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having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2024)0035 – C9-0040/2024),

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having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/691 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013 (1) (‘EGF Regulation’),

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having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 of 17 December 2020 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021-2027 (2) as amended by Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/765 of 29 February 2024 amending Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 (3), and in particular Article 8 thereof,

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having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management, as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources (4), and in particular point 12 thereof,

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having regard to the letter from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs,

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A9-0171/2024),

A.

whereas the Union has 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 or of the global financial and economic crisis, and to assist their reintegration into the labour market; whereas this assistance is made through a financial support given to workers and the companies for which they worked;

B.

whereas Denmark submitted application EGF/2023/004 DK/Danish Crown for a financial contribution from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), following a total number of 751 displacements (5) in the economic sector classified under the NACE Revision 2 division 10 (Manufacture of food products) in the province of Nordylland with 692 displacements within a reference period for the application from 19 May 2023 to 19 September 2023, and 59 displacements before or after the reference period;

C.

whereas the application relates to 692 displacements within the reference period for the application, 651 displaced workers whose activity has ceased in Danish Crown (Danish Crown A/S) and 41 displaced workers in 2 suppliers and downstream producers of Danish Crown (6);

D.

whereas the application relates to 59 displacements whose activity ceased before or after the reference period of four months, where a clear causal link can be established with the event that triggered the cessations of activity of the displaced workers during the reference period as required by Article 6(2) of the EGF Regulation;

E.

whereas the application is based on the intervention criteria of Article 4(2), point (a), of the EGF Regulation, which requires at least 200 workers being made redundant over a reference period of four months in an enterprise in a Member State, including workers made redundant by suppliers and downstream producers and/or self-employed persons whose activity has ceased;

F.

whereas the Danish slaughterhouse sector is in a structural crisis; whereas since 2005, the number of pigs slaughtered in Denmark has decreased by 4,4 million (20 %); whereas the decline is largely due to the shift from raising pigs for slaughter to raising piglets for export; whereas exporting piglets is more profitable for Danish farmers than fattening pigs for slaughter due to low pork prices,

G.

whereas Danish Crown is a group of Danish food companies engaged in the butchery, processing and sale of primarily pork and beef; whereas the event giving rise to these displacements is the closure of Danish Crown's slaughterhouse in Sæby in Frederikshavn Municipality following the decline of pig available for slaughtering;

H.

whereas the requirements laid down in national and Union legislation concerning collective redundancies have been complied with;

I.

whereas financial contributions from the EGF should be primarily directed at active labour market policy measures and personalised services that aim to reintegrate beneficiaries rapidly into decent and sustainable employment within or outside their initial sector of activity, while preparing them for a greener and more digital European economy;

J.

whereas the MFF revision reduces the maximum annual amount of the EGF from EUR 186 million to EUR 30 million (in 2018 prices), as laid down in Article 8 of Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 as amended by Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/765; whereas the Commission should monitor EGF implementation and all Institutions should take any necessary measures to ensure that all justified requests for EGF support, as a manifestation of Union solidarity, can be met;

1.

Agrees with the Commission that the conditions set out in Article 4(2), point (a), of the EGF Regulation are met and that Denmark is entitled to a financial contribution of EUR 1 882 212 under that Regulation, which represents 60 % of the total cost of EUR 3 137 021, comprising expenditure for personalised services of EUR 2 878 001 and expenditure for preparatory, management, information and publicity, control and reporting activities of EUR 259 020;

2.

Notes that the Danish authorities submitted the application on 6 December 2023, and that, following the provision of additional information by Denmark, the Commission finalised its assessment on 29 February 2024 and notified it to Parliament on the same day;

3.

Notes that the application relates to 751 displaced workers affected by the closure of Danish Crown's slaughterhouse in Sæby; notes further that 390 displaced workers in total will be targeted beneficiaries and are expected to participate in the measures;

4.

Takes note that most of the displaced workers have low levels of formal qualifications (46 %) or rather outdated qualifications and skills (40 %); takes note that the 305 (41 %) of the displaced workers are of a migrant background and are not fluent in Danish; the EGF package also proposes measures on improving general competences including improving language skills in Danish;

5.

Welcomes the fact that the co-ordinated package of personalised services was drawn up by Denmark in consultation with targeted beneficiaries, their representatives and social partners;

6.

Recalls that personalised services to be provided to the workers and self-employed persons consist of the following actions: motivation, retention, training on general competences, upskilling/reskilling training, and training and job-search allowance;

7.

Strongly welcomes the fact that training offers were drawn considering several studies such as Jobbarometer 2023 (an analysis of local labour needs in Frederikshavn, Hjørring, Jammerbugt and Brønderslev Municipality), the Biennial Labour Market Balance that provides an overview of possible job openings, and FremKom4 analysis on skills, and that it aims to raise general competencies (including language and numeracy), digital competencies and skills improvement for jobs with skills shortages;

8.

Stresses in particular the importance of Article 7(2) of the EGF Regulation, which requires the coordinated package to anticipate future labour market perspectives and required skills, which are compatible with the shift towards a resource-efficient and sustainable economy and with a particular focus on the dissemination of skills required in the digital industrial age;

9.

Notes that Denmark started providing personalised services to the targeted beneficiaries on 16 October 2023 and that the period of eligibility for a financial contribution from the EGF will therefore be from 16 October 2023 until 24 months after the date of the entry into force of the financing decision;

10.

Notes that Denmark started incurring administrative expenditure to implement the EGF on 1 June 2023 and that expenditure for preparatory, management, information and publicity, control and reporting activities shall therefore be eligible for a financial contribution from the EGF from 1 June 2023 until 31 months after the date of the entry into force of the financing decision;

11.

Stresses that the Danish authorities have confirmed that the eligible actions do not receive assistance from other Union funds or financial instruments, and that the principles of equality of treatment and non-discrimination will be respected in the access to the proposed actions and their implementation;

12.

Reiterates that assistance from the EGF must not replace actions which are the responsibility of companies, by virtue of national law or collective agreements, or any allowances or rights of the displaced workers, to ensure full additionality of the allocation;

13.

Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;

14.

Instructs its President to sign the decision with the President of the Council and arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

15.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution, including its annex, to the Council and the Commission.