7.3.2014   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 68/96

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having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2012)0395 – C7-0190/2012),

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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) (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 Employments and Social Affairs,

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A7-0334/2012),

A.

whereas 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,

B.

whereas the scope of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was broadened for applications submitted from 1 May 2009 to include support for workers made redundant as a direct result of the global financial and economic crisis,

C.

whereas the Union’s financial assistance to workers made redundant should be dynamic and made available as quickly and 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 for the IIA of 17 May 2006 in respect of the adoption of decisions to mobilise the EGF,

D.

whereas the Netherlands has requested assistance for 516 redundancies, 435 of which are targeted for assistance, in 54 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 41 ('Construction of buildings') (3) in the NUTS II region of Gelderland (NL22) in the Netherlands.

E.

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

1.

Agrees with the Commission that the conditions set out in Article 2(b) of the EGF Regulation are met and that, therefore, the Netherlands is entitled to a financial contribution under that Regulation;

2.

Welcomes this call for the EGF financial contribution by the Dutch Government even though this Member State has opposed the extension of the crisis derogation for the current EGF and jeopardises the future oft the EGF after 2013;

3.

Notes that the Dutch authorities submitted the application for EGF financial contribution on 15 December 2011 and that its assessment was made available by the Commission on 16 July 2012; observes that the evaluation process and submission of additional information by the Member State could have been more expeditious;

4.

Notes that, considering the importance of the construction sector in Gelderland, the redundancies are deeply felt; there are relatively many people working in construction (approximately 60 000 in 2011) compared with other sectors of industry such as chemical (9 000), food (15 000) and metal / electrical (40 300) industries; the unemployment rate in 2011 in Gelderland was 5,9 %, a fraction higher than the Dutch average; in 2010, 4 100 jobs were lost in the construction sector (drop by 6,5 %); youth unemployment increased by 10 % in 2011;

5.

Notes that Gelderland is the biggest province of the Netherlands, counting approximately 2 million inhabitants; the region has a well-educated population and counts about 146 000 companies; the vast majority of redundant workers come from elementary professions; therefore, there is a necessity for further training and education in order to allow them to re-integrate in the labour market;

6.

Notes, however, that according to Eurostat, the national unemployment rate in the Netherlands in July 2012 stood at 5,3 % and is the second lowest in the EU;

7.

Welcomes the fact that, in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Dutch authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package;

8.

Recalls the importance of improving the employability of workers, in particular - in elementary professions, by means of tailored training and the recognition of skills and competences gained through out the professional career; expects the training on offer in the coordinated package to be adapted to the level and needs of the dismissed workers;

9.

Welcomes the involvement of the social partners in the design and in the implementation of the coordinated package which makes a part of a social plan agreed by the social partners;

10.

Welcomes more extensive explanations of the modules included in the coordinated package compared to the previous Dutch applications; notes however, the very high cost of training amounting to EUR 18 000 per worker (foreseen for 75 workers) and the outplacement assistance - EUR 8 500 per worker (foreseen for 150 workers) and requests more information concerning those two measures and operators carrying them out;

11.

Highlights the fact that lessons should be learned from the preparation and implementation of this and other applications addressing mass dismissals in a high number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in one sector, in particular, in terms of the eligibility of self-employed and owners of the SMEs for EGF support in the future regulation and the arrangements used by the regions and the Member States to quickly come up with sectoral applications covering a large number of enterprises;

12.

Welcomes the fact that the EGF contribution is planned to support solely active labour measures (training and counselling) and will not be used for subsistence allowances;

13.

Requests the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF; appreciates the improved procedure put in place by the Commission, following Parliament's request for accelerating the release of grants, aimed at presenting to the budgetary authority the Commission's assessment on 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 Regulation on the EGF (2014–2020) and that greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the EGF will be achieved;

14.

Welcomes the fact that in order to provide workers with speedy assistance, the Dutch authorities decided to start the implementation of the measures on 1 January 2012 well ahead of the final decision on granting the EGF support for the proposed coordinated package;

15.

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 been made redundant as a result of globalisation and the financial and economic crisis; emphasises the role that the EGF can play in the reintegration of workers made redundant into the labour market;

16.

Stresses that, in accordance with Article 6 of the EGF Regulation, it should be ensured that the EGF supports the reintegration of individual redundant workers into long-term employment; further stresses that the EGF assistance can co-finance only active labour market measures which lead to durable, long-term employment; reiterates 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; deplores the fact that the EGF might provide an incentive for companies to replace their contractual workforce with a more flexible and short-term one;

17.

Notes that 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; 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.

Welcomes the fact that following repeated requests from Parliament, the 2012 budget shows payment appropriations of EUR 50 000 000 on the EGF budget line 04 05 01; recalls that the EGF was created as a separate specific instrument with its own objectives and deadlines and that it therefore deserves a dedicated allocation, which will avoid transfers from other budget lines, as happened in the past, which could be detrimental to the achievement of the policy objectives of the EGF;

19.

Regrets the decision of the Council to block the extension of the "crisis derogation", allowing to provide 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, and allowing the increase in the rate of Union co-financing to 65 % of the programme costs, for applications submitted after the 31 December 2011 deadline, and calls on the Council to reintroduce this measure without delay;

20.

Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;

21.

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

22.

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