15.12.2016   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 468/231

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having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2013)0703 — C7-0357/2013),

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having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management (1) (IIA of 17 May 2006), and in particular point 28 thereof,

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having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on establishing the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2) (the EGF Regulation),

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having regard to the trilogue procedure provided for in point 28 of the IIA of 17 May 2006,

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

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A7-0410/2013),

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 and to assist their reintegration into the labour market,

B.

whereas the Union’s financial assistance to workers made redundant should be dynamic and made available as quickly and as efficiently as possible, in accordance with the Joint Declaration of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission adopted during the conciliation meeting on 17 July 2008, and having due regard to the IIA of 17 May 2006 in respect of the adoption of decisions to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF),

C.

whereas Denmark submitted application EGF/2012/011 DK/Vestas for a financial contribution from the EGF, following 611 redundancies in the Vestas Group, with 611 workers targeted for EFG co-funded measures during the reference period 18 September 2012 to 18 December 2012,

D.

whereas the application fulfils the eligibility criteria laid down in the EGF Regulation,

1.

Agrees with the Commission that the conditions laid down in point (a) of Article 2 of the EGF Regulation are met and that Denmark is therefore entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation;

2.

Notes that the Danish authorities submitted the application for an EGF financial contribution on 21 December 2012 and that its assessment was made available by the Commission on 16 October 2013; notes that the evaluation of that application took much longer compared to the Vestas case submitted by Denmark in May 2012;

3.

Considers that the redundancies in the Vestas Group concerning wind turbine manufacturing are linked to major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation, in particular a stagnation of demand for wind turbine installations in the Union and a growth of the Asian market, the penetration of the Union market by Chinese wind turbine manufacturers at more competitive prices and a significant reduction of the Union market share in total capacity from 66 % in 2006 to 27,5 % in 2012 (3);

4.

Is of the opinion that the Union wind energy market is set to grow further, generating demand for the Union's wind turbine manufacturers and associated industries through the ongoing promotion of energy from renewable sources at Union level; notes, in this respect, the mandatory national targets for the use of renewable energy by 2020; therefore expresses concern about this particular relocation and points out the risk of importation of wind turbines produced in Asia into the Union market;

5.

Notes that the dismissals concerned are the direct result of the strategic decision taken by the Vestas Group in November 2011 to reorganise its structure and increase proximity to its customers in the regional markets, especially in China; notes that the affected region of Ringkøbing-Skjern made considerable investments in infrastructure to attract an innovative enterprise such as the Vestas Group and that the decision of the Vestas Group puts the region into difficulties;

6.

Notes that the Vestas Group was already subject to large scale redundancies in 2009/2010, with a new wave from 2012 bringing the number of affected Vestas Group employees to approximately 2 000, which presents a great challenge for the affected municipalities already subject to a rapid increase of unemployment (4);

7.

Notes that this is the third EGF case involving the Vestas Group and the fourth EGF case in the wind turbines sector (EGF/2010/003 DK/Vestas (5), EGF/2010/022 DK/LM Glasfiber (6), EGF/2010/017 DK/Midtjylland Machinery (7));

8.

Welcomes the fact that, in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Danish authorities decided to initiate the implementation of the personalised services to the affected workers on 1 March 2013, well ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package;

9.

Notes that the coordinated package of personalised services to be co-funded includes measures for the reintegration of 611 redundant workers into employment such as counselling, mentoring and coaching, individualised targeted training packages (intercultural training courses, language courses, entrepreneurship training, off-the-shelf courses and training programmes), entrepreneurship allowances, measures relating to workers aged 55 or older with special mentoring and outplacement and subsistence allowances;

10.

Welcomes the fact that the workers will follow individualised targeted training packages to meet their needs as defined during the counselling and coaching phase;

11.

Welcomes the fact that the coordinated package provides for measures with special mentoring and outplacement for workers aged 55 years or older who are likely to experience additional difficulties in finding new jobs due to their age;

12.

Notes that the package contains considerable financial incentives for setting up own businesses (up to EUR 25 000) which will strictly be linked to participation in entrepreneurship courses and monitoring exercise at the end of the EGF project;

13.

Regrets, however, that more than half of the EGF support will be spent on financial allowances — all workers are said to receive subsistence allowance which is estimated at EUR 10 400 per worker;

14.

Recalls that the EGF support should primarily be allocated to job searches and training programmes instead of contributing directly to financial allowances; notes that, if included in the package, such allowances should be of a complementary nature and should never replace allowances under the responsibility of Member States or companies by virtue of national law or collective agreements; stresses, in this context, that the new EGF regulation for 2014-2020 will introduce a cap on financial allowances which will not constitute more than 35 % of the cost of the package and that a disproportionate rate of allowances will not be repeated under the new regulation;

15.

Welcomes the fact that the social partners, including trade unions, were consulted during the preparation of the EGF application, and that a policy of equality between women and men as well as the principle non-discrimination will be applied during the various stages of the implementation of and in access to the EGF;

16.

Recalls the importance of improving the employability of all workers by means of adapted training and the recognition of skills and competences gained throughout a worker's professional career; expects the training on offer in the coordinated package to be adapted not only to the needs of the dismissed workers but also to the actual business environment;

17.

Notes that the information provided on the coordinated package of personalised services to be funded from the EGF includes information on complementarity with actions funded by the European Structural Funds; stresses that the Danish authorities confirm that the eligible actions do not receive assistance from other Union financial instruments; reiterates its call to the Commission to present a comparative evaluation of those data in its annual reports in order to ensure full respect of the existing regulations and that no duplication of Union-funded services can occur;

18.

Requests that the institutions involved make the necessary efforts to improve procedural arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF; appreciates the improved procedure put in place by the Commission, following Parliament's request for the accelerated release of grants, which aims to present to the budgetary authority the Commission's assessment of the eligibility of an EGF application together with the proposal to mobilise the EGF; hopes that further improvements in the procedure will be integrated in the new EGF Regulation for 2014-2020 and that greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the EGF will be achieved;

19.

Stresses that, in accordance with Article 6 of the EGF Regulation, it shall be ensured that the EGF supports the reintegration of individual redundant workers into stable employment; stresses, furthermore, that EGF assistance can co-finance only active labour market measures which lead to durable, long-term employment; reiterates that assistance from the EGF must replace neither actions which are the responsibility of companies by virtue of national law or collective agreements, nor measures restructuring companies or sectors;

20.

Welcomes the agreement reached in the Council on reintroducing in the EGF Regulation for the period 2014-2020 the crisis mobilisation criterion, which allows for the provision of financial assistance to workers made redundant as a result of the current financial and economic crisis in addition to those losing their job because of changes in global trade patterns;

21.

Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;

22.

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;

23.

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