31.5.2013   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 153/190

—

having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2011)0619 – C7-0315/2011),

—

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,

—

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),

—

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

—

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

—

having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A7-0377/2011),

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 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 Ireland has requested assistance in respect of a case concerning 842 redundancies, of which 554 have been targeted for assistance, in 230 enterprises operating in the NACE Revision 2 Division 71 (‧Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis‧) (3) in the NUTS II regions of Border, Midlands and Western (IE01) and Southern and Eastern (IE02) in Ireland. These two contiguous regions comprise the entire State of Ireland,

E.

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

1.

Requests the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF; appreciates in this sense 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 made within the framework of the upcoming review of the EGF and that greater efficiency, transparency and visibility of the EGF will be achieved;

2.

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, in particular the most vulnerable and least qualified workers;

3.

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 employment; further stresses that the EGF assistance can co-finance only active labour market measures which lead to 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;

4.

Notes that the information provided on the coordinated package of personalised services to be funded from the EGF includes information on the compatibility and 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 as well;

5.

Welcomes the fact that following repeated requests from Parliament, for the first time the 2011 budget shows payment appropriations of EUR 47 608 950 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, superseding transfers from other budget lines, as done in the past, which could be detrimental to the achievement of the various policies objectives;

6.

Points out that the amount of payment appropriations initially entered on the budget line 04 05 01 will have been fully consumed with application EGF/2010/019 IE/Construction 41 from Ireland; considers that as payment appropriations are available in 2011 under the budget line 04 02 01 "Completion of the European Social Fund (ESF) – Objective 1 (2000 to 2006)", an amount of EUR 1 387 819 needed for the present application can therefore be made available for transfer;

7.

Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;

8.

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;

9.

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