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Mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: technical assistance by the Commission

2014/2041(BUD)

The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by Liadh NÍ RIADA (GUE/NGL, IE) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, providing a total amount of EUR 330 000 in commitment and payment appropriations in the framework of technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission (EGF/2014/000 TA 2014).

Members recalled that the European Union set up legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers, who are suffering from the consequences of major structural changes in world trade patterns, dramatically aggravated by the economic, financial and social crisis, and to assist their reintegration into the labour market.

They also recalled that the amount of EUR 330 000 proposed to be mobilised by the Commission for technical assistance in 2014 is below the maximum of 0.5% of the annual maximum amount of the EGF (EUR 150 million at 2011 prices) as laid down by Article 11(1) of the EGF Regulation.

Technical assistance under the terms of the Regulation seek to finance preparation, monitoring, data gathering and creation of a knowledge base, administrative and technical support, information and communication activities as well as audit, control and evaluation activities necessary to implement the EGF Regulation. It shall also include the provision of information and guidance for the Member States in using, monitoring and evaluating the EGF to the European and national social partners.

Technical assistance 2014: Members stated that the Commission requested that the EGF be mobilised to cover expenditures in relation to technical assistance in order to monitor applications received and paid and measures proposed and implemented, to expand the website and translate new elements in all Union languages, increase the visibility of EGF, produce publications and audio-visual tools, to create a knowledge base, to provide administrative and technical support to Member States and regional authorities and not requesting funds for evaluations in 2014.

Against this background, Members called on the European Parliament to accept the measures proposed by the Commission.

They stated in particular the need to:

  • strengthen the importance of networking and exchange of information on the EGF: they support therefore the funding of the Expert Group of Contact Persons of the EGF as well as other networking activities among the Member States;
  • publicise the actions funded by EGF to the targeted beneficiaries, authorities, social partners, the media and the general public;
  • facilitate the mobilisation of the EGF in the Member States which are facing particularly serious social, economic and financial constraints.

Members regretted that the Commission did not duly analyse the effectiveness of the use of the crisis derogation criterion, especially taking into account that these EGF cases were not duly considered in the EGF framework review. They called on the co-legislators to consider the reintroduction of this measure without delay, especially in the context of the social emergency situations in several Member States.

Members supported the funding of the Expert Group of Contact Persons of the EGF and called on the Commission to invite the Parliament to the expert group meetings and seminars.

New EGF: Members requested the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF.

Lastly, Members welcomed:

  • the extension of the objectives and criteria of the EGF regulation introduced in December 2013, in order to integrate and facilitate applications from regions and countries with a smaller demographic density;
  • the extension of the scope of the fund regarding the eligible beneficiaries, namely self-employed persons and the provision of personalised services co-financed by the EGF to a number of NEETs under the age of 25, or when the Member states decide under the age of 30;
  • the need to increase the level of appropriations available for the EGF both in commitments and in payments to at least the 2013 level, that is to say, to at least EUR 500 million.