings, including inconsistencies in the assessment of national reforms, politicisation of the process and insufficient accountability; stresses that replicating this approach risks undermining the credibility, ownership and effectiveness of both the European Semester and future EU funding;

    official amendment document ↗