MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on social and employment aspects of restructuring processes: the need to protect jobs and workers’ rights – B10-0152/2025

B10‑0152/2025

European Parliament resolution on social and employment aspects of restructuring processes: the need to protect jobs and workers’ rights

(2024/2829(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 11 December 2019 on the European Green Deal (COM(2019)0640),

– having regard to the European Commission President’s Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2024-2029, the mission letters to the Commissioners-designate and their replies to the written questionnaires from Parliament, and the hearings conducted in Parliament,

– having regard to the report by Mario Draghi entitled ‘The future of European competitiveness: A competitiveness strategy for Europe’ (the ‘Draghi report’),

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas industry currently employs around 35 million people in the EU, generates several million industry-linked jobs and accounts for over 80 % of exports and has a dominant role in attracting foreign direct investments; whereas Europe has strong, centuries-old industrial traditions which provide a firm foundation for the efficient development of the EU’s productive sectors, grounded in the social economy and EU values;

B. whereas further investment in research and innovation is crucial to boost the productivity and development of European industry; whereas digitalisation and artificial intelligence are vital across all industry sectors, driving competitiveness, fostering job creation and contributing to economic prosperity;

C. whereas a core objective of restructuring processes should be the preservation of jobs and productivity;

D. whereas the automotive industry has traditionally been one of Europe’s vital industrial engines; whereas the automotive supply chain in the EU is currently facing competitive disadvantages compared to non-EU countries, particularly in terms of costs, technology and regulatory constraints;

E. whereas the current crisis in the automotive industry is self-inflicted and is driven by restrictive EU policies that have failed to consider their social impact on SMEs and businesses;

F. whereas the decline in EU competitiveness is largely driven by an excessive administrative and regulatory burden; whereas President von der Leyen announced that the Commission would simplify existing legislation and eliminate overlapping rules; whereas the Commission seems to be persisting with excessive administrative and regulatory burdens that are stifling European industries and driving investments out of the EU;

G. whereas, as acknowledged in the Draghi report, the Commission has imposed excessively restrictive and unrealistic climate policies, which have directly contributed to the deindustrialisation of the EU, the loss of millions of jobs, and a decline in European competitiveness;

H. whereas almost a quarter of Europe’s population lives in rural areas and is dependent on individual mobility; whereas affordable and accessible mobility for all EU citizens is a key prerequisite to maintaining social cohesion and freedom of movement, enabling access to jobs, education and healthcare, reducing regional disparities and preventing depopulation;

1. Highlights that the EU’s competitiveness is primarily determined by its general business climate; calls therefore for the business environment for SMEs and strategic industries to be improved; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the necessary investments are made in infrastructure to guarantee broad access in all European regions, in particular in rural areas and the regions covered by Article 174 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, as well as those investments necessary to encourage entrepreneurship, create new job opportunities and prevent regional depopulation;

2. Calls on the Commission to make an urgent assessment of Green Deal policies, in order to determine the best solution for improving the competitiveness of European companies, namely either a revision or a suspension of these policies; underlines the need to prevent the deindustrialisation of the EU and to protect job opportunities within the Union; reiterates the importance of upholding the principle of technological neutrality;

3. Calls on the Commission to provide an impact assessment of the social impact of Green Deal policies, in particular in industry, in cooperation with social partners; underlines that relocation and offshoring of companies, along with the associated involuntary migration of labour, can lead to irreversible changes and further exacerbate regional disparities; urges the Commission therefore to address the problem of industrial and social ‘desertification’ of certain areas of the Member States;

4. Underlines that in order to limit and hopefully reverse the current occupational crisis – in terms of both the skills crisis and layoffs – which affects both big companies and the supply chain, the loss of jobs and skills should not be viewed as inevitable; calls for the EU and the Member States to implement supporting measures for companies, at both the EU and trade association levels, as well as initiatives aimed at enhancing cross-sectoral skills and improving expertise within various industrial sectors;

5. Highlights the importance of keeping transformation costs for industry in the EU competitive, as well as the importance of short-term measures to reduce the regulatory burden and ensure consistency, predictability and appropriate timing and consultation for future legislation; calls on the Commission to follow the recommendations of the Draghi report in order to ensure that the EU remains a leader in the global automotive industry, and preserves jobs, R&D facilities and manufacturing within the EU; underlines that the radical shift of production away from the EU’s automotive sector, or the rapid takeover of EU plants and companies by state-subsidised competitors, should be avoided;

6. Calls on the Commission to conduct competitiveness checks on every new legislative proposal, taking into account the overall impact of EU legislation on companies, as well as on other EU policies and programmes;

7. Stresses that the ability to recruit and retain a skilled workforce is crucial for maintaining a competitive EU industrial sector; considers that education in future-oriented sectors, skills and competencies – particularly in vocational education and training, dual education systems, and digital skills – is essential to addressing current skills shortages; underlines that EU industry and enterprises should play a key role in planning and developing educational and training programmes in order to ease the transition to the labour market; believes that lifelong learning is essential to ensure the efficient and timely upskilling and reskilling of workers;

8. Calls on the Commission to reverse the decision to ban combustion engine vehicles as of 2035;

9. Calls on the Commission to anticipate a safeguard clause to revise the 2025 targets for CO2 emissions; underlines that many companies will not be able to meet the deadlines and that this might lead to another wave of layoffs;

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