European Parliament
Sérgio Marques (PPE-DE ),
in writing
(PT)
The overall objective of the Community Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity, or Progress, is to provide financial support for implementing the objectives of the EU in the area of employment and social affairs and to help achieve the targets of the social agenda in the context of the Lisbon Strategy.
The partial political agreement on a common position already incorporates most of Parliament’s amendments to the text of the proposal. Broadly speaking, Parliament, the Council and the Commission have taken the same line on this programme.
I therefore lend my full backing to the text of the common position, which creates the conditions in which the proposal for a decision establishing the programme can be quickly adopted. This text does not change the substance of the Commission’s original proposal, but it does bring greater clarity and transparency to the implementation of the programme and above all to budgetary questions.

