Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: redundancies in machinery production in Poland

The European Parliament adopted by 514 votes to 50, with 16 abstentions, a resolution approving the annexed proposal for a decision on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF).

This Fund shall be mobilised for an amount of EUR 453 570 in commitment and payment appropriations in respect of redundancies in the machinery and equipment industry in Poland.

Parliament recalls that the European Union has set up the appropriate legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns and to assist their reintegration into the labour market. Given that Poland has requested assistance in respect of cases concerning 594 redundancies (of which 200 targeted for assistance) in three enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 28 (Manufacture of machinery and equipment) in the NUTS II region of Podkarpackie in Poland, and that this application fulfils the eligibility criteria set up by the EGF Regulation, Parliament requests the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF for the requested amount.

Parliament recalls the institutions’ commitment to ensuring a smooth and rapid procedure for the adoption of the decisions on the mobilisation of the EGF, providing one-off, time-limited individual support geared to helping workers who have suffered redundancies as a result of globalisation and the financial and economic crisis.

It also recalls that:

• assistance from the EGF must not replace actions which are the responsibility of companies by virtue of national law or collective agreements, nor measures restructuring companies or sectors;
• the information provided on the coordinated package of personalised services to be funded from the EGF includes information on the complementarity with actions funded by the Structural Funds.

Parliament welcomes the fact that, following repeated requests from the Parliament, for the first time the 2011 budget shows payment appropriations of EUR 47 608 950 on the EGF budget line 04 05 01. This dedicated allocation will avoid transfers from other budget lines, as happened in the past, which could be detrimental to the achievement of the various policies objectives.

Lastly, Members call for an evaluation on the long-term integration of these workers into the labour market as a direct result of the EGF-funded measures.