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having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2023)0129 — C9-0053/2023),

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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), 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), (‘IIA of 16 December 2020 ’), and in particular point 9 thereof,

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having regard to the trilogue procedure provided for in point 9 of the IIA of 16 December 2020,

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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 (A9-0154/2023),

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; whereas this assistance is made through a financial support given to workers and the companies for which they worked;

B.

whereas Spain submitted application EGF/2022/003 ES/Alu Ibérica for a financial contribution from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), following 303 redundancies (4) in the economic sector classified under the NACE Revision 2 division 24 (Manufacture of basic metals), within a reference period for the application from 10 May 2022 to 10 September 2022;

C.

whereas the application relates to 303 workers made redundant in the company Alu Ibérica LC S.L. (Alu Ibérica) in the Spanish region of Galicia following the company’s bancruptcy;

D.

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

E.

whereas the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine have reduced economic competitiveness across the Union, including in Spain; whereas the margins of the enterprises in Spain and their competitiveness have furthermore been reduced by the current rise in inflation, in particular the higher prices of raw materials and energy;

F.

whereas the redundancies stem from the dissolution of Alu Ibérica and the opening of the liquidation procedure declared by the Commercial Court number 2 of A Coruña on 22 February 2022, following the company’s voluntary bankruptcy since December 2021; whereas higher energy and raw material prices and downward pressure on world prices of aluminium resulting from production overcapacity in China contributed to the bankruptcy of Alu Ibérica;

G.

whereas the Regional Government of Galicia, in compliance with Article 7(4) of Regulation (EU) 2021/691, involved social partners in the preparation of the EGF application and drew up the co-ordinated package of personalised services in cooperation with them; whereas social partners will also be involved in the implementation of the services;

H.

whereas financial contributions from the EGF should be primarily directed at active labour market policy measures and personalised services that aim 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;

I.

whereas the EGF shall not exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 186 million (in 2018 prices), as laid down in Article 8 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093;