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having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2022)0201 — C9-0170/2022),

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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) (‘MFF Regulation’), 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 and the 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 (3), and in particular point 9 thereof,

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having regard to the letters from the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and from the Committee on Regional Development,

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A9-0183/2022),

A.

whereas the Union has set up legislative and budgetary instruments to provide additional support to workers who are suffering from the consequences of globalisation and of technological and environmental changes, such as changes in world trade patterns, trade disputes, significant changes in the trade relations of the Union or the composition of the internal market and financial or economic crises, as well as the transition to a low-carbon economy while making mobility accessible to all, or as a consequence of digitisation or automation;

B.

whereas the Union has extended the scope of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF) to provide financial support in case of any major restructuring event, and thus covering economic effects of the coronavirus crisis;

C.

whereas France submitted application EGF/2022/001 FR/Air France for a financial contribution from the EGF, following 282 displacements in the economic sector classified under the NACE Revision 2 division 33 (Repair and installation of machinery and equipment) and 51 (Air transport) mainly 12 French NUTS level 2 regions in mainland France (4) and four French NUTS level 2 regions overseas (5), within a reference period for the application from 1 July 2021 to 1 November 2021;

D.

whereas the application relates to 282 displaced workers whose activity in the company Air France and two of its subsidiaries (6) has ceased during the reference period, while 1 298 workers were displaced before or after the reference period as a consequence of the same events that triggered the cessations of activity of the displaced workers during the reference period and all 1 580 workers will thus be considered eligible beneficiaries;

E.

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

F.

whereas Air France was severely impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, which caused a sharp decline in income and traffic;

G.

whereas the restructuring of Air France regional subsidiaries into Hop raised social concerns even before the COVID-19 crisis started, and during the pandemic, Air France decided to sharply reduce the capacity of Hop both in terms of staff and aircrafts;

H.

whereas French authorities have implemented various measures, such as State-guaranteed loans, to support Air France, but the company still had to undertake additional measures to face the crisis, including downsizing operations, redefining the domestic network, and simplifying support functions, which led to reductions in staff;

I.

whereas the Commission declared that the health crisis resulted in an economic crisis, set out a recovery plan for the economy and underlined the role of the EGF as an emergency tool (7);

J.

whereas airline companies in Europe have faced severe problems and challenges due to global competition and whereas measures are needed to strengthen the protection of the rights of airline workers at Union level and make sure that this important sector stays competitive and decent workplaces are kept within the Union;

K.

whereas the EGF shall not exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 186 million (in 2018 prices), as laid down in Article 8 of the MFF Regulation;

L.

whereas the Union plays an important role in providing the necessary solidarity through financial contributions from the EGF, which aims 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;

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