4.11.2016   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 407/107

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having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2015)0156 — C8-0093/2015),

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having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1309/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (2014-2020) and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 (1) (EGF Regulation),

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having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020 (2), and in particular Article 12 thereof,

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having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (3) (IIA of 2 December 2013), and in particular point 13 thereof,

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having regard to its Resolution of 17 September 2014 on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, in accordance with point 13 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (application EGF/2014/000 TA 2014 — Technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission) (4),

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having regard to the trilogue procedure provided for in point 13 of the IIA of 2 December 2013,

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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 (A8-0185/2015),

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;

B.

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 to the IIA of 2 December 2013 in respect of the adoption of decisions to mobilise the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF);

C.

whereas the adoption of the EGF Regulation reflects the agreement reached between the Parliament and the Council to reintroduce the crisis mobilisation criterion, to increase the Union financial contribution to 60 % of the total estimated cost of proposed measures, to increase efficiency for the treatment of EGF applications in the Commission and by the Parliament and the Council by shortening the time for assessment and approval, to widen eligible actions and beneficiaries by introducing self-employed persons and young people and to finance incentives for setting up own businesses;

D.

whereas the maximum annual budget available for the EGF in 2015 is EUR 150 million (2011 prices) and whereas Article 11(1) of the EGF Regulation states that 0,5 % of this amount (i.e. EUR 811 825 in 2015) can be made available for technical assistance at the initiative of the Commission in order 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;

E.

whereas the European Parliament has frequently underlined the necessity of better visibility of the EGF as a Union instrument of solidarity with the workers made redundant;

F.

whereas the proposed amount of EUR 630 000 corresponds to about 0,39 % of the maximum annual budget available for the EGF in 2015;

1.

Agrees with the measures proposed by the Commission as technical assistance to finance expenditure mentioned in Article 11(1) and (4) as well as Article 12(2), (3) and (4) of the EGF Regulation;

2.

Recalls the importance of networking and exchange of information on the EGF: particularly in relation to the provisions of the new EGF Regulation; supports, therefore, the funding of the Expert Group of Contact Persons of the EGF and the networking seminars on the implementation of the EGF;

3.

Stresses that a key objective of those meetings should be to analyse the ex-post evaluation of the EGF (2007-2013) and thoroughly discuss its recommendations; calls on the Commission to present a complete analysis and report of the EGF funds already implemented to the European Parliament;

4.

Welcomes the continued work on the standardised procedures for EGF applications and management using the functionalities of the electronic data exchange system (SFC2014), which allows for the simplification and faster processing of applications, and better reporting;

5.

Notes that the process of integration of the EGF into the electronic data exchange system (SFC2014) has been going on for years and that the relevant costs from the EGF budget will continue to be relatively high for the next two or three years, until the integration process is completed;

6.

Asks the Commission to present the progress of integration into SFC2014 from the beginning of 2011 until 2014;

7.

Recommends that the Commission and the Member States should focus their networking activities on the following in particular:

8.

Recommends that the Commission assess the reasons that resulted, for some projects, in a delay in terms of approval or implementation and to present publicly its recommendations;

9.

Underlines the importance of increasing general awareness about EGF and its visibility; reminds applicant Member States of their role in publicising actions funded by the EGF to the targeted beneficiaries, authorities, social partners, the media and the general public, as set out in Article 12 of the EGF Regulation;

10.

Notes that the cost of information activities continues to be significantly reduced in 2015; considers that this should not have an adverse effect on the production and sufficient distribution of information material and necessary guidance;

11.

Underlines the need for increased contact between all those involved in EGF applications, including, in particular, the social partners and stakeholders at regional and local level, to create as many synergies as possible; interaction between the National Contact Person and regional or local case delivery partners should be strengthened and communication and support arrangements and information flows (internal divisions, tasks and responsibilities) made explicit and agreed on by all partners concerned;

12.

Underlines the need to extend access to EGF support to young people up to the age of 25 who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs) in equal numbers to workers receiving support in regions with high youth unemployment, if it is demonstrated in the mid-term evaluation that there is a need to maintain this measure after December 2017;

13.

Calls on the Commission to invite the Parliament to expert group meetings and seminars in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission (5); underlines furthermore the importance of increased contact between all those involved in EGF applications, including the social partners;

14.

Calls for the timely publication of the final evaluation in accordance with the deadline set out in Article 17 of Regulation (EC) No 1927/2006 of the European Parliament and the Council (6);

15.

Asks Member States and all the institutions involved to make the necessary efforts to improve procedural and budgetary arrangements in order to accelerate the mobilisation of the EGF; notes, in this regard, the will of the Parliament to draft an own-initiative report, based on the evaluation by the Commission, to take stock of the functioning of the new EGF Regulation and the cases examined; notes that the improved procedure, put in place by the Commission following Parliament's request to ensure that the EGF is truly an urgency instrument and to accelerate the release of grants, is aimed at presenting to the Parliament and the Council the Commission's assessment on the eligibility of an EGF application together with the proposal to mobilise the EGF; welcomes the significant acceleration of examination and authorisation of applications brought about by the new EGF Regulation;

16.

Underlines that the mid-term evaluation to be launched in current 2015 should also take into account the long-term impact of the crisis and globalisation on small and medium-sized enterprises and therefore evaluate the possibility of lowering the criteria of 500 workers being made redundant set out in Article 4 of the EGF Regulation, as suggested by the European Parliament in its Resolution of 17 September 2014;

17.

Asks Member States to highlight the additionality of EGF cases, to create links more clearly with other funds and to consider the most appropriate ways for the EGF to add value and avoid displacement effects;

18.

Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;

19.

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;

20.

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