Reversing the negative social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic

15.6.2021

Question for oral answer  O-000044/2021
to the Commission
Rule 136
Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Dennis Radtke, Manuel Pizarro, Atidzhe Alieva-Veli, Elena Lizzi, Katrin Langensiepen, Elżbieta Rafalska, Leila Chaibi
on behalf of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

The economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the labour market. It has led to deepening inequality, increasing numbers of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, and hindered access to services. Even though unemployment rates are expected to decrease in 2022, the social repercussions of the health crisis need to be addressed. The pandemic has shed light on existing imbalances and accelerated dangerous social trends, such as the precariousness of the living and working conditions of some group of workers, with a severe impact on the most vulnerable groups. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs would like to ask the Commission the following questions:

• 1.How will the Commission together with the Member States work to address the social consequences of the pandemic, protect the rights and improve the situation of the vulnerable groups which have been disproportionately hit by the crisis?
• 2.How will the Commission work to ensure the timely collection of quality disaggregated data on the consequences of the pandemic on the employment and social situation in the EU, especially among the most vulnerable groups?
• 3.How will the Commission ensure that National Recovery and Resilience Plans are duly implemented and contribute to the objectives stated in the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) Regulation, in particular in terms of quality employment, poverty reduction and upward social and economic convergence?
• 4.How will the Commission evaluate and monitor the implementation and the impact of the European instrument for temporary support to mitigate unemployment risks in an emergency (SURE)?
• 5.How will the Commission further coordinate and support the development of skills and competences in line with labour market needs in the context of the EU’s recovery and the digital and green transitions?
• 6.How will the Commission work with the Member States to improve EU actions to enhance the social resilience and sustainability of the recovery of European economies and better respond to future crises?

Submitted: 15.6.2021

Lapses: 16.9.2021