Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: redundancies in car industry in Sweden and Austria, and in construction sector in the Netherlands

The Committee on Budgets adopted the report drawn up by Reimer BÖGE (EPP, DE) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for an amount of EUR 15 931 423 in commitment and payment appropriations. This amount is intended to provide assistance to Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands in respect of cases concerning redundancies in the automotive and in the construction sector.

MEPs recall that the European Union has set up the appropriate legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who suffer from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns and to assist their reintegration into the labour market. Given that these three countries have requested assistance in respect of cases concerning redundancies in the automotive sector in Sweden and Austria, and in the construction sector in one enterprise, Heijmans N.V., in the Netherlands and that these applications have fulfilled the eligibility criteria set up by the EGF Regulation, MEPs call on the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF for the requested amount.

In addition, they recall the institutions' commitment to ensure a smooth and rapid procedure for the adoption of the decisions on the mobilisation of the Fund, providing one-off, time-limited individual support geared to helping workers who have suffered redundancies as a result of globalisation. They stress that the European Union should use all its means to face the consequences of the global economic and financial crisis and that in this respect the EGF can play a crucial role in the reintegration of the workers made redundant into the labour market.

MEPs also recall that:

• the possibility of grouping proposals for decisions on the mobilisation of the fund together into batches puts in jeopardy the right of the budgetary authority to examine each application on the basis of its own merits and could, as a consequence, penalise certain of them;
• assistance from the EGF shall not replace actions which are the responsibility of companies by virtue of national law or collective agreements, nor measures restructuring companies or sectors;
• in the context of mobilising the EGF, not to systematically transfer payment appropriations from the European Union Social Fund, since the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines;
• the functioning and the added value of the EGF should be evaluated in the context of the general assessment of the programmes and other various instruments created by the IIA of 17 May 2006, within the process of the 2007-2013 multiannual financial framework budget review.

Lastly, MEPs call on the Commission from now on to submit proposals to authorise the mobilisation of the Fund separately for every single application.